The best motion sensor flood lights

Motion flood lights are sold on lumens, and the big number on the box is always the brightness. For a security light, though, the specification that decides whether it does its job is detection range - how far away someone can be when the light comes on.

A light that triggers at 70 feet lights a person as they turn into the drive. One that triggers at 26 feet lights them when they are nearly at the door. Both might be very bright; only one gives you warning.

That is the real difference between the two families on this page, and it is larger than the lumen difference between them.

Tuffenough solar, 2-pack - the pick for most people. Up to 2,500 published lumens across three adjustable heads covering 270 degrees, with no circuit and no electrician. That puts real security output on a side yard, a shed or a back gate where running power would be the whole job.
Cons: detection reported at about 26 feet, roughly a third of the hardwired range; 6500K is very cool; and output and runtime both fall in winter, which is precisely when a security light earns its keep.

LUTEC 72W - where there is a circuit. 7,500 lumens at 5000K with a 180-degree sensor reaching about 72 feet. Mains power means it performs the same in December as in June, and the long range gives genuine warning on a driveway.
Cons: hardwired to an outdoor circuit - an electrician's job and not renter-safe; and 7,500 lm at 5000K is dazzling, so aim it carefully.

TORCHSTAR motion light - for a side door or steps. 320 lumens for 15 seconds on motion, IP65 rated. Not a flood, and not trying to be - it is the right scale for a side entrance or a set of steps where a flood would be overkill.
Cons: short range, cool white only, and too dim for a driveway.

Aim down and at the area, not out. A flood pointed horizontally lights the street and every window across it. Angle it down at the drive, the path or the door so it lights the ground where someone would be.

Mount high enough to avoid tampering, low enough to detect well.Motion sensors work best mounted around 6 to 10 feet, where they see across the area rather than down onto it.

Set a short timer. A light that stays on for ten minutes after a cat walks past is a nuisance. The LUTEC offers selectable 1, 3 and 10 minute timers - shorter is usually better. The general case for motion lighting is in motion sensors and timers.

Check the rating. A flood sits in weather permanently - IP65 is the practical minimum. See wet rated vs damp rated.

Know the solar winter problem. Short days and a low sun mean a solar flood collects a fraction of its summer charge. For a light whose job is to work on the darkest nights, that matters - the trade is in solar vs plug-in.