If you're looking to add a layer of security to the outside of your home, installing a solar motion light - or several - can be a great way to achieve some peace of mind.

Related
20+ best Cyber Monday smart home deals - last chance to save
You can still save big and deck out your smart home for the holiday season with these Cyber Monday deals, but act fast before the sale ends.

Since most outdoor solar lights come with a motion sensor, you're able to gain an idea of whether someone (or someone's pet) is potentially sneaking around your four walls without having to splash out on an outdoor smart security camera.

To help you decide which set is right for your home, we've gathered together a list of some of the best solar motion lights on the market right now, starting with our first choice, the powerful and durable, Ring Smart Flood Light.

Best outdoor solar motion lights: A smart home guru's top picks

ring solar floodlight
Ring Smart Lighting Solar Floodlight
1. Best solar motion light overall

A powerful floodlight with Ring smarts

Ring's powerful floodlight is perfect for most people, although it does require you to get a Ring Bridge device to take advantage of its smart capabilities.

Pros
  • Good value
  • Great light
  • Alexa integration
Cons
  • Needs a bridge to access smart features

Ring is a big name in the smart home world, and this simple but powerful floodlight is one of its most useful products, with a powerful light and a motion detector to trigger it, all powered by the sun.

It's relatively inexpensive and efficient for its size, and because it's part of the Ring ecosystem you can easily integrate it into a much more complex and wide-ranging setup of smart home tech. However, you do need a Ring Bridge to make it work, which will add to the cost.

tuffenough solar outdoor lights
Tuffenough Outdoor Solar Lights
2. Most adjustable solar motion light

A three head solar light for wide illumination

If you want to illuminate a wide area with your solar lights then this three-headed floodlight is perfect. You can adjust each head to the perfect angle to get just the coverage you need.

Pros
  • Three heads for perfect coverage
  • Individually adjustable heads
  • Remote control to change modes
Cons
  • No smart capabilities

These Tuffenough Solar Outdoor Lights have three heads that contain 210 LEDs with a brightness of 2500 lumens. Each head is adjustable, so you can get the exact light coverage that you want, and there's a built-in solar panel that can charge the 2000mAh battery that powers the lights.

You can set different modes using the included remote to have the lights turned off unless motion is detected, have them on at a dim level which switches to full brightness when motion is detected, or have them come on full brightness for four hours at a time. They're also a bargain, with two sets of solar lights available for less than half the price of one set of the bigger named brands.

aootek 120 led solar lights
Aootek 120 LED Solar Lights (Four-Pack)
3. Best value solar motion light

Four solar lights to cover your entire home

If you want to cover all sides of your home, then this four pack of solar motion lights is just what you need. Each light has 120 LEDS to provide bright illumination when motion is detected.

Pros
  • Great value
  • 120 LEDs per light
  • Cover your whole home
Cons
  • Not the best looking lights

If you're looking to surround your home with the power of solar motion lighting, Aootek's four-pack is a great place to start.

The best feature of this set, undoubtedly, is the three optional modes for users to pick between. 'Security Mode' will show the light for 15 seconds when it detects motion, 'Smart Brightness Mode' keeps the light dim continuously and shines brighter if motion is detected, while 'Permanent Mode', well, shines permanently from each light's 120 LEDs.

The rechargeable light can detect people up to 26 feet away within a 120-degree view, and is IP65 rated for waterproofing.

ring solar pathlight
Ring Solar Powered Pathlight
4. Best solar motion path light

Light your way to your door

If you want to see your way to your door, then these path lights from Ring are exactly what you need. Place them alongside your path, and they'll light up your walkway when they detect motion. You'll need a Ring Bridge to take advantage of some of the smart features.

Pros
  • Good value
  • Stylish design
  • Let you see where you're walking
Cons
  • Requires Ring Bridge for smart features

Do you find yourself hesitantly stumbling along the path to your door in the dark? If so, then this Ring pathlight may be just the ticket. Instead of being mounted to your exterior walls, these lights stand alonside your pathway, lighting it up when they detect motion so that you can see your way to your door.

Charging by solar and with a reliable motion detector, this is a great way to get gentler, less intrusive lighting, and they're great value, too. You'll need the Ring Bridge to be able to link them with Alexa.

hmcity 120 led solar lights
HMCity 120 LED Solar Lights (Two-Pack)
5. Best solar motion light for coverage

Solar lights that can cover a wide angle

If you want to illuminate as much of your property as possible, then these wide-angle solar lights can do the job. The 120 LEDs can cover a 270-degree angle so you won't have problems with dark spots. There are three lighting modes to choose from, too.

Pros
  • 120 LEDs per light
  • Wide-angle lighting
  • Two pack for great value
Cons
  • Need to remove them to change modes

The PIR motion sensor in these lights can detect movement up to 26 feet away, as long as it falls within the 120-degree detection angle. That means they're ideal for most areas around your home.

When motion is detected, the lights spring into action and shine for 30 seconds (and then an additional 30 seconds if motion is detected again in that time), with the 120 LED array lighting up a 270-degree angle. The HMCity lights are also waterproof, with an IP65 rating.

ring wall light solar
Ring Wall Light Solar
6. Best solar motion wall light

Subtle solar lighting for your walls

If you don't want to illuminate too much of the exterior of your home, these wall lights will keep the light closer to home. They offer 800 lumens of light that's directed downwards so it won't bother your neighbours.

Pros
  • Subtle light
  • Ring motion alerts
  • Works with Alexa
Cons
  • Ring Bridge required

If you're looking for something that's a little more subtle and doesn’t illuminate the exterior of your home in a blaze of light, then the Ring Wall Light may be just what you need. It's an 800 lumen motion-activated light that's ideal for places on walls or fences to illuminate passageways or other outdoor areas.

In order to us the Ring Wall Light with the Ring app to take full advantage of its smart features, you'll need to purchase a separate Ring Bridge to communicate with the Ring Wall Light over Wi-Fi. You can then control the light with your voice just by asking Alexa.

The bottom line: What is the best solar motion light?

If you're looking for a powerful solar motion light that has some useful smarts, then you can't go far wrong with the Ring Solar Floodlight. It's a powerful motion-activated solar floodlight, but also fits in nicely with the Ring ecosystem. That means that you can see motion alerts from your floodlight in the same way that you can from your Ring security camera or Ring doorbell, all in the same app.

If you're looking for a low-cost alternative, then a four-pack of Aootek 120 LED solar lights gives you all you need to illuminate all four sides of your home for a great price.

ring solar floodlight
Ring Smart Lighting Solar Floodlight
Editor's Choice

How to choose solar motion lights: Questions to ask before purchase

There are huge numbers of different solar motion lights to choose from. Here are some key questions to help you narrow your choices down.

What style of lights do you need?

Are you looking for lights that will illuminate a wide area outside your home, or just something that will gently light up your path so you can find your way to your door? There are solar lights for most needs, so you'll need to think about the type of light you want before you start looking.

How big a space are you covering?

If you're hoping to light up a big yard or driveway, something to pay attention to is the lumen output that each light offers. This is a measure of how bright its light is, and therefore how much space you can expect it to effectively light up. In broad terms, the bigger that number is, the brighter the light.

What level of brightness is required?

However, it's worth saying that brighter won't be better for everyone. Many of the lights we've looked at offer lower brightness modes in case you're hoping to light under some stairs, for example, or just want a more muted and chilled-out look. It's important to remember that a bright light can always be used in a dimmer mode, but a low-powered light won't ever be able to be made brighter.