How to add garden security lights to deter intruders and illuminate your space effectively

Garden security light on brick wall by door and hedge alongside
(Image credit: Getty Images/Nick Beer)

Garden security lights can prevent intruders moving around your property undetected. What’s more, these outdoor lights can also make the exterior of your home a safer space for you after dusk falls.

But while garden lights are a vital element of good home security systems, they also run the risk of creating a number of problems. Too bright and they can cause glare that actually makes it harder to see, and they can also compromise your privacy, as well as causing a nuisance to neighbours and disrupting the natural environment.

Head and shoulders photograph of safety expert Anthony Neary of Safe.co.uk
Anthony Neary

Anthony Neary is the founder and security expert at home and business security retailers Safe.co.uk. With over 15 years of industry experience, he specialises in security solutions and how to keep properties safe.

Head and shoulders image of Jon Saeed, garden lighting expert
Jon Saeed

Jon Saeed is the co-founder and managing director of outdoor lighting company Lighting Legends. A lifelong gardener and outdoor enthusiast, Jon is passionate about creating beautiful, functional environments. 

Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor writing for websites, national newspapers, and magazines. She’s spent most of her journalistic career specialising in homes. 

She loves testing the latest home appliances and products, and investigating the benefits, costs and practicalities of home improvement. She is an experienced renovator and is currently remodelling the ground floor of her new home.

She was Executive Editor of Ideal Home and has worked for Your Home and Homes & Ideas. Her work has published by numerous titles, including The Guardian, channel4.com, Houzz, Grand Designs, Homes & Gardens, House Beautiful, Homes & Antiques, Real Homes, The English Home, Period Living, Beautiful Kitchens, Good Homes and Country Homes & Interiors.