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Jul 01, 2025

The 4 Outdoor Floodlights, According to Testing

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. These top-rated options keep your home safe and secure. Better Homes & Gardens

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

These top-rated options keep your home safe and secure.

Better Homes & Gardens

Outdoor lights can improve the ambiance and curb appeal of your home, but floodlights in particular are a good idea for safety purposes. Designed to illuminate a large space, outdoor floodlights can have a visibility range of 30 feet or more.

Dene Josham, cofounder of Streetwise Defense, says, “Everyone who has a garden or yard would benefit from having outdoor floodlights—in our view, they are an essential part of your home security kit because they make your home a harder target for intruders.”

Brightness is a key factor to consider when buying an outdoor floodlight, especially if you want to see possible intruders or animals poking around your property at night. Many of the options on our list have adjustable brightness levels that can be tweaked according to your needs.

If security is a top concern, Elaine Smith, director of product, home security at Amazon, suggests you find “lights that illuminate large areas, and be sure to test the brightness both at night and during intense weather conditions.”

While not all outdoor floodlights come with motion sensors, many do. They’re useful for security purposes since they automatically turn on when detecting movement within a certain range. They can also help lower your electric bill, as they only turn the light on for a limited time.

Some outdoor floodlights have smart features such as remote operation via app or smart home device, scheduling capabilities, video, two-way audio, and the ability to change light color. These lights tend to be more expensive than basic options, but they offer advanced customization.

Outdoor floodlights are usually hardwired, solar-powered, and battery-powered. Hardwired floodlights are most complicated to install because you either need electrical know-how or to hire an electrician to help you with the wiring. But they are more reliable because they won’t run out of power.

Solar-powered floodlights save you money and are better for the environment because they rely on the sun’s rays to work. However, many experts say that these lights are often not as bright as wired models. This more or less bore out in our testing, like with the Lepower Outdoor Solar Security Lights.

To find the best outdoor floodlights, we spent 3,936 hours testing 62 lights, evaluating them based on brightness, features, and power source. First we determined where to place the lights (ideally in a place that did not get moisture) and followed the mounting instructions that come with the light.

Some of the models were hardwired and needed an electrician to help with installation. We then timed how long the installation took.

Next, we assessed the motion sensor, if applicable, to determine its detection range (the furthest distance someone can walk by to activate the light). We also checked to see how long the light stayed on. We also tested whether the motion sensor sensitivity settings were adjustable.

For battery-powered lights, we recorded how long the battery lasted before it needed to be replaced. We evaluated other aspects such as ease of use, color, brightness, and how well it held up in inclement weather.

In the case of smart lights that required an app, we timed how long it took to set up and noted how user-friendly the app was. We connected smart lights to any devices such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home we had on hand.

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The security light features dual lamp heads that rotate 360 degrees as well as up and down.

It is not fully waterproof.

The Leonlite COB LED Security Light stood out for its two rotatable heads that circle 360 degrees as well as straight up and down. They offer superior visibility and the ability to light the yard from all angles. The lights feature three modes, including manual and auto settings.

During testing, we noticed that it emitted a warm yellow light, which we felt blended much better with the environment compared to a stark white light. Although these outdoor lights require hardwiring, we found no calibration necessary, making them relatively simple to install.

On-time mode gives you full control over the light using a switch. There are also two auto modes—motion detector or dusk-to-dawn. We ended up using dusk-to-dawn the most because it helped deter critters like skunks, deer, and possums from hanging out on our property.

Our only issue with this light fixture is that it’s not fully waterproof and is best mounted in a location that is at least partly shielded from heavy rain or snow such as a covered deck or patio.

How It Performed After Six Months

After six months of testing, it performed just as well as it did the first day we installed it. It held up well to wind, rain, and even snow, and we felt safer in our yard because of the light. We also loved that it’s an affordable price, especially for how bright it is. We wish it came with smart features, but overall, it still remains the best outdoor floodlight.

Watts: 20 watts | Brightness: 1,800 lumens | Light Beam Angle: 180 degrees | Motion Sensor: Yes | Power Source: Hardwired

It can link up with other Ring devices as well as Amazon Echo for full smart home control.

You can’t adjust the color of the light.

There are lights and then there are smart lights. The Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus earned top marks across our testing categories including value, features, and design. It works with the Ring app along with Alexa to offer voice control plus access through your phone and Echo devices.

It consists of two LED floodlights, which have to be hardwired into your electrical system. The packaging is well-organized and includes places to keep the pieces and tools separate, which helped make the installation process easier.

You can control the brightness through the app and also adjust the light’s angle to illuminate specific areas. Keep in mind that the light does not change colors. In testing, it significantly brightened a 20x20-foot area around the garage.

The motion detector lets you create custom zones. Other cool features include two-way talking if someone is standing in front of the camera and a siren that you can sound to scare off potential intruders or pesky critters.

Plus, if you are already a Ring user, you can link all your devices to make your security system more robust. The light is available in packs of one, two, three, and four.

How It Performed After Six Months

This continued to perform well. The light was bright and powerful throughout the testing period, and we watched the security footage almost every day through the app. The quality of the floodlight did not change, but it did get dirty from various weather conditions. It can be cleaned with a garden hose or a gentle setting on a pressure washer.

Watts: 24 watts | Brightness: 2,000 lumens | Light Beam Angle: N/A | Motion Sensor: Yes: | Power Source: Hardwired

Since these are just bulbs you can easily screw them into an existing fixture.

If you don’t already have a fixture in the desired area, you’ll need to buy one separately.

These 90-watt color-changing lights from GE go far behind your typical white hues. It’s a great option to set the mood for any occasion—a romantic outdoor dinner, a house party with friends, or a holiday.

It features millions of color options that can be changed from the app, which also lets you control the lights remotely and has a scheduling feature. Additionally, the lights sync with Amazon Alexa, so you can link them with other smart lighting.

During testing, we set it to cool white, which gave off a strong, bright beam that illuminated the area sufficiently. Installation was a breeze—since it’s just a bulb, we were able to screw it in the existing fixture in three minutes. If you don’t have a fixture, you’ll need to get one separately.

Overall, these light bulbs met all our expectations and then some. They are available in two- and four-packs as well as single bulbs at some retailers.

How It Performed After Six Months

The GE Lighting CYNC Smart LED Light Bulbs maintained the same level of brightness throughout our testing period. We synced up the lights with our Alexa and scheduled them to come on every evening, and this function worked perfectly. The various color options were fun to change during holidays, and we used the red and green hues during the Christmas season.

Watts: 90 watts | Brightness: 1,300 lumens | Light Beam Angle: N/A | Motion Sensor: No | Power Source: Electric

At only 45 watts it’s not only brighter than the halogen bulbs we used before, but uses less energy.

It lacks settings to adjust brightness and motion sensors.

Compared to a 150-watt halogen light we previously used, the Sansi Outdoor Integrated Light was a big improvement. Not only did it improve the lighting around our home, but at 45 watts, it was a lot brighter and used less energy than our old halogen flood light.

The flood light consists of three LEDs on either side of its mounting box that can be moved for the light to shine at different angles. The bulbs emit 5,000K bright white light, which we found quite powerful; during testing it was able to light a 50x80-foot backyard plus deck.

Keep in mind that the light has to be hardwired. However, because it needed no calibration or special setup, we were able to install it ourselves with the help of the directions, which were clear and easy to follow. That said, inexperienced DIYers might want to hire an electrician.

The floodlight comes with an energy-saving dusk-to-dawn sensor that turns the lights on and off at sunset and sunrise. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have a motion sensor, and you cannot adjust this light’s brightness levels.

How It Performed After Six Months

After six months of testing, the quality and durability of this light remained the same—despite experiencing rain, snow, hail, and temperatures ranging from below freezing to 100°F. The light continued to be bright and illuminated a wide area, which made us feel safe.

Watts: 45 watts | Brightness: 6,000 lumens | Light Beam Angle: 320 degrees | Motion Sensor: No | Power Source: Hardwired

If you’re looking for a versatile outdoor floodlight that comes with rotatable heads and three light modes, the LEONLITE COB LED Security Light is our top recommendation.

We found these solar lights to be an inexpensive and effective pick for security lighting you can install yourself. Each lamp consists of 40 small LED lights and a motion sensor. We did wish it came with more features like a timer or the option to adjust the brightness.

These lights weren’t bright enough to provide much extra security and their reach did not extend past the deck onto the rest of the property—we would have needed to install additional lights to illuminate the entire yard. We also didn’t love that the motion sensor only kept the light on for 90 seconds.

The Lepower Outdoor Solar Security Lights were originally our best budget pick; however, they failed to live up to our expectations after six months of testing. For the first three months of testing, they performed well, but as we continued to use them, we found that their brightness decreased over time. We also felt the lights were too sensitive no matter where we placed them.

Better Homes & Gardens

Installation will depend on the power source. Hardwired floodlights are best installed by an electrician or someone with electrical expertise, while solar floodlights or lightbulbs that are simply screwed into an existing light fixture can take just a few minutes to install.

Generally speaking the higher the lumens, the brighter the floodlight. Floodlights for security purposes should be 1,000 lumens or higher.

According to Josham, a floodlight with an 80- to 100-watt range should offer enough brightness for your yard or garden.

Nor'Adila Hepburn is a freelance writer who specializes in writing in-depth buying guides for Better Homes & Gardens. She specializes in the home and lifestyle categories. To find the best outdoor floodlights, she used insights from our Testing Lab and evaluated picks based on brightness, motion sensors, power source, and smart features. She also consulted security experts Dene Josham, cofounder of Streetwise Defense, and Elaine Smith, director of product, home security at Amazon.

Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.