The 6 Best Motion Sensor Lights of 2024, According to Testing

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We installed lights on our own homes to find the best in the market. exterior wall lights

Better Homes & Gardens / Mike Navarro

Whether you need some light at night while you take your garbage out or want another layer of security for your home, motion sensor lights, which turn on or brighten when triggered by nearby movement, can be a helpful solution.

When purchasing a motion sensor light, Tim Rader, senior director of product development at ADT, recommends that homeowners “look for options that allow you to customize which types of motion or intelligent alerts will turn on the light.” In addition, he recommends choosing motion sensor lights “that allow you to adjust the brightness and choose how long it stays on.”

We tested outdoor motion sensor lights outside our own homes, narrowing down the best options based on installation and performance. We also consulted Rader and Andy Thomas, owner of Viewpoint Lighting and president of the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP). We asked them to share what to look for when selecting the best motion sensor lights and how to use them around your home.

to share their knowledge on how to best use motion sensor lights around your home and what to look for when selecting one.

Brightness: We evaluated how brightly the light illuminated and measured how far the light reached.

Setup: We timed how long it took to install the lights, recording how easy it was to follow the instructions and setup.

Features: Each light was evaluated on its features, such as timers, scheduling, adjustability, and more.

Motion Detection: We measured to see how far the light detected us walking by and noted if smaller animals or branches set off the light.

Design: Each motion sensor light was rated on its aesthetics and how easy it was to operate.

Durability: After testing, we examined the light to see how it held up during adverse weather conditions.

This affordable motion sensor light is customizable and easy to set up.

The corded electric power source means you need to install it near an outlet.

The Leonlite COB LED Security Light surpassed our expectations through testing because it’s easy to install and has a variety of different modes and adjustable lighting to suit each user’s individual needs.

It only took 15 minutes to screw in the lights and get them set up. This light comes with three modes: “Motion” turns lights on when motion is detected, "On Time" allows for manual control, and "Dusk to Dawn" turns the lights off during the day. No calibration is required, and we were impressed by the light’s intensity—it was bright but not too bright. The warm yellow lighting blended well with the outdoor environment.

The lights rotate 360 degrees so you can adjust them to any angle to get the best coverage of your property. We liked that the lights weren’t overly sensitive, and they didn’t turn on for small animals but activated for deer, people, and cars. The light activated from 10 to 15 feet away, and the light extended out 30 feet, illuminating a large area.

These lights are durable. They have an IP65 waterproof rating, and during testing, they withstood large amounts of rain. The manufacturer advertises that they have an impressive average lifespan of 50,000 hours of use.

How It Performed After Three Months

In addition to providing extra light to avoid slipping when we take out the trash, the light has helped deter animals like raccoons and skunks. It’s held up well to rain and snow, and the illumination is still as bright as when we first began testing.

Better Homes & Gardens / Mike Navarro

This battery-powered light can be placed virtually anywhere.

To adjust the light’s direction, you have to completely remove and reinstall the light.

This light from Beams is a great, no-frills choice for those who want motion sensor lights without spending too much money. It only took us 10 minutes to install with a cordless drill, and the directions were clear and concise. There was zero calibration required aside from orienting the light in the direction we wanted it to face.

However, we did notice some flaws with the setup process. The included screws are not long or strong enough to be suitable for anchoring in all surfaces, so you may have to run to the hardware store to purchase your own. In addition, to adjust the light’s direction, we had to completely remove the light, rotate it a few degrees, and then reinstall the light.

This light only has one motion-sensing setting. Once triggered, the light will stay on for approximately 25 seconds before the light automatically turns off if no additional motion is detected. The short timer duration is made up for by the fact that the detector is fairly sensitive and can detect movement from 30 feet away. This sensitivity meant the light would stay on the entire time we were working on a task outside. The Beams light illuminates a huge area, exceeding a 40 by 40 foot zone in our tests.

The light has been tested to an IPX6 waterproof rating, which helps it withstand the elements. Because the LED light operates on three D-cell batteries, it can be installed almost anywhere, unlike other models which rely on cords or need to be hardwired into the home.

Even a simple motion sensor light like this one can be a good addition to the security plan for your home. According to Rader, “The presence of motion sensor lights serves as a deterrent to burglars, as it makes the potential intruder feel more likely to be caught or identified. Unlike all-night lighting, motion sensor lights only turn on when motion is detected, which can alarm a trespasser and cause them to flee.”

How It Performed After Three Months

We installed this light to face our backyard, and we appreciate the extra light it provides when letting our dogs out at nighttime. The light has been exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, heavy wind and rain, and bright sunlight, and it hasn’t been damaged or changed in quality. The batteries have also lasted and haven’t needed to be replaced yet.

Better Homes & Gardens / John Somerall

The lantern light features a faux flame for those looking for a more charming, natural look.

Considering the price point, this light has limited customization options.

For a motion sensor illumination choice that’s disguised in lantern lights, the Euri Lighting Flickering Flame Porch Light is highly recommended. This bronze lantern seamlessly blends with other outdoor decor, unlike many motion sensor lights that can look utilitarian and don’t add to the design of the space. The flickering flame inside the lantern provides a soft yellow light that looks beautiful against the bronze finish. The casing is also durable and weatherproof. During testing, we experienced a large amount of wind and rain, and the light was completely undamaged.

This lantern’s motion sensor light is a secondary beam that turns on when activated, and the sensor can detect movement up to 15 feet away. The security light, when activated, is a soft white color. To operate this device, you simply flick a switch and turn it on—there are no adjustable settings. We did wish there were customization options available for the motion sensor range and how long the light stays on after activation.

One of the main features of this light is the “Dusk to Dawn” technology, which turns the flickering light on automatically when it gets dark. Though the light can't adjust brightness or color, we liked the light’s tone and brightness.

The motion activation was not overly sensitive and worked perfectly; it only activated when a person walked by it at night. The motion sensor light stays on for a relatively long three minutes, which we appreciated.

How It Performed After Three Months

We haven’t noticed a single scratch on the lantern, despite experiencing rain, wind, snow, and sleet throughout the testing period. The only thing we would change is the ability to adjust how long the security light stays on.

Better Homes & Gardens / Cathy Fallone

This stylish solar sconce is easy to set up and operate.

The light has a small radius of 10 feet of illumination.

The Better Homes & Gardens Solar Wall Mount was the easiest and most stylish motion sensor light to come in a sconce design. This light is powered by a solar battery, so to ensure power, we installed it in an area that would receive lots of sunlight. There were only two screws to install, making assembly a breeze. We also enjoyed the sconce’s design and how it integrated perfectly into the outdoor area.

The motion detector was highly effective as it detected any movement within 25 feet without fail. The unit emits a low continuous light when there's no motion nearby. When motion is detected, the light immediately increases to full power for 30 seconds, after which it automatically switches to a low light mode to conserve battery power. The sconce provided a warm, yellow glow that softly illuminated our outdoor space.

The motion sensor worked very well and is quite sensitive. We never saw a case where the light didn't turn on to full brightness when there was someone within 20 feet. However, there weren’t any options to adjust the motion sensor. The main drawback was that the light’s radius of illumination covered a small area, only about 10 feet from the light. However, this is fairly standard for solar powered lights, which are not as powerful as those powered by corded electric or hardwired into the home.

We think this light would be best to provide added outdoor illumination for tasks like taking out the trash or getting the mail, but it would not necessarily work well as a security light.

How It Performed After Three Months

The light continues to perform well, even after experiencing harsh weather conditions. A rechargeable battery pack would be appreciated to give the solar light extra power, but we don’t have any significant complaints.

Better Homes & Gardens / Joseph Manalang

The light is extremely bright for a solar-powered light.

Figuring out how to set the modes was tricky.

The AloftSun solar lights are our choice for the best solar-powered motion sensor light. These lights can either be inserted into the ground with attached stakes or mounted on the outside of your house with the included screws. Installation and operation were fairly straightforward, but we initially found it tricky to change modes. Once we figured it out, all of the modes worked as advertised, and it was easy to switch modes and use the light.

This solar outdoor light has 30 LED chips, a silicone solar panel, and a rechargeable battery. These elements increase brightness and illumination, making this solar light more powerful. The device provided intense, blue-white light. It has a 120-degree detection angle and 33-foot sensing range, which was triggered by humans, animals, and cars during our testing but was not falsely triggered by wind, rainwater or frost.

The AloftSun light has both light-sensing and motion-sensing functions and includes three lighting modes. When these lights detect darkness, they will automatically turn on. They automatically turn off during the day and charge in the sun.

The light was sturdy and did not show any damage, even after being hit by a golf ball and enduring heavy rain. There was no change in the quality of the light by the end of the testing period. This light is constructed out of high-impact ABS plastic and the manufacturer advertises 40,000 hours of use.

Better Homes & Gardens / Dera Burreson

This light has several special features that make it the ultimate security light.

The light has a complex setup due to the hardwiring requirements and app integration.

If home security is your primary concern, “motion sensor lights are very useful when they operate in conjunction with other devices, like security alarms and security cameras,” Rader says.

The Ring Floodlight Cam checks all the boxes for security-focused motion sensor light. The setup for this light is more complex as it needs to be hardwired into the home, so an electrician helped us wire it. After installation, it was easy to sync the device to the Ring app.

The light has a large number of features and settings, which are easy to control through the app. Features include motion alerts, schedules, snooze, and linking other Ring devices such as doorbells. You can program three different modes (“Disarmed”, “Home”, and “Away”) and customize the settings for each mode to best suit your needs. Within the motion sensor settings, you can create different motion zones and control the sensitivity of the sensor.

The light itself provides great illumination and is also adjustable. The wide range of features and the ability to customize every detail of this light, along with the inclusion of a camera, makes it a good fit for those who want a motion sensor light for security purposes. Just keep in mind, all these features come at a cost, as this is the most expensive light we tested.

How It Performed After Three Months

Even after three months of rainy weather, the light looks brand new. We’ve found the security system easy to use and haven’t needed to adjust any settings after finding our favorites. We check the app every day and have enjoyed the added peace of mind the device provides.

Better Homes & Gardens / Jennifer May

Overall, the best motion sensor light we tested was the Leonlite COB LED Security Light. This affordable light was not only easy to set up but also had a number of customization options.

We’ve been testing outdoor lighting products since 2022, installing and using over 62 products in our testing lab and outside our own homes. To find the best motion sensor lights, we researched the market to find the top options before installing and testing them for ourselves.

Once the lights arrived, we used a timer and recorded how long it took to read the instructions, install the lights, and connect them to a power source. We adjusted the angle of the lights to ensure the entire area was covered and noted how difficult this process was. We also rated the ease of setting up the associated app if there was one.

Then, we took measurements. From the body of the lighting unit, we measured how far the light cast out using a measuring tape. We tested the range of detection by measuring how far away someone could walk by and activate the sensor lighting.

During the testing period, we used the motion sensor light in everyday life. While using each light, we noted the intensity of the illumination (and whether it was adjustable), how big of an area the light covered, how easy it was to operate, and the color of the light.

We paid close attention to the sensitivity of the motion sensors. We recorded if animals such as deer or rabbits activated it, how long the sensor light stayed on once activated, and whether the sensitivity settings could be changed. We also explored whether lighting schedules could be set and if the device followed them accurately.

Finally, near the end of the testing period, we examined the lights to see how well the materials had held up in inclement weather and if any features or parts had broken during use. We continue to use our top picks and will keep this article up to date with our long-term findings.

Better Homes & Gardens / Jennifer May

The detection range of motion sensor lights can vary greatly, and what range you want depends on what you’ll be using the light for.

“Motion sensor lights can provide a range of detection—basic motion detectors notice objects in and around 6.5 feet to 70 feet,” Rader says. “There are also options available that detect further than that if needed. Longer ranges might make more sense if you have a large property or if street lights surrounding your home are minimal.”

The AloftSun Solar Landscape Lights has one of the longest detection ranges we tested at up to 33 feet, and we found the motion detection to be sensitive and accurate within the range. Some outdoor smart lights, like the Ring Floodlight Cam, allow you to adjust the sensitivity within motion zones.

Motion sensor lights can have a variety of power sources. Some, like the Ring Floodlight Cam, need to be directly hardwired into your home. This will provide the most reliable power, but is also the most difficult to set up.

Other lights rely on corded electric power, so you’ll need to install the light near an outlet, which limits the locations you can place the light.

Some lights run on batteries, which provide more flexibility with placement, with the caveat that you will need to purchase and replace batteries when they run out. Solar-charged batteries have the extra consideration that the lights will need to be placed in an area that receives sunlight in order to stay charged.

Brightness levels in motion sensor lights can range from a warm glow to an intense, white flood light. “For security, the brightest available is going to be more effective,” Thomas says.

However, if you simply want a light to illuminate outside your door while you’re grabbing packages or letting your dog out, a less bright light may be more suitable. Unsurprisingly, we found that solar-powered lights, like the AloftSun Solar Landscape Lights and the Better Homes & Gardens Solar Wall Mount Light, are dimmer than electric-powered lights.

The placement and angle of the motion sensor light are some of the most important factors to ensure the light works effectively.

If installing a light for security purposes, “You should place motion sensor lights in the most high-traffic areas outside your home, especially near any doors or accessible windows,” Rader advises. “Mount the sensor in a location where the logical path of an intruder would cut across the viewpoint of the sensor.”

It’s best to install motion sensor lights high enough to prevent tampering but not high enough to exceed the sensor’s range. Thomas recommends starting at 10 to 12 feet from the ground. He also recommends installing them near corners of your home to cover a wide area. But most importantly, he says you’ll want to make sure to place the light where you’ll be able to see the illumination from inside.

“Placing a light next to a window, so you can see when it turns on, is better than on the side of a garage where nobody will know if it turned on or not,” Thomas says.

Since motion sensor lights are placed outside, you’ll want to ensure that they are made of durable materials, such as engineered plastics or metals that resist corrosion. Depending on your climate, these lights will need to survive heat, extreme cold, rain, and wind.

If you live in an area with intense weather, you may want to check to see if your light has an IP rating. IP stands for Ingress Protection. This rating tells you how good a device is at preventing water and dust from entering the device, and is a good indication of how weatherproof the device is. The higher the number, the better the protection.

Better Homes & Gardens / Cathy Fallone

Installing and using this solar-powered light from Lepower was straightforward, and the light still looked brand new after three months of testing. However, the light is dimmer than other options we tested, so we think it’s only suitable for smaller outdoor spaces.

The Urpower Solar Lights are simple and affordable, but we don’t think they’re bright enough for security needs. Installing and setting up these lights only took us a couple of minutes and operating the device was just as simple. While these aren’t the brightness pick, we thought they provided enough light quick tasks like grabbing keys out of our bag.

While the Sengled light bulbs adequately illuminated the area and were easy to install, they had some flaws. This light only turned on for 90 seconds after activation and had limited sensitivity, causing it to turn off before we were finished with our task outside. It only reliably detected motion 8 feet from the light, which was too close for this light to function as an effective security light.

Better Homes & Gardens / Jessica Eno

Many motion sensor lights can be installed by someone with a little DIY knowledge. The most difficult part is mounting the light, for which you’ll likely need a ladder, screws, and a cordless drill. Once installed, corded electric and battery-powered models are easy to connect to a power source. However, if the light is required to be hardwired into your home for electrical power, it’s best to call an electrician if you’re not confident in wiring.

It depends on the model you buy. Most of our favorite motion sensor lights have a “dusk to dawn” setting, which can sense the ambient light level and prevent the light from turning on during daylight hours, ultimately saving on electricity costs. These lights will automatically turn back on at night.

Depending on the model, the lights could stay on from 25 seconds to several minutes after activation. During testing, we preferred lights to stay on for a few minutes after activation, as this made it easier for us to do quick tasks outside without having to re-activate the light. Some models allow you to adjust the time the light stays on after being triggered.

gazebo lights This article was written by Better Homes and Gardens contributor Rachel Ahrnsen. For this story, she spent several hours researching motion sensor lights using product insights and interpreting results from our testing lab. She also consulted Tim Rader, Senior Director, Product Development at ADT, and Andy Thomas, owner of Viewpoint Lighting and President of the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP).