“1,200 to 4,000-lumen floodlights are best for residential use, especially if it’s placed at the front of the house as you don’t want to be blinded when returning home in the dark,” says Lee Churton, manager of ProElec Electrical Services. “For other areas, and larger properties, you can go for a brighter light that can deter intruders, too.” To find the best outdoor floodlights, we researched a variety of picks, keeping in mind size, power source, watts/volts, brightness, and light beam angle. We also consulted Churton for additional insight. Overall, the best outdoor floodlight is the motion-detecting Ring Smart Lighting Floodlight. The floodlight has a bright light of 2,000 lumens that’s rated at an energy-saving 24 watts. Plus, it has adjustable motion detection and can be monitored and operated via your smartphone or tablet. Here are the best outdoor floodlights. Keep in Mind: It’s not dimmable and needs to be hardwired by a professional. Though it must be hardwired by a professional (all installation tools and screws are included, as well as a thorough user manual), this attractive floodlight is weather resistant and you can even customize its motion sensitivity. All activity the unit detects will be reported directly to you via a notification on your phone, and you can monitor and adjust its settings from your smart device on the Ring App. The app also allows you to adjust other settings such as the automatic shut-off time. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need the Ring Bridge in order to operate it via Wi-Fi (as well as any other Ring devices you may have), which increases the price a bit. Once you have the Bridge, you’ll even be able to work this floodlight with voice-activation via Alexa. Price at time of publish: $70 Product Details: Size: 7.10 x 8.35 x 6.70 inches | Power Source: Hardwired | Watts/Volts: 24 watts, 110-240 Volts | Brightness: 2,000 Lumens | Light Beam Angle: Not listed Keep in Mind: It’s not motion-activated. It’s a wired floodlight which means you’ll need to get it installed professionally, and, to operate it, you’ll have to manually switch it on and off. The two heads are easily adjustable by hand either up or down or left to right, so you can get the best angle for your space. The Lithonia floodlight is constructed from a sturdy, durable, and rust-free metal, and has a white finish. At 300 watts, it’s not the most energy-efficient floodlight on our list, but since you control the on/off function, you can monitor how much energy you use. Though it’s less expensive than other styles, the manufacturer also offers a one-year warranty for your peace of mind. Price at time of publish: $10 Product Details: Size: 6 x 5.5 x 7 inches | Power Source: Hardwired | Watts/Volts: 300 watts, 120 volts | Brightness: 2,250 lumens | Light Beam Angle: 110 degrees Keep in Mind: For installation, it needs to be hardwired by a professional (110-240V). It’s also more expensive than some other styles. You can also schedule the lights to come on at any time via the Eufy app on your phone or tablet. It has a small red light to alert intruders that the area is being surveilled, but you can also turn this off if you prefer the light to remain discreet. The camera on this unit provides a clear 2K full high-definition color resolution, even at nighttime, and can pan left and right at 360 degrees, as well as tilt vertically to 140 degrees. But that’s not all. This clever floodlight cam, that has no blind spots, has an “AI Subject Lock and Tracking” function that can recognize when a human is present. It will then ‘lock’ onto the subject, tracking and recording their movements, giving you direct feedback and notifications to your phone. You can also live-stream and record the footage for the utmost safety. It may be a bit more expensive than other options, but this home security system is much more than just a floodlight. Price at time of publish: $300 Product Details: Size: 12.2 x 7.87 x 7.09 inches | Power Source: Hardwired | Watts/Volts: 120 volts | Brightness: 3,000 lumens | Light Beam Angle: Not listed Keep in Mind: The light timer is not adjustable. This floodlight features dawn-dusk sensors with a 120-degree view angle that turn the light to ‘ready mode’ when it starts to get dark. The sensor can pick up any activity from a distance of up to 33 feet via its motion sensor, and, when it does, the lights will turn on and stay on for 30 seconds before automatically shutting off. The 30 seconds can’t be adjusted if you prefer it to stay on for more or less time, though. Each of this unit’s three lights is independently adjustable and can rotate at 360 degrees for full coverage of your outdoor space. In addition, this solar floodlight is super easy to install. The package comes with three screws that must be drilled into a wall in order to attach the bracket, which the floodlight then fits onto. Price at time of publish: $22 Product Details: Size: 7.7 x 6.1 x 7.5 inches | Power Source: Solar | Watts/Volts: 1.8 watts, 5.5 volts | Brightness: 550 lumens | Light Beam Angle: 270 degrees Keep in Mind: It needs to be installed by a professional and you’ll need the Google Home app to use it as it’s not compatible with the Nest App. The adjustable camera has a wide lens with a 130-degree angle, and the motion sensor offers a 180-degree field of view with a 25-foot range, making it one of the best outdoor floodlights to consider. Connecting via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the Nest Floodlight offers excellent night vision and motion detection that can recognize and distinguish between moving objects. It knows if what it’s detecting is a human, animal, or a car, and it even has the capacity to remember and store familiar faces. The unit needs to be professionally installed. However, once it’s set up, you can monitor any activity live, and operate this weatherproof floodlight remotely via your smartphone or tablet. You can even talk to any visitors too via your phone through the light as it features an inbuilt speaker. It comes with three hours of free recorded surveillance, though, if you need more, you can upgrade to the Nest Aware Plus Subscription from just $6 a month for 10 days of recordings that can each be stored for 60 days. It also offers one-hour local backup storage if there is ever a power outage or if your Wi-Fi goes out. Price at time of publish: $280 Product Details: Size: 6.5 x 12.4 x 3.66 inches | Power Source: Hardwired | Watts/Volts: 100-240 volts | Brightness: 2,400 lumens | Light Beam Angle: Not listed Keep in Mind: It’s a super bright light that would be overkill on a smaller property. This highly durable light is weatherproof and made from hardwearing materials including a waterproof die-cast aluminum casing, waterproof and dustproof tempered glass that is also impact resistant keeping the bulbs inside fully protected. The joints are also rust-proof and designed to remain intact in the rain, and they are even kitted out with a surge protector that stabilizes the voltage and protects the unit from lightning. The company backs its product with a two-year warranty for any faults. If you have a large backyard, this floodlight can brightly illuminate it all the way to the back, turning night into day. This means, however, that it’s not the best option for smaller yards or for placing at the front of the house if you have a short pathway. The unit is designed to be hardwired, but you can opt to wire your own plug to it if you prefer to use it with an outlet. Though you have to manually switch it on or off, you could connect it to an Alexa-compatible plug and use voice control to operate it. Price at time of publish: $164 Product Details: Size: 21 x 16 x 4.5 inches | Power Source: Corded electric or hardwired | Watts/Volts: 400 watts | Brightness: 32,000 lumens | Light Beam Angle: 140 degrees Keep in Mind: There are no motion detection sensors, and you have to manually switch it on and off. These lights emit a bright beam that can last for 50,000 hours, meaning you won’t have to replace them anytime soon. Rated at just 30 watts, they won’t rack up the utility bill, either. You’ll have to hardwire them to a switch or plug them into an outlet, and they must be manually switched on and off. The three light heads can be altered to suit your space. The middle light goes up and down, and the side ones can be adjusted both vertically and horizontally. This Amico product is a great heavy-duty floodlight for anyone on a budget. The design is also quite nice and has a minimal look. This model comes in white, but if you have darker walls, you can opt for the black or brown versions to better blend in. Price at time of publish: $36 Product Details: Size: 10.94 x 6.65 x 6.38 inches | Power Source: Corded electric | Watts/Volts: 30 watts | Brightness: 3,500 lumens | Light Beam Angle: 180 degrees Keep in Mind: The controls are on the base of the unit and, since there is no remote control, you’ll need a ladder to change the settings if you’ve installed it quite high up. It has three settings which can be adjusted by the three little controls at the bottom of the unit. These allow you to customize the modes to on/off if you want it to stay on like an outdoor lamp, or set it to automatic. You also have the option to choose how long the light stays on and can adjust the range of detection. The dusk-to-dawn sensor recognizes when it’s time to get the floodlight ready for action come nightfall, and the motion sensor can pick up activity within a 180-degree range from up to 70 feet away. Its dual heads can rotate 360 degrees to cover all areas you need to be illuminated in your outdoor space. It’s a durable little unit that is water-resistant and built to last a long time, and there’s even a five-year manufacturer’s warranty. Price at time of publish: $47 Product Details: Size: 8.07 x 7.48 x 5.9 inches | Power Source: Hardwired | Watts/Volts: 20 watts | Brightness: 1,800 lumens | Light Beam Angle: Not listed
What to Know About Outdoor Floodlights Before Shopping
Power Source
When it comes to the installation of outdoor floodlights for residential use, these can either be hardwired, powered by corded electric, solar-powered, or battery-powered. Solar and battery options are cordless and great for areas where hardwiring isn’t possible, such as at the end of a gate, the back of a garden, or up in a tree. Solar-powered outdoor floodlights do have the limitation that, on darker winter days, they may not get enough charge from the sun to last all night. Their light also doesn’t tend to last as long as other options. Though they tend to last a long time, battery-powered floodlights need to be regularly checked to ensure the battery hasn’t run out. Corded electric outdoor floodlights are good options in areas that have an outlet nearby, such as a patio, balcony, or deck, otherwise, you’d have to use an outdoor weatherproof extension lead. Churton suggests that hardwired outdoor floodlights are the most reliable, but says that “a reputable electrician should always be conducting the installation so as to find the best local power source, and get the job done safely.”
Brightness
The brightness of outdoor floodlights is typically measured in lumens, and models for home use vary from 500 to around 4,000 lumens. “The brightness you choose for your outdoor floodlight should be dependent on location,” Churton says. “For example, the front of a property should have a lower light so as not to be too bright when it comes on as you’re walking to the front door.” Brighter floodlights are better suited to larger homes with a vast outdoor space or a long driveway. For more of a burglar-deterring outdoor floodlight, you could opt for a brightness of up to 10,000 lumens. Floodlights used in larger properties, industrial spaces, and sports grounds can go as high as 30–40,000 lumens. While brightness is measured by lumens, the amount of power that a light bulb consumes is measured by watts. It’s worth noting that LED lights are far more economical than halogen light bulbs. For instance, a 30–50-watt LED bulb is equivalent to a halogen bulb of around 500 watts. This can get confusing when buying LED lights, but checking the lumens output can help you buy the right one for you.
Size
The physical size of the light doesn’t really matter as much as the brightness and the angle. Some lights come with 180-degree light-beam angles, so even if the bulb itself is small, it can still cover a larger area. In relation to the entire floodlight unit, these are usually sized between 8–12 inches. Commercially used floodlights, such as those used in car parks and garages can go up to 25 inches in size, and even more.
Light Beam Angle
Also known as the beam spread, the light beam angle relates to the width of the light beam that the floodlight emits. Floodlights are designed to have a wider beam than regular lights to illuminate a larger area. The best outdoor floodlights should have a spread of over 45 degrees, and go up to around 120–180 degrees. Dual- or triple-head floodlights can provide a greater total light beam coverage since, typically, the separate lights on the units can be rotated at the furthest angles on each side. According to NEMA (the National Electrical Manufacturers Association), beams of 70–100 degrees are classed as ‘medium wide’ whereas 100–130-degree beams are ‘wide’. Anything over 130 degrees is viewed as ‘very wide’. Depending on the model, the distance that the light from a floodlight can travel is usually between 10–15 meters. Some lights on the market that claim to be floodlights may provide light beam specifications of around 25 degrees (NEMA classifies these as ‘narrow’) but, technically, these are spotlights masquerading as floodlights. These types of motion-activated spotlights could, however, be suitable for small properties or narrow walkways. In relation to the angles that the floodlight itself can be turned, most models are adjustable so you can face them up or downwards, or left to right, as is convenient. Some more affordable models come with a fixed angle of around 100–120 degrees. In any event, Churton advises that floodlights should generally be facing downwards. He also mentions making sure you set the light so that it illuminates only your own property and not the neighbor’s houses as well.
Your Questions, Answered
What are the benefits of floodlights?
“Security is the main reason people opt to install outdoor floodlights,” Churton says. “Background lighting for visibility is another important factor, and floodlights come in handy when you want to take out the trash, or walk to your car in the dark.” Floodlights can also be used to create ambiance in a garden, and many landscapers situate them high up in trees to illuminate a backyard and create a ‘moonlight-bathed’ effect.
How do you install outdoor floodlights?
For anyone who doesn’t have electrical experience, a professional electrician would need to be brought in to install any hardwired outdoor floodlights. Most can be installed to an outdoor light fixture if there’s already one in the place where you want to put the floodlight. Otherwise, Churton says that “a high-level local lighting feed from a loft or an upstairs floor of a house can be used to bring in electricity.” Solar-powered and battery-operated outdoor floodlights are fairly easy to install. These usually come with screws and mounting hardware, so all you’d need is a drill to put them up. The same goes for corded electric models, but you’d have to make sure you have access to an electrical outlet, and/or a good outdoor extension cord. “A socket source can also be used,” Churton advises, “but that would need to be fused down.”
How bright should outdoor floodlights be?
This all depends on your outdoor area. The larger the space, the brighter the outdoor floodlight should be so that it can cover more ground. Smaller gardens, patios, and driveways could sufficiently be illuminated with a floodlight of around 700–1,500 lumens, and owners of small to medium gardens of 500–1,500 square feet in size should opt for floodlights with 1,600 to 3,000 lumens. Larger backyards and gardens of over 1,600 square feet would need a brighter outdoor floodlight of around 3,000 to 9,000 lumens in order to get the optimal lighting for the space. For reference, large outdoor car parks use floodlights of 9,000 to 20,000 or more lumens.
Who We Are
This article was written by Kat de Naoum, who has over ten years of commerce writing experience. For this article, Kat reviewed and researched factors such as each outdoor floodlight’s power and power source, brightness, size, and value for money. She also spoke to Lee Churton, the manager at ProElec Electrical Services.
