Did you know a robbery happens every 22.6 seconds in the US? Outdoor lights illuminate the premises. Through illumination, homeowners or passersby can notice intruders who may try to enter the space. However, there are certain scenarios where keeping the lights on may not deter burglars but benefit burglars.
| Reasons to keep lights on at night to deter burglaries | Reasons not to |
| – Light deterrent signifying someone is home | – Most burglaries take place during the day |
| – Help prevent injuries at night to your family | – Outdoor lights on all day signal a resident isn’t home |
| – Help you notice intruders coming | – Outdoor lights help burglars monitor people going in and out |
You can benefit from keeping lights on if you install motion sensor lights, video camera doorbells, and CCTV cameras. Otherwise, keeping lights on may harm you instead. So, before we share how you can keep intruders away, let’s discuss those specific scenarios where outdoor lighting may not work in your favor.
What About the Burglaries That Take Place During the Daytime?
Some people believe that leaving indoor lights on at night deters burglars. It may be true if there is someone around to notice and report intruders. But what about the daytime? Leaving the indoor or outdoor lights on during the day is useless since sunlight overpowers these.
A majority of burglaries take place during the day. Homeowners tend to be away from their residences between 10 AM and 3 PM. So, burglars consider it the perfect opportunity to enter your place to steal valuable items.
Outdoor Lights May Increase Burglaries
When you plan to go on vacation, you take measures to protect your property in your absence. You may install porch lights and door entry systems to keep intruders at bay. Moreover, you may leave the lights on when leaving the premises.
But burglars can identify that a property is vacant when lights stay on 24/7. They may ring the doorbell before breaking in to ensure no one is home. As a result, you are more likely to become a victim of burglary due to outdoor lights.
Porch Lights Benefit Robbers in Monitoring a Property
The main purpose of porch lights is to keep your house well-lit and keep burglars away. Even when you’re away, your neighbors or passersby may notice unusual activity due to outdoor lights and immediately report it to the police.
But these lights may prove ineffective if you live in a small town with no neighbors nearby. Burglars don’t worry much about neighbors or passersby noticing them. Outdoor lights allow them to monitor your property.
They can monitor your house to ensure no one enters or leaves the house. Also, they can locate the most suitable entry and exit points.
How to Use Outdoor Lights to Keep Burglars Away
You can’t guarantee home safety just because you have installed a porch light. But they can assist you with burglary prevention if you strategically turn them on and off. So, let’s look at a few tips to use outdoor lighting to your advantage and reduce the risk of burglaries.
1. When You Stay at Home at Night
Outdoor lights prove effective only when someone is present to notice intruders. Otherwise, burglars can easily enter your home without the fear of getting caught. Therefore, it’s a great idea to keep the lights on at night at home.
You can easily notice if someone tries to break in. You can call the police to catch the culprits and protect your house and your loved ones.
2. When Your Family or Roommate Intends to Return Late
You, your roommate, or a family member may return late at night. And a dark porch with no lights on increases the risk of injuries. To reduce the risk of unwanted injuries to your friends or family, you should consider leaving porch lights on at night.
This approach not only prevents injuries but also assists with burglary prevention. It’s because they can find out if someone broke into the house. So, instead of risking their life by entering the house, they would contact the police to keep their possessions safe.
3. When Kids are Home
Parents tend to worry about their kids no matter how old they are. This stress significantly increases when you have to leave home at night, leaving behind kids. Under such circumstances, outdoor lights can deter burglars.
Burglars prefer to enter a house when residents are away. Since the night lights in your kids’ bedroom and porch lights are on, burglars will likely leave your property alone.
4. When You’ve Scheduled a Home Delivery
Online shopping makes buying the items you need from the comfort of your home easier. You may place an order for your favorite meal for dinner. This is when you should leave the lights on.
Due to the lighting, delivery people can easily enter the premises and deliver food or online shopping packages. Also, burglars may not target your home when they notice you collecting packages from the delivery rider. (1)
Porch Lights and Home Security
1. Invest in Motion Sensor Porch Lights
Outdoor lights provide an added sense of security. Burglars are less likely to risk your safety if your house is brightly lit and patrolling cops, neighbors, or passersby are present around to notice intrusion activity. However, if you don’t want to leave the lights on all night long, your best bet is to get motion sensor lights.
Motion sensor lighting fixtures turn on only when someone walks into the premises. Hence burglars may get flustered or surprised and quickly leave without stealing anything.
Aside from installing new motion sensor lights, you can also add sensors to existing external lights. They can keep trespassers and burglars away from your house.
2. Home Automation Is Your Best Bet
Another approach is to invest in Smart lights that you can control with your smartphone through IoT technology. You can easily turn the lights on and off when needed. Since you don’t leave lights on throughout the night, you can reduce utility costs this way. (2)
3. Install Smart Security Devices
Porch Lights provide burglar prevention safety when you complement these with other security devices. For instance, you can install CCTV cameras, door entry systems, and Wi-Fi-controlled home monitoring devices. These smart devices will enable you to take quick action if someone tries to enter your residence.
4. Buy Smart Lightbulbs
You can also add smart lightbulbs for maximum safety. With the help of home assistant devices, you can turn these indoor lights on and off even when you’re not at home. This creates an illusion that the house isn’t empty and someone is walking around.
5. Get Smart Door Entry Systems
With smart monitoring devices, you can boost the efficacy of porch lights in keeping burglars at bay. For this purpose, you should invest in a video doorbell camera and smart lock combo. Burglars usually ring the doorbell to make sure no one is home. With a doorbell camera, you can check who rang the bell and lock the door remotely via the smart lock.
To be precise, Outdoor lighting makes it easier to notice intruders. But this technique backfires when you live in remote areas. So, combine them with burglar alarm systems, doorbell cameras, and CCTV cameras to keep your house and family safe.
References
(1) deliver food – https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarwantsingh/2019/09/09/the-soon-to-be-200b-online-food-delivery-is-rapidly-changing-the-global-food-industry/
(2) IoT technology – https://www.oracle.com/ph/internet-of-things/what-is-iot/
