---lights on or off---?

[the Black Spot]

What is better criminal deterent for break ins At night:
Leave house in total darkness?
Have a little light?
Light it up best you can?

 

[Sam1911]

If it is possible, you'd want your lane of potential fire, target area, and intruder well lit, while your own position remains in darkness.

 

[boom boom]

What is better criminal deterent for break ins At night:
Leave house in total darkness?
Have a little light?
Light it up best you can?

A mix of general lighting and motion sensor lights pointing out that guard specific areas where breakins are more likely. You want general area lighting where you come and go so a "critter" can't pounce on you from hiding. It will also enable you to see who is out there pounding on your door at 3 AM and if you have cameras, to get a clear picture of the entry way.

Motion sensors are the unpleasant surprise for the unwelcome visitor, it should cause a startle effect on the "critter" and make them reassess what other nasty surprises might await them such as alarms etc. The new solar motion lights are cheap, seem to work well, and do not require expensive hardwiring. I've even taken to using them mounted on stakes on my long driveway. You do have to replace the batteries every so often (one year +) and the whole units after one or two battery changes.

Like the old castles, layer your defenses so that you are not taken unawares. Lighting is part of that.

 

[Danoobie]

In urban or suburban areas, the general school of thought is "light it up". In rural areas,
I can see the OP's point, because if you are not in sight of neighboring houses, you are
only helping the intruder, anyway. With no lights, an intruder would have to have some
light of his own. Then he would be more exposed, as he moved around with his own light.

 

[Captain33036]

Defense in depth.

- Motion sensor spot or flood lights on the exterior to surprise BG's. Hope to drive them away.
- Entry ways lit to deter BG's from standing there trying to get in.
- One dim light on in the central interior: Helps preserve your night vision, while providing enough light to
1) see shadows under the bedroom door
2) just enough light for a wifi cam
3) just enough light to be able to look to see that nothing is there, if you do that.
4) outline an attacker in the bedroom doorway
- Bedroom dark, weapon light on firearm to help ID and engage an attacker.

[never fire unless your target is lit and identified]

 

[lemaymiami]

I agree with everything written so far but would add that it's a good idea to look at your property's landscaping as well... How would you approach your front or rear door without being seen in the daytime -or the night? These kind of questions will not only assist in deciding where to have lights but also whether you need to trim or cut back bushes or other landscaping that makes you vulnerable at night...

 

[hdwhit]

It has generally been accepted since the research was done in the 1960s that light generally deters crime.

So, the bias should be towards light rather than darkness. If you are concerned about having your "fields of fire" properly lit then include that as an element in your lighting plan.

 

[jeepnik]

Light up the outside like you're preparing for a UFO convention. Odds are no one will even think of venturing near.

A few strategically low lights inside let you navigate. Then control the lights if more is needed to identify/disorient your target. The interior lights comments need not apply if you have NVG's, few homes are light tight.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I was raised in ranch style homes with one floor. We always left the front porch light on and had a lamp in the living room on a timer to come on at night. The living room was always next to the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

I still practice this today.

 

[the Black Spot]

Here are some thoughts:
Total dark---BG has to use some kind of light to navigate, alerting his presence which may not be desirable.
Lots of lumination--BG can see what they are doing with no additional flashlight etc. From the street BG could be seen as the "homeowner" out on the property

Motion sensored lights are good unless you have a dog(which is a good deterant also).

Keep bushes low around the house

Apply thick layer of grease on the window sills

 

[boom boom]

Here are some thoughts:
Total dark---BG has to use some kind of light to navigate, alerting his presence which may not be desirable.
Lots of lumination--BG can see what they are doing with no additional flashlight etc. From the street BG could be seen as the "homeowner" out on the property

Motion sensored lights are good unless you have a dog(which is a good deterant also).

Keep bushes low around the house

Apply thick layer of grease on the window sills

Followed you until the last sentence. Why grease?

 

[red rick]

I like a well lite outside and dark on the inside when I am home . The opposite when I am away . I like to use timers and motion sensors .

I see people leaving their outside lights burning all day when they are on vacation , this just screams I am away , come on in and take what you want .

 

[the Black Spot]

Figured grease on outside window sills to deture climbing through window. Gooey slippery, BG may leave when hands are applied to sill feels all that axel grease. Just a thought

 

[Kendahl]

Indoors, you want the bad guy to be illuminated while you remain in darkness.

Outdoors, you want enough light to make the bad guy visible. That doesn't mean you have to light up your property and your neighbors' like it's high noon on a clear day. A couple of shielded fixtures with 60 watt bulbs on each side of your house will do the job. My wife and I are amateur astronomers. For us, there is no good outdoor light. Just bad light and worse light. If I had my way, building codes would require shielded fixtures, aimed at the ground within your property line, for all outdoor lights.

 

[jeepnik]

Indoors, you want the bad guy to be illuminated while you remain in darkness.

Outdoors, you want enough light to make the bad guy visible. That doesn't mean you have to light up your property and your neighbors' like it's high noon on a clear day. A couple of shielded fixtures with 60 watt bulbs on each side of your house will do the job. My wife and I are amateur astronomers. For us, there is no good outdoor light. Just bad light and worse light. If I had my way, building codes would require shielded fixtures, aimed at the ground within your property line, for all outdoor lights.

Obviously your other hobbies effect your choice of lighting. But, I must say high noon is going to have a much greater deterrent effect than a couple of low wattage bulbs. Heck, if you could afford to own and operate those lights the movie folks use for night shoots that would be marvelous.

 

[cc-hangfire]

In urban & suburban areas, another vote for lighting up outside key areas & no or very low light inside. You can see outside easily with this arrangement & someone outside can't see inside very well if at all.

If there is an intruder in you house, the situation changes. IMHO light it all up. I want to clearly ID the target before I shoot.

Rural, isolated areas are different. I grew up on a farm with no other houses within several miles. I was completely comfortable with no lights, & my night vision was adequate for getting around except for absolute moonless nights.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have 4 double bulb motion fixtures on the front of my house and 2 in the rear along with a few dusk to dawn lights. I keep a couple of the motion fixtures on test. They go off after about 10 seconds if the movement stops. The off and on cycling keeps people guessing.

 

[justice06rr]

You need some form of lighting in outside areas/entrances. Inside your home, you can keep it dim or off to keep the element of surprise. Motion-activated lights are also a great idea, esp for outside the home if you want to save $ or keep it dark unless needed.

 

[Kendahl]

Obviously your other hobbies effect your choice of lighting. But, I must say high noon is going to have a much greater deterrent effect than a couple of low wattage bulbs. Heck, if you could afford to own and operate those lights the movie folks use for night shoots that would be marvelous.

That would be tolerable if they were shielded so that you illuminated only your own property and not that of your neighbors. I must point out that you're paying for the electricity to run those lights. Light that escapes your property does you no good and light that goes up into the sky benefits no one.

The last thing my next door neighbor does before going to bed is turn on all the lights across the front of his house. They light up his front yard and those of his neighbors on both sides and across the street. He told me it's necessary because two vehicles have been stolen out of his driveway. To keep peace, I refrained from pointing out that, if he cleared the junk out of his three-car garage, there would be room for them inside. Between sunset and bedtime, he leaves his garage doors open with the interior lights turned to show what's worth stealing.

Lights controlled by properly adjusted motion detectors provide the benefits of illumination without being a nuisance. A high resolution camera triggered by the detector, so that you can give the police a good portrait of the trespasser, is even better. The ultimate would be a recording which announces, "Smile, @#$%&. You're on candid camera."

 

[jeepnik]

Not one neighbor has ever complained that my exterior lights lighted up their yards. Then again we all know that light is the enemy of the scoundrel.

Sorry the safety and security of me and mine trumps anyone's desire to stargaze.

 

[SteadyD]

I would think a burglar would look for a house that had no lights on inside, indicating the occupants were asleep or away. However, since I'm not a burglar I don't really know. At any rate, I leave a light on in my living room and also in a bedroom/office as a (hopeful) deterrent. While I keep a handgun for home defense, I hope to never use it anywhere but the range.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I go a step further than lights when I am away.... I have dial timer that you can set to turn on and off up to 48 different times in a 24 hour period. I set it at random times and plug a radio into it. I have the volume set so you can just hear it from the outside of the house. I also use one on a lamp in a front room.

 

[the Black Spot]

Very good suggestions here!

 

[blue32]

A good burglar will case the place before hand and hit when you aren't there. They'll also send a guy to knock on your door during the day. If you answer they'll ask for some random name, get the response that so and so doesn't live there, then leave having gained some intel about occupants, systems, and layout. The ones who enter when people are home are usually kids or those who don't care about you being there - a rarity but it happens. In my experience, lights don't appear to matter as far as deterring entry.

 

[Balrog]

I like outdoor lighting but not sure how much of a deterrent it is. We recently had a prowler caught on security cameras who walked under floodlights, and activated motion detector lights without being phased at all by it. The main thing good about outdoor lights is that you can see them, but if your interior lights are off, they really can't see you.