Security lighting installation is a licensed outdoor lighting job: we place fixtures where they actually cover doors, gangways, and cameras, then wire them on a safe circuit. STS Electric installs motion floods, dusk-to-dawn wall packs, and pathway lights for homes, two-flats, and small commercial properties. Book it through our lighting services, or call (773) 721-1111 for a site visit.
A porch bulb on a timer is not the same job. Real security lighting installation uses wet-location fixtures, listed boxes, and a circuit that will not trip every time the lamp in-rushes. In Chicago that usually means metal conduit, a permit for new outdoor lighting, and shields so light stays on your property instead of a neighbor window.
What Security Lighting Installation Includes
We start with the dark spots you actually have: front steps, side gangway, garage apron, alley gate, or a camera that records black frames after sunset. Then we pick fixture type and aiming. Motion floods work for driveways and yards that should stay dark until someone approaches. Dusk-to-dawn wall packs suit entries and loading doors that need a steady wash of light. Pathway and step lights cover trip hazards without blasting the block.
Each fixture needs a weatherproof box, a gasketed cover, and a listed LED lamp or integrated LED engine. Photocells and motion sensors have to match the fixture listing. Cheap big-box floods often fail at the hinge, the sensor, or the gasket after one Chicago winter. We install commercial-grade LED gear that we can warranty and service.
When a New Circuit Is Required
Adding one replacement flood on an existing switched outdoor circuit can be a like-for-like device swap. Adding three wall packs, a garage flood, and a camera circuit is not. Outdoor LED loads are small in watts, but in-rush, wet-location GFCI rules, and box fill still matter. If the porch circuit already shares interior lights, we will not pile more load on it.
A dedicated outdoor lighting circuit keeps interior lights stable and gives the photocell a clean feed. That may mean a new breaker, a homerun in conduit, and a panel check for spare slots. If the panel is full or unsafe, the lighting job waits on capacity work. See electrical panel safety and upgrades when we find FPE, Zinsco, or no open spaces.
Chicago Rules That Change the Install
City work is typically in raceway, not plastic-sheathed cable on the exterior. New outdoor site lighting often needs a City of Chicago electrical permit. We pull it when the scope requires it and meet the inspector on the fixtures, bonding, and labeling. Suburbs follow their own permit desks; we confirm that before we open walls or trench.
Aiming matters as much as lumens. Unshielded floods that wash a neighbor bedroom or the sidewalk create 311 complaints and failed inspections. Full-cutoff or shielded heads, downward aim, and sane mounting height keep cameras usable without light trespass. Lakefront and dense bungalow blocks are less forgiving than a wide lot. We set levels on site at dusk, not from a catalog picture.
LED, Controls, and Cameras
LED is the default for new security lighting installation because it starts instantly in cold weather, uses less energy on dusk-to-dawn duty, and lasts through seasons of weather. If you are replacing failed halogen floods, we size the LED output so you do not trade a dim yard for a glare bomb. Fixture color temperature stays in a neutral white that cameras can use. More on lamp choice is on our LED lighting hub.
Motion sensors should ignore passing cars on a busy street and still catch a side gate. We set sensitivity and timeout on the ladder, then walk the path after dark. Smart switches and app photocells are optional; they still need a legal outdoor box and a circuit that stays on through Wi-Fi outages if safety lighting is the point. Cameras do not replace lighting. They need it.
What You Can Check Before We Arrive
Walk the property at night and note which doors, stairs, and cameras sit in shadow. Tell us if a fixture already flickers, buzzes, or trips a breaker when it turns on. Do not stand on a wet ladder to swap a live outdoor head. Do not tap a flood into a random interior receptacle with an extension cord as a “temporary” fix; that cord becomes the hazard.
If a fixture is hot, sparking, or smells burnt, kill that breaker and treat it as a repair call, not a DIY lamp change. Same-day and after-hours dispatch is on 24/7 emergency electrical service. Failed outdoor devices that keep tripping belong with electrical repair service until the circuit is safe to rebuild.
How an STS Lighting Visit Works
We measure the dark zones, check the panel and any existing outdoor circuit, then quote fixtures, conduit, permits, and labor as one scope. Typical residential jobs finish in a day once parts and permits are in hand. Larger yards, brick fishing, and commercial wall packs take longer. You get aiming set at dusk when we can still see the coverage, not a guess at noon.
STS Electric has served Chicago and Cook County since 1980. We are licensed, bonded, and insured, BBB Accredited, and dispatched from 939 W North Ave #746. Call (773) 721-1111 to schedule security lighting installation on a circuit that will hold through winter.
FAQ: Security Lighting Installation
Do I need a permit for outdoor security lights?
Often yes when you add new outdoor lighting or a new circuit. Like-for-like replacement of a failed head on an existing switch may not. We confirm the jurisdiction before work starts and handle the permit when it is required.
Will motion lights trip my breaker?
They should not if the circuit is sized and the fixtures are listed. Repeated trips point to a shared overloaded branch, a failing ballast or driver, water in the box, or a bad sensor, not a reason to upsize the breaker.
Can you aim lights so they do not bother neighbors?
Yes. Shielded fixtures, downward aim, and lower mounting heights keep light on steps and cameras. We set that on site after dark and adjust if a neighbor line is too bright.
Do you install lighting for cameras and small businesses?
Yes. Homes, two-flats, storefronts, and small lots are in scope. We coordinate coverage with camera fields of view so the recording is usable, not washed out or black.
