Home security is a priority for many families these days with increasing crime rates. One option many security experts recommend is installing motion-sensitive security lights in areas around your home. But what are they, and how do they work? And are they a viable option for you and your family?
First, let's discuss why lights are a good security investment. It's been proven over time that thieves are less likely to attempt to break into a home in broad daylight and prefer to ply their trade in darkness or in shadowed areas of the property where the public is less likely to see them and report them to the authorities. This function can be filled easily with bright floodlights surrounding your home at night. But while this may seem like the cheapest and quickest way to deal with the problem, it can also cause quite a few in the long run. The cost of running lights for six to eight hours every night can be prohibitive, never mind that your neighbors may object to your house being visible from space. Also, your family may have problems sleeping with these floodlights illuminating the immediate area.
So we turn to motion-sensitive lights that will activate upon detecting movement in a specific area. This will save you both time and expense in dealing with high electricity bills and dealing with potential emergencies that may or may not exist.
Let's discuss the technology that goes into a motion sensor. When you enter a store and a chime goes off, it's more than likely that you’ve just stepped through an invisible beam of light being broadcast from one end of the room to the other across the doorway. When you break the light beam, the photosensor reacts to the lack of light and sets off the bell chime. This technology is also used in many grocery stores to open the sliding doors as you approach. If you look just above the doorframes, you'll see a small black box that is sending out a small burst of radio energy, a very simple type of radar. When the waves bounce back as you advance on the doorway, it reacts by opening the doors.
But all of these are active sensors; sending some sort of energy into the room or into the area and reacting to a change either through a lack of light or by receiving feedback through radar.
While some motion sensors work on this system, some work on a passive system instead, meaning that they don't send out waves or beams in order to guard the area but detect by using pyroelectric sensors. This means that they are aimed specifically at reacting to the temperature of the human body, instead of going off every time a chipmunk or stray dog wanders into the area.
Obviously cost is going to be prohibitive in deciding which version works better for your home and family, but you may want to consider both options and perhaps combine them for increased security. Put an active sensor in low traffic areas where you don't expect any visitors, animal or human, and then install a passive sensor in areas where you know that animal life may be common – such as your front yard. Once you activate the sensors, no human will be able to advance on your front door without activating the lights, and the neighborhood dogs and cats and local wildlife can run around without a strobe light show starting up every few minutes.
A good security expert can advise you on the best placement of any security lights for maximum protection and minimum inconvenience for you and your family. With a little help and a little money you can secure your home and rest easy, knowing that your valuables, both human and material, are being protected.
