Outdoor Wall Lights

Outdoor wall lights are the fittings you notice first about a house: either side of a front door, above a garage, at a back door or washing a rear wall. Exterior wall lights have to do two jobs at once, dressing the building and lighting it safely, and because they sit out in the weather day and night every one of them carries an IP rating.

Where should I use outdoor wall lights?

The traditional position is a matching pair either side of the main front door, or a single lantern above it in a porch. As well as dressing the doorway they give you enough light to find your keys and to see who is at the door.

Away from the front, the same fittings work either side of a garage door, at a side or back door, and along a rear wall. Most people choosing outdoor house lights end up with a mix: something decorative at the front, and something plainer and brighter at the back where the job is security rather than looks. Getting the outside house lights right is mostly about matching each fitting to its position rather than buying one style for the whole building.

A few positions worth planning for:

• Front door and porch – a pair either side, or one above. Warm white light, and nothing so bright it dazzles a visitor.
• Garage and driveway – wider beam, higher output, and a sensor if the driveway is long.
• Side passage – the classic place for a sensor fitting, because nobody wants a light burning down a passage all night.
• Rear wall and patio – up and down fittings spaced evenly, or a single floodlight if the area is large.
• Gable ends and exposed walls – IP65, always.

Outdoor wall lights with a sensor

Outside lights with a sensor are the single most useful upgrade you can make to the back of a house. A PIR, or passive infrared sensor, detects the heat and movement of a person or vehicle and switches the light on for a set period, usually somewhere between ten seconds and ten minutes depending on the fitting.

The case for outdoor sensor lights is practical rather than decorative. A light that comes on suddenly is a far better deterrent than one that has been on since dusk, because a change draws attention. You use a fraction of the electricity. And you get light exactly when you are carrying shopping to the back door with both hands full.

Two things worth checking before you buy:

• Detection range and angle. Most domestic PIR fittings cover eight to twelve metres across an arc of 120 to 180 degrees. A long driveway may need a fitting mounted higher, or a separate sensor.
• Adjustability. Better sensor lights let you set the sensitivity, the on-time and the lux level, which is the darkness threshold at which the sensor starts working. Without that you can end up with a light triggering in daylight or staying on far too long.

Dusk to dawn fittings are the alternative. They use a photocell rather than a motion sensor and stay on all night at low output. They suit a front elevation where you want the house to look occupied, while sensor fittings suit the back where you want light on demand.

Up and down wall lights

Outdoor up and down lights throw two beams from a single fitting, one washing the wall upwards and one downwards. The effect is a pair of triangles of light on the wall, which suits modern render, brick and stone, and gives useful light at ground level without glare at eye height.

An outdoor up down wall light has become the default on new Irish builds, particularly in matt black and stainless steel. Almost all are LED, many are IP65, and because there are no lamps to change they are a sensible choice for a wall you would need a ladder to reach.

Spacing matters more than output. Fittings placed two to three metres apart along a long wall read as a deliberate rhythm. Two fittings on a wide wall with a gap in the middle read as an afterthought.

Finishes: brass, black and stainless steel

Brass wall lights remain the classic choice for period properties, older stone and painted houses, and anywhere a plain modern box would look wrong. Antique brass and aged brass develop a patina outdoors, which most people consider part of the appeal. Polished brass keeps its shine but wants an occasional wipe.

Matt black is the default on new builds and works with grey render, anthracite windows and composite doors. It is the finish most often paired with up and down fittings.

Stainless steel sits between the two and is the safer choice within a few kilometres of the sea, though marine grade lighting is better still if you are right on the coast. Gloss white suits older painted houses and stays visible against dark walls at night.

What IP rating do I need outdoors?

The IP code is two digits. The first covers solid objects and dust, the second covers water. Outdoors in Ireland it is the second digit that decides where a fitting can go.

• IP44 – protected against splashing water from any direction. Enough for a sheltered porch, a covered walkway or a doorway with an overhang above it.
• IP65 – dust tight and protected against jets of water. This is what you want on an exposed wall, a gable end or a rear wall with nothing above it.
• IP67 – protected against temporary immersion. Rarely needed on a wall, but standard for ground and deck fittings where water can pool.

If you are choosing between two ratings, go up. The price difference is small and an underrated fitting on an exposed wall fails long before its time.

Buying outdoor wall lights in Ireland

Two things matter here more than they might elsewhere. The first is exposure: a west-facing gable on the Atlantic side takes weather that a sheltered Dublin porch never will, so the same fitting can last fifteen years in one position and three in another. The second is salt. Within sight of the sea, salt air corrodes ordinary fittings far faster than rain does, which is why we keep a separate marine grade lighting range with a fifteen-year corrosion guarantee.

All electrical work outdoors should be carried out by a registered electrician. We deliver across Ireland, north and south, direct to your door.

What styles of outdoor wall lights are available?

Our range runs from the classic coach lantern through to plain modern boxes, slim up and down fittings, half lanterns, and bulkheads for utility areas. Finishes cover antique brass, satin black, gloss white and stainless steel.

Related categories

• Outdoor bulkhead lights – sealed round and oval fittings for side passages, garages and utility areas.
• Outdoor ceiling lights – for porches, verandas and covered entrances.
• Bollard and post lights – for driveways, gateways and garden perimeters.
• Floodlights – for lighting a large area, usually with a PIR sensor.
• Ground lights and spike spotlights – for paths, decking and lighting up planting.
• Marine grade lighting – for coastal properties where salt air is the problem.

The full IP rating table

The IP Code, short for International Protection and often read as Ingress Protection, is the letters IP followed by two digits. The first digit is protection against solid objects, the second against water.