There are several places inside and outside your home where installing lights make sense – stairway, doorway, pathways, etc. However, finding an outlet for a light can be tedious at best. For those looking to install lights outside, finding a nearby outlet may be pretty difficult to do. The lack of accessible outlets is one reason solar lights have grown in popularity.
These lights, which are eco-friendly and inexpensive, can be quickly installed.
There are many styles of outdoor solar lights – wall lights, floodlights, spotlights, etc. The majority of them will switch one when it turns dusk, using the collected solar energy to provide the light needed in the overnight hours for security and visual reasons.
Of course, not all solar lights are the same, and the obvious answer is going for the best.
How do you know which outdoor solar lighting system will suit your needs? It comes down to doing a bit of research and making a decision. However, if you need a little help, consider any of the following outdoor solar products currently offered on the market.
5 Popular LED Solar Lighting Products Available on the Market
Lepro Solar Lights Outdoor (Motion Sensor Security Lights)
Lepro LED Solar Lights is a motion sensor light equipped with 72 LED chips and three adjustable heads for a 270-degree wide-angle. This waterproof, frost and heat-resistant wireless LED light can be installed in gardens, garage walls, backyards, and other places, offering light where you don’t have any currently. It’s got a unique three-head design with wide-angle illumination. The spotlights can be moved horizontally, downward, or upward in any direction you want.
The energy-efficient Lepro LED Solar Lights offers 1000lm brightness, lighting up a large area.
How does it work?
The solar panel will soak up the sun’s rays during the day, changing it into electricity. It comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and six to eight hours of sunlight exposure offers 270 times the light that will last all night.
Pro:
- Sensitive PIR Motion Detector
- IP65 Waterproof, heat & frost resistant
- Wide lighting angel
- Easy to install
Ever Brite Black Motion Activated Outdoor Integrated LED Area Light
Ever Brite developed its own version of a motional-activated solar light that measures 11×8 inches and comes with white LED bulbs that turn on whenever motion is detected. Where can you install this light?
- Front door
- Garage door
- Shed
The great thing about these lights is that they can be installed on practically all surfaces, such as 3M adhesive, without the use of tools or wiring. If you’re looking for a permanent solution for your lighting needs, screws can be used.
When it gets dark, the lights stay dim and come on at full brightness when it senses motions within 30 feet of the building. It remains on until the movement is no longer detectable. These are weatherproof lights, meaning they can be placed wherever you want outside without any damage to them. Due to their array of applications, people tend to choose this light for their outdoor lighting needs.
The only drawback? You cannot adjust the settings.
Pros:
- Motion detection up to 30 feet
- Can be mounted anywhere using included adhesive
- Weatherproof design
Cons:
- No adjustable settings
URPOWER 2-in 1 Solar Lights with LED
When winter hits, many solar lights fail to work correctly because of their inability to attain enough energy when the sun isn’t at its strongest. URPOWER Solar Lights is ideal because they can provide hours of light even when the sun doesn’t make an appearance… better than most other solar light models on the market.
These lights are resistant to front and waterproof, ensuring they can last for years.
The manufacturer designed the URPOWER device with two brightness levels that offer 200-lumen output from the four LED lightbulbs. You have one of two options for installation – using the included stakes to stick them in the ground or using the screws to mount them to the wall. The light and solar panel can also be separately adjusted, so you get just the right angle.
The lights will turn on and off when light is or is not detected, and due to the spotlight style, you can light up your entire backyard, home, etc.
One negative aspect of this model is its small design.
Pros:
- Work better than other options on cloudy days
- Multiple installation options
- Dusk-to-dawn feature
Cons:
- Fairly small
Frontgate Pro Series VI Solar Spotlight
Frontgate’s Pro Series VI Solar Spotlight can brighten the space around your home or business. It comes with two weatherproof lights that are encased with aluminum and comes with an aluminum stake – an improvement in its construction.
What makes Frontgate’s lights better than other solar lights available? Its output is brighter than your typical solar light, with its high-efficiency 60-lumen LED lights. Both spotlights have a 20-foot cord that goes with the resultant solar panel. This enables you to put the spotlights in places where it gets the most sun.
The spotlights measure more than 12 inches tall, with the crystalline solar panels measuring at 4-3/4 x 16-1/4 x 6-1/4 inches. The oversized panels improve the performance when conditions are less than favorable. Although the lights can remain on for nearly 10 hours, they will conserve the battery power and turn off when it detects light.
Pros:
- Oversized panels perform better in cloudy conditions
- Solar panels separate from lights for optimal placement
- High-quality construction
Cons:
- Expensive
Pottery Barn Solar-Powered String Lights
Spruce up your outdoor space – deck, patio, or background – with these solar-powered LED string lights. These lights will cost you more money, but there are reasons for that:
- They can be purchased in either 12-foot or 24-foot options, with each bulb being one foot away from the other.
- It comes with a controller that allows you to change the colors (14 different colors).
- Charge the lights by its USB solar panel when it’s cloudy outside (the solar panel will put placed in the ground).
- The cord is weather and impact-resistant, meaning they hold up in harsh weather conditions (such as windy days or severe storms).
What makes the Pottery Barn Solar-Powered String Lights so great is that they’re not just for outdoor use. If you’ll be holding a party inside, use the lights to decorate and illuminate the room.
Pros:
- Color-changing LEDs with 14 light settings
- Impact-resistant bulbs
- Lights can be charged via USB on cloudy days
Cons:
- Very expensive
Which Types of Outdoor Solar Lights to Consider?
There are three kinds of outdoor solar lights:
- Dusk-to-dawn
- Motion-activated
- Timer-controlled
Determine two things before buying any solar light:
- When you want the light to come on
- How long the light should remain on
Remember, “Solar energy is a limited resource,” something to bear in mind when shopping.
Dusk-to-dawn lights have a sensor that trips when the light outside begins to fade, and it stays on until the sun comes back in the morning. Dusk-to-dawn solar flood lights are not ideal in winter due to the limited amount of sun and their inability to store solar energy.
Motion-activated lights only come on when the light detects movements, conserving the energy that’s been stored. Floodlights or those for particular lighting needs tend to be outfitted as motion-activated lights.
