Astron64 Solar Security Light

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Alastair

The Astron64 solar security light boasts great features and versatility over other security lights so we thought we would take a more detailed look at what makes this light so great.

Brightness

The common misconception of solar powered outdoor lights is that they do not produce a bright light, and if they did the spread of light would be poor and the number of activations a security light would be able to achieve each night would be few.

The range of Evo security lights has changed the way solar powered security lighting is perceived. The Evos are not only very bright, but they can activate consistently many times per night which gives the user piece of mind that their property will be protected all night.

This technology has been transferred to the Astron64 security floodlight, which is the brightest light in our range. It uses 64 super bright LED’s making it as bright as a 150 watt halogen floodlight, and its internal Lithium Ion battery is capable of storing enough solar energy to allow up to 100 one minute activations of the light once fully charged.

Versatility

In most cases, mains powered security lights have no limit to the number of times they can activate per night. However over time bulbs can stop working and because they need to be connected to your property’s power supply they cannot always be mounted exactly where you want them.

The Astron64 solar security light takes the versatility of the already great Evo range and expands on it. It produces its own power by converting energy from the sun into electrical energy which is stored in its internal battery, therefore it is possible to fit the security light almost anywhere you like without the need of an electricity supply. The only requirement is that the separate 2.5watt solar panel has a direct line of sight to the sun (i.e. as south facing as possible and away from any shadows cast by trees or buildings). The solar panel can be fitted up to 5m away from the light to give you great flexibility. As well as this, the Astron uses a remote PIR (motion sensor) allowing you to mount it between 20-120cm away from the light unit. This makes the Astron64 perfect for lighting up dark areas before an intruder has any chance of getting near your shed, garage or house. The PIR is fully adjustable to allow you to aim it exactly where you want.

On the underside of the PIR there are three dials which allow you to adjust exactly how dark it is before the light will come on, how long the light will stay on for (between 5-60 seconds) and the sensitivity of the motion sensor.

The Astron64 is a motion sensored security light, but it can also stay on constantly for up to 1 hour and 20 minutes when fully charged if the PIR is disconnected.

Looks

Not only is this a very functional security light, but its use of aluminium and glass make it look modern, especially when you compare it with other solar and mains powered floodlights currently available on the market.

Furthermore, the smooth glass on the front of the light and solar panel make it easy to wipe clean, allowing it to look great and work at its full potential.

How waterproof is the Astron64?

Unlike the water resistant Evo security lights, the Astron64 Solar Floodlight is IP56 rated making it the most waterproof light yet. IP56 means the Astron is protected against dust and strong jets of water e.g. for use on shipdecks. Therefore you can happily mount it in exposed areas such as on a wall at the end of your garden, driveway or in a field – perfect for farmers and people with large gardens where there is no electricity supply.

The Astron64 in summary:

Free to run
Easy DIY installation
Very versatile
Super bright
Maintenance free
Looks stylish
Waterproof
Works all year round
Illuminates up to 500 times per night
Never change a bulb again

Deter Intruders With Security Lighting

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Alastair

Summer has most definitely left us and winter is showing its hand. The days are shorter and the nights are longer. The evenings are drawing in much earlier now so it is definitely time to take a look at the security for the outside of your home.

The time has come to make your home as uninviting as you can to potential intruders and opportunistic burglars. And there is no better way to keep your property safe and secure than to keep it well lit at night.

This doesn’t mean you should get the blindingly bright spotlights like the ones at football grounds and keep you garden and driveway illuminated all night. You can simply add one or two motion activated floodlights which will illuminate whenever somebody comes onto your property.

By installing motion activated security lights that only illuminate for short periods of time you won’t annoy the neighbours and you will be limiting the amount of light pollution and using less energy.

Security lights are a great way to protect your home, but they can sometimes be difficult to fit because of wiring them into a mains electricity source and can be costly to run and maintain.

Our solar powered security lights on the other hand take all the stress out of fitting because they come complete with their own power source – a solar panel. This also means they can be installed pretty much anywhere as there is no need for an electricity source. Plus, due to the lights using low energy, super bright LED’s, you will never have to change a bulb again. The only maintenance these security lights need is a quick clean of the solar panel every so often to keep them running at their optimum efficiency.

Our brightest solar powered security light is the Evo 56. It uses 56 super bright LED’s which makes it as bright as a 150 watt halogen bulb. This light is simply amazing so take a look and get yours today.

Multi-buy Offers

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Alastair

You, me your mum, dad, friends, everybody loves to save money. Our great prices have been designed to help ease the pressure of our customer’s wallets. But as of this week we have introduced additional multi-buy offers which are designed to save our customers even more money than before.

These special offers can be found on our most popular security lights and a range of our light & alarm accessories so why not have a look around the website and take advantage of these great money saving offers.

Jamie Olivers Solar Powered Security Lights

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Alastair

Fifteen Security Lights

Jamie Oliver has many restaurants across the country and Fifteen is situated on the Cornish seafront overlooking the beautiful Watergate Bay and donates all its profits to a local charity.
The restaurant is one of three which runs an apprenticeship programme for young people between the ages of 18 – 24 who are often in need of a break in life and are willing to learn to cook some of the best dishes around.
Down the steps to the entrance and above the doors are 3 SolarMate 1 security lights which are used as welcome lights to illuminate the dark entrance at night.
Due to each units 3 bright LEDs, they will provide enough light to illuminate the way for customers when they arrive and leave the restaurant without blinding them like normal halogen security floodlights would.
And because they are motion sensitive, they will only turn on for a short amount of time when movement is detected. Because these lights will automatically turn on and off they do not produce a constant source of light pollution, therefore keeping the beauty of Watergate Bay intact at night.
The SolarMate 1 security light has been chosen by the restaurant for 3 reasons, firstly the lights green credentials; they are solar powered, secondly, they won’t blind potential customers but will produce enough light to help customers make their way to and from the restaurant, and thirdly, they are easy to fit and do not require mains power which gave the restaurant the freedom to fit them almost anywhere they chose.

For more information about the SolarMate Secure 1 click here

Which Solar Powered Security Light is for You?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Alastair

Solar security lights are brilliant. These lights are becoming more and more popular due to the fact that they are extremely easy to install, are getting brighter and brighter and require no maintenance or replacement bulbs.

You know that you want to buy a solar powered security light because it does not require mains power, making it safe and easy to install almost anywhere and is free to run, but you are not sure which one has the best lighting capabilities.

Let’s compare five security lights which you may have trouble choosing one from. These five are:

Utility Light – £24.99
Solar Mate Secure1 – £32.99
Solar Mate Secure Pro – £99.99
Evo 36 – £44.99
Evo 56 – £69.99

All of these lights work on the same principle. They use sunlight to charge their batteries during the day and use the energy in these batteries to power the motion activated light at night.

The Utility Light uses 15 LED’s and is designed to illuminate a small area around your front door. The motion sensor is fixed, but the light is fully adjustable.

The Solar Mate Secure 1 uses 3 double sized LED’s to illuminate up to 5m2. Both the light and the motion detector are fully adjustable. This security light produces a pool of light making it perfect for lighting the area near your front door.

The Solar Mate Secure Pro uses 45 LED’s. This light unit will illuminate up to 100m2 and will illuminate up to a distance of up to 30m / 100ft. The motion sensor is fixed but the light is fully adjustable.

The Evo 36 uses 36 super bright LED’s which will light up a maximum distance of 30m / 100ft. The motion sensor is fully adjustable and the light can be angled up or down. It can be angled to the left or right with the use of our direct replacement 45 degree bracket. Plus, should you find that you need more power from your secuirty light you can add and extra Booster Solar Panel.

The Evo 56 is the brightest of all the solar powered security lights. The 56 LED’s makes it very almost as bright as a 150W conventional halogen security light. It will light up to a maximum distance of 40m / 130ft. Again the motion sensor is fully adjustable and the light can be angled up or down. It can be angled to the left or right with the use of our direct replacement 45 degree bracket.Plus, should you find that you need more power from your secuirty light you can add and extra Booster Solar Panel.

The Solar Mate Secure Pro will light a large area, but pound for pound if you want a bright solar powered security light the Evo 56 comes out on top with the Evo 36 a close 2nd.

The Solar Mate Secure 1 and the Utility light are perfect for illuminating small areas with a really crisp pool of light. This makes them ideal for lighting up your front door, garage door or balcony.

Fit An Evo Security Light – Step by Step

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Alastair

1. Open the packet and check the contents are correct. 1x security light unit 1x solar panel Screws Wall plugs Instructions
2. Find a suitable location to fit the light and the solar panel. The light unit and solar panel must be fitted within 5m of each other. You can extend the length of cable using the 3m Extension Lead.
3. Carefully mark the position of the holes for the solar panel.
4. Using the correct type and size of drill bit for the wall plugs supplied, drill the 3 holes which you marked for the solar panel.
5. Push the wall plugs fully into the holes.
6. Using the screws provided, screw the solar panel securely to the wall.
7. Carefully mark the position of the holes for the light unit bracket.
8. Using the correct size and type of drill bit for the wall plugs supplied, drill the 2 holes which you marked for the light unit bracket.
9. Push the wall plugs fully into the holes.
10. Using the screws provided, screw the light unit bracket securely to the wall.
11. Carefully fit the light unit to the bracket using the wing nuts provided and angle the light as required.
12. Locate the solar panel lead into the Panel 1 socket on the back of the Evo36 or Evo56. Push this fully home to ensure a watertight connection.
13. The Panel 2 socket on the rear of the light unit is for the Evo Booster Solar Panel so you can double the amount of sunlight captured. This is perfect for areas where the light will be subject to constant or high use.
14. Leave the light unit in the off position for 3 days so that it is fully charged before use.
15. Adjust the Time, Lux and Sensitivity settings to your requirements. These controls are found on the bottom of the PIR sensor.

How solar powered security lights work

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Alastair

We take the sun for granted. Every day we wake up to it. We enjoy its warmth, and its light. But it can do so much more than just keep us warm. It generates huge amounts of energy in the form of light. The sun produces more energy than all the power stations in the world combined so it seems a shame to waste it. We could use it to power toasters, fridges, TV’s MP3 players, factories and much more.

We take the sun for granted. Every day we wake up to it. We enjoy its warmth, and it’s light. But it can do so much more than just warm us up. It generates huge amounts of energy in the form of light. The sun produces more energy than all the power stations in the world combined so it seems a shame to waste it. We could use it to power toasters, fridges, TV’s MP3 players, factories and much more. Solar powered security lights need no electricity; they are powered by the suns energy. They are designed to work all year round, even in the UK where we have a lot of cloud cover. The suns energy is so great that it passes through clouds, albeit not so strong, meaning solar powered security lights will work even on cloudy days in the UK. Because they don’t require any mains electricity they are green and can be used just about anywhere. Solar powered security lights are made up of three primary items; the solar panel, the light unit and the PIR sensor (switch).

Solar panel.

The sun produces a range of energy. We can only see the visible white light produced by the sun. Specific rays of a different wavelength to visible white light produced by the sun are collected using the solar panel also known as a photovoltaic panel (PV). The solar panel is made of lots of electrodes covered in a conductive solution. When the sunlight, or daylight, shine son these electrodes they create an electric current. This electricity is clean, environmentally friendly electricity in the form of Direct Current (DC). Solar panels are static energy producers. They have no moving parts which could break and are completely silent making them perfect for residential use.

This electricity passes down a wire to the batteries inside the light unit.

Light unit.

The light unit is made up of three things, the light, the PIR (motion) detector and the batteries.
The batteries are usually located within the light unit. These are charged daily by the DC electricity produced by the solar panel. The amount of electricity produced to charge the batteries is dependent on how strong the sun is and how many hours of daylight there is. Also, the greater the size of the solar panel, the more electricity which can be produced. The batteries then store this energy until it gets dark, when they power the light every time the unit is triggered.

Security lights often need to be very bright so that they can illuminate large areas. Mains powered security lights use halogen bulbs. These produce very strong, bright light. However, halogen bulbs use a great deal of power. These bulbs are no good for solar powered lights as they will use up the power stored in the batteries far too quickly.

Instead, solar security lights use LED’s (light emitting diodes). LED’s only use very small amounts of energy making them ideal for solar powered lighting. Used on their own these are not as bright as a halogen bulb, but use 30 or more together (such as the Evo36 or Evo56) and you can produce the same amount of light as a halogen bulb would but with far less energy consumption. LED’s also last for extremely long periods of time meaning that don’t need replacing like halogen bulbs.

PIR sensor.

Security lights work when motion is detected at night. If the movement of a person or animal occurs within a certain range of the light a switch is triggered, turning the light on and illuminating whoever or whatever caused the light to be triggered. This movement is detected by a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor. This sensor is just like a switch that turns the light on. These sensors can usually be adjusted so that they work depending on how dark it is, known as the LUX, and they time how long the light should illuminate.

When all of these components are used together you have an extremely energy efficient security light which can be mounted almost anywhere making it perfect for illuminating alleyways, homes, gardens, driveways and just about anywhere you can think of.

How to fit a Solar Powered Security Light

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Alastair

Solar powered security lights are very versatile. No wiring means that solar powered security lights can be fitted almost anywhere. All they need is a surface which they can be fixed to such as a wall or fence and also a clear path to as much sunlight as possible. This makes them the ideal security light for homes, rural areas or even to illuminate your shed at the bottom of your garden. It also means that you can take them with you if you move house.

Solar security lights usually come as two parts: the security light and the solar panel with a wire which connects the two together. These both have to be fitted to a wall or fence of your choice. For these instructions we will tell you how to secure your security light to a brick wall.

Find a suitable area to fix your security light. I suggest that you fit it between 7-12 feet high to make the most of its spread of light. Remember that the solar panel should be mounted where it will get the best possible amount of sunlight. You can, depending on the length of cable that comes with the security light, fit the security light on one wall of your house and the solar panel to another.
Mark on the wall where the security light and solar panel will be mounted. I suggest you mark where the holes will go for fixing the light and panel to the wall.
Select one of the marks where a hole will do and drill a hole in the wall using an electric drill and masonry drill bit. This should be the same size as the wall plug (usually included with the security light). Using a hammer, gently hit the wall plug into the hole until it is flush with the wall.
Repeat step 3 for all the holes which you need to drill.
Offer the security light up to the new holes and using a screwdriver, screw the it to the wall.(The screws are usually included with the security light)
Repeat step 5 for the solar panel and adjust the angle of the solar panel so that it can receive as much sunlight as possible.
Connect the cable from the solar panel to the security light.
Initially leave the security light in the off position for approximately three days to allow the internal batteries to charge fully (this may differ depending on your security light so please read the instructions included with your light).
Switch your light on and adjust its sensibility accordingly.

It really is this easy.

These are general instructions and we recommend always following the instructions supplied with your solar powered security light.

Solar Security Solutions Blog

Category Archives: Solar Powered Security Lights