10 Best Outdoor Flood Lights in 2023 – Reviews & Top Picks
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Jeff Weishaupt
- Last updated:
Outdoor floodlights are a great way to increase security and visibility on your property during the night. Not only are they effective at deterring critters and intruders, but they can also let homeowners know when a family member gets home. Since there are endless floodlight options on the market, it’s challenging to know which one suits you.
Luckily, we’ve done our research on dozens of outdoor floodlights, testing their motion detection, brightness, effectiveness, and weatherproofing. Keep reading to find reviews of our top 10 picks and a complete buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall
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Sansi 45W LED Security Floodlight |
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Best Value
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LePower LED Floodlights |
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Premium Choice
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Amico Smart LED Floodlight |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Philips Hue Discover Floodlight Starter Kit |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Wyze Cam Floodlight |
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CHECK PRICE |
The 10 Best Outdoor Flood Lights
1. Sansi 45W LED Security Floodlight – Best Overall
Brightness: | 6,000 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 5,000K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | 72 feet |
The Sansi 45W LED Security Floodlight is the best overall outdoor floodlight for more reasons than one. Its 6,000-lumen brightness output is truly impeccable, but you can easily adjust it with the given knob.
Plus, the motion sensor can detect people, animals, vehicles, and moving objects from 72 feet away. Meanwhile, the 180-degree rotation of the light ensures no part of the property is left unsupervised.
After detecting a motion event, the floodlight stays on for 20 seconds before turning it on. You can also opt for the dusk-to-dawn setting, which turns off after detecting morning light. This floodlight features six 45-watt bulbs and two adjustable arms, allowing you to configure the model to your preferences.
The installation is also simple, as this model is already hardwired for DIY mounting. However, its junction box may require some simple wiring, which you can complete by following the instruction manual.
- Adjustable motion sensor
- Adequate brightness
- Dusk-to-dawn setting
- No remote control capabilities
2. LePower LED Floodlights – Best Value
Brightness: | 3,000 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 5,500K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | 72 feet |
If you’re on a budget, the LePower LED Floodlights are undoubtedly the best outdoor floodlights for the money. Don’t let their affordability fool you, as these 3,000-lumen lights are just as powerful as any other high-end pick on the market.
They can detect motion events from 72 feet away, but you can adjust this setting according to your property. Additionally, you can change how long you want the floodlight to stay on after detecting a motion event, ranging from ten seconds to ten minutes.
Even though they’re surprisingly affordable, these floodlights are IP65 weatherproof rated, so they’ll stay resilient in extreme rain, snow, or dust. Plus, their lifespan extends to nearly 50,000 hours of use, which means these lights are made to last.
Unfortunately, you’ll need to hardwire these lights into a junction box at home to install them. With some hard work and an instruction manual, you can benefit from a robust, durable, and affordable floodlight to count on.
- Affordable
- Customizable detection range
- Can detect motion from 70+ feet away
- No dusk-to-dawn setting
3. Amico Smart LED Floodlight – Premium Choice
Brightness: | 4,000 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 6,500K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | 70 feet |
If you’re willing to splurge and upgrade your outdoor floodlight system, the Amico Smart LED Floodlight will be your best investment. With nearly 4,000 lumens of brightness output, there’s no doubt that these lights can fully illuminate your property.
The best part is that you can control these lights through your phone, so you don’t need to access the unit to turn it off. After you hardwire these lights into your home’s wiring, they’ll be able to detect motion events from 70 feet away. Plus, the app’s controls give you complete customizable freedom.
That means you can adjust how long the lights stay on when triggered, ranging from five seconds to 60 minutes. You can also adjust the brightness levels and white color temperature of the light or pick the manual mode for easy controls.
The app also lets you control when you want the lights to turn off automatically, whether at dusk or any other time of day. The installation will require hardwiring them into a wall connection box, so it may take some of your time.
- Highly customizable
- Smart control capabilities
- Large motion detection range
- Expensive
4. Philips Hue Discover Floodlight Starter Kit
Brightness: | 23,00 lumens |
Color Temperature: | N/A |
Rating: | IP44 |
Motion Detection Range: | 39 feet |
White floodlights can feel off-putting and restrictive on festive days like Halloween when visitors will be at your door every few minutes. In such cases, it’s incredibly freeing to have floodlights with adjustable colors.
The Philips Hue Discover Floodlight Starter Kit has 16 million colors, so you’ll never have to worry about being off-theme! Whether it’s orange for Halloween, green for Christmas, or blue and pink for a baby shower, the color range of these floodlights will never disappoint you.
This starter kit comes with the Hue Discover Floodlight, an outdoor motion sensor, and the Hue hub. While you can set up the motion sensor separately from the light, the Hue hub connects the system for remote control.
The hub also gives the floodlight smart control capabilities, allowing you to connect to home devices such as Google Assistant, HomeKit, and Alexa. Plus, you can install up to 50 Hue Discover Floodlights around your home to connect to the hub.
The lights are already hardwired, so the installation is simple. You’ll only need to plug them in a conventional twin-socked driveway light while placing the motion sensor anywhere you want. It doesn’t have to be connected to the light since it’s battery-powered and weatherproof.
Lastly, you can keep the Hue hub inside your home, connect it to WiFi, and control your floodlights.
- Adjustable colors via the smartphone app
- Detached, battery-powered sensor
- Hue Hub for added features
- Expensive
- Hardwiring requires access to an electrical junction box
5. Wyze Cam Floodlight
Brightness: | 2,600 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 5,000K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | 30 feet |
If you need a camera to capture live recordings of all motion events alongside the floodlight, the Wyze Cam Floodlight is the best security combo you can get. Wyze is already a leading contributor to the security camera industry, so you can count on it to get the job done.
After a simple junction box installation, you can benefit from in-depth surveillance and guarantee the safety of your family members at night. Plus, you can use the extra USB port to connect other Wyze Cam, which can be handy if you already own one.
The best part is that you don’t need to pay for a subscription to access the recordings. The videos are all saved on the SD card, which has 256 GBs of local storage. Additionally, its IP65 rating protects it in all weather conditions.
As far as deterring intruders and critters go, the Wyze Cam Floodlight gets the job done with its 106 dB siren, 2,600-lumen output, and built-in motion sensor. Unfortunately, the installation requires hardwiring, so it may take some time.
- SD card for added storage
- USB port to add equipment
- Combo security light and camera
- Must be hardwired
6. Ring Smart Floodlight + Bridge
Brightness: | 2,000 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 7,500K |
Rating: | Unspecified |
Motion Detection Range: | 70 feet |
For those that already have a Ring ecosystem at home, the Ring Smart Floodlight + Bridge provides the ideal compatibility you’ll need. You can use it to add to your ecosystem or replace an older floodlight.
This floodlight delivers 2,000 lumens of bright, warm light and detects motion from 70 feet away. This is a wide enough coverage area if you place the floodlight in your front yard or driveway. The kit comes with a bridge that sends alerts to your phone whenever it detects a motion event.
Additionally, you can control when the light should automatically shut off, whether that’s at sunrise or anytime during the day. Luckily, the installation is pretty simple, as you can connect it to a light fixture outside your home.
If you don’t have one, you can opt for the battery-powered option or the two-pack if you need added illumination.
- Compatible with Alexa-enabled smart home devices
- Controllable via the Ring app
- Easy to install
- Requires Ring Protect Plus subscription plan
7. Tuffenough Solar Lights
Brightness: | 2,500 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 6,500K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | 26 feet |
Powerful floodlights can add a lot to your electricity bills, so the Tuffenough Solar Lights may be a better pick for those on a budget. They run on a 2,000mAh rechargeable battery and utilize the built-in solar panel to receive renewable energy throughout the day.
Aside from an efficient motion sensor, these lights also include a remote control that lets you change the brightness level and auto shut-off times without accessing the unit. This model has 210 LEDs, each emitting 11 lumens to offer 2,500 total lumens of brightness.
The best part about these solar-powered flood lights is the easy installation, as long as you ensure they’re receiving ample sunlight throughout the day. Other than that, there’s no plugging or hardwiring required, as the lights charge enough during the day to last all night.
- Sensitive motion sensor
- Remote control
- Dusk-to-dawn settings
- Short motion detection range
- Must be placed within direct sunlight
8. Beams Battery-Powered Spotlight
Brightness: | 500 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 5,000K |
Rating: | IPX6 |
Motion Detection Range: | 30 feet |
If you’re only hoping to illuminate a small space, the 500-lumen output of the Beams Battery-Powered Spotlight is just enough for your intended use. It’s bright enough to illuminate a balcony, back porch, front porch, or side yard.
Featuring two light heads, this floodlight can rotate 135 degrees from side to side and 180 degrees up and down. This allows it to cover the area completely without needing too much light. Plus, they stay on for 20 seconds after detecting a motion event from 30 feet away.
Unfortunately, there are no smart controls for these lights, but they get the job done for the intended use. It can illuminate an area of up to 800 feet, making it ideal for those that don’t need too much brightness on their property.
Since these lights are battery-powered, the installation is simple enough. You’ll only need to mount them wherever you want, whether that’s a fence, side wall, tree trunk, or porch.
- Easy to install
- Battery operated
- Great for small spaces
- Subpar brightness
- No smart capabilities
9. WeRise LED Floodlights
Brightness: | 22,320 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 6,000K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | Unspecified |
On the other hand, the WeRise LED Floodlights is the most powerful outdoor floodlight on our list for those that need to illuminate a much larger space. You may own a business, stadium, school, or parking lot that needs illumination or security, or your yard may be too big for standard floodlight coverage.
Either way, these floodlights get the job done with 22,320 lumens of brightness. Yes, you read that right! These ultra-bright floodlights are ideal for commercial use, featuring high-performing Cree LED chips in a heat-dissipating die-cast aluminum casing.
It also includes an anti-glare optical lens for uninterrupted illumination. However, it’s worth noting that these floodlights don’t have built-in motion sensors. Luckily, you can connect them to a smart motion sensor to achieve this feature without compromising on brightness.
In terms of brightness, you’ll need to use an extension cord for connection, but the other steps are pretty simple.
- Robust build
- Ultra bright to cover large spaces
- Affordable
- Needs hardwiring
- No motion detector
10. Beams Solar Wedge
Brightness: | 100 lumens |
Color Temperature: | 7,000K |
Rating: | IP65 |
Motion Detection Range: | 26 feet |
If your property is fenced, it’s wise to add multiple smaller floodlights to the fences for added security. The Beams Solar Wedge is perfect for this purpose, but you can also add them around your home or even light up a staircase.
Each wedge features eight LEDs delivering 100 lumens of brightness, which is just enough for the intended use. They can also detect motion events from 26 feet away, ensuring no one is jumping the fence. The lights stay on for 20 seconds after detecting motion.
The best part about these small, affordable floodlights is that they can last up to 67 days after one full charge! That means you’ll have to charge these low-maintenance lights five to six times a year.
Finally, their solar-powered nature makes them easy to install, only requiring you to mount them wherever you want.
- Dusk-to-dawn mode
- Can be mounted anywhere
- Can last 67 days on one charge
- Subpar brightness
- Short motion detection range
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Outdoor Flood Lights
Our list includes the right outdoor floodlight for everyone. Consider factors like brightness, power consumption, weather resistance, head design, safety, location, and floodlight type to help you make a wiser purchase.
Brightness
Since flood lights produce light using an array of LED lights, the brightness intensity of the light varies according to the number of LEDs it has. Of course, a floodlight with more LEDs will be brighter than other options. You can check the power rating to determine the brightness level of a floodlight.
Floodlights are available in brightness outputs, and your intended use can help you determine how much brightness you need. Most outside lighting scenarios require 1,000 lumens or more to provide adequate illumination for a patio or driveway.
But light pollution, plant damage, and other environmental reasons are against using bulbs that are brighter than roughly 1,500 lumens. Low-brightness floodlights can perform better for general-purpose applications while keeping your energy bills low.
Power Consumption
The electricity consumed by your chosen floodlight greatly affects your monthly bills, but the power capacity of a floodlight also determines its luminous level. Additionally, these factors alter the cost of maintaining these lights, so that’s where you’ll have to make a smart choice.
These costs will only increase if the floodlights have a high wattage rating. Due to their limited use during the day and having an electrical capacity comparable to a standard residential light bulb, low-capacity options will barely impact the average energy cost.
Another good option is high-powered models with motion sensors, as they are also easily available and don’t need to be on at all times.
Weather Resistance
Another important factor in buying floodlights is their ability to survive in extreme weather conditions. It’s crucial to pick a floodlight manufactured with sturdy materials like high-grade aluminum, strong enough to endure storms or heavy rainfalls.
Even if it doesn’t rain or snow too often in your area, it’s essential to ensure the floodlight is rust-resistant and won’t fall apart due to water damage. Since these lights aren’t as cheap as your standard lightbulbs, you can’t afford a damaged floodlight needing replacement every other month.
Instead, invest in the strongest one on the market with a longer warranty period to save yourself money in the long run.
Head Design
When picking a floodlight, the right head design varies based on your intended use. You should opt for a floodlight with three or more heads if you need a yard or outdoor lighting system. However, for indoor use, sidewalks or patios, two-headed lights are enough to brighten up the area.
Regarding essential qualities in the floodlights, you should also consider the head adjustability. Of course, this factor also depends on your intended use. Fixed heads are great for indoor use, while rotatable heads cover yards and gardens best.
These areas may require you to adjust the light head to cover different directions. Keeping the size of your yard in mind, pick a floodlight with at least 180 or 360 degrees of rotatability and install it at the right spot.
Safety
Your initial requirement when going floodlight shopping is safety. While keeping your outdoors and indoors illuminated, you also need to ensure the floodlights can improve the security of your home. Look for the floodlight with an ETL (Electrical Testing Labs) certification, as these tested devices are 100% safe for you.
Location
The most efficient way to get the most out of your floodlights is to find the optimal location to mount them. Indoor and outdoor floodlight placements are quite different, so you’ll need to consider certain factors while making this decision.
When installing flood lights outside, ensure they’re powerful enough to endure moisture, rust, and severe weather conditions. Meanwhile, indoor floodlights require a design that fits seamlessly into your home’s aesthetics.
Floodlights can also be mounted on walls, ceilings, or poles. If you mount it on the ceiling, it will only illuminate the area directly below. But when fitted on a wall, choosing a floodlight with multiple heads may be better as you can direct three or two heads in varying directions.
Type
According to your budget and convenience, you can pick between two main types of floodlights: manual or automatic. The automatic ones can be great at saving power and are easy to use, featuring motion sensors that do most of the work.
These sensors turn on the lights when it detects movement and turns them off as it notices the daylight taking over.
Meanwhile, the manual ones need to be installed where it’s easy to access so you can turn them on and off when required. They may be a bit light on the pocket, but they might be wasted if you regularly forget to turn the lights off at sunset.
Conclusion
Floodlights can help you protect the perimeters of your property from intruders and critters while illuminating the way for family members that may get home late. Our reviews of the top ten picks include options for everyone, with varying brightness, prices, and designs.
The Sansi 45W LED Security Floodlight is undoubtedly the best overall pick, with impeccable brightness and motion detection. Meanwhile, the LePower LED Floodlights are better for those on a budget.
Finally, the Amico Smart LED Floodlight is a premium choice for anyone willing to splurge, featuring ideal customizability and smart control capabilities.
See Also: Spotlight vs. Floodlight: What’s The Difference?
Featured Image Credit: ClimbWhenReady, Shutterstock
Contents
- 1 A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
- 2 The 10 Best Outdoor Flood Lights
- 2.1 1. Sansi 45W LED Security Floodlight – Best Overall
- 2.2 2. LePower LED Floodlights – Best Value
- 2.3 3. Amico Smart LED Floodlight – Premium Choice
- 2.4 4. Philips Hue Discover Floodlight Starter Kit
- 2.5 5. Wyze Cam Floodlight
- 2.6 6. Ring Smart Floodlight + Bridge
- 2.7 7. Tuffenough Solar Lights
- 2.8 8. Beams Battery-Powered Spotlight
- 2.9 9. WeRise LED Floodlights
- 2.10 10. Beams Solar Wedge
- 3 Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Outdoor Flood Lights
- 4 Conclusion