How to choose an outdoor LED floodlight for your dacha: rating of models for landscape lighting, which is better, types, installation features

An important step in the development of the lighting industry was the appearance of LED spotlights on the lighting market.
They replaced bulky street lamps, which were energy-consuming and had poor illumination levels.

All landscape LED spotlights are of the compact type, are energy-saving, and operate in a power range from 10 to 200 W. For landscape lighting in the private sector, 20w and 30w LED spotlights are the most popular.

In addition to power, such devices are divided by area of application for street lighting, garden lighting, pool lighting, pond lighting, paths and sculptural objects. They are easy to install and maintain, durable and very economical, which is why today such LED spotlights have begun to replace old tube lamps everywhere.

External features of a landscape lantern

The main difference between LED spotlights is the ability to focus the light flux using a built-in optical system . The focal angle is provided by the design capabilities of the spotlight and the characteristics of the optical system. A large illumination area is provided by the use of ultra-bright LEDs.

All landscape spotlights consist of a housing in which a group of LEDs and electronic drivers are mounted. For durable structures, the housing is made of anti-corrosion aluminum, and for budget and low-power ones - from plastic.

The lampshade is made of glass or polycarbonate. The LED lamp guarantees good protection from atmospheric influences. A rotating mechanism is built into the body, which provides the desired rotation angle in two planes.

Lamp design

If we consider the design of a landscape LED spotlight, it consists of the following basic elements :

frame;
Light-emitting diode;
diffuser;
radiator;
base;
driver.

The processes occurring in an LED are similar to those occurring in a conventional semiconductor diode, which has one-way conductivity.

Specially selected semiconductor materials, when current flows in the forward direction, emit elementary particles - photons with visible light electromagnetic radiation.

On electrical circuits, an LED is designated as a diode, but 2 arrows are added to it, which show the emission of light.

The LED in the floodlight consists of:

semiconductor crystal;
placed on a support;
electrical contacts for connecting to the electrical network;
conductors for connecting contacts to the crystal;
heat sink element;
optical lenses;
housings.

Unlike low-power indicator LEDs, in which the generated thermal energy can only be dissipated within them, LEDs installed in floodlights are capable of generating a significantly larger amount of heat, so they need additional cooling through a radiator, which is located in the housing.

The radiator is made of aluminum alloy . When installing powerful lamps, the heat removal from it can be significant, as well as the temperature on the body, therefore, when choosing a floodlight modification, you need to pay attention to the maximum permissible operating temperature of the devices.

In order to direct the luminous flux from the LED into LED spotlights, a diffuser is installed, which performs the functions of high-quality distribution of the luminous flux.

The base provides connection of the LED module to the power supply; they usually have a standard size, to unify the transition of conventional lighting to LED. Some light sources may not use a socket, such as Armstrong, spotlight and linear modules. In these options, connections to the electrical network are made using conductors inserted into the luminaire body and secured with special clamps.

Driver – is responsible for the standard and uninterruptible power supply of the LED . It is made in the form of a board with electronic devices. The driver is designed to protect the LED from emergency situations, for example, such as voltage surges, short circuits in the electrical network and others that cause voltage overload.

When working under particularly difficult conditions, the driver may fail and then need to be replaced, but this is much easier to do than replacing a burnt-out LED.

What to look for when purchasing

When purchasing an LED floodlight, you should pay attention to the following points, such as:

Specifications.
Type of execution (stationary or portable).
The material from which the body is made.
Installation method and type of fastening.
Brand and reliability of the manufacturer.
Availability and duration of the warranty period of use.

Otherwise, everything depends on the personal preferences and financial capabilities of the user, on the basis of which the choice of one or another light source model is made.

Specifications

The main difference between landscape spotlights and other types of LED lamps is that the luminous flux in them is concentrated in a limited spatial angle using mirror or mirror-lens optics.

A landscape spotlight operates in difficult atmospheric conditions in the open air, so it must have certain characteristics :

The degree of protection is IP 5468, the first number indicates the protection of the device from dust, 6 is an absolutely dust-proof device, and the second number indicates moisture protection.
Indicator 8 indicates the possibility of long-term immersion. If you decipher the index IP54, this means that the device is able to keep dust particles less than 1 mm from entering the body and withstand the action of water jets.
The installation method for such devices is allowed: stationary, portable, suspended and mounted on a bracket. You can also find built-in floodlight designs in the retail chain.
The method of generating a luminous flux - long-range, flood light for illuminating objects and accent light - for spot lighting.
Class of protection against electric shock: I – with grounding, II – protection of access to live parts; III – powered by low voltage.
Color temperature range: warm white 2700K to cool white 6500K.
Power from 10 to 200 W.
Energy efficiency or luminous efficiency: from 85 Lm/W.
Glow color: monochrome white, red, yellow, green and multi-color with color gamma and brightness adjustment.
The direction of the glow ranges from precise focusing to a wide angle with soft diffused lighting.

Types of street lamps

Classification of lamps for street lighting by type of design and type of installation:

Wall lamps serve to illuminate the facade of a building and are used for architectural lighting. Thanks to it, you can add aesthetics to a country house and highlight individual architectural parts of the building. You can purchase inexpensive models with a low degree of protection, especially if the lamps are located under the canopy of the building.
Ceiling ones , as the name suggests, are installed on the roof ceiling above the porch, in garden gazebos.
Pendant lamps , which are fixed using a special suspension or bracket on the ceiling or on the wall of a building, are popular
Floor lamp types resemble a lighting device with the same name, designed for additional lighting in the apartment. Installation method: a free-standing pole, straight or shaped, on which the lamp is hung.
Most of all you will have to tinker with the built-in lamps . Is there a pond with a small waterfall at your dacha? Or do you lay out paths of beautiful stone? Built-in lamps will help create a unique atmosphere. The highest level of protection, they will withstand water, dust, dirt, you can even walk on them.

Purposes of application

The high production performance of LED spotlights makes it possible to use them to solve many problems, for example :

security lighting of the house and surrounding areas;
architectural lighting for the implementation of interesting facade solutions, individual building structures of the house and adjacent buildings;
decorative lighting for decorating a garden plot;
delimitation of functional zones.

Depending on the functional purpose of the spotlight, various types of spotlights are selected and installed.

Typical arrangement of landscape spotlights on a plot of 10 acres with a 2 m high fence, a garden, a swimming pool, a bathhouse, an alpine slide and a 10x10 m house:

lighting of the perimeter of the site - floodlight from 20 to 50 W, installation on brackets on the fence, height up to 4 m;
architectural lighting of the house - spotlight 10-20 W, wall installation at a height of up to 3 meters;
landscape lighting – 10W, installation on supports, ground, height up to 2 m;
swimming pool, area lighting – 10-20 W, installation on the ground or supports up to 3 meters;
alpine slide – ground illumination 10W, installation on the ground.

For most modern LED floodlights, there are no restrictions on location on a personal plot. But some budget models of such lighting devices have temperature restrictions, they work poorly even at T = - 10 C, and begin to blink heavily due to icing of the starting elements.

Such devices cannot be used in winter, so they cannot be used for security lighting.

There are also restrictions on the height of the spotlights depending on the power; they are not allowed to be installed above the permissible maximum height:

10 W – 2 m;
20 W – 3 m;
30 W – 4 m;
50 W – 6 m;
100 W – 12 m.

If you plan to install an LED floodlight with a motion sensor for security lighting, the height of such a device should not exceed 3 m.

Manufacturers

To equip interior spaces of a non-production scale, you can take a closer look at the following brands:

"UNIEL", Russia;
JazzWay, China;
Horoz Electric, Türkiye;
"LuxOn", Russia;
Trade House "Ferex", Russia;
"Seoul Semiconductor", South Korea;
"Warton", Russia;
Showtec, Netherlands;
STAGE LED, Russia.

Industrial type models are produced by the following companies:

"LEDformula", Russia;
"Shine", China;
"Warton", Russia;
"Ledcraft", Russia;
"ASD", Russia;
Minimax LLC, Russia;
TDM LLC, Russia;
"Navigator", Russia;
Elro, Netherlands;
Stern, Taiwan.

Household product groups among lighting fixtures are very popular among the following brand names:

LLC "Exmork" ("Exmork") Russia;
"Era" ("ERA"), Italy;
Noble Electric, Russia;
"Stauer", Germany;
"X-FLASH", America, Europe;
"Ranex", Russia;
Comtech, Denmark;
"IEK", Russia, CIS;
Nanosvet, Russia, CIS;
Globo, Austria;
"Steniel", Germany.

This division of manufacturing companies into groups based on the place of application of the lamps will help determine the best model option.

Varieties

the following can be used in a personal plot :

ground;
wall;
LED spotlights suspended on poles.

They can be either portable or stationary . For security purposes, it is better if they have automatic control with light and motion sensors.

Such modifications of lamps are available with a supply voltage of 12 or 220 V, the former are powered via an adapter. In terms of power, they can be from 10 to 100 W. Light radiation should be in the range of 1200-6500 K, color rendering from 80 Ra, distribution angle - point or diffuse, according to the protection index IP 45-68, it is better to choose a metal case.

The most popular types of LED floodlights installed on a personal plot:

REV Ultra Slim Profi, ultra-thin case 42 mm, mounting versatility in three positions, brightness - 17,000 lm, voltage - 220 V, price - 7,800 rubles. Advantages: color rendering index – 80 Ra, power -200W, color temperature – 6500 K, resource 30,000 hours, IP65, high degree of protection of the case from atmospheric influences. Disadvantages: weak overhead bracket, no automatic control.
Philips BVP74 LED90/NW, lightweight design, mounting on an overhead arc, brightness - 9500 lm, voltage -220V, dispersion angle - 120 degrees, price - 4000 rubles. Advantages: power -100W, color temperature - 4000 K, resource 30,000 hours, first class electrical safety, rotary yoke is adjustable without a key, lightweight body - weight 2.3 kg.
Disadvantages: low Ra index, no automatic control, short power cord - 60 cm.
Foton Lighting FL-LED Light-PAD STAND, on a telescopic tripod with two shades, power -40 W, brightness 3400 lm, 220 V, color temperature 4200 K, price - 2300 rubles. Advantages: aluminum frame under the base with a high cooling rate, wide areas for setting the lighting direction for each lamp, do not require additional fastening, resource 30,000 hours.
Disadvantages: steel rods are susceptible to corrosion, there is no automatic control.
Jazzway PFL-C 100W, budget spotlight with a rotating shade, power -100 W, brightness 7500 lm, 220 V, color temperature 6500 K, price - 1600 rubles. Advantages: two colors - white and black, resistance to high parameters in the electrical network, withstands voltage of 260 V, no stabilizer is required for networks with unstable conditions.
Disadvantages - poor protection of the case from moisture, lack of automatic control.

Which one is better to choose?

The user, when choosing an LED floodlight for the garden, must be guided, first of all, by reasonable expediency. Such devices are not cheap, so they, first of all, should be installed where such lighting is needed.

It is possible to navigate normally in the dark when the illumination of the area is 10 Lux/1m2; for comparison, the full moon creates an illumination of 0.27 Lux/1m2.

Parameters of LED floodlights for the garden that you need to pay attention to when choosing a model:

The IP protection class is selected in the range 54 – 68, which allows the use of lamps in open areas.
Spectrum, spotlights with white light are considered universal, but for decorative lighting, modifications with RGB technology are needed.
A matrix with COB diodes or with cluster diodes (SMD), the former are cheaper, but also have a shorter service life, the latter have a service life of over 30,000 hours.
The lighting intensity is not lower than LM70, this means that by the end of the service the LED brightness will be no more than 70%.
Manufacturer, Western models are more durable, energy efficient, but are much more expensive than domestic ones.
Additional functions in the form of automatic control with motion and light sensors.
Number of LEDs. With a single LED, floodlights last longer, but have limited brightness and are more suitable for landscape lighting. Models with multiple LEDs are more suitable for security lighting, as they are able to create a powerful, bright and directional beam.
Operating mode – stationary from a 220 and 12 V network or wireless on rechargeable or solar batteries.
Installation options: wall-mounted, on brackets, ground-mounted or on supports.
The brightness of the spotlight is selected in the range from 700 to 7000 lm. To determine the required indicator, the brightness in lm is divided by the illuminated area and the resulting value is compared with illumination standards: landscape lighting - 10-15 lx, and security lighting - 75 lx, architectural lighting - up to 30 lx.
Housing material - must be non-corrosive materials.
The thickness of the radiator is preferred for large radiators, especially for matrix spotlights.
Additional options - motion and light sensors - photo sensors. For convenience and energy saving, you can choose an LED floodlight with a motion sensor or equipped with a photosensor.
The shape of the lamp does not matter for performance and is selected according to the landscape design.

Video tips for choosing:

Main conclusions

A spotlight is a device designed for external and internal lighting. There are LED, halogen, sodium and metal halide devices. Before purchasing, you need to choose the right lamp:

determine the task that the lamp must cope with;
calculate the required spotlight power and coverage area;
study the offered assortment, taking into account the type of light sources used, expiration date, manufacturer, protection class, dimensions and additional functions.

Only after determining all the necessary criteria can you buy a lighting device.

Rating of LED floodlights

LED floodlights are currently considered the best option for lighting the local area, as they have a long service life, powerful lighting, and are easy to install and operate.

Users include the following models of domestic and foreign production among the most popular modifications of LED spotlights.

Galad Pobeda LED-100-ШБ2/К50 1003786

Manufacture: China, economy segment, 6800 rub.

Characteristics:

power -100 W;
voltage – 230 ± 10% V;
luminous flux – 10660 Lm;
color temperature – 5000 K;
installation type – console;
lamp protection degree – IP65;
service life 12 years.

Advantages:

budget model;
long service period;
operates in the temperature range: – 60 to +50 C;
patented power supply;
high moisture and dust protection.

Disadvantage: there is no automatic control.

Nanolight Art.L401

Portable design, made in Russia, 4100 rub.

Characteristics:

power - 40 W;
voltage – 230 ± 10% V;
luminous flux 6660 lm;
color temperature 4000 K;
installation type – console;
lamp protection degree – IP65;
vertical/horizontal angle – 90/120;
service life 10 years.

Advantages:

budget model;
pure white light;
long service period;
operates in the temperature range – 40 to +50 C.

Disadvantages - there is no automatic control, frame fastening only with side screws.

Gauss Elementary 628511350

Wall lamp, made in Russia, 2300 rub.

Characteristics:

power - 50 W;
voltage – 230 ± 10% V;
luminous flux 3500 lm;
color temperature 6600 K;
installation type – console;
lamp protection degree – IP65;
vertical/horizontal lighting angle – 90/120;
lampshade – glass;
warranty – 2 years.

Advantages:

High moisture and dust protection;
pure white light;
long service period;
metal body high-strength glass;
automatic switching on with motion sensor.

Disadvantage - it cannot work at low sub-zero temperatures below -30 degrees.

Volta WFL-10/06

Mini landscape spotlight, wall-mounted, China, 280 rub.

Characteristics:

Power - 10 W;
voltage – 220 V;
luminous flux 850 lm;
color temperature 5500 K;
installation type – console;
lamp protection degree – IP65;
lampshade – glass;
warranty – 2 years.

Advantages:

High moisture and dust protection;
pure white light;
long service life, 50,000 hours;
lighting angle – 120°;
power factor – 90 W;
aluminum body, polycarbonate;
operates in the temperature range – 35 to +50 C;
budget segment;
automatic switching on with motion sensor.

Disadvantage: there is no automatic control.

Navigator NFL-M-50-4K-IP65-LED

Budget segment, Russia, mounted, 1300 rub.

Characteristics:

power -50 W;
voltage – 220 V;
luminous flux – 3000 lm;
color temperature – 5000 K;
working area temperature from – 30 to + 40;
installation type – mounting arc;
color rendering coefficient – Ra75;
lamp protection degree – IP65;
warranty – 3 years.

Advantages:

High moisture and dust protection;
high level of cooling;
aluminium case;
long service life, 30,000 hours;
the matte diffuser does not dazzle the eyes;
power factor – 90 W;
operates in the temperature range – 30 to +40 C;
budget segment.

Disadvantage - there is no automatic control, not suitable for northern regions.

Installation and operation

Installation diagrams of LED floodlights are provided by manufacturers in the equipment passport; they are basically the same type, they may differ only in the design of the terminal box and the presence of control sensors.

Algorithm for connecting a 220V LED landscape spotlight:

Open the terminal box by unscrewing 4 screws.
Tighten the input nut and remove the rubber seal.
Pull a 3-core 8 mm cable through the input hole and seal it with a gland inside the housing.
Insert the prepared ends of the wires into the terminal box terminals according to the diagram specified by the manufacturer.
Tighten the terminal screws firmly; it is not allowed to connect the wires using the twisting method.
Make sure that no moisture gets into the housing, tighten the nut tightly and make sure that the oil seal seals it tightly.
Close the lid and secure with screws.
Install the spotlight on a wall, bracket or poles, depending on its design.
The angle of inclination is set using adjusting screws on the body.

In order to ensure increased tightness, it is recommended to additionally treat the cable entry area with silicone sealant.
Requirements of safety regulations when installing landscape LED floodlights:

Maintain a minimum distance from the spotlight to surrounding objects, 250 mm.
Installation, dismantling and maintenance of devices is carried out with the voltage turned off.
When working with the electrical part of the device, hands must be dry and moisture must not get inside the lamp.
It is forbidden to connect the spotlight to a damaged electrical network.
The floodlight must be operated with a properly grounded connection.
During operation of the device, it is necessary to carry out regular inspection and cleaning of its structures.
Do not use the device if the lamp or housing is damaged.
If the lamp flickers or there is a sharp drop in the light level, it must be disconnected from the power supply for repair work.
The spotlight is cleaned when it is unplugged; the body and glass are cleaned with a slightly damp cloth.

Bugs and difficulties

Most LED floodlights for local areas and landscape lighting operate from a 220 V household power supply and are a source of increased danger. The installation and dismantling of such devices must be carried out by trained electricians or performers who have undergone appropriate training in the safety of work in electrical equipment.

Most often, when performing installation work, mistakes are made by inexperienced performers who violate the factory instructions, here are the main ones :

the lamp power supply circuit is incorrectly assembled;
the distances in relation to nearby objects are not maintained;
poor sealing of the input;
there is no grounding of the device;
The connection is made with a small cross-section cable.

Advantages and disadvantages

These modifications of LED spotlights are currently among the best representatives of energy-saving devices on the lighting market, since in almost all characteristics, except price, they exceed similar lamp luminaires.

Advantages of landscape LED floodlights:

the highest level of color rendering;
uniform bright light flux;
the highest level of safety and reliability;
high efficiency from 90%;
long service period of 10 years;
resistance to temperature changes and vibrations;
small external dimensions and weight;
almost instantaneous startup of the LED;
there are no surges in energy consumption during startup;
low energy consumption, 3 times lower than that of halogen floodlights;
highest energy efficiency from 120 to 150 Lm/W;
ability to select color T from 2600 to 7000K;
low heating temperature compared to incandescent light bulbs;
environmental safety - no heavy compounds and metals, no
harmful UV rays are emitted.

The disadvantages of such spotlights, experts include their high cost, the presence of a power supply, requirements for increased heat dissipation, and incompatibility with conventional dimmers.