The Best Solar Power Security Lights UK - Complete Guide 2022

Find The Best Solar Power Security Lights, Complete Guide, 5 Best Products Tested For Brightness, Reliability, Maintenance, IP Rating, Value For Money

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  Overall Price Brightness See Product Flexibilty Fitting Longevity Function Reliability
Best Solar Security Light Guide Product 1 Good Light - Very Flexible Lighting 8/10 Value : 8/10 7/10 - 400 Lumens 8/10 - Panel is fixed on unit 8/10 Easy 8/10 9/10 - 3 Modes 9/10
The Best Solar Powered Security Lights Guide 2022 Product 2 Good Value For Money Not So Bright 8/10 Value : 8/10 6/10 - 150 Lumens 8/10 Fixed Housing & Panel 9/10 - Easy 6/10 9/10 - 3 Modes 8/10
The Best Solar Powered Security Lights Guide 2022 Product 3 The Best 9/10 - Consistency Wins Value : 9/10 7/10 336 Lumens 9.5/10 - Separate Solar Panel. 8/10 - Easy 9/10 - 8+ Years. 9/10 Adjustable PIR. 9/10 - 8+ Years
The Best Solar Powered Security Lights Guide 2022 Product 4

Very Bright Value For Money 8.5 / 10

Value : 8/10 9/10 - 1000 Lumens 8/10 Fixed Housing & Panel 9/10 - Easy. 8/10 9/10 - 3 Modes 8/10
The Best Solar Powered Security Lights Guide 2022 Product 1 Really A Great Light - 9/10 Value : 9/10 7/10 - 400 Lumens 8/10 Fixed Housing & Panel    9/10 9/10 9/10 -3 Modes. 9/10

 

The Best Solar Security Lights can completely replace a mains equivalent light, saving you energy and hard earned money.

So please Use Our Guide To Help You Choose Whats Best For You.

 

 

In our latest guide, we focus in on winter time operation for the UK, as this the most challenging time for all solar powered lights.

 

Brightness & Consistency

 

How Bright Are Solar Security Lights?

How Bright Are Solar Security Lights

Solar PIR lights can be very bright (up to 3500 Lumens), the average is around 400 Lumens.

Generally the brighter that the lights are, the less overall time they will operate for.

The energy needed to operate them is limited by the panel size and by the amount of light they can receive.

 
Are solar security lights any good in winter?

Are Solar Lights Any Good In Winter?

Yes several security lights we tested worked reliably during winter time in the UK (when the solar panel was located facing south).

It is far easier for a motion activated light to be consistent in operation during periods of heavy cloud, compared to other solar lights, as they remain off most of the time.

The units will (when on winter mode setting) remain dormant therefore conserving their energy in the batteries, until motion is detected,

and only then will activate for a short period of tme or when motion has stopped.

 
What Are The Operational Modes For Solar Motion Lights?

Operational Modes For Solar Security Lights

Many lights offer a mode facility allowing you to chose how they operate, here are some common modes :

 

1) Full Bright or Motion Sensor Mode - the unit remains off or dormant until motion is detected and then full brightness activated. 

This is normally considered the best option during winter as it conserves the most energy.

2) Dim Light Sensor Mode - the unit remains constantly on dim light mode until motion is detected and then full brightness is activated.

3) Dim Light Mode - unit remains constantly on dim light mode with no sensor mode operation.

This mode is generally used in spring and summer and enables the units to act more like a solar wall light remaining constantly on for most of the night.

 

Reliability & Maintenance

 

Are Solar motion sensor lights reliable?

Are Solar Motion Sensor Lights Reliable?

Yes in general they are very reliable, the location of the light is critical for consistent winter time operation.

Facing the solar panel in a southerly direction ensures enough voltage in generated for genral use all year round in the UK.

 

How long do solar security lights Last?

How Long Do Solar Security Lights Work in Winter Time?

Security motion lights can last for years, normally they are made from ABS plastic (a type of thermoplastic polymer),

they are UV resistant and weatherproof in design. 

 

Usage of the lights is limited more by the battery than for example the housing or the solar panel for instance.

Batteries are nearly always replaceable, normally these are inexepensive and easily fitted.

 

If your buy a decent light they can last for several years, at powerbee we test & use our own lights at our offices,

some are still operating after 8 years & still going strong!, batteries should normally be replaced after every 2 - 3 years

which is very simple & cheap.

 

What do I need to do to maintain the lights? - The only maintenance that is required after intalling solar motion lights is really just

to give them a whipe over if the panels get dusty.

Other than that there is no maintenance apart from changing the batteries every few years.

 

How to change the batteries?

How To Change Batteries For Solar Security Lights

Changing the batteries is very straight forward, theyare nearly always located in the rear of the main body.

Access to the batteries is normally provided via a removable cover or by unscrewing the back panelof the light.

 

Inside you will be able to clearly see the battery housing,

and it is normally just a straightforward case of removing the battery and replacing it with a new one.

Many people are now very aware of the li-Ion battery in particular the 18650 which is often used in these types of light,

these are now used in a large number of products , car manufacturers like Tessla use the latest types of these batteries in banks to power cars.

 

Fitting

See Our Video - How To Fit A Solar Security Light

How To Fit A Solar Security Light

How to fit a solar security light?

In most cases solar motion lights are extremely easy to fit,

it will take around 5 - 15 mintues depending on which type of light is being installed.

 

There are two main types :

Integrated - Panel is part of the housing of the security light.

Remote - Panel is independant from the housing and fixed seperately. This takes a little longer to fit as there are two parts to install.

 

Screws and plugs are nearly always provided and if mounting to wood only a screwdriver is needed.

 

What's the best outside security light?

The best solar security light 2022 was the Signaller Twin Head it is a conistent light that works in the UK all year round

and has an ajustable PIR sensor and remote solar panel.

 

It does however depend upon what the light is needed for and also the location that it is placed.

You will see lots of comparison articles claiming to have found the best light,

all of them having found different ones aparently.

 

Here is a summary of the best outside security lights 2022 when also considering purpose :

 

Security Light - Deter would be burglars

Important Factors : Brightness, Reliability, Adjustable PIR Sensor.

 

Garage / Building and Courtyard

Important Factors : Brightness, Light Spread, Reliability.

 

Path Access / Approach Light

Important Factors : Directional Lighting, Brightness & Light Spread, Reliability.

 

Wall / Fence Light / Decorative

Important Factors : Mode Function, Brightness & Light Pattern.

 

Cost

 

Solar security lights are now very affordable.

There has been sigificant increases in overall quality, functionality & design.

Considering the overall cost and effectiveness of these movement activated led lights,

everyone should have at least one.

 

 

Powerbee 212 Solar Motion Light

 

How To Make The Right Choice

 

For a reliable PIR motion activated light there are a large number of choices available,

Choose the best one that suits your needs in terms of consistency, brightness and operation.

 

Solar Panel Choice Integrated Panel Vs Separate panel

 

There are two distinctive types of solar security lights available.

 

Integrated - The solar panel is built in to the same housing as the led's and batteries.

 Advantages    : Easy to Fit, less chance of cable damage as panel is fixed (no cable)

 Disadvantages : Location Is Restricted as the panel should be ideally facing south, which is best for charging.

 

Remote Panel - the solar panel is separate from the body allowing you to place the panel

is a separate location.

 Advantages    : Allows You to optimise the location and angle of the solar panel, for best charging results.

 Disadvantages : Needs Fixing Seperately From the Light Head.

 

In almost all cases the separated solar panel is a better choice for the UK,

it may take a bit longer to install, but it gives you much more flexibility in terms of locating your panel,

and thus capturing as much light as possible, this sigificantly increases charging voltage.

 

The location of the solar panel in the UK is critical for consistency of operation during winter time.

 

 

Brightness required

 

What level of brightness you need depends on the location and function of the light,

for example if you have a detached house in the country,

then you probably feel the need to have a mains equivalent security light like the Signaller.

 

The best Solar power security lights - Solar security Light

 

Lumens / Watts

 

Brightness of the light is measured in lumen's, there is no actual direct comparison of lumen's and watts,

however as a general rule 50 led's generating 320 lumen's is roughly equivalent to a 45 watt mains bulb.

A mains equivalent solar powered light is enough power for a really effective security light,

remember the light is directional so all the power is being directed where you want it to go.

The old days of the 500 watt mains garage light are truly over now, as these are prohibitively expensive to run,

and cause neighbours a great deal of distress. No one wants half the town to be lit up every time a car passes by!

 

Pir sensor

 

There are two distinct types of pir or passive infra red detectors,

these are motion sensors which will activate when they detect movement.

The first is an integrated PIR these are basic infra red detectors which cannot be adjusted in any way.

They have normally a range between 1 and 5 meters, and have a 120 degree detection angle.

These detectors are quite reliable and do not normally suffer from

water ingress problems (depending upon the actual design of the light)

 

The best Solar power security lights - PIR

 

The second type is a flexible pir which is normally mounted on a swivel 

and can be pointed at a specific location, these are also normally adjustable in terms of lux,

time, and sensitivity, which gives them a big advantage for a large number of installations.

 

 

The best Solar power security lights - PIR adjustments

 

If for example you have a location which is close to a busy public path or a road, or a bush or tree,

which on windy days will activate the security light, then you will need to be able to adjust the PIR,

otherwise the motion sensor will activate the light multiple times per night and drain the battery

leaving the light without any charge.

 

Reliability

 

Reliability of your solar power security light is dependent upon all of the above points, it's really all about balance,

if you see for an example a very powerful light boasting 80 led's and 1200 lumen's,

then you really do need to make sure that it has a very powerful large panel at least 3 watts,

and at least 6000 mAh battery capacity

 

The best Solar power security lights - good solar panel

otherwise it will definitely not work consistently, but also it means that it has not been designed specifically for the UK,

which means that they don't really care about the product they care about the sale!

 

The whole point is that a security light should work consistently all year round every single time,

if it doesn't then it shouldn't be called a solar security light.

 

Types of led (light emitting diode)

There are two distinct types of LED Bulbs and they use up to 90% less energy than an incandescent or halogen bulb equivalent,

the standard superb bright led which is great for solar and the SMD (surface mounted device)

 

The best Solar power security lights - Signaller Twin Head

 

SMDs are smaller and as their name implies they are "surface mountable", making them ideal for use on electrical boards.

They can be placed close together have an incredible lumen output and a wide beam angle (120 degrees)

 

Your solar security light should be fitted with SMD led's, all powerbee solar security lights have these as standard.

 

Battery capacity

 

Battery capacity is an important consideration for the UK market.

If you consider that we can and usually do end up with several concurrent overcast days or even weeks at a time during winter,

your solar security light's panel will not be producing much voltage to use,

in fact during these times the average level of charge in the battery will actually be decreasing.

It is for this reason that you need a good battery capacity.

 

The best Solar power security lights - battery capacity

The capacity will act as a reservoir, each time the light is activated, it will use a little more power,

so if the capacity is large enough,

it can safely activate the light hundreds of times, awaiting the next half bright morning or afternoon to top itself up again,

this is also why panel power is so important, to take advantage of the brief spells of light we get in winter time,

whilst also extracting as much voltage as possible during cloudy days.

 

Powerbee has sold tens of thousands of solar security lights for almost a decade now,

we have tried and tested nearly every single make on the market,

we then selected the best of the best Solar power security lights , redesigned and improved them.

 

So when you buy a solar security light from us you know that you are purchasing the best Solar power security lights that you could possibly buy.

PowerBee Ltd also Offer a Large Range of Long Lasting Battery Secrity Lights where Solar cannot be used because of Location

 


 

Battery Operated Security Lights