Mr Beams Battery-Powered LED Lighting Solutions!

Light Up Dark Stairs with the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light

2011-01-12T08:48:00.001-05:00

We make a great Stair Light, but sometimes people need to light an entire stairway without wires. Such was the case with Vivian who called me today.

Vivian is the funny aunt that everyone wishes they had. She can make anything sound funny, especially with her classic New York accent. She called because she has a dark staircase leading down to her cellar. She is a big fan of Costco and BJ's Warehouse Clubs, and loves to cook, so when she goes to the warehouse clubs she loads up on canned foods, spices, olive oil and other ingredients. Her husband added storage by installing shelves on the dark stairs down to the basement. But the stairs are too dark for her to see what items are on the shelves. So Vivian called us looking for a solution to light up her dark stairs.

Our solution for dark stairs is the wireless Mr. Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light. The wireless Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light uses a bright LED from Nichia that provides 80 lumens of light. This is significantly brighter than the tap lights from years ago, and so much brighter than the LED puck lights that are sold in places like Bed, Bath & Beyond. Better yet, the Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light has a motion detector, so whenever Vivian opens her cellar door, the bright LED goes on. It also has an auto shut off, so after Vivan closes the basement door, the Ceiling Light counts down 30 seconds and then automatically shuts off. One Mr Beams battery-powered LED Ceiling Light should last more than 3,200 activations on one set of C batteries - which is 3 years of wireless lighting on one set of batteries under normal use.

Vivian had called an electrician, who quoted her $240 to install a basic ceiling light to light her cellar steps. Then he didn't show up. So Vivian called Mr. Beams. We sent her the the wireless Mr. Beams Ceiling Light, the brightest and best wireless light for lighting up stairways, closets, pantries, basements attics and garages. Vivian will be able to install the Ceiling Light by herself in minutes, and whenever she opens her cellar door, the motion sensor LED light will light up the stairs so she can tell her tomato paste from her tomato sauce.

More ideas to light up the dark areas of your home are available at www.mrbeams.com

Southeast Winter Storms Cause Power Outages - Here is a Wireless Lighting Solution

2011-01-11T11:42:00.007-05:00

Many people in the Southeast are experiencing power outages today due to the severe winter storm. Our thoughts are with everyone who is in the dark. If you are reading this on your laptop using battery power, we want to show you our battery powered lights. They could be keeping you house lit right now while the power is out.

At Mr. Beams, we have four different types of wireless lights that work during blackouts. Our Wireless Battery Powered Motion Sensor Ceiling Light can light up hallways, closets, porches, bathrooms and large stair cases. Our Wireless Motion Sensor Security Spotlight can light up your garage and all around your house even during power outages. Our MB530 Wireless Motion Sensor Stair Light can light the stairs before you get to them, helping to prevent falls on the stairs and steps. Our MB723 Stick Anywhere Night Lights can light an entire hallway during a power outage and prevent falls and bumps.

More information is available at www.mrbeams.com . All Mr. Beams products have the brightest available LEDs for their solutions. All Mr. Beams wireless LED lights have motion sensors and automatic shut-off. And all Mr. Beams wireless LED lights are weatherproof to light up brightly outside in all types of weather conditions.

Good luck and stay warm!

Reduce Winter Falls on Ice, Steps and Stairs with Wireless Lighting

2011-01-05T10:05:00.006-05:00

The need for adequate lighting to prevent falls is a topic we have written about many times. This is especially true in the winter months when it gets dark earlier and there may be ice or snow on the steps outside. The statistics on falls and serious injuries due to inadequate lighting are astounding. So just a reminder, if you notice dark spots on your stairs, steps, deck stairs, stairwells that might be hiding ice, you could possibly reduce the chances of falling with a wireless motion sensor LED light that can provide extra light in those spots.

Mr. Beams offers wireless LED lighting solutions to light your steps and stairs and help show where ice might be waiting to trip someone. The battery powered MB530 Motion Sensing Stair Light is pictured above. It provides more than 20 lumens of light to light up 6 steps and is weather resistant. This wireless LED motion sensor light also has a patented glow feature that will stay lighted all night to show where the steps are, and then it lights the stairs brightly when it detects motion. The MB723 Stick Anywhere Nightlights can attach anywhere without wires. These wireless LED motion sensor lights are weatherproof and can be placed anywhere inside or outside for lighting stairs and steps. More information on the Mr. Beams wireless LED Motion Sensing Stair Light and Stick Anywhere Night Light is available at www.mrbeams.com

How Bright are LED Lights vs. Incandescent Bulbs and CFLs?

2011-01-03T13:13:00.001-05:00

The typical incandescent light – bulb or spotlight – uses between 40W and 100W. We always are asked how our Mr. Beams Wireless LED Lights compare to these incandescent bulbs and spotlights. My first response is that the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Lights don’t use any electricity. These motion sensor LED lights are battery operated, and completely off the grid. And they should make your batteries last at least a year under typical use.

But what people are really asking is this: “How bright are your wireless LED lights?” My old wired outside lights used to have 60W and 75W incandescent bulbs. These lights put out anywhere from 800 lumens to 1100 lumens. What is a lumen? Think of a lumen as a volume of light – similar to paint. If you have 128 ounces of yellow paint, you can cover one side of your house with a light coating of color or a smaller section of the side of your house with a darker coating of color. Light is similar, and lumens is a measure of the total output of light. If that amount of light is concentrated by using a lens (known as optics) then the light will cover less area but be more intense where the light is covering and thus appear brighter. That measurement is lux. What is lux? Lux is the intensity of the light on a surface. Of course, if you start with very little light in the first place, the idea of brightness (in this case light intensity, or lux) will never be achieved, no matter what optics are used to increase brightness.

Light bulbs are high on lumens but lower on lux. The light from a light bulb is emitted in every direction, so the intensity on any one surface (the lux) is never as high as a spotlight. A spotlight takes the same number of lumens (think how much total paint in the can) and concentrates it into an areas about one-third that of a light bulb. Therefore the lux of an incandescent spotlight can be three times greater than the lux of an incandescent light bulb. So how bright does a light need to be for it to be useful to you?

We will focus this blog entry on outdoor lighting. As mentioned before, my house had all 60W and 75W incandescent bulbs and incandescent spotlights to achieve what I thought was the right amount of light. I was wrong because I did not take into account the fact that the human eye adjusts to darkness. Once the human eye is adjusted to darkness, a very low light level is adequate. I’m saying that 100 lumens is more than adequate to light up an area effectively.

In five minutes you can install a battery powered Mr. Beams Motion Sensor Security LED Spotlight and have 140 lumens of light. The photo of our battery operated LED Motion Sensor Security Spotlight shows how much light 140 lumens provides. You can read by 100 lumens if it is concentrated with optics. You can choose clothes in a closet. You can scare someone or something away with the light provided by all Mr. Beams wireless LED lights.

So if you need light right now - for a quick solution for security lighting, as a lighting solution to prevent falls, or as a solution to light a closet - the light provided by Mr. Beams wireless motion sensor LED lights will give you enough lux to provide security lighting, safety lighting and convenience lighting. Mr. Beams battery powered lights will also provide the best wireless lighting for security, safety and convenience. Wireless lighting will save you money because you can install it yourself without an electrician and move the light exactly where you need it. For the best quick, wireless security lighting, look to Mr. Beams wireless LED lights and be confident that the light is bright enough for the security, safety and convenience that you require in your lighting.

LED Lighting is a Better Choice for a Motion Sensor Light than CFL Lighting

2011-01-02T22:49:00.004-05:00

LED lighting is a better option for a motion sensor light than a compact fluorescent because the life of a CFL light could be greatly shortened by regular turning on and off. The Mr Beams Motion Sensor LED lights will trigger when motion is detected. When motion is no longer detected, a timer is started inside the light. Depending on the product, the light will turn off automatically within a minute or so.

For example, the Mr Beams MB980 Anywhere Ceiling Light will auto shutoff in 60 seconds after motion is no longer detected. Depending on the application, the light may turn on 10 to 20 times a day if not more. The normal life of a CFL bulb may be 6,000 hours however this can be reduced by up to 85 percent when turned on and off quickly and often. To meet the 6,000 hour life span, a CFL should be on three hours or more. Also, it takes more than three minutes for a CFL to begin working efficiently.

Another application where CFLs are not effective is in a car garage. Garages experience extremes in temperature and tend to go on and off frequently. CFLs will wear out quickly in a garage due to the constant on and off and high heat and low temperatures. We recommend a Mr. Beams Motion Sensor LED Spotlight to light a garage. Mr. Beams wireless lights install in minutes. The Mr. Beams Motion Sensor LED Spotlight is designed with a motion sensor to go on and off frequently. The durable LED holds up to all temperature extremes, is vibration resistant and can go on and off up to 3,200 times on one set of batteries.

CFLs are good for certain applications but when it comes to motion sensor lights similar to Mr Beams LED lights, it is best to look for a light source that is well made for the application. LEDs do not have the same limitations as CFLs and it makes them better suited to be controlled by a motion sensor. The best solution for a motion sensor light are LED lights. The best wireless LED lights are made by Mr. Beams and are far more durable than CFLs.

Lighting During Power Outages in the Holiday Blizzard of 2010

2010-12-29T09:56:00.002-05:00

My brother just emailed me a photo of his car buried in snow in Maplewood, NJ. His house got about 20 inches of snow. He was dreading having to dig out his car, which would take more than an hour. But at least he did not have a power outage caused by the blizzard. More than 2 million people lost power at some point during the blizzard. What did they have prepared for the power outage? Here is our estimate of how unprepared people were for a power outage:

Candles Only – 14%
Flashlights Without Working Batteries – 17%
Flashlights / Lanterns Only – 21%
Nothing – 22%
Flashlights / Lanterns and Candles – 26%

Having flashlights without batteries is a big mistake – by our estimates around 350,000 homes found themselves without working flashlights during the blizzard. More than 450,000 people had no emergency light source ready. Remember the sinking feeling you get when the power goes out and you realize that you are not prepared with any emergency lights? The people living in these 800,000 homes all had that feeling during this recent blizzard.

The solution to lighting your home during a power outage is wireless lighting. We recommend that every home has at least one flashlight for these power outages, but an even better solution is wireless lighting like the LED lights from Mr. Beams. Wireless lighting is a category of lights that use batteries instead of direct wiring to electricity. Mr. Beams has perfected this type of lighting by using the brightest LEDs, the best motion sensors, the most efficient components to extend battery life, and simple ways to attach the wireless lights to any surface.

The leading solution to light your home during a power outage is the Mr. Beams LED Ceiling Light. The Mr. Beams LED Ceiling Light can attach to any wall, ceiling, closet or porch in minutes. This wireless light will only activate when it is dark (it has a light sensor) and only activate when it detects motion (motion sensor). It is so bright that it can light up an entire hallway, yet so efficient that it gets more than 2,400 activations on one set of batteries.

A complete line of lighting solutions for power outages and blackouts are available from Mr. Beams at www.mrbeams.com.

Coupon for Lighting Up Your Stairs with Wireless LED Lights

2010-12-28T09:58:00.003-05:00

One of the main reasons we started the Mr. Beams LED Lighting company in the first place was to light dark stairs. Stairs are notoriously dark. There are no electrical sockets on lights. The best solution to light dark stairs would provide a wireless light that is battery powered. The best solution to light stairs would be off when you were not walking down the stairs in the dark, and light up immediately when you needed to walk on the stairs. For this a motion sensor would be the best solution.

Dark stairs are often dangerous. The chances of missing a step that is not well lit are too high for anyone to accept dark stairs. When you are tired because a child is calling out to you in the middle of the night, or when you are coming to the aid of an elderly parent or guest, or when you hear a strange noise, you are in a state of sleepiness that also increases your chances of missing a step and falling down some stairs.

We feel so strongly about helping people light up their stairs that we are offering a big discount to encourage people to light up their dark stairs using the Mr. Beams wireless motion sensor LED lights. Use the coupon code HNDY30 and get 30% off your order at www.mrbeams.com. We recommend the Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light. This light packs a lot of light in a small package. It installs easily with two screws. The Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light has a motion sensor, so when it detects motion it lights up brightly. One Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light can light up 6 steps. For additional safety, the Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light has a patented "glow" feature. As soon as it gets dark, the Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light emits a very low light that shows you where the stairs are. As soon as you walk toward the Stair Light, it lights up to full brightness. The Mr. Beams MB530 Wireless LED Stair Light is also the perfect solution to light up dark hallways.

All Mr. Beams Wireless LED Lights use the best available LEDs. LEDs are so durable that they never need to be replaced, so efficient that they can last for years on a single set of batteries, and bright enough to light up stairs, hallways and outdoor areas. All Mr. Beams Wireless LED Lights also use the latest motion sensors and light sensors, so these lights go on only when it is dark and these lights go on as soon as they detect motion.

More information about the best solution to lighting dark stairs is available at www.mrbeams.com.

Mr. Beams Also Makes Great Wireless LED Lights with Remote Control

2010-12-27T21:57:00.001-05:00

Did you know that you can keep a remote control next to your bed that turns on a light when you hear a noise? Whether the noise is outside or inside, simply press the remote control and a light shines brightly to scare something away or help you see what caused the noise.

The products are made by Mr. Beams and are called Remote Controlled Wireless Lights. There two types of LED lights that can be controlled by a single remote control. Both LED lights are completely wireless – this means that you can place these lights anywhere without wiring and without having to call an electrician. These wireless LED lights are so easy to install that anyone can attach them in minutes.

Let’s look at some practical applications of remote controlled wireless LED lights:
1. The outside corners of your house are dark. You hear noises at night and they keep you up. Simply install one or two Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights using just one screw (included). Attach the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights to your house, to a tree, or anywhere else that will make you feel more secure. If you hear a noise at night, press the remote control and turn on 140 lumens of light to let everyone and everything know that you heard them.
2. Your dog disappears into the darkness when you let her out at night. Simply install one or two Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights using just one screw (included). Attach the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Security Spotlights to a tree and turn the Wireless Spotlight on with your remote control from inside your house. One remote control can turn on dozens of Mr. Beams LED Spotlights. Never worry about your dog again when you let her out at night.
3. You wake up in the middle of the night and need to go to the bathroom, or need to help a child or elderly adult in the house. You don’t want to turn on the overhead lights because it will disturb your sleep and wake up others. The solution is to install the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Path Lights to your walls. When you wake up, press the remote control that you keep on your night table and all of the Mr. Beams Wireless LED Path Lights will illuminate. As soon as you return to bed, press the remote control again and all of the Wireless LED Path Lights will turn off.
4. You learn about how many people fall in their homes and decide that better lighting will lower the probability of someone falling. Mr. Beams has motion sensor wireless lights as well as remote control wireless lights. You install the Mr. Beams Wireles LED Stair Lights and Remote Control Wireless LED Path Lights throughout your hallways, stairs and bathrooms. One remote control can activate multiple Mr. Beams lights. This lights up your floors and stairs and reduces falls caused by improper lighting.
5. You know that your house needs better outside lighting. You have a budget. The solution for low-cost outside lighting is wireless LED lighting from Mr. Beams. Unlike solar lighting - which cannot provide bright light and must be in direct contact with sunlight – Mr. Beams lights are bright and work anywhere. They are 5-12 times brighter than the typical solar light, and provide bright lighting for path lighting, driveway lighting, doorway lighting, yard lighting, shed lighting, garage lighting and gazebo lighting. You can install 6 Mr. Beams wireless LED lights with remote control on / off in under 1 hour for less than $200! If you called an electrician, it would take 3 weeks and cost you more than $1,500!

As you can see, remote controlled lights from Mr. Beams solve many lighting problems. They are the solutions to the following:
How do I put security lights on my house?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Security Spotlight attached to the house
How do I light up the yard for my dog?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Security Spotlight attached to a tree
How do I light a path to the bathroom?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Path Lights attached to the wall
How can I help prevent falls in my home?
Answer: Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Path Lights attached to the stairway wall
How can I light up outside my house without an electrician?
Answer: A combination of the Mr. Beams Remote Controlled Security Spotlights and Remote Controlled Path Lights
Where can I buy Mr. Beams LED lights? Go to www.mrbeams.com

Light Up Your Garage with Wireless Lights from Mr. Beams

2010-12-26T10:41:00.003-05:00

We have 6 light bulbs in our garage. 2 each on the garage door openers and two exposed bulbs in the ceiling. When these light bulbs are working we have a brightly lit garage. However, they are never working. The vibration of the garage opening combined with the cold winter in Northeast Ohio and our tendency to forget to turn the garage light off at night limits the life of these bulbs to less than 3 months. I got tired of moving the cars out, getting the ladders, cleaning off the dead bugs and stretching to reach the bulbs.

My solution to lighting up my garage is wireless LED lighting. Specifically the battery powered lights from Mr. Beams. In less time than it takes to change a light bulb, I easily installed the MB360 LED Security Spotlight on the wall. Once the large garage door opens, this battery operated LED motion sensor Spotlight turns on and lights up the entire garage. Even better, this wireless LED light also lights up when I open the garage door to take out the trash. And because it has auto shut-off, I never have to open the door to check if I left the light on.

My second solution to lighting up my garage is to install the MB980 Battery Operated Anywhere LED Ceiling Light from Mr. Beams. Again, this wireless LED light installs in minutes. The Mr. Beams Wireless LED Ceiling Light gives off bright LED light as soon as it detects motion. So when I open the door to go into my dark garage, the Wireless LED Ceiling Light detects my motion and turns on. The bright light is as useful as light from light bulbs. But it is more efficient, does not use energy (off the grid), and can last more than 2 years on one set of batteries. Once I leave the garage, this wireless auto shut-off LED light turns off and stays off.

More wireless LED lighting solutions are available at www.mrbeams.com

Cold Weather Operation of Mr Beams Wireless LED Lights

2010-12-24T10:25:00.004-05:00

Every winter, we get a few questions about how well Mr Beams Wireless LED Lights will work in very cold environments. One attribute of LEDs that makes them ideal for outdoor applications is their extended temperature range. LED lights can be very durable in cold environments however every component that makes up the LED battery powered light needs to have an extended temperature range.

Taking this into consideration, Mr Beams Wireless LED lights have an operating temperature range of -4 degrees F to 140 degrees F at a relative humidity of 90% (-20 degrees C to 60 degrees C at a relative humidity of 90%). We do this by selecting every component in our products to meet or exceed this temperature range.

To make sure a product can operate over the extreme temperature range, only batteries with an extended temperature range can be used. Energizer, Duracell, Panasonic and other battery manufacturers offer an industrial temperature range battery. Let's take the example of an Energizer Industrial D Size Alkaline battery. The datasheet for this battery on the Energizer website is http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/EN95.pdf. It has a temperature range of 0 degrees F to 130 degrees F (-18 degrees C to 55 degrees C). The specification for the battery sets the operating temperature of the Mr Beams MB360 Battery Powered LED Security Spotlight with this battery installed. That is still a pretty good operating temperature.

One important point though is that light output will decrease at the very low temperatures. Why? The efficiency of the LED actually improves at colder temperatures (ie more light is generated for the amount of power consumed from the battery) so that cannot be the reason. It turns out that the battery performance is considerably reduced at the lower temperatures. Looking at this technical bulletin on the Energizer website at http://data.energizer.com/PDFs/BatteryIR.pdf, you can see in Figure 2 that the internal resistance of the battery increases at the lower temperature. The higher internal resistance of the battery hurts the battery performance. It impacts the performance of the light to more than offset the increase in LED performance therefore overall the light output is decreased. We estimate that the lumen output of any wireless LED light at lower temperatures may drop as much as 20% based on the degradation in performance of the battery in cold weather.

The bottom line is that Mr Beams Wireless LED lights have been installed and working at low temperatures for years. They are a great solution for outdoor lighting in cold weather environments. If you have a cold weather lighting application, we hope you will consider the Mr Beams LED lights. For more information on why Mr Beams Wireless LED lights are well designed for outdoor lighting applications, please visit our blog entry "How to Choose the Best Outdoor Lighting" or visit our website at www.mrbeams.com.

Review of the Best Wireless Night Light from Mr. Beams

2010-12-16T14:21:00.003-05:00

We made the claim that Mr. Beams makes the very best wireless LED night light available. HEre are just some of the reviews that we have received from customers who used the Mr. Beams Stick Anywhere Night Light as the solution for dark hallways, solution for dark stairs and the solution for dark outdoor steps. Customers have installed the Mr. Beams wireless LED night light in minutes and have helped to prevent falls and make their homes safer.

Greg, New York, NY
The motion sensor has a wide angle, and as i walk down my hall, the lights light up when i get within four feet (like an 80-degree angle) away, which is great. They light up at night, at dusk, at dawn, and when it's grey & cloudy like today. Yesterday was sunny, even (sort of) in my hallway, and they detected that and didn't light up.

So for about $50 (forty for the lights, ten for the batteries) i now have illumination in my hallway, my kids aren't scared of walking down it, my parents & in-laws need not worry about tripping

Sarah, Plymouth, MN
These little LED motion lights are perfect for what I bought them for: to light up the small room/area where I keep the cats' little box and as a night light for the bathroom. The motion detection is super sensitive and the light detection is also pretty sensitive.

Annie, California
I have the night lights going up my stairs. Since there are no plugs, these were perfect. They work awesome after turning off the tv and trying to walk upstairs in total darkness.

Katherine, New Paltz, NY
These are the Best lights. I have them on my stairs, and near the master bathroom. No more turning on a big light in the middle of the night, or fumbling for the light switch. Our stair light is thirty feet up and we can’t replace it. These work perfectly.

Richard, Charlotte, NC
Purchased this to put in a stairway which is very dark at night. It is fantastic. It took 5 minutes to install. We should have done this long ago.

Marcia, Piscataway, NJ
An excellent product, just what I needed. They solve the problem of no outlet where a motion sensor is needed, and if I don't mount them I can shift them around to get the light just right.

Thomas, Katy, TX
Nobody notices that the lights are there during the day (we used them to iluminate the stairs), but at night they are a nice safety feature to have for anyone that needs to use the stairs. I recommend this product to anyone that wants to enhance the safety within the house (stairs, walkway, passageway or any other area) and still maintain a nice balanced "look" inside your home.

Mr. Beams Wireless Battery LED Lights for Porch Light

2010-12-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

Mr Beams has taken a lot of pictures of our wireless LED lighting products as they provide important lighting solutions. We have found that pictures of the lighting applications that show the best solutions solved by our wireless lights is very helpful when looking to light different spots: Garages; Sheds; Doorways; Bathrooms; Showers; and many others. How better to show the best uses of our wireless battery powered lights than to take a lot of pictures? We have hired a photographer or two but have taken a lot of amateur photographs too (really amateur in my case).

One of my favorite pictures is of our MB980 Anywhere Ceiling Light used as a porch light. An LED porch light with motion sensor is a great application for the MB980. You can use it to add light to a dim porch or garage and the fact that it is battery powered and has a motion sensor eliminates the need for a light switch. When motion is detected, the battery powered light turns on and stays illuminated until no motion is detected for 30 seconds. During daytime, a photo cell detects that it is light out and prevents the light from activating. The MB980 is weatherproof and wireless - all the mounting hardware needed for easy installation comes with the unit.

We have also seen people use the MB360 Security Light as a porch light. This is a great LED porch light for larger porches because you can mount it at one end of the porch pointed towards the entry way, stairs and door. It operates exactly like the MB980 but is designed to be more of a flood light or spotlight. It is small enough to be unobtrusive in the corner of a porch. The other thing we have seen people do is to use the MB371 Remote Control Spotlight as a porch light. This is a unique product because it operates exactly as the MB360 in that it has a motion sensor and turns on when it detects motion however it also comes with a remote control such that if you are inside your house and you want to turn the light on for someone coming home or coming to visit, you can turn the light on with a remote. This is the only bright porch light available with a remote control for turning the light on and off.

So maybe our photography isn't always the best but in the case of a battery powered LED porch light like the one shown in this picture, I think we got it right. The Mr Beams LED lighting products are great as a porch light, garage light or for a number of other outdoor lighting applications where a completely wireless light is the best light to solve the problem.

The Best Night Light is from Mr. Beams

2010-12-14T13:26:00.002-05:00

When we set out to design the world’s best night light, two things drove us:
1. The world’s best night light must be attachable anywhere, regardless of electrical outlets
2. The world’s best night light needs to be off when you want to sleep and on when you need it
3. The world’s best night light must not be so bright that it disturbs your sleep, but bright enough to prevent falls
4. The world’s best night light must work anywhere, so you can use it outside and in any country that you may travel to

Our final design meets all of these design objectives.

1. The Mr. Beams MB723 Stick Anywhere Night Light can attach to any surface and stand on any table, nightstand or counter. As a wireless LED light (it is battery powered), the Stick Anywhere Night Light does not need an electrical outlet, and is the perfect solution to light up stairs, hallways and bathrooms where electrical outlets are rare.

2. The Mr. Beams MB723 Stick Anywhere Night Light stays off when it is not needed so it doesn’t waste electricity or disturb your sleep. When you move it has a sensitive motion sensor that activates a bright LED to light up your path. It is the best solution to light up your path at night between your bed and the bathroom. As soon as you get up to go to the bathroom this wireless night light illuminates the path, but should not wake up anyone else. The Stick Anywhere Night Light has an auto shut-off after 30 seconds of no motion, so this battery-powered night light is off automatically.

3. The Mr. Beams wireless Stick Anywhere Night Light is brighter than you would expect for a battery-powered LED light. And the light is focused on the floor, so it does not blind you when you get up to go to the bathroom at night or check on the kids. It will light up your path wirelessly with its motion sensor and provide the perfect amount of light at night.

4. John Osher is the best product development guy in the world. Among his many inventions are the Crest SpinBrush toothbrush and the ShaveMan battery-powered shaver. Professor Bill Sahlman of Harvard Business School writes about John as the penultimate entrepreneur. John Osher travels with the Mr. Beams Stick Anywhere Night Light. “I love your light” he recently told me. “It’s the first thing I pack when I travel. I also love waking up in a strange hotel room and having the perfect amount of light go on to help me find my way to the bathroom.” I also travel with our wireless night light and love having it in a hotel room in China, when I am disorientated from the time change.

So can we call the Mr. Beams Stick Anywhere Night Light the world’s best night light? Have we created the best solution to prevent falls at night and the best solution for a night light? In my next blog I will list what our customers say about our Stick Anywhere Night Light and how it solves their night lighting problems.

Probably the Best Playground Lights Available

2010-12-13T10:19:00.001-05:00

High-end playgrounds and trampolines are everywhere in the backyards of our neighborhood. I am amazed how much use these outdoor items get. While I never see kids playing football or hockey in the street anymore, these playgrounds and trampolines seem to be constantly in use.

Until it gets dark, that is. Once darkness sets in, the playgrounds and trampolines are quiet. Except at the house of Ned and Andrea Montague. Ned and Andrea installed wireless lighting for their playground and trampoline and it allows the kids to play well into dark. And they did it at a cost under $120.

Ned and Andrea installed two Mr. Beams LED Wireless Motion Sensor Spotlights on the top of their playground. The first Mr Beams LED Spotlight lights up their swings. The second lights up the stairs leading up to the fort. It also lights up the slide because the Mr. Beams LED Spotlight can be adjusted to light in any direction and is battery powered so it can be installed anywhere.

“We looked around for lighting solutions for our playground and trampoline. The kids wanted to stay out later and we wanted to encourage the outdoor activities.” Andrea told me. “Wiring lights to the playground was going to cost more than $1,800. Other battery-operated lights were not weatherproof. Once we found the Mr. Beams line of wireless LED lights we thought this could be the best solution to light our playground. And it is a great solution.”

With a third Mr. Beams Wireless LED Spotlight lighting up their trampoline, the Montags now have a well-lit playground and trampoline that the neighborhood kids can play on well after dark. For a cost of under $120 they provided lighting for their playground and trampoline by installing three Mr. Beams Wireless LED Spotlights available at www.mrbeams.com .

Light Up Your Basketball Court with Mr. Beams Wireless Spotlights

2010-12-12T10:04:00.001-05:00

December is basketball season. I am reminded of shoveling the snow and chipping the ice off my driveway in Longmeadow, Massachusetts so we could play 2-on-2 in the winter. Unfortunately, the games were always cut short by 4:30 pm darkness. That is if they were not already cut short by a fight after Sam Radner called a foul after barely being touched.

At Mr. Beams, we have a product that is the perfect solution to light up outdoor basketball courts. The Mr. Beams Wireless LED Spotlight should be renamed the “wireless outdoor basketball court light.” The Mr. Beams Wireless LED Spotlight can attach to any backboard, tree, pole or anywhere on your house in minute. A wireless light means no electrician, no wires and do-it-yourself installation. You can also move the Wireless Spotlight whenever you need to. At $40 it is a much cheaper light that installing a wired light to light your outdoor basketball court. This is why we claim to have the best light for an outdoor basketball court. Simply install batteries to power this light, drive one screw to attach the base and you can play basketball well into the night. This LED Spotlight is also available with a remote control to turn the wireless lights on and off from inside your house.

I think that our next Mr. Beams battery powered wireless LED light will have a camera in it so you can replay that weak foul call made by your friend.

The Best Lighting Solutions for Many Dark Areas of Your Home

2010-12-11T16:59:00.002-05:00

In our last blog we wrote about how LED light bulbs will eventually replace incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. They are durable, efficient and last for years. Mr. Beams battery-powered motion sensor LED lights are not designed to replace traditional light bulbs. Instead, Mr. Beams LED lights are designed to replace darkness – areas inside and outside your house where the darkness is a problem but the high cost of calling in an electrician to install a light fixture holds you back. For $10-$50, Mr. Beams provides the best wireless closet light, the best wireless shed light, the best wireless shower light, the best wireless attic light, the best wireless driveway light, the best wireless playground light, and the best wireless night light available anywhere. We use the most current LEDs for the brightest light of any battery-operated light. We use the latest motion sensor technology so the lights go on right when they are needed. We have designed the electronics to maximize battery life so you can get more than a year out of one set of batteries. And we have developed long-range remote controls for our battery-operated LED lights so you can turn your lights on and off from up to 100 feet.

So take a minute to think about all of the dark closets, storage spaces and corners in your house. Think about the darkness between your bed and the bathroom at night, or the kids room. Notice all of the dark doorways, dark corners outside your house, dark walkways and dark parts of your driveway. These are the lighting solutions that Mr. Beams was designed for. Our lighting solutions come in different shapes and brightness. The MB980 wireless Ceiling Light is the best solution for lighting dark closets, porches, gazebos, sheds, attics, crawl spaces, basements and utility rooms. The MB360 wireless Security Spotlight is the best solution for lighting dark driveways, dark garages, dark backyards, dark doorways, dark barns and dark playgrounds. The MB530 Stair Light is the best solution for lighting dark stairs, dark decks and dark docks. The MB723 Stick Anywhere Night Lights are the best lighting solutions for dark kids rooms, night lights where there is no outlet, night lighting bathrooms and night lighting hallways.

Whatever your darkness problem, you can find great wireless lighting solutions from the battery-powered LED lights from Mr. Beams. Please look us up at www.mrbeams.com to learn more.

Where Can You Buy Good LED Light Bulbs?

2010-12-10T16:55:00.002-05:00

I had a meeting with a friend who is a sales manager for a company that we deal with. He is very technically savvy but when we talked about the state of LED light bulbs he was unaware of how far they have progressed into the retail market. Home Depot carries Philips LED light bulbs and the Lighting Science Group's Ecosmart LED light bulbs. Lowe's carries Sylvania LED light bulbs and Feit Electric LED light bulbs. The pricing is a little high but the return on investment from LED light bulbs can be just a few months if the light is on more than 8 hours per day. We know from our testing that the product quality is quite good. I think my friend probably falls into the same category as most people - who really browses the lighting section at these stores?

The bottom line is that LED lighting products like the Mr Beams LED lighting product line are finding their way into mass retail. 6 to 12 months ago, I was telling people that it would be 18 months before we started seeing quality LED lighting products hitting the shelves at the stores they shop. 2011 will be a breakthrough year for LED lighting. Expect to see 25W-equivalent LED light bubs selling for $19.99, up through 40W-equivalent LED lights selling for under $40.

Many people wonder how you compare the light output of LED light bulbs to the light output of incandescent bulbs and cfl / fluorescent bulbs. Some manufacturers use the term “equivalent to” or “compare to”. Watts are not a good indication because LED light bulbs and CFL / fluorescent bulbs use less watts to produce similar light. In theory, an LED bulb may need just 10W to produce the same amount of light as a 60W incandescent bulb. So when comparing light from an LED light source to light from an incandescent bulb or cfl / fluorescent, compare lumens instead. Lumens measure the total light output. A 60W incandescent bulb produces about 880 lumens. We have yet to find a LED bulb that produces 880 lumens, but we expect to see some in early 2012.

For comparison purposes, the Mr. Beams MB360 wireless Security Spotlight produces 140 lumens of light. While this is only the equivalent of a traditional 15W incandescent light bulb, this battery powered light is designed to provide efficient light where it is too expensive to hard wire (at a cost of $200 or more). 140 lumens – when focused properly – provides more than enough light to be a great lighting solution to light up playgrounds, basketball courts, driveways, dark pathways, dark garages and dark doorways.

More information is available at www.mrbeams.com

Battery Powered Lighting Improvements from Advances in Battery Technology

2010-12-07T12:50:00.007-05:00

More wireless lighting solutions are now available - made possible by advances in LED technology and advances in battery technology. The two areas are converging to allow battery powered LED lights to find their way into applications where they have previously not been able to provide enough light or provide enough lighting solutions.

LEDs are inherently DC powered devices. Batteries for wireless lights provide DC power. As of just a three years ago, white LEDs were not efficient enough to provide enough light to be considered good off-grid lighting. By efficiency, I mean the lumens of light generated per watt of power consumed was not good enough to build a quality battery light. Over the last few years, advances in LED technology have found their way onto the market. These are not gimmicks - the light output, light color and usefulness of LED products meets or exceeds what incandescent or fluorescent / cfl lights can achieve. LEDs that can exceed 200 lumens per watt are finding their way into the R&D laboratories of the better LED component manufacturers. By comparison, incandescent lights provide just 10 lumens per watt and fluorescent bulbs provide just 45 lumens per watt.

Battery technology is advancing rapidly also. Electric cars, cell phones, smart phones, laptops, portable electronics and other battery powered devices are forcing battery companies to produce higher capacity, better performing batteries. Whether they are non-rechargeable alkaline batteries, rechargeable Li-Ion, NiMH or even more advanced battery chemistries that are finding their way into products and into the R&D laboratories of the better battery manufacturers, you can be pretty sure that the impact will be seen over the coming years.

So combine LED lighting and batteries two years from now with the type of intelligent functions that Mr Beams is integrating into its products. What kinds of products do you think will result from these two rapidly progressing technologies? We think there will be some amazing off grid lighting products, LED lighting products, intelligent LED lights, wireless lights and solar powered LED lights (yes, solar powered lights with rechargeable batteries will only get better as solar cell technology is also advancing rapidly) that are coming. We want to be the company providing the best battery LED lights on the market. Stay tuned.

The Best Wireless Lighting Solutions

2010-12-06T14:56:00.006-05:00

Wireless Lighting. Sounds like a dream. The idea of sticking a light wherever you need it and having light for closets, showers, driveways, hallways, bathrooms, sheds and garages is a fantasy. No more electricians. Because they are wireless, you take them with you when you move and can move them anywhere you need.

Now Wireless Lighting is available from Mr. Beams. We had the dream of lights that can be attached anywhere without electricians back in 2003. Not junky tap lights, that give off a light glow and burn out in a few hours. That's not the wireless lighting solution that we wanted. We wanted wireless lighting solutions that gave bright light, turned on and off automatically, was hands-free, and provided this wireless light for more than one year on a set of batteries.

The solution required a combination of many technologies to create the best wireless lighting solutions. LEDs are used to maximize the battery power. Motion Sensors are used for hands-free automatic lighting. Auto shut-off is programmed to conserve the battery life. And battery power is used to make the Mr. Beams lights wireless.

The Mr. Beams products provide the best Wireless Lighting solutions in four different shapes and brightnesses. The Stick Anywhere Night Light is the wireless LED light that attaches to a wall or stands up on its own. It is a great wireless solution to light a path to your bathroom and prevent falls. The Stair Light is an indoor / outdoor light that mounts to a deck post or stairway wall. It lights up stairs without wires, using a motion sensor to activate. It has a glow feature so you always know where the light is. This battery-operated wireless light will last at least one year on one set of batteries. The Mr. Beams Ceiling Light is the best solution for a closet light anywhere. Because it is wireless It mounts in minutes in your closet, attic or shed. Because the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light is weatherproof, it is the best wireless lighting solution for a shower, porch or gazebo. The Mr. Beams Spotlight is the best wireless light solution for all of your outdoor areas. Stick it to a tree for lighting up a backyard, driveway or basketball court. Light up doorways, garages and barns. Because it is wireless you can install it yourself in minutes and move it whenever you need to.

So wireless lights are now a reality at Mr. Beams. We exist to create the best wireless lighting solutions to eliminate darkness. We welcome your ideas for battery-powered light designs. Please let us know how we can help you create better wireless lights by writing us at info@mrbeams.com.

Proof We Make the Best Closet Light

2010-12-03T10:58:00.003-05:00

In September I wrote about why our Mr. Beams Battery-Powered LED Ceiling Light is the best wireless closet light available. I pointed out that it provides more than 80 lumens of light on battery power. It can be installed anywhere in minutes. It is motion sensor activated and turns off automatically when you shut the closet door. The Mr. Beams Closet Light is weatherproof and can light up showers, gazebos, porches and sheds.

Since September we have received some great reviews from hundreds of people who have installed the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light. The Handyman Club of America had its members test our wireless LED Ceiling Light and loved it. 26 out of 27 hardcore handy men and women would recommend this product, and they graded it 8.6 points out of 10. Their comments were so positive that is reinforced our belief that the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light is the very best closet light available, and the best utility light to light up attics, sheds, hallways, porches and storage areas. Here are some of the comments from serious handymen and women:

"As a firefighter, I often have to quickly get dressed for emergencies while in a dark dorm. I realized that I can place this light under my bed and as soon as my feet hit the floor, my entire area lights up. I've never been able to find my black socks so quickly."

"A much brighter light than I thought. It easily lights a fair sized closet."

"I would recommend the Anywhere Ceiling Light due to the simple fact that it can be moved all over.I put it our downstairs hall so when our youngest son woke at night to use the bathroom he had plenty of light. Thus eliminating the need to wake my wife or me."

"i would greatly recommend this for closets and other small storage areas where it is not feasible to do a lot of wiring."

"This product is perfect for that one spot that you really need a light,but don't want the hassle of hard wiring."

"It provides a nice handy light for dark places. This is very usefull when your hands are full and you can't carry a flashlight. It's also just nice to have a light come on automatically when it senses movement."

The entire line of wireless battery-powered LED lights from Mr. Beams provide the brightest light available without wires. Our LED lights are all indoor / outdoor lights, motion sensor with auto shut-off, wireless and come with a 1-year warranty. They come in different form factors based on your lighting need: Spotlights; Path Lights' and Wall Lights. Users provide rave reviews about all of our LED battery-operated lights, and we will post more of them in future entries.

Instant Bright Lighting for Property Managers

2010-12-02T22:21:00.006-05:00

We have gotten a lot of great feedback from property managers on what types of applications Mr Beams LED lights are good for in the condos, apartment complexes, community associations and other properties that they manage. We realize that a lot of the lighting was designed into the building or property from the beginning. In those cases, a property manager can find the replacement lighting at an electrical supply house. However what we are finding is that there are a number of property management lighting applications where a wireless battery powered light makes a lot of sense.

In one example, a property manager for a condo association found that there were a number of places inside and outside of the condo buildings he was in charge of where a security light could be added. For indoor lighting, he had a number of locations in hallways and stairwells that he thought did not have adequate lighting. For outdoor lighting, there were a number of alleys that had dark spots he felt could be better. He ordered a number of the Mr Beams MB360 Wireless Outdoor Security Light which contain a motion sensor for automatic activation of the lights. His condo association board approved the spotlights as I believe the property manager had identified a place where it was worth spending money. The MB360 is a very cost effective solution for this application. In the end, he was very happy with the lights and ended up recommending the MB980 Anywhere Ceiling Light and MB530 Motion Sensing Step Light to condo owners as a good solution to lighting problems in their condos.

In another example, a different property manager used the MB980 Anywhere Ceiling Light to provide extra lighting at the mail stops on his property. At every set of outdoor mailboxes, he installed an MB980 on the overhang. At night, when residents walk up to get there mail the light would automatically turn on. The MB980 is a weatherproof, battery powered LED light. It has a light sensor that acts as a day / night sensor such that the light only turns on when it is night time. It has a motion sensor to turn on only when it senses motion and it automatically turns off 60 seconds after no motion has been detected. Battery life should be very good in this application.

For the property manager, Mr Beams LED lighting is a good option in applications where you want to add extra lighting but do not want to get an electrician involved. For outdoor lighting, utility room lighting, equipment room lighting, storage room lighting, as a wall light or a battery powered light fixture where wires are not an option, it is worth taking at look at the wireless battery-operated Mr Beams LED lights. If you are a property manager and you have an application that you think our lights would work well in, please email us at info@mrbeams.com.

Indoor Light Pollution

2010-11-30T19:13:00.000-05:00

My last blog entry pointed out how traditional outdoor lighting is poorly designed and creates significant light pollution. The culprit is the traditional incandescent light bulb, which emits light in all directions. The CFL bulb copied the incandescent bulb and also emits light in all directions. The result is a lot of wasted light. Why are millions of lampshades sold every year? If the light bulbs were emitting light only in the desired directions, then lampshades would be irrelevant. Other light fixtures that use traditional incandescent and CFL bulbs are providing more light into your eyes than illuminating the floor and walls.

LEDs are designed to shine with tighter directionality. The majority of indoor lighting applications – down-lighting; lamps; sconces; track lighting; ceiling lights; wall-mounted lights – need to emit light over less than 180 degrees. Thus LEDs area better match for most indoor lighting applications. LEDs are more efficient and create less indoor light pollution.

Mr. Beams makes a number of energy efficient LED lights. The motion sensor battery powered Ceiling Light has a bright LED that emits at a 120-degree angle. This tight beam is perfect for lighting closets, sheds, crawl spaces, attics and porches without creating light pollution. The Mr. Beams motion sensor Ceiling Light mounts easily in minutes without an electrician because it is battery powered. It operates for about $1 per year.

The Stick Anywhere Night Light prevents light pollution in your hallways, stairs and bedrooms. Instead of lighting up all night and interfering with your sleep – as most night lights do - the Mr. Beams motion sensor Stick Anywhere Night Light stays dark until it detects movement. At that time it provides the perfect amount of light to prevent falls, but not so much light that it disturbs your sleep mode.

That is the definition of the perfect indoor light: it is on only when you need it and it lights up only what you need illuminated for safety and security. The Mr. Beams battery operated LED lights provide light only when it is needed and only where it is needed. These LED motion sensor lights come in four designs: Spotlight; Ceiling Light; Stair Light; and Wall Light.

How to Reduce Light Pollution

2010-11-29T18:06:00.000-05:00

My 7-year old son was recently given a telescope for his birthday. We were excited because we had recently watched an episode of the original Batman TV series where Bruce Wayne was unlocking the secrets of the universe to Dick Grayson through a telescope at Wayne Manor. No doubt Bruce Wayne – being a millionaire when millionaire meant something - had the top of the line telescope and that helped. But there was another reason why our telescope was not able to reveal too much about our universe: light pollution.

Light pollution is caused by improper lighting in heavily-populated areas. Light from outdoor fixtures is aimed improperly and causes light bouncing in all directions. You can see this in parking lot lighting that shines in every direction; street lighting that lights in too many directions; and house lighting that shines in your eyes and shines up instead of just lighting the ground.

Drive down a residential street at night and notice how many lights are shining right at your eyes instead of just lighting the path and the house. Some are a nuisance, while some can almost blind you. This is one of the complaints of incandescent bulbs: they shine in every direction, while you only need the light to shine in specific directions. This is one of the important advantages of LEDs - they are more directional. The typical LED shines a beam of about 120 degrees – putting light in only one third of the places that an incandescent bulb will throw light. This is the main reason that creating an incandescent bulb replacement using LEDs is so challenging. However, this is also why LEDs create much less light pollution compared to incandescent bulbs. And this is why light fixtures made with LEDs can be so much more efficient that incandescent bulbs and CFLs as well. Incandescent bulbs and CFLs emit light in every direction. Does your outside lighting really need to shine upwards?

I recently wrote about the cost savings of using the Mr. Beams battery powered LED security light versus using a traditional wired spotlight with an incandescent bulb. The cost savings is dramatic: If you would normally turn a 75W incandescent light bulb on all night (cost of $35.50 each year at $0.13 per kWh) then you can save about $33 per year by changing to a Mr. Beams battery operated Security Spotlight. The Mr. Beams LED Security Spotlight will only activate when it detects motion. The Spotlight also reduces light pollution. It s bright LED will only shine in the direction that you have pointed it. It is smarter lighting that will prevent light pollution while preventing wasted energy.

Please learn more about the Mr. Beams line of battery powered, motion sensor LED lighting at www.mrbeams.com

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Lighting

2010-11-28T19:52:00.004-05:00

What kinds of things are important to consider when you are thinking about adding outdoor lighting at your house? Here is a list of things we think are important:

1. Weatherproofing - Wherever you live, a good outdoor light has to withstand the rain, snow, temperature, humidity etc. You want to put the light up and not worry that rain will leak in or that it will stop working when it gets really hot or cold outside.

2. Ease of Installation - Most of the places you need more outdoor lighting are not easy to wire AC power to. A completely wireless light would allow the light to be installed anywhere. This flexibility gives you some options on adding light to the places you really need it.

3. Controls - How do you turn the light on and off? This is a very important consideration because a wall switch in a convenient place might not be an option.

4. Application - Do you need a spotlight or flood light focused on a particular spot? Do you need a patio light or porch light that provides lighting for steps or near a door way? A lot of times, people notice a place where they just don't have enough light before they think about the first 3 items on this list.

5. Budget - Many people over-pay for their outdoor lighting by installing more light than they need and by not installing controls to prevent the lights from being on all day. Determine how much light you need in lumens (total light output) and lux (how illuminated an object is). Also determine when you want you lights to be off. If you want to save on an electrician then look at battery-powered LED lights.

Mr Beams put a lot of thought into the design of its lights for outdoor lighting. We are making the best battery powered LED lighting solutions by making LEd lights that solve each of issue on the list that are most important when choosing outdoor lighting. So here is how we have addressed these important outdoor lighting issues:

1. IP44 rating - This addresses the weatherproofing issue. You cannot get a solid IP rating without building a robust, sealed housing for the outdoor light and we feel that an IP44 rating is a solid rating for our lighting applications.

2. Battery Powered Lights - Our lights are powered off of batteries. This allows lights to be wireless: installed anywhere without needing wires to AC power. The light output and wireless controls allow the batteries in our products to last more than a year and in some applications several years.

3. Motion detector outdoor lights, outdoor lights sensors, outdoor light remote control - This gives you a convenient way to turn on and off the your outdoor lighting. Intelligence built into our battery powered lights will automatically shut the lights off after some time of no use. .

4. Spotlights, stair lights, ceiling lights - We created different types of bright LED lights to solve the outdoor lighting problems people are telling us about. We have designed our outdoor light fixtures to be outdoor wall lights, outdoor spotlights, outdoor path lights, outdoor stair lights, for landscape lighting etc. Many times we hear from customers about ways they have used our lights that we had not even thought about.

Hopefully Mr Beams LED lighting solutions can provide you with the outdoor lighting options to add outside lights where you need them.

Great Holiday Gifts for your Clients and Customers

2010-11-21T23:04:00.003-05:00

Holiday Gift Guide for Your Clients and Customers

If you have clients and customers that you want to give them a holiday thank you gift for their support over the past year, there are many options. I know this because my wife always gets anxious about what she will give her clients and I can either help her or live with her stress. So here is my 2010 Gift Guide for your clients and customers. All gifts are unique and thoughtful - mostly new electronic gadgets that use advanced technology and will have your client or customer thinking about you all year.

Really Big Thank You Gift:
I consider a really big thank you to be in the range of $150-$300. (Any higher starts to look like bribery). There are a few cool electronic gifts that I recommend in the gadget and fun living categories:
Flip Camera – Everyone can use a convenient, small video camera. Even better, the Flip connects to your computer by a built-in USB adaptor so you can upload instantly. In 2 hours you can learn any video editing program and create fun and memorable movies. The Flip is a great electronic gift for the geek and novice. http://www.theflip.com/en-us/

Wine of the Month / Beer of the Month – I like a gift that repeats itself throughout the year. When people have sent me the Wine of the Month and Beer of the Month, I found myself looking forward to the delivery. Thoughtful gift that seems bigger than it costs. http://www.goldmedalwineclub.com/

Sansa Clip with a 1 Year Subscription to Rhapsody – It was hard for me to give up my iPod, but the Sansa Clip combined with Rhapsody is the greatest music gift around. The Sansa Clip is a small, unpretentious MP3 player. Instead of it relying on purchased music, it synchs with your Rhapsody account. Rhapsody gives you access to millions of songs – the difference is that you rent instead of buy. For $10.99 per month, you are giving people the ability to listen to any song out there (with some exceptions) and then to fill up their MP3 player with any song or playlist imaginable. Never get tired of your music – change out regularly at no cost. Fantastic gadget. http://www.sandisk.com/products/sansa-music-and-video-players/sandisk-sansa-clipplus-mp3-player

Super Nice Thank You Gift:
The very nice thank you is in the range of $100-$150. Still much bigger than your clients and customers are used to receiving as gifts. Here are some ideas:
Spa Package – Buy a treatment at a local spa. Get your client or customer a holiday thank you gift in the form of a massage or facial.

Apple TV - Apple TV has been redesigned to be small yet big on entertainment. Apple TV allows you to rent from a large selection of HD movies — many available the same day they come out on DVD. Buy Apple TV for your client or customer as a holiday gift and they can watch Netflix titles instantly. Apple TV also allows your holiday gift receiver to rent TV shows, commercial free in HD. Apple TV also lets you stream photos and music from your computer to your widescreen TV. http://www.apple.com/appletv/

Very Thoughtful Thank You Gifts:
These gifts are under $100. Very thoughtful and useful holiday gifts that seem much more expensive than they are and provide great convenience.
Mr. Beams LED Lights – We give these battery-powered LED lights to people as gifts all the time and they love them. Every one of your clients and customers has dark spaces in their home that need lighting. The Mr. Beams LED motion sensor lights can attach anywhere in minutes because they are battery operated. They will go on whenever they detect motion and your client or customer will thank you every time the Mr. Beams light turns on. These lights come in many different forms and are weatherproof for wireless outdoor lighting. Available in Spotlight; Ceiling Light; Wall Light. www.mrbeams.com

Duracell myGrid – Clever product that allows you to charge many electronic devices simply by laying the device on the myGrid pad. Duracell has been launching a number of products that provide a charge to a variety of electronic devices. The myGrid is a great holiday gift because it will allow your clients and customers to charge electronic devices without directly plugging in. http://www.duracell.com/en-US/category/mygrid.jspx

A Dark Room With No Windows Needs Wireless Lights

2010-11-19T09:42:00.005-05:00

I walked around my house yesterday and counted seven rooms and two walk in closets without windows. Of the seven rooms, two rooms are bathrooms, two rooms are utility rooms, one garage, one attic and one basement storage room. Of these rooms, there was not adequate lighting in the utility rooms and attic until I added wireless battery powered LED lights.

One of the utility rooms is small and one is large enough to walk into. There was no lighting in the small utility room so as a utility light, I added a Mr Beams MB980 Anywhere Ceiling Light attached to the ceiling just inside the door. It is an LED light with a motion sensor and lights up when I open the door. The larger utility room has a single light bulb that can be turned on with a light switch but the room is so crowded with the furnace, water heater, storage shelves and a sink that I added a second battery powered LED light just to cover the space that the light bulb could not get light to. I added the Mr Beams MB360 Security Spotlight because I could mount the LED spotlight easily to the unfinished wall and point it towards the area I needed light the most. These battery operated LED lights work very well for utility room lighting.

My dark attic has the pull down stairs. When I get to the top of the stairs, there is a pull string to turn on a light bulb at the top of the stairs. With all of the stuff we have stored up there, a lot of the attic is dark blocked by various boxes and items that we really have no place else to put (why can't we ever get rid of anything?). First, it was nice to have a motion sensor LED light to put up there because the motion sensor picks us up just as we get to the top of the stairs. Second, it was great to install the light in minutes by putting just two screws in to mount the LED light. No electrician needed. I go up into the attic rarely enough that I know those batteries will last for years. I used the MB360 again because it puts out a lot of light and it was easy to direct exactly where I needed the light.

So for dark rooms without a window, battery powered LED lighting is a great option. Having a wireless light with a motion sensor or remote control helps a lot because it makes it convenient to control the light. Mr Beams LED lights are great in utility room lighting, storage room lighting, auxiliary lighting in garages, attic lighting and basement lighting because a lot of times these are windowless rooms where there just isn't enough light.

What is Your Home Security Worth?

2010-11-18T11:23:00.000-05:00

What is your home security worth? Most of us have made that decision by how much we invested in alarm systems and lighting around our house. I have the conversation with customers every day. They want lighting around their home – maybe it’s an under-lit back door or a dark corner of the house or a backyard where the dog disappears into the night. I ask them if the problem is worth $300 to solve – the cost of getting an electrician to install a new light fixture on their house. Often times the answer is no - $300 is too much to pay to add a light.

At Mr. Beams we also believe that $300 is too much to solve this problem. So we designed our Mr. Beams battery powered lights to solve this problem for under $40. In fact, for $300 we can brightly light up 2 doorways, 2 corners on your house, your shed, your walkway and the edge of your backyard! And we can do it without using any electricity, with motion sensors to turn the lights on when needed and off when not needed, and with the flexibility so you can move the lights whenever you need to.

So here is our list for brightly lighting up the outside of your house for less than the cost of installing one light with an electrician:
1. Mr. Beams Ceiling Light to light up your front porch and your back door. You stopped lighting up your porch and doorway because of the cost of electricity. In fact, leaving a 75W bulb on all night will cost you $35.50 each year at $0.13 per kWh! In addition, your bulbs burn out every 3 months (another $24 for a total of $59.50 a year per door - $119.00 total for two doorways). The battery powered Mr. Beams Ceiling Light will use less than $1 per year to operate. It will turn on whenever someone approaches because it has a motion sensor. It is a bright LED light that will light up your porch and front entrance. Total cost: $79.98 for 2 Mr. Beams lights.
2. Mr. Beams battery-operated LED Motion Sensor Security Spotlights on the corners of your house. We all have dark corners on the lesser-used sides of our house. The Mr. Beams LED Motion Sensor Security Spotlights will detect for motion all night. When an animal or a person is detected, the bright LED will turn on until the motion goes away. Because they are battery powered, they need no wires and you can install them anywhere in 5 minutes or less. 2 Mr. Beams lights for $79.98.
3. Your shed is dark. It creates a big hazard for you when you run in to grab a tool. Put a Mr. Beams battery powered LED Ceiling Light in the shed and never have to worry about darkness, spiders, sharp objects or rakes on the ground. The Mr. Beams Motion Sensor LED Ceiling Light installs in minutes. It will stay off until it detects the door opening. Then it will shine its bright LED to light up your shed. Once you leave, the Mr. Beams LED Ceiling Light’s motion sensor will tell the battery-powered light to shut off. $39.99.
4. Walkways are tripping hazards – especially in the winter. The Mr. Beams Path Lights are bright LED lights on stakes. They have motion sensors to light up brightly when they detect motion, then auto shut-off after 60 seconds. They are much brighter than solar path lights. And because they are battery powered, they don’t need access to the sun to work. They also have a unique remote control to turn them on and off. 2 for $59.99.
5. Light up the back of your backyard with the Mr. Beams LED Motion Sensor Security Spotlight. We attached a Mr. Beams battery powered LED Spotlight to a tree out back in one minute using one screw. When our dog goes out at night we worry about coyotes and skunks. Once she got skunked and it was a 3-day nightmare. The Mr. Beams Spotlight detects motion and shines a bright LED light to show us if any animals are around. It also lights up when our dog passes it and we can see where she is. The batteries power the LED motion sensor security Spotlight for more than 18 months and survive the northern winters. $39.99.

So I just showed you how to add security and safety to your home by lighting up all of the dark spaces with the Mr. Beams battery powered LED lights with motion sensors. If you do the math, this entire package of lights will cost $299.93 – the same as hiring an electrician to install just one light. In addition, you can save more than $200 per year in electricity by using battery operated lights that are off the grid. For reading this blog I will offer another 20% off so this entire package of lights will cost just $239.94. Please enter the coupon code “20percent” at check-out to get 20% off any Mr. Beams battery operated LED lights at www.mrbeams.com.

Reclaim Your Upstairs: How To Fix Dark Attics

2010-11-17T09:48:00.003-05:00

I tell my wife Lisa that she was never properly initiated into our family because she never had to spend a night at Grandma Isabel’s house. My Grandma Isabel lived in a post-WWII bungalow-style house on Long Island. Upstairs were two of the smallest bedrooms you ever saw. Each had cots on metal frames build into an alcove in the wall.

The most memorable part of the upstairs was the closets. I call them closets but they were actually full-sized doors leading into dark attic space. They were dim and smelly as only a grandmother’s attic can smell and took up most of the upstairs. One time when my brother and I were fighting I chased him into the dark attic and his leg fell through the floor and he was stuck. After I hit him with a few cheap shots I ran to get an adult to pull him out. We respected that dark attic from then on and mostly stayed out of it.

Many people have a lot of attic space. Most of the space is not easy to use due to poor lighting. The Mr. Beams battery operated LED motion sensor lights are perfect for attic spaces and can turn uncomfortable spaces into good storage spots. Start with the MB980 Ceiling Light. This bright battery-powered LED light goes on once motion is detected so there is no fumbling for the pull cord. It is bright and will light up about 15 square feet of attic space. It will stay on as long as it detects motion, and then automatically shut off 30 seconds after you leave. I have left our attic light on so many times – the cost of electricity wasted and the hassle of replacing bulbs is eliminated with the Mr. Beams lights because they have auto shut-off.

For larger attic spaces we make the MB360 Motion Sensor LED Spotlight. This bright battery operated LED spotlight floods light for a distance of 30 feet and can light up 400 square feet. It will illuminate all corners of an attic with bright white light that turns on when it detects motion and turns off automatically when you leave. These batteries will last five years under typical attic usage, and avoids burning through bulbs by leaving them on for weeks. Your typical operating cost is less than $1 per year!

A remote controlled version of the LED Motion Sensor Spotlight is also available. The MB371 Remote Controlled Security Spotlight has a remote control that can be mounted near the entrance to your attic. Before entering the attic press the On button and the Remote Controlled Spotlight will turn on and stay on until you leave. It will light up your attic with bright white light. It is also battery powered so no electrician is needed, no wires needed and no code issues. When you leave your attic just press Off on the remote, or let the LED Security Spotlight shut off automatically.

By installing Mr. Beams LED battery operated lights you save the $200 or more of hiring an electrician and never have to worry about building codes. The LED lights are bright and turn on when they detect your motion. They turn off automatically once you leave. No more burning out of light bulbs. Reclaim your upstairs space and install Mr. Beams lights yourself for a bright attic and prevent kids from falling through the floor.

Closet Lighting with Mr Beams LED Lights

2010-11-16T22:08:00.004-05:00

One of Mr Beams' early product ideas was for a wireless closet light. We thought that an automatic closet light controlled when the closet door is opened would be a very good product. We developed a prototype that was a light fixture adaptor that detected motion and turned on a light bulb when the door opened. We quickly found out that people really wanted a light that was easy to install that they could stick anywhere in a closet with no need for wires. The solution they needed was a wireless closet light - battery operated and easy to install.

So we developed a battery powered wireless LED light solution that was meant for closet light applications. We developed a version with motion sensor control and a version with radio frequency control. Either way, it was a battery powered wireless light solution that people could install anywhere in their closet.

Today, after years of working on LED lights and battery powered lights, the wireless closet light solution is still a good one. Currently, Mr Beams offers an MB980 ceiling light that can be easily installed in the ceiling of a closet and provide great closet lighting. Low to the floor where it always seems to be a little too dark in a closet, you can use an MB530 step light or more than one MB723 stick anywhere nightlights that come on with motion. For a walk in closet light, the MB371 remote control spotlight may be a very good option. These lights can be a primary closet light or an auxiliary closet light just adding light where you need it.

If you need a light in your closet, you don't need to call an electrician. You need a battery powered wireless LED closet light that is easy to install that was made to be your closet light.

Mr. Beams Lights Up During Power Outages

2010-10-27T14:08:00.002-04:00

In July 2010, there was a power outage in the Washington DC area that left 280,000 customers in the dark. The electric company was able to restore power to some quickly but it took days to get everyone back on line.

Several years ago just before we first launched the Mr Beams products onto the market, we created a test program with more than 50 friends, family, people we worked with, potential customers etc to make sure that people we trusted to give us an honest review of our products were happy with our battery powered LED lights. They tested the MB360 spotlight and MB530 step light both battery power LED lights with motion sensors. We got very good reviews, fixed a few problems that had been caught and then launched the products as quickly after the test run as we could.

It just so happens that a few of our test group lives in the Washington DC area and were hit by the power outage. One was hit for several days. It was nice to get calls from people using the lights for over 3 years that called to say how happy they were that they had battery powered lights installed on their stairs, in their hallways, outside of their houses and did not have to carry a flashlight around for the whole power outage.

We feel strongly that a small number of battery powered LED lights permanently installed will be there where you need them when that power outage inevitably rolls around.

Battery Powered Lights and the Chilean Miners

2010-10-15T21:46:00.003-04:00

I was watching Anderson Cooper on CNN talk about the rescue of the Chilean miners and he mentioned several times that they were using battery powered LED lights as their source of light. They had a dark area for sleeping and an area that was illuminated by battery powered lights where they spent their time while awake. Someone was very smart in selecting LED lights because for battery operated lights, LEDs put out more light and last much, much longer on a set of batteries than flashlights, those old tap lights (that no one ever seemed happy with) and other types of battery powered lights.

Mr Beams LED lights are battery operated, wireless lights. Typically, we have a motion sensor or RF control. For example, I would have recommended our MB980 battery-powered motion sensor ceiling light or MB530 battery-powered motion sensor step light for the mine. They are bright LED lights that are motion sensor activated. Perhaps if they wanted a remote controlled product, I may have recommended the MB371 remote controlled spotlight that uses an RF remote control to operate the LED spotlight. On a set of batteries they would have lasted for more than 40 hours. I am sure that the last thing the rescuers wanted to do was lower batteries down to the miners. We feel the same about our customers - we do not want them buying and changing batteries more than they have to. That is why we use the more efficient LEDs and quality components that extend the life of the batteries.

Congratulations to everyone involved with the rescue. They truly are heroes. And thanks to Anderson Cooper for highlighting the role of battery powered LED lights in the mine.

How to Reduce Your Cost of Outdoor Lighting, Part 1

2010-10-09T10:29:00.002-04:00

We had a two-headed security spotlight above our garage for years. Every day when I pulled out of the garage to go to work, I would see that spotlight still on and it would drive me crazy. But not always crazy enough to stop the car, go back into the house and turn off the light.

In commercial buildings, lighting accounts for up to 30% of the total electricity consumption. For your home, it is much less – probably less than 15% of the electricity you consume is due to lighting. So turning a light off will not make a significant difference. Unless, of course, it’s your two-headed spotlight.

The math is much simpler than you would expect. If you have two 75-watt bulbs, then you are using 150 watts per hour. If those lights are on for 24 hours, then you are using 3600 watts per day. Since a kilowatt is one-thousand watts, you have burned 3.6 kilowatt-hours (kWh). At $0.15 per kWh, the cost of electricity from leaving your spotlights on all day is $0.54 per day.

So that $0.54 per day adds up to $16.20 per month, and $197.10 per year. Even if you remember to turn that light off 4 out of 7 days each week, it still is costing you $84.24 per year to light up one small area.

When I looked at those numbers I cringed – what a waste of electricity! This is one of the reasons that we at Mr. Beams™ wireless off-grid lighting are so passionate about our products. Yes they provide security from intruders and animals. They also help prevent falls in and around the home. And they save you the expense of an electrician because they are battery-powered and mount anywhere in minutes. But all Mr. Beams™ products stay off during the day and only turn on when they detect motion.

Compare that to the Mr. Beams™ LED security Spotlight with motion sensor. The Spotlight has a daylight sensor so it will only turn on at night. And it has a motion sensor so it will only turn on when there is movement. At $39.99, two of these Mr Beams™ Spotlights will pay for themselves in less than a year. You will never pull out of the garage and have to make the decision on how much saving electricity is worth to you.

How Bill Uses Mr. Beams LED Lights

2010-10-07T22:38:00.001-04:00

My friend Bill called again this week. Bill is one of our favorite customers. He has installed Mr. Beams lights throughout his home and property and keeps adding more of our bright LED lights. Here are a few of the locations that Bill installed Mr. Beams motion sensor LED lights:

Barn – There is no lighting in a detached barn on Bill’s property. So Bill installed two Mr. Beams motion sensor Spotlights that turn on as soon as they detect motion. The installation took just minutes and the light is bright enough for safety in the barn.

Porch – Bill’s favorite application for lighting up dark spaces is a Mr. Beams Ceiling Light on the ceiling of his porch. When he approaches it lights up so he can see his keys, lights up the steps so he does not fall, and turns off automatically after 30 seconds.

Deck – Bill attached four Mr. Beams motion sensor Stair Lights to his deck posts. These bright LED lights glow once it gets dark and then light up bright when they detect motion. Compared to wiring lights on a deck, Bill saved about $600 and was able to install all four in under 30 minutes.

The very positive feedback from our customers has been the most rewarding part of running Wireless Environment. Our customers are the best advertising – so many of them buy additional lights and tell their friends about the lights that can be installed anywhere in minutes, use bright LEDs and the best motion sensors available, light up brightly when they detect motion and turn off when they are not needed. We hope that you will try our Mr. Beams lights to drive away the darkness and add safety and security to your home. Start living off the grid.

Living Off the Grid in Nigeria

2010-10-06T21:58:00.001-04:00

CNN reports today on the problems with the electrical supply in Nigeria. There is a story about a hospital that was constantly suffering from the effects of power outages. One night 12 accident victims came in and nobody could treat them because there wasn't any light to see their wounds.

According to Amara Nwankpa in the CNN story, “Less than half the population has access to grid electricity and those who do typically have power for nine or 10 hours a day, but sometimes go for three or four days with no power at all."

Wireless Environment is focused on improving the quality of lighting in off-grid situations. We help countries like Nigeria by providing lighting that runs without wires, and a hybrid version of lights that tap into the electrical grid when it is working and then switch to battery power when it is advantageous.

Our Mr. Beams line of products helps residents of Nigeria operate during power outages and rolling blackouts. For interiors, the Ceiling Light can light up an entire room with enough bright light to read by. It is battery-operated so power outages do not affect it. It turns on with motion and stays on as it detects motion. The Mr. Beams Stair Light can provide safety lighting to prevent falls in the home. It also is battery operated and turns on when it detects motion.

For outside, the Mr. Beams Spotlight can provide security lighting to protect a house. It turns on a bright LED when it detects motion. Like all other Mr. Beams lights, it is weather-resistant and can survive extreme environmental conditions. And because it is battery-operated it works off the grid in countries like Nigeria.

Wireless Environment is also developing battery systems that are contained inside light fixtures. These batteries store electricity when it is available and then discharge power when grid power is not available.

Prepare Your Home to Go Off-Grid

2010-09-29T22:41:00.001-04:00

Glenn from Australia called me this week. He wants to introduce the Mr. Beams line of wireless LED lighting to his country. I assumed it was because Australians are more likely to spend time outdoors and they need lighting that can operate without electricity and be installed anywhere. That is partially true, but the real reason is to save money.

Electricity was deregulated in Australia and rates have risen more than 17.5% in 2010. According to Glenn, the average household in Australia is paying $200 to $300 more per year for electricity than they did last year.

Australians are looking at their electricity consumption and figuring out where they can go off-grid. People in China and India are constantly focused on shifting off-grid. It is only a matter of time before people living in other developed countries will need to analyze their electricity consumption and shift off-grid as well.

Look at the statistics in the U.S. In order for electricity production to keep up with expected demand in 2035, the U.S. will have to create 250 gigawatts of new generating capacity*. At an average of 750 megawatts per plant, that means the U.S. needs to build 330 plants over the next 25 years, which is almost impossible. This means we can expect many more black-outs, rolling outages and a general inability to rely on the grid to provide power.

Mr. Beams’ parent company - Wireless Environment - is working on solutions for the future electricity shortage by developing quality off-grid solutions for lighting and other appliances. Currently, Mr. Beams offers six products to help you start shifting off the electrical grid. All use LEDs and motion sensors and can be installed by you in under 5 minutes. These LED lighting products are designed to help you go off the grid by lighting the following dark areas:

Outdoor Security Lighting – with batteries, a motion sensor and LEDs, you can install a weatherproof Mr. Beams wireless motion-sensor spotlight all by yourself for under $40. It will activate when it senses motion – people, vehicles or critters – an shine a bright light until the motion stops. $3 of batteries will give you at least one year worth of light. Security lighting even during power outages.

Shed Lighting – Install a light in your shed for under $40. The weatherproof Mr. Beams Ceiling Light provides bright enough light for illuminate a 15’ x 10’ shed. The Ceiling Light detects motion and keeps the light on until there is no motion, then turns off automatically. $4 of batteries should last more than 2 years.

Garage Lighting – Instead of using fragile light bulbs to light up your garage, install a Mr. Beams Motion-Sensor Spotlight for under $40. The Motion-Sensor Spotlight will provide the light you need and will turn on automatically once someone enters the garage. It will survive vibration and temperature extremes and still provide 120 lumens of bright light. It will never stay on all night and burn out. You can install it anywhere in less than 5 minutes and aim it in any direction that fits your needs.

Closet Lighting – Stop worrying about leaving your closet light on all day. The Mr. Beams Ceiling Light is a bright closet light that can provide the equivalent of a 40W light bulb. It will turn on as soon as it detects motion in the closet. It will stay on until 30 seconds after you leave the closet. $4 of batteries should provide at least 2 years of closet lighting.

Attic Lighting – Our attic light has never lasted more than 2 weeks. Someone always accidentally turns on the light and we never know it is on. The Mr. Beams Ceiling Light installs to a rafter or wall in 2 minutes. No electrician needed. Install 4 C batteries and this light will provide you with 5 years between battery changes with typical use. Bright light that goes on even during power outages.

Path Lighting – Solar Lights introduced the world to off-grid lighting, but they have serious issues. Switch the solar cell with batteries and you have the perfect off-grid solution for path lights. Indoor or outdoor, path lights with batteries work even after cloudy days in the winter. They go on much brighter than solar lights once they detect motion. The Mr. Beams Stair Lights and Remote Control Path Lights are bright, off-grid lights to provide safety for those walking in and around your home.

* DOE – U.S. Energy Information Administration

What Is Off-Grid Lighting?

2010-09-27T22:46:00.000-04:00

What Does Off-Grid Lighting Mean?

Wireless Environment has observed and classified three major reasons for taking lighting off-grid. Our vision is to become the leader in shifting lighting off-grid for maximum efficiency, utility and value.

The three reasons to go off the grid with you lighting are:
1. No Access to Electricity
2. Power Outage / Rolling Blackout
3. Economic Gain

Here is how we define the three categories of off-grid lighting:

1. No Access to Electricity
The majority of locations in the world are off-grid. In remote locations there are often no electrical wires. But even in your own home, there is are many areas where you want light and have no wires. Think about your driveway, your backyard, the corner of your house and many of your closets. For all of these areas that need light, battery-powered or solar-powered lighting is the best option. Battery-powered lights can provide brighter light without wires.

Products like the Mr. Beams Spotlight can attach to a tree anywhere. When it detects movement through its motion sensor, a powerful LED lights up a driveway, walkway, backyard, porch. There is also a remote control Spotlight that can be activated by the remote control or turn on with its motion sensor. For detached sheds and detached garages, the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light can provide bright light. It is weatherproof, like all Mr. Beams wireless lights, and has a sensitive motion detector. Once someone enters the garage, shed, gazebo or closet, the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light emits a bright white light until the auto shut-off turns it off. Other Mr. Beams lights include the Stick Anywhere Night Light and the Stair Light. Both lights have daylight sensors to keep the lights off during the day and conserve battery life. They also are weatherproof and have motion sensors. They provide lighting where there is no electricity, and can significantly help reduce the number of falls.

2. Power Outage / Rolling Blackout
I recently blogged about the increase in the number of blackouts in the U.S. As the grid becomes more strained, we will experience more power outages. For this reason Mr. Beams is developing a line of batteries that can be installed inside light fixtures. These batteries will detect a power outage and then provide enough back-up power to allow for safe exit. Technology will also help extend the battery life and thus the useful light for exit or other operation.

3. Economic Gain
In the future world of increased demand on the electrical grid, there will be a strong incentive to reduce electricity use during certain times. Currently the peak demand times are between 2pm and 5pm during the business week – especially during hot days. Electric companies are paying facilities to go off the grid at these times. With the Wireless Environment battery technology, a facility can transfer its lighting to battery power during these peak times. The facility can collect a fee for going off the electrical grid, and take advantage of lower electricity costs by re-charging the back-up batteries for the lighting during an off-peak time. In some areas of the country, the spread in the cost between peak-demand electricity and off-peak electricity can be significant. With LED light fixtures and the Wireless Environment battery technology, lights can shift off-grid and still operate at the same lumen level.

In our future, we will all face the need to go off-grid more often. Products are being developed to help manage lighting off of the grid. We will continue to update the progress of developing off-grid lighting products and components.

Mr. Beams: Your Defense Against Blackouts and Power Outages

2010-09-10T14:30:00.003-04:00

A recent CNN story announced the startling fact on power outages: "U.S. Electricity Blackouts Skyrocketing". Those of us caught in the blackouts have known this for a long time - the electrical grid is strained more and more every year. Utilities can not keep up with demand. This strain leads to more and longer power outages. The reason they are also called "blackouts" is because the loss of lighting is the major inconvenience.

Mr. Beams lights are your best defense against blackouts. They are indoor / outdoor LED lights that are powered by batteries. You mount them anywhere in just a few minutes - no electrician, no wires. As soon as the space is dark and the light detects motion, it shines brightly, illuminating large areas with bright LED light.

Here is the installation locations we recommend for your home to provide safety and security lighting during a power outage:
1. Stairways - Most important lighting is on the stairways. Good stair lighting during a blackout will help prevent the most dangerous falls. Mount the MB980 Ceiling Light on the ceiling of the stairway. As soon as there is darkness, the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light detects for motion. If you are upstairs during the power outage and need to go downstairs, you will have a lighted path to safely guide you. We also recommend installing two Stair Lights, which will glow lightly as soon as it is dark to show you where the stairs are. Once they detect motion, they light up brightly.

2. Entrances - On your inside entrance we recommend the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light mounted near the entrance. As soon as the light go off, the Ceiling Light turns on its motion detector. If you need to exit your home, the Ceiling Light will detect you and light up the entire entrance way with a bright Nichia LED. Once there is no motion, the Ceiling Light will turn off to conserve its batteries for when it is needed. For outside entrances, we recommend the weatherproof MB360 Spotlight. This is our brightest light with the largest motion sensor diameter. If anyone approaches your home during the blackout - be they wanted or unwanted - the Motion Sensor Spotlight will turn on a bright light to scare them away or let them approach safely. You will be the only home in the neighborhood with lighting during a blackout. this will deter intruders from approaching your home.

3. Basements - If you have ever had a blackout when you are in your basement you know how difficult it can be to exit. Some basements are in total darkness, and there are many obstacles in your way. Imagine your kids yelling for you from upstairs during a power outage and you need to get out of your basement quickly. For the basement ceiling we recommend the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light mounted near the stairs and in the back area. As soon as the light go off and you move ever so slightly, the Ceiling Light turns on its bright light to light up enough of the basement with a bright Nichia LED. Once there is no motion, the Ceiling Light will turn off to conserve its batteries for when it is needed.

4. Hallways - Since many power outages occur at night, it is important to be able to exit your bedroom in safety. We recommend the MB723 Stick Anywhere Night Lights for this reason. The Stick Anywhere Night Lights mount anywhere with the adhesive tape provided. They are perfect to light the path between you and the bathroom, you and the kids room, or you and the exit. They are battery powered so no electrician is required. As soon as you approach these motion sensor lights, a bright LED will go on to light your way and help prevent falls. As soon as you pass, the lights have auto shut-off to conserve battery life.

So be prepared for the next blackout. Install Mr Beams wireless LED lights with motion sensors. They come in Spotlight, Stair Light, Ceiling Light and Stick Anywhere Night Light forms. Install them throughout your home to have emergency lighting for the next blackout. Prevent falls between blackouts. And experience battery-powered lighting that does not rely on your electric company.

Lights to Help Louisiana and Mississippi

2010-09-09T23:23:00.003-04:00

I’m watching the opening NFL game – Vikings at Saints in New Orleans. With the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, there have been many videos replayed showing the unbelievable damage and destruction to the infrastructure. Electricity was out for months.

The Mr. Beams™ line of battery-powered LED lights was not yet invented. Lighting is the function that people miss most when electricity is out. We wish we could have provided our LED motion sensor lights to the people affected by Katrina. We recognize that people are still recovering from the impact and are offering two for one Mr. Beams lights to any residents of Louisiana and Mississippi. We will automatically double your order if placed at www.mrbeams.com

We recommend the following products: the MB980 Ceiling Light to light closets, pantries, attics and sheds. It has a motion sensor and a bright 80-lumen Nichia LED. It is a weatherproof light that can also light up a porch or gazebo.

The MB360 Spotlight can provide safety and security lighting for the perimeter of your home. With the motion sensor the Spotlight turns on and lights up intruders or animals. It can provide safety lighting – it can attach to a tree and light up your driveway, walkway and back door.

The MB530 Stair Light lights up stairs. This is particularly important to prevent falls inside and outside your home. With a motion sensor and a bright LED, the Mr. Beams Stair Light will light up stairs and hallways. When you wake up at night to go to the bathroom, the Stair Light will detect you and light up the hallway or stairs. It even glows all night to show you where it is.

Prepare for power outages with the battery-powered lights from Mr. Beams. And if you live in Louisiana or Mississippi, we will automatically double your order on www.mrbeams.com

Celebrate Innovation on Labor Day

2010-09-05T00:01:00.001-04:00

An advisor to Mr. Beams recently said he wanted to brainstorm about new products. This guy is a brilliant product developer who has created big product lines that have revolutionized lighting controls. His prerequisite for helping us was that we create breakthrough products, and not just slight improvements. His statement first created an energy and excitement for me that I get when allowed to dream big dreams. It was then followed by the part of my brain that remembers how intense and grinding it is to truly innovate. In my early days as a product manager I could not wait to launch my first product line. It was with Black & Decker in their power tool division and I owned every element of the product line – the feel, the color, the motor, the box, the accessories, the user manual. I was not yet married and that allowed me to spend late nights at the office - it consumed me. But it needed to consume me in order to innovate in a field where everything had been done already.

Innovation in many consumer products has slowed down. Part of it is because of the recession, but I believe there is a more nefarious reason. The power wielded by so few retailers has created greater barriers for entry to smaller companies. Often it is the smaller companies that innovate, but the possible reward of a successful product is now lower because the largest retailers do not want to work with smaller companies. Large Retail knows it limits the innovation that they can offer their shoppers, but it makes logistics so much easier for them. If they are buying 30 items from Category Manager A, and they like 2 products better from a smaller company, they are not going to set up a new vendor of questionable shipping abilities to provide those 2 products. Instead they buy the unimaginative version from the incumbent.

At first this did not limit innovation so much – the larger companies were still investing in new ideas and generating innovative products. But soon the consolidation of retailers meant that 3-5 companies made up 90% of their revenue. They now need these companies to like their products. So here is how new products are now developed: the VP of Sales for a company calls on Big Box Buyer and brings sketches of 5 product ideas. They have learned that getting buy-in from Big Box Buyer is the key to get new products placed. So they ask Big Box Buyer her opinion and she prefers one concept. VP of Sales leaves the meeting and immediately calls the product manager and tells him what the next product will be. Suddenly that new product is the darling of the product management team and gets priority resources.

Is this innovation? I would argue that Big Box Buyer knows her customer best. But the customer only knows what they have already seen, experienced and used. There is a possibility for incremental improvement in the product. But the chance of Big Box Buyer picking out a breakthrough product is slim.

Small companies do not have access to Big Box Buyer. We innovate by observing how people live, what they struggle with and what they enjoy. We know that an incremental improvement won’t cut it, so we work harder and risk more for that product that makes people fall in love with them. As I write this I am listening to a product that does that – it is a Sonos Digital Music System. I can pull up any song anywhere through one hand-held device. Every few months the smart people at Sonos add another great feature. I access Rhapsody, XM Radio, iheartradio through this system and can play different songs or radio stations in different rooms. These team at Sonos observed how people want to access and interact with music and are constantly working on improving the joy that the product provides.

Why am I wasting precious blog space on innovation rather than promoting my products? Probably because it is Labor Day today and days like this separate the innovators from the entrenched. Innovators hate these one-day holidays because no innovation gets done. People at large companies love these days because they get paid for doing their own thing. Have we innovated at Mr. Beams? I think so. We make the world’s best wireless LED lights. We are creating a system of emergency lighting for homes that will automatically provide light in the event of a power outage. We make the best Closet Light you ever installed on your own. We have used motion sensors and bright battery powered LED lights to eliminate darkness in so many places in a home. We have prevented countless falls due to dark hallways and stairs. When my 90-year-old Aunt Mille calls me the first thing she says in her Brooklyn accent is “Oh David that light you sent me is my favorite possession. I get up to go to the bathroom twice a night and that light goes on every time so I can find my way.” To me that is more rewarding than anything Big Box Buyer can say. So support your small company and please recognize that there is tremendous innovation in alternative distribution channels - like www.mrbeams.com

The World's Best Closet Light

2010-09-04T15:20:00.006-04:00

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 114,825,428 households in the United States. That makes me wonder – how many closets are there in the U.S.? I know that sounds like I have too much time on my hands, but it is important to our business. You see, we at Mr. Beams make the world’s best closet light. I am serious – our MB980 Ceiling Light is the world’s best closet light for anyone who wants a bright wireless light in their closet. And by wireless light I mean battery powered light - because few of us want to invest $250 to call in an electrician to install a light in a closet. So a $40 solution – that installs in minutes – is a breakthrough. Now make that $40 solution a LED motion-sensor light that provide 80 lumens of light and turns on automatically, then turns off automatically and you have my proof – the world’s best closet light. It ain’t bragging if you’ve done it. Look at our Ceiling Light and you will see we have made the world’s best closet light.

Back to my question – how many closets are there in the U.S. Let’s assume that the average household is a 2.5-bedroom, 1.5 bath residence. It has at least one coat closet, a closet in each bedroom, a closet for one of the bathrooms, and a utility or linen closet. That makes 5.5 closets per household. Multiply that by 114,825,428 households and you get 631.5 million closets. Now what percentage of these closets do not have operating lights in them? My informal surveying tells me that 35% is a conservative guess. So I estimate that there are 221 million closets without light in them.

Can we call it an epidemic? I have put on two different shoes in the morning in an attempt to not wake anyone while I get dressed – this is a problem. People pick out clothes that don’t match because they lack light in their closet. Mr. Peabody in the Bullwinkle cartoon was constantly getting maimed when he opened his dark closet loaded with junk. People, we have an epidemic on our hands.

We are selling a lot of closet lights. But there are still nearly 221 million dark closets out there and that drives me crazy. Please spread the word. Go to the Mr. Beams website and learn abo0ut our closet light. Look at what a battery operated closet light can do for you. Tell your friend about our bright LED. Show your neighbor how a motion-sensor activated LED light can help you see better in your closet. Tell you co-worker that the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light can light a 10’ x 10’ closet with 80 lumens of light. Experience for yourself how great it is to open your closet and have a bright light that turns off automatically after you leave. You will be off the grid and not use any additional electricity. The batteries that power the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light will last for 18 months or more (under average use in one of your 5.5 closets). Let’s work together to make at least 0.1% of the dark closets light up with the Mr. Beams bright LED battery-powered motion activated Ceiling Light. Find out what James in Georgetown, Kentucky is talking about when he says, "This ceiling light, which can also be mounted on a wall, is the cream-of-the-crop as far as LED lights go, in my opinion. Installation was easy, it reacts to motion quickly, and puts out a good amount of light."

Where Do You Need Light?

2010-09-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

What is the value of light to you? Probably never gave it much thought - yet you used some method to evaluate whether or not to call you electrician in to light up that dark porch in your backyard, or the end of your hallway that is too dark. In my mind a light costs me $250. The light itself is $50 and the electrician will cost me $200.

This same evaluation led us to develop the Mr. Beams line of battery-powered lights. At $10-$60 per light, your cost of light is significantly lower. In many ways your annual operating cost will also be lower. Battery operated lights like the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light requires 4 C batteries at $1 each. The Mr. Beams Ceiling Light is designed to last 18 months on one set of batteries - so the annual operating cost is around $2.35. If you hire an electrician to install a ceiling light, this light requires a light bulb that will probably last just one year ($1.50) plus require electricity. Electricity can add up when the light is left on during the day or when not needed. All Mr. Beams battery operated lights have auto shut-off and motion detectors. The auto shut-off turns the light off after no motion is detected.

So the Mr. Beams line of motion sensor battery operated lights can save you money and get you off the electrical grid. When battery power is combined with motion sensors and LED's, it allows you to add light anywhere at a low initial cost and a low operating cost. So at $30 per light, where do you need light? The Mr. Beams Spotlight can light up your backyard and driveway. The Mr. Beams Stair Light can make you stairs safe and help prevent falls. The Mr. Beams Stick Anywhere Night Light can light up hallways and bathrooms and toilets to help prevent falls. The Mr. Beams Ceiling Light can light up your closets and attic so bright that you can choose the right color of your clothes. All are battery powered and use a motion sensor and auto shut-off to get you off the grid and save money in your lighting.

Hurricane Earl: Be Prepared!

2010-09-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

To our friends in North Carolina and along the Eastern seaboard who are expecting a visit from Earl: Hang in there!

A quit note about emergency preparedness: in the five years since Hurricane Katrina, there has been a heightened awareness among communities and families about the importance of establishing a safety plan for your home. A basic safety plan doesn't have to revolve around a specific disaster--every family should have the following in the event of any sort of unforeseen catastrophe:

*Central meeting place on or near your property as well as meeting place in a more public area, such as a parking lot, in the event that all family members are mobile and cannot get home

*Central emergency out-of-state contact who can serve as a clearinghouse for family members to learn the status/whereabouts of other family members

*Non-perishable food and water--one gallon of water per family member and pet per day

*Blankets and waterproof gear

*Battery-operated radio or rechargeable radio

*Flashlight

*Portable light sources, like the Mr Beams LED lights

*Charged cell phone--even if it is not associated with an active account, most newer cell phones are capable of dialing 911 if charged

*Matches and candles

It is a good idea to stick emergency documents, such as copies of insurance cards and contact information, in a storage bag and tape it to the inside of your refrigerator. The refrigerator is basically fireproof and waterproof, so by the time you are able to access the information, it should be safe and legible.

Be sure to contact your local American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) to learn more about creating an emergency kit for your family. They can also provide you with important contact information in the event of a local/regional/national disaster. Don't be caught in the storm. An ounce of prevention is still worth a pound of cure.

Falls Prevention Day

2010-09-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

There have been several posts dedicated to Falls Prevention Awareness Day, which is nationally recognized on September 23, 2010 (first day of Fall) as a day committed to promoting home safety to minimize falls in the home, particularly among seniors. This is a really important subject, whose relevance increases as the number of seniors living in our communities increases. Senior centers, assisted living and retirement complexes are bursting with residents; there are waiting lists for just about every senior facility. As we continue to invest in the health and care of our seniors, it is important to give them every advantage for a safe and comfortable lifestyle, whether circumstances allow them to live in their own home or in a group facility. One way to promote independent living among seniors is to provide them with enough lighting to allow them to navigate safely through their homes at any hour of the day.

You may remember that one of the reasons the Mr Beams lights were developed was because owner David Levine wanted to prevent falls in the home. His grandmother died as a result of complications from a fall in the dark and David resolved that he would do what he could to help other seniors avoid unnecessary health issues due to falling in the home. David's grandmother fell in the dark as she was trying to make her way to the bathroom. If she had had a night light or other lighting source to guide her path, perhaps she would be alive today.

Light is such a simple privilege--we need it to live but seldom stop to think about light for survival. From a primitive perspective, we need it to hunt, fish, gather berries--even if it means just selecting produce from your local supermarket. You need light to drive safely, work productively and play. Without light in our homes, we can't do many things effectively or safely, which is why Mr Beams are essential for alternative lighting solutions in your home. Seniors can easily install any Mr Beams products--there are no wires, lights are battery operated--and in minutes, the LED lights are ready for service. Trips to the bathroom, down the stairs, into to kitchen become comfortable and not dangerous as the motion-sensors in the lights detect movement and turn on, illuminating passage.

There is a Mr Beams appropriate for any supplemental lighting application:

Anywhere Ceiling Light provides 80 lumens of bright light to provide general lighting conditions--perfect for hallways, stairways, front porches, under stairs' storage or anywhere traditionally wired products are not practical. The Anywhere Ceiling Light is a great all-purpose light to have on-hand for emergency lighting as well.

The Path Light Kit offers flexible mounting for outdoor lighting on patios, along walkways, in the yard. The convenient mounting stakes allow you to control the positions of each light. With two lights per kit, the Path Lights are an easy do-it-yourself outdoor lighting option. Additionally, the low glow feature means that the lights are on from the second it's dark, providing orientation even before the motion sensors know you're there at which point the lights brighten for you.

Spotlights are available with both a remote control feature for manual activation as well as without so you can opt for a Spotlight that you can activate manually or simply depend on the motion detection technology to satisfy your hands-free lighting needs. Timers are available on all products so that you can adjust the amount of time the lights stay on.

Like the Path Light, the Step Light has a low glow option that is convenient when placing product on steps or in hallways. The "always on" feature assures you additional light before the sensors detect any motion for comfort and safety.

The Stick Anywhere Night Lights are a great alternative to other night lights as they offer quality brightness over the requisite glow that is the standard for most plug-in units on the market. The LED lights give a clean, soft light--bright enough for you to manipulate objects safely and effectively without being obtrusive.

There is no fountain of youth, but we can take care to offset some of the effects of aging. When your eyesight falters, you wear glasses, right? Falling at home is an unnecessary hazard. Plenty of light when it's dark will help you maintain your balance and coordinates so that you can move about safely in your own space. It's such a little thing--an inexpensive luxury--to install a few Mr Beams lights in and around your property or in the home of someone you care about. Think about home safety on September 23 and pay it forward by giving someone a bit of independence when you hand them a battery operated Mr Beams LED light.

Use coupon code BLOGSAVE when you order online at www.mrbeams.com to save 25% on any web order.

Wild Card Wednesday--BOO!

2010-08-31T15:46:00.000-04:00

During our weekly management meeting, one of our partners, Mike Recker, introduced a really fun way to use the Mr Beams LED lights: how about lighting for Halloween?

Path Lights

Temporary Path Lighting is a great idea for the trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood. Especially in our neighborhood, where the homes are old and there really isn't much lighting beyond the porch lights to illuminate the walkways and sidewalks leading up to the houses. The Path Lights are perfectly portable--with the brackets and stakes that are included with the Path Light Kit, you simply stick the product in the ground. You can leave them or pull them up until the next time you need reliable and effective path lighting. The Mr Beams Path Light Kit comes with two lights, mounting brackets and stakes, and a remote control which allows you to activate the lights at will.

Spotlights

Spotlights provide a brighter option. Position a Mr Beams Spotlight to shine on your front steps. The second motion is detected (from up to 18' away), the lights go on, providing a safe footpath up the steps to the Treats. You can also position a Spotlight or two to shine on your Halloween decorations or position a few on your property to deter the Tricksters on Mischief Night. The Spotlight is also available with the same remote control option as the Path Light for flexibility in controlling the amount of light you want.

Portable Night Lights

Stick Anywhere Night Lights offer a softer light that will provide enough light for safety, either as they line your steps or as you carry it along your route, but won't quite scare away the haunts.

Get ready for Halloween with Mr Beams!

Off-Grid Lighting With Battery Powered "BEAMS"

2010-08-31T14:05:00.001-04:00

I know, I know...everyone wants to advertise that they subscribe to "green". We've all been suckered into buying more bags rather than reusing the recyclable plastic bags that were the norm for so many years (true, the ones you buy are sturdier with handles), everyone has reusable water bottles, and we all talk a good game about buying local. Talk is cheap! I do those things, too, but I still love a good deal on bottled water (even though tap water is free--we have a well, even) and will compromise my family's health for produce shipped from South America over local peppers if it means saving a buck. Did you languish in the heat this summer rather than conserve energy by cutting back on the AC? We didn't. So what are some other things that we could be doing to promote a healthy planet without sacrificing convenience? (Now you know this is going to involve wireless lights.)

We're constantly touting Mr Beams products as reliable and cost-effective. The battery operated lights manufactured by Wireless Environment allow anyone the luxury of light wherever you need it--the products install in minutes, no wires, and are extremely low maintenance. With the exception of changing the batteries, you really don't need to do a thing. Guess what? There's an off-grid lighting solution. Two things to support that claim: the first is that you are not drawing from an electric grid. All Mr Beams products are battery operated and last 1-2 years under most conditions. (Mr Beams lights are IP44 rated, which means you can use them inside and outdoors. True, they're not immersible, but were you going to put them in your bathtub or pool anyway?) Second, the lights activate only when they sense motion. So it gets dark. Lights stay dark. You walk near the light (most models sense light from up to 18' away) and the light turns on, stays on until motion ceases, then shuts off automatically. Light only when you need it. No wasting electricity when you wander into the bathroom at night--the Stick Anywhere Night Light gives you just enough light to get the job done.

Here's a great place for a Mr Beams light for our family (and I'm guessing we're not alone). We have a freezer downstairs. At least one ingredient, usually meat, comes out of that freezer for our dinner, which means a minimum of one trip a day to the basement to retrieve something from the freezer. I snap the light on at the top of the stairs automatically before heading down. When I get downstairs, I turn on one, maybe two lights on the way to the freezer. I'm in the freezer for approximately ten seconds while I grab the roast of choice (or chunk of frozen hamburger), then retrace my steps--light two=off; light one=off; then it's up the stairs before turning the stairway light off. Entire transaction takes maybe thirty seconds. Now--doesn't it make a lot more sense to install a couple of Mr Beams lights along that path rather than flipping currents on and off along the way? With a Ceiling Light in the stairway I can make my way up and down the steps safely--even with my hands full, since I don't need to turn any lights on or off. With a couple of Stick Anywheres on the wall, I can find the freezer, get what I need, and hike back up to the kitchen--all without turning on or off any lights. Truthfully, I can make that trip with my eyes closed, but what a great message to send to the kids--"light only when you need it."

I can think of dozens of other places where I waste electricity, bags, water. I am going to try to do a better job at managing my resources. We say we are, we say we try...let's do more.

How do you make a difference? Tell us your story at info@mrbeams.com.

Getting Organized With Mr Beams Lights

2010-08-26T15:51:00.000-04:00

This past week has been a whirlwind--we returned from vacation on Saturday night and by Monday morning, we had to have our first-grader ready for his first day of school (who planned that??). Between laundry, grocery shopping, back-to-school activities ("where's my bookbag?", "my shoes don't fit") and the general craziness that engulfs our home, I made a resolution to get organized as quickly as possible.

A quick Google on "organization" revealed shocking results: there are thousands (literally) of professional organizers out there at our disposal. These people proudly display before and after photos which demonstrated their talent for whipping households into shape. Some of the "befores" really cheered me up while others neither shamed nor embarrassed me. The point is, regardless of your particular stage of disarray, there is help out there.

While I was hunting for do-it-yourself tips, it occurred to me that a lot of these professional organizers specialize in maximizing small or awkward spaces. Once there is some semblance of organization in those areas, you'd want to be able to see what you've got, right? My point is, projects like these need lights. Pantries, closets, cupboards, under stairs--places that may be effectively utilized for storage may not be optimized for hardwired lighting. The solutions are either to call in an electrician, which means additional cost and time to your project, or you can pop in a Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light or a Stick Anywhere Night Light. Two different levels of brightness, but both would satisfy the need for additional lighting without the aggravations or costs associated with professional installation. Further, the lights are temporary and portable--if you make modifications to the storage area or closet, simply move the light.

After this epiphany, I reached out to some professional organizers that I'd located on the web, just to gauge the interest level on the Mr Beams products with that audience. Guess what? A simple e-mail (yes, you can call it SPAM or cold-calling) was met with dozens of "more information, please" responses. Pleasantly surprised, I've spent the past few days shipping samples and additional product information to various organizers in Northeast Ohio.

Alas, the window of feeling panicked for lack of organization has passed for me (like it usually does). But I take comfort in the fact that I have put my own needs behind others' (that is my justification for staying unorganized) in bringing light to newly ordered space, than I'm OK with that.

To contact a professional organizer near you, check out www.napo.net. The National Association of Professional Organizers exists because of people like me who don't have an eye for organization. I guess I'll shove the wrapping paper back under the bed and try again next year. Sigh.

Another Handyman of America Member-Tested Review

2010-08-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

Not everyone in the Handyman of America Member-Tested Program was in love with the Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light that Wireless Environment sponsored for the Members to try. One user expressed disappointment with the level of brightness, but did appreciate the motion sensing technology:

"'For the recommended product description and cost I expected a bit more from the light. The motion sensor and automatic off features worked flawlessly...I placed it at first in our pantry and my wife liked the motion sensor to have the light come on when she walked in, but...the light did not brighten the items on all the shelves enough.'"

Could we make a brighter light? Maybe. Would consumers be willing to pay for it? Maybe. Your feedback is valuable to us in making these types of decisions. At the end of the day, if enough of you want it, we can do it.

Learn more about how you can apply wireless LED lights around your home to improve your everyday living. The convenience of battery operated lights is a cost-effective alternative to other lighting solutions. Visit the Idea Center at www.mrbeams.com.

A Customer Review, Starring the Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light

2010-08-25T09:09:00.000-04:00

Wireless Environment recently participated in the Handyman of America Member-Tested Program. In exchange for product, users agree to write reviews and share feedback on their experiences with your products. The Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light was issued to a select group of Members and the feedback has been great. Of course, every manufacturer wants to hear that their products are well-received. But the most important takeaway from this type of project is that Wireless Environment has a real opportunity to capitalize on the exposure by taking user feedback to heart in an effort to strengthen its presence in the market--improve on what needs to be improved and enhance the features that users like.

Reviews have become a helpful tool to prospective customers as well. How many times do you click on "product review" when you are shopping online? Since online retailers don't have the benefit of physically showing customers their goods, product reviews have become increasingly popular among consumers who may be on the fence about moving ahead with a purchase. As a small company, we would like to feature some of the product reviews borne out of the Handyman of America Member-Tested Program with our readers so that you can hear first-hand what users are saying about our products. Most of the reviews are generated by users who are being exposed to our company and our lights for the first time, so comments are fresh and honest. I intend to share the positive reviews but also those that aren't as favorable to demonstrate that Wireless Environment is truly interested in presenting its LED lights in, well, different lights.

Here's the stage: all users have an Anywhere Ceiling Light. They are invited to use and abuse the product to be sure that all claims we make about our products (such as "weatherproof") are accurate. The following review is from a fellow who has some physical constraints but a can-do attitude and doesn't pull any punches. I think his words do a better job selling Mr Beams than any professional marketing or gimmicks:

" 'I have a "closet" under my attic staircase in the garage where all my car care products, floor jacks, jack stands, etc. are kept. I have tried 6 other products such as "touch lights", LED strips and other battery powered products to light this space. They were all returned because of their total inadequacy to provide sufficient light. When I received the "Anywhere Ceiling Light" I was skeptical to say the least. I mounted it right away. The light is powered by 4 C-cell batteries and is motion operated when it is dark and goes out after no motion is detected for approx. 30 seconds. The light has a "water-proof" seal and is supposed to be fully useful outside in the weather. I did test this claim somewhat by spraying it from all angles with a water hose. There was absolutely no moisture inside the unit. It can even be mounted in a shower. The light did a terrific job lighting the "closet" I placed it in. I have no complaints and am very pleased with the product. There are cheaper products on the market but all 6 I tried were no good, even if they were free. I have contacted the company to purchase more lights. (www.mrbeams.com 877.298.9082).'"

This gentleman was even inspired to include a link to our site and our phone number in his review. That is the kind of customer satisfaction we're after.

Stay tuned for more comments. And if you'd like to share your own, please visit the Mr Beams website, www.mrbeams.com, where you can "Share Your Story" and provide your comments.

2009 Press Release: Falls Prevention Day

2010-08-23T13:22:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22/PRNewswire-USNewswire/--The Home Safety Council, the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to preventing injuries that occur in and around the home, applauds today's designation of National Falls Prevention Awareness Day. Senate Resolution 276 was introduced by Chairman Herb Kohl of the Senate Select Committee on Aging and we would like to thank him for his leadership role and Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Robert Casey, Jr (D-PA), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), and Patty Murray (D-WA) for cosponsoring the legislation. The National Falls Prevention Awareness Day Resoltion comes at a critical time when each year, one in three Americans age 65 and older falls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2007, 1.9 million fall-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency departments and about 492,000 of those treated were subsequently hospitalized. "This resolution builds on the work that is being done by the public health community and advocacy organizations that have first-hand experience with the devastating impact a fall can have to a family member or friend," said Patricia Adkins, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Public Policy for the Home Safety Council. "The good news is many of these falls can be prevented, they don't have to happen." Evidence-based programs show promise in reducing falls through clinical assessments, exercise programs, medications management, vision correction, and reduction of home hazards.

Precautions that can be taken in the home are:

-Have handrails on both sides of stairs and steps. Make sure handrails go from the top to the bottom of stairs.

-Have lots of lights at the top and bottom of the stairs.

-Tape small rugs to the floor or do not use them at all.

-Have nightlights in the bedroom, hall and bathroom.

-Have grab bars in the tub and shower.

In April 2008, the Safety of Seniors Act was enacted to develop public and professional education strategies aimed at raising awareness about older adult falls. It also encourages research to identify at-risk populations, and supports demonstration projects aimed at preventing falls among older Americans. Based on CDC data, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and hospital admissions for traumatic injuries among adults 65 and older; and in 2006, over 16,600 in this age category died from injuries related to falls. The total direct medical costs for falls are more than $19 billion each year and the adults 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of our population.

About Home Safety Council: The Home Safety Council (R) (HSC) is the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated topreventing home related injuries that result in nearly 20,000deaths and 21 million medical visits on average each year. Through national programs, partnerships and the support of volunteers, HSC educates people of all ages to be safer in and around their homes. The Home Safety Council is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization located in Washington, DC.

National Falls Prevention Day-September 22, 2010

2010-08-23T12:17:00.000-04:00

September heralds the arrival of Autumn. Back to school, cooler temperatures, shorter days. When we "fall back" in time, we remember to change the batteries in our smoke detector. The first official day of Fall has now become synonymous with "Falls Prevention Day" as well.

Falls Prevention Day was established to heighten the awareness of dangers in the home that can lead to precarious footing and dangerous falls. The 2009 press release highlights the importance of home safety and is worth a read-through.

Good lighting is essential in home safety. In addition to providing visual orientation, you need light to establish depth perception which correlates directly with good balance. Without good balance, it can be difficult or impossible to safely stand or walk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2007, "1.9 million fall-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency departments and about 492,000 of those treated were subsequently hospitalized." As the American population ages, we find that the key to well-being is prevention. Wireless Environment promotes its Mr Beams products as effective lighting solutions for places where hardwired products are impractical, impossible or cost-prohibitive. Seniors particularly are subject to limitations when it comes to "fall-proofing" their homes. Fixed incomes, physical constraints, and department store locations may put home improvement items out of reach for many folks. Mr Beams lights can be purchased online or over the phone and installed without any professional assistance. Most products, like the Stick Anywhere Night Lights, adhere effectively to any surface with a simple doublestick (Mr Beams includes all mounting hardware and instructions with each product).

The Home Safety Council, the only national nonprofit committed to home safety, offers the following precautions to minimize falls in the home:

--Have handrails on both sides of stairs and steps and make sure that the handrails go from top to bottom; not just halfway.

--Lots of lights at the top and bottom of the stairs. Mr Beams provides several solutions that will help you to create the appropriate amount of lighting where you need it. The Step Light offers a low-glow feature which provides you with a soft and continuous light until motion is detected at which point the brightness of the light intensifies. Other lighting options include the Stick Anywhere Night Light which is perfect for trips to the bathroom, or consider the Anywhere Ceiling Light for walks to the kitchen or anywhere a brighter light might be desired.

--Tape small rugs to the floor or avoid throw rugs altogether. There are convenient rubber mats that can be cut to a rug form and simply lay beneath the rug to prevent movement.

--Nightlights, such as the Stick Anywhere Night Light, should be prevalent in the bedroom, hall, and bathroom. The Mr Beams Night Lights are sold in packages of three which gives you affordable flexibility in placing light along any well-traveled path in your home.

We will work hard to bring additional safety tips, not just lighting tips, to you in anticipation of National Falls Prevention Day. If you have a story to share or if you can provide us with ideas on how to make your home fall-free, we would love to hear from you and allow you to share your thoughts here on this blog. Just write to info@mrbeams.com.

I Survived (Not the TV Show)

2010-08-23T11:14:00.000-04:00

I Survived is a program on the Bio channel. It documents real stories about real people sharing their near-death experiences and how they survived to tell the tale. Mine isn't nearly so dramatic. I simply survived another family vacation.

Writing this blog helps us to get our messages out about the Mr Beams products--why they're great and why you need them. To keep the posts fresh and interesting, we try to incorporate some human element with identifiable characteristics. After all, when you can relate with someone or something, it is much easier to understand the writer's point of view, whether it's regarding a social issue or a product. I try to be sensitive to the needs of a multi-demographic audience, changing up the subject matter to appeal to everyone. I have to confess--taking the week off as the author of this blog left me a little lonely! I found that I enjoy expressing myself here more than I'd thought. So--in taking a brief departure and surviving a beach vacation with my lovely family, I'm back. And, hopefully, you'll be back too--keeping up with our thoughts, suggestions and stories in lighting adventures.

Stick Anywhere Night Lights By the Toilet--Not the Most Glamorous Application, But Hey, They're Perfect There!

2010-08-11T18:11:00.000-04:00

Guest blog by David Levine while I'm on vacation researching about more places and ways to use Mr Beams:

Almost nothing disturbs sleep as much as bright light. Two things that disturb sleep as much are having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and having to answer a screaming child. So here is how we have reduced the disruption at my house using Mr. Beams battery-operated lights.

First we put the Stick Anywhere Night Light next to our toilet. It is off all day and night, but once its motion detector picks me up it lights up the toilet with its bright LED. Not so bright to disturb my sleep, but bright enough to provide the proper guidance. For my wife it shines enough to show her if I left the seat up. It took 10 seconds to install and since it is battery-operated it can be attached anywhere. After 30 seconds it goes off and stays off until it detects motion again.

Next we installed the Mr. Beams Step Light in the hallway connecting our bedroom to the stairs to get to the kids' rooms. It glows lightly all night (think Timex's Indiglo feature) so I can see where the wall is and walk a somewhat straight line towards it. Then once it detects my motion - typically more than 15 feet away - it turns on the bright LED and lights up the entire floor. One battery-powered Stair Light provides enough light in my hallway to keep me from falling or banging into something.

Since our kids are upstairs, we use the big light of the Mr. Beams Ceiling Light to light up the stairs. This battery-operated light is the brightest of the three, providing more than 80 lumens of light. Again, it is enough light to help us navigate the stairs safely, but not enough light to disturb my sleep or wake up the good child who decided to sleep through the night (no names, but the bad child knows who she is). And since finding a light switch at 3 a.m. seems challenging, the motion sensor is a great feature as it will turn on as soon as we approach the stairs. With its broad, white light it lights up the stairs like a 20W light bulb would. It has auto shut-off, so it shuts off automatically once we pass, and waits to detect motion again. This light installs like a battery-powered smoke detector - two screws and no wires. Our has lasted 14 months without needing a battery change.

Learn more about Mr Beams at www.mrbeams.com. There are countless applications that require Mr Beams and you don't even know it! Visit the Idea Center for your "a-ha" moment...

Spiders In Sheds Are No Match For Mr Beams!

2010-08-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

Guest blogger, David Levine:

Growing up we had this really spooky shed in our backyard. It was made of sheet metal and far enough from the house that you could imagine things going on in there without anyone in the house detecting it. We stored our sleds, wheelbarrow, shovels, plastic pool in it. I refused to keep my basketball in it because I hated going inside. This is why my right arm is so much stronger than my left arm (true story)--I had to shoot with a water-logged basketball for much of my youth. Not only was it dark and stale, there were so many varieties of hairy spiders living in there! From the moment I pulled the creaky door open, my stomach churned. I would hold my breath and run in with my arms in front of me cutting a path through the thick webs. If I was successful in getting the proper item through the darkness, it was a celebration for success. I would spend the next two minutes trying to brush all of the spider webs off my hair and neck while doing quick spins to avoid any spider on my back from creeping up to my head.

So--when people ask about the inspiration of our Mr Beams Ceiling Light, I take them back to the dark shed of my childhood. With the Mr Beams Ceiling Light, the shed would be light, bright and spider-free. The Mr Beams Ceiling Light would have turned on its bright LED the second that the motion sensor detected the door opening. It would have stayed on until I found what I needed and then turn off automatically (no fumbling through the spider webs for the light switch!). This battery operated ceiling mounted light would turn on if anything strange was going on, and if a really BIG spider was inside, it would immediately be detected by the motion sensor and a bright light might help drive it to another shed to terrorize some other kid. If you have a similar shed, attic, basement or crawl space (and every house has some creepy area), please save the terror and install the Mr Beams Ceiling Light. Just install batteries, mount it with two screws, and the bright LED light will chase away the unknown once it detect the not-so-scary you.

"David? It's Aunt Millie..."

2010-08-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

These types of entries are my favorite. Totally precipitated by a real event, in this case, a phone call from David's 90 year old Aunt Millie. After ninety years, Aunt Millie has had her share of life experiences and her glass is still half full. David maintains that she is still the best joke-teller around and, while she doesn't give a rip about LEDs or the technology that David and his partner, Mike, have worked so hard to incorporate in the Mr Beams products, she certainly appreciates the lights for their usefulness and the security they afford her; her sister, David's grandmother, was the inspiration for the Mr Beams lights after she fell going to the bathroom at night. I think the best way to capture Aunt Millie's spirit is simply to present her phone message verbatim.

"David, It's Aunt Millie from Florida (as opposed to Aunt Millie in...St Louis? Chicago?). Everything is fine (which we know already since she is able to use the phone). Listen, David, that great night light that you sent me last year. I love it. Every night when I get up to go to the bathroom and I love it. And then it turns off automatically just when I get back into bed. It's so terrific. I tell all of my friends about my nephew the inventor who has these lights that light up automatically. But something is wrong--it doesn't go on any more. Do I have to change the batteries? All of my friends ask me about it. It's terrific--but I want it to work again."

I love the Aunt Millies in the world. She called first thing in the morning--the early bird and all that. Clearly, she'd been thinking about her light and couldn't wait to catch David. We all need Aunt Millie to keep us inspired. To teach us hope, wisdom and humor. To teach us how to respect and care for one another and to remind us that we need to help those who need us. The happy ending is that Aunt Millie plopped a new set of batteries in her Stick Anywhere Night Light and she'll be able to navigate safely to the bathroom for another year's worth of night.

Mr Beams products last approximate 12-18 months on a new set of batteries under normal usage. The remote control options employed by one of the Spotlight products and the Path Lights contribute to slightly lower life ratings, due to the radio-frequency feature. Generally, you can expect a minimum of approximately 4,000 activations per product. All Mr Beams products are IP44 rated for indoor/outdoor use. To learn more, visit www.mrbeams.com.

Lighting Up Matisse, QC

2010-08-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

Matisse, QC is one of the most beautiful spots along the St Lawrence Seaway. Pristine beaches and cool breezes provide the perfect backdrop for a relaxing getaway. It's not easy to get to, though. Twenty hours north of the border on backroads with few convenience stops along the way. In fact, the nearest chain store is about forty miles away. Traveling to Matisse means bringing everything you need with you.

My friend, Leslie, just returned last weekend from her summer in Matisse where her husband's family has several properties. While she was still glowing from her trip, she mentioned that one dark spot of her trip was a literal dark spot. The family's home has a multi-level deck and stairway winding down to the beach. Matisse is very rustic, very rural, so there is no public access and certainly no lighting on the beaches. Consequently, Leslie would worry any time the kids (or anyone) wanted to take a walk to the beach in the evening. The beaches are rocky and the stairs are steep, so one misstep could be really dangerous. She asked if Mr Beams had a product that offered a "quiet" light that might be sufficient for deck and step lighting. Right away I brought out a motion sensing Step Light with the "low glow" feature.

The Step Lights can be mounted horizontally or vertically and provide a dim light when darkness falls. The low glow is perfect for identifying the steps and location of the lights. Once motion is detected, the light brightens providing perfect illumination for safe passage. Leslie worried about placing the lights outdoors where they will be exposed to cold weather and sea spray. Fortunately, the Step Lights, along with all Mr Beams products, are IP44 rated which means the products will tolerate outdoor conditions well.

Leslie has agreed to purchase four units to test on the steps and is also investing in some Anywhere Ceiling Lights for emergency lighting. The Mr Beams lights take up such little space that it will be easy to transport the items up to Matisse and well worth it to have them there. I can't wait to hear feedback once the lights are installed. I am always reluctant to recommend hairdressers, babysitters and books because everyone's different and not all of my "must-haves" are the same as my friends'. However, I have no qualms about suggesting Mr Beams lights to anyone--they're tried, true and absolutely worthwhile products.

For more information on Mr Beams, including how to buy, please visit www.mrbeams.com.

Wireless Shower Lights Will Brighten Up Your Shower

2010-08-09T07:16:00.002-04:00

Dark showers make me feel vulnerable. When we bought our house ten years ago, one of my first tasks was lighting up a dark shower upstairs that had no light. I trace it back to my house growing up, where spiders loved to hide. I also credit the Alfred Hitchcock move, Psycho. Although I conquered the darkness of my shower by hiring an electrician for $350 to install a light, it seems whenever I travel, there is always that dark shower that brings me back to the time when I was using a small shower without a light. Sometimes it's in the beach house that we rent for a week's vacation. It can also be when we stay on the third floor of my brother's old house in New Jersey with the shower that used to be part of the attic.

My childhood fears come back to me whenever I step into a dark shower. I first worry about someone being inside the shower already. Then I worry about spiders. Without proper lighting in the shower, I shower fast with my eyes open and regularly throw elbows around in case someone is trying to get me.

When we designed the Mr Beams Ceiling Light, one requirement was that it needed to be able to light up a shower. There is no product on the market that can light up a shower without celling an electrician. Our engineering team rose to the challenge to make the Mr Beams Ceiling Light weather resistant and able to pass the IP44 test. What is IP44? It takes a product and blasts it with water for a long period of time. If no water is inside, it passes IP44. Mr Beams' battery-powered Ceiling Light--and all other Mr Beams LED lights--have passed IP44 and are water resistant for indoor and outdoor use.

So if you have dark shower phobia like me, please take a look at our Ceiling Light. It mounts easily to a shower ceiling in minutes. It will go on as soon as you step into the shower because of its motion sensor, and turn off automatically after you leave the shower. It will brightly light up the shower and keep away the spiders and psychos.

Bright Wireless Shower Lights--The Best Way to Light A Dark Shower?

2010-08-09T06:53:00.003-04:00

We had many inquiries for a bright solution for dark showers - shower lights - this weekend. It's funny because we see uses for our products come in waves. Sometimes there are a rash of inquiries for garage lights, sometimes it's closet lights. In the summer, we have more requests for products that will be used outdoors, and the opposite is true for winter.

When your bathroom's plenty bright, you don't think about extra lighting in the shower. However, buy a house with a bathroom that has a vanity light, add a shower curtain, and take a shower in the early morning or night and you'll see that you can't see! The shower is too dark. The solution has generally been confined to hardwired options--call an electrician for the wiring and installation and a contractor to tear up your tile or drywall and ceiling and redo once the electrician has been finished. That's great but not practical unless you've budgeted for a new bathroom. That is the kind of home improvement that you think you can accomplish "in a weekend for a couple of hundred dollars". There is a better solution to light a dark shower: the Anywhere Ceiling Lights are perfect for this application. You can mount the Mr. Beams wireless LED light on the ceiling or the wall and the motion sensor technology will activate the lights when it's dark and you're in the shower.

The LED lights are plenty bright--at 80 lumens, you'll get enough light to distinguish between the Irish Spring and the Caress (Irish Spring is "the scent that she loves" but not on her and, guys, you probably are not after the "silky fragrance infusion" touted by Caress. Or maybe you are. Who knows...)and the IP44 rating supports all splash-proof applications, like showers, rain, snow, etc so the Mr. Beams LED Ceiling lights are definitely shower-worthy.

The Anywhere Ceiling Light is not limited to uses in the bathroom, of course, it can be used, well, anywhere. Mr Beams offers affordable lighting options where you need light but may not want to spend a fortune to get it. You don't need an electrician, just a dark shower or other area where it'd be nice to have some reliable lighting. Think about lighting dark sheds, dark closets, dark porches and dark attics. All dark areas can have bright LED light without wires by installing the Mr. Beams wireless LED Ceiling Light.

Visit www.mrbeams.com for more information on products, how to buy and learn more about LED technology.

Homeowners' Associations Need Lighting Solutions!

2010-08-05T08:07:00.000-04:00

We are always looking to share customer success stories. As great as we think the Mr Beams products are, nothing sells better than word-of-mouth. Think about it: you can be on the fence about purchasing an item and all it takes is a friend's "you've gotta have it" or "don't do it" to sway you in either direction. Therefore, we try to publish posts and reviews that are useful and will provide you with enough feedback to persuade you to give battery operated lighting a chance.

Many conversations and e-mails were exchanged between Wireless Environment and Jim in New Hampshire to help him determine that wireless lighting was the right solution for him. The problem: Jim is a property manager who was looking for an affordable way to illuminate common areas in his condominium development. The challenge was that the existing electrical network was not enough to support the desired lighting configuration. Combined with budgetary constraints, Jim and his team were scratching their heads for a solution when Jim found Mr Beams online and called to see if it was practical to entertain battery operated lighting for his requirement. After getting the 411 on the wireless LED Spotlights, Jim presented Mr Beams to his board who gave the green light to test and subsequently purchase 120 Security Spotlights for use on the property. Jim took the time time to report to Wireless Environment:

"The spotlights have been installed in all four of our condo buildings. Shortly after the lights were installed, a thunder storm caused a electrical power outage and the spotlights operated exactly as intended providing light illumination in the "blacked-out" high traffic areas in which they were installed. Feedback from the condo owners has been very positive...we are very satisfied with the spotlights and their performance...we appreciate all the assistance you provided and your more than prompt response to all of our inquiries."

From one customer to a prospective customer--isn't that a great testimony?

Mr Beams will go the extra mile to sell you their products. Moreover, they will go the extra mile to support you after you've purchased your units. Ask Jim.

You can always learn more about Mr Beams on their website: www.mrbeams.com. The LED battery operated lights are extremely effective and reliable--from a simple closet light to preempting bear attacks (see previous post), you'll be amazed at the uses you'll find for these products.

Lights Can Deter Bears

2010-08-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

With bear attacks in the media, we thought it would be appropriate to acknowledge several preventive measures to keep you and your family safe while enjoying a camping experience.

Experts agree that keeping cooking to a minimum is a must--like most animals, including humans, bears respond to odors--if they're hungry or curious and they smell food, they are going to investigate. Keep your food in a bag or sling and hang it over a tree branch, away from your campsite. Additionally, bears are curious about smells issued from cosmetics, toothpaste, candles.

Make sure you have pepper spray to use in an emergency. Though that would mean an attack is in progress, it is better to have a can at the ready--even if it only buys you a few minutes; those few minutes can mean the difference between making it to a safe location and, well, not.

Bring light. Plug a couple of Mr Beams battery operated Spotlights into the ground near (but away) from your campsite. The LED lights activate using a motion detection technology. If a bear wanders onto your turf and the light is activated by its motion, there is a good probability that the action of the light will effectively startle the bear away.

Finally, use your head and do your homework. Does your destination have a history of bear attacks? What is the bear population in the area? What is the season? It's madness to expose your family to any prospective dangers, let alone one that exposes them to a situation where there are no physical barriers to protect them.

Bottom line--enjoy the great outdoors responsibly. Minimize exposing food on your site. Leave theYankee Candles at home. Have pepper spray on hand. And for heaven's sake, preempt any "bear temptations" by installing some Spotlights on your site. Have fun!

More on Mr Beams lighting options and ideas at the Idea Center on www.mrbeams.com.

Wireless Garage Lights

2010-08-03T06:04:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was on the Handyman Club of America forum trying to find out if there's a better way to get our patio screens to slide open/shut easily. (WD40 just wasn't working well.) That is a great site and a great club--members take the club seriously and offer valuable information to other users on their forum. Once I was finished with my information gathering, I spent some time poking around the forum to see if there were any unique opportunities for the Mr Beams lights. Sure enough, I uncovered a question from a fellow who was looking for supplemental garage lighting.

Judging from the thread, there's a real need for hands-free lighting in the garage--think about how many times you run out to grab a tool, a soda from the outdoor fridge, the Gorilla glue. For my family, it's a lot. Every time we go out in the dark, we have to turn on the laundry room light and then the garage light. With Mr Beams lights, you can walk through the laundry room--light goes on--go out in the garage--light goes on--grab your soda (or whatever), head back via the same path and lights are still on. No light switch, hands free to carry that ladder, paint, groceries. Yes, I've implemented the lighting system and it's wonderful. We have a Stick Anywhere Night Light in the laundry room and an Anywhere Ceiling Light in the garage. Here's the thing--since I employed lights to demonstrate effectiveness for the purpose of this blog, I did not permanently attach the products. Just another reason that Wireless Environment products are so useful. If I need to move the lights, I can simply pick them up and put them--anywhere!

Take it a step further--the gentleman on the Member Forum had to go through the same process, although the other side of his complaint was that he and his wife depended primarily on the light from the garage door opener. Seems they did not have any other light source in the garage and hard-wiring for additional light was a project they were unwilling to undertake. I did suggest the Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light and received several replies echoing the the value of a wireless lighting solution that is affordable, available, and effective.

Mr Beams LED lights are battery operated--a new set of batteries will provide you with life up to a year and sometimes more, depending on usage. All products are IP44 rated, so they are just as comfortable outdoors as indoors. The quality of the construction of the product always surprises people--these lights are not tap lights with cheap LEDs--you can realize 80 lumens on the Anywhere Ceiling Light; that's really bright.

There are so many uses for Mr Beams. I love sharing ideas and stories about where these products are used and how they can improve the quality of our lives. It's so simple and inexpensive! Once you try them, I feel sure that you'll be hooked.

Back-to-School Lighting

2010-08-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

We'd dedicated a few entries a couple of weeks ago to back-to-school. How can we forget the increasing pressures of shopping for just the right items at just the right prices? The Sunday papers are swelling with flyers advertising "must haves" in order to ensure your child's success at school. So--we're going to fill their bags and boxes with stuff that the kids absolutely need to have a happy and healthy education. Beyond the requisite pencils and papers to help students achieve a perfect balance between the three "Rs", what do they need? Light!!!! Lots and lots of light.

For the junior high and high school students, locker lighting has become a popular item. Mr Beams offers the Stick Anywhere Lights which can be mounted with an adhesive (included with the product) to the inside of a locker door or on the ceiling of the locker, or you can simply place the light on a shelf in the locker. When the motion sensor detects motion, the light turns on, allowing students to find books, notebooks, pens....particularly useful mid-year when textbooks might be nesting among gym clothes, sneakers, coats and gloves.

College students need more than locker lights. They need lights that subscribe to dorm etiquette--lights that come on only when needed and shut off automatically, offering an alternative to the horrid overhead lighting that can offend sleeping roommates. The Anywhere Ceiling Light is the perfect resolution to that problem.

The expression, "go back to our roots", is so defining. Our society is so focused on "stuff" and acquiring "more stuff", that we sometimes forget what's really important. Besides lights, pencils and paper what else can we provide our kids to keep them motivated?

Mr Beams Spotlight: Quick And Easy

2010-08-02T06:10:00.000-04:00

Here's what you get when you're a hands-on business owner like David Levine: "Answering the phone is a part of our business. Every time the phone rings, someone needs something from us. It's our job to satisfy that requirement as quickly as possible." David was rewarded with a pleasant surprise on Friday when he retrieved a voice mail from the Wireless Environment mailbox; a testimonial from a customer in North Carolina was over the moon about the Mr Beams Security Spotlight.

Jim lives near the Smoky Mountains in the remote town of Clyde on a large piece of property where security would be a big plus, but because of the size of the property and its location, hard wiring a security system would be extremely expensive. Adding a few Mr Beams Spotlights, however, is not only affordable, but convenient. The lights install anywhere and require no additional hardware, no wires and may be configured in no particular order. You can have the comfort and convenience of lights with the hassles or costs of professional installation. Choose a tree and drive one screw through the base. That's it. The LED Spotlight has two pivot points for flexibility in positioning. The Lights cover a spectrum of up to 60' away, more than 400' square. The motion sensor technology detects movement from over 30' away, triggering the lights. Anytime a car, person or animal enters the path of the sensor, wherever it may be located on your property, you will be alerted to the activity. The lights are weatherproof, and have sustained the winters in Alaska and the summers in Nevada--quite a testimony for those of us who have experienced either or both extremes.

Read Jim's review in full on www.mrbeams.com, and tell your electrician, "no thanks!".

You Light Up My...Storage Space?

2010-07-28T14:27:00.000-04:00

Moving is a curse. Even when there is a positive outcome, packing, moving and storing our belongings is a headache. To add insult to injury, many of us need to store our valuables in storage units for months at a time. Moving in and out of the storage unit is, in and of itself, a pain--but try to find something among the boxes and stacks of boxes in a dark storage unit; talk about a needle in a haystack. Luckily, Mr Beams offers products that can minimize the hassles of navigating through your storage unit.

Most storage units are configured in a cube or rectangle--there is generally no lighting or limited lighting inside the space. Consequently, organizing your belongings in the dark can be challenging. Mr Beams offers a reasonable and portable lighting solution that can help you to maximize your efficiency inside the storage zone. Wireless LED lights from Mr Beams are battery operated. You can mount an Anywhere Ceiling Light using an adhesive or don't mount at all--if you're really looking for easy and temporary, you can simply set the light on a box, table--any surface--or lean against a wall. You'll get the same bright effect that will allow you to look for that file, book, kitchen gadget or box of "something". The motion sensors mean that you will only activate the lights when you need them--as long as you're presence is detected, the lights stay on. When you close up and go home, the lights go off and stay off until the lights detect movement again. On a new set of batteries, you can expect a minimum of twelve months' use of your light, or 4800 activations. Talk about a low-maintenance solution!

You don't really appreciate the convenience of light until you don't have it. Don't be caught in the dark while you're trying to be productive. Your time is valuable--don't waste it in a storage space! Grab some portable, battery operated Mr Beams lights the next time you head to your storage unit. You'll be glad you did.

Cheap Security System!

2010-07-28T14:14:00.000-04:00

We chose to live in our sleepy suburb of Cleveland because the homes are spread out a bit and nobody bothers you. So Wireless Environment owner, David Levine, was shocked when his neighbor, Julian, told him that someone had kicked his back door in on Saturday. Luckily, his alarm system deployed and the intruder fled.

Julian had been a tester of the Motion Sensor Security Spotlight. This bright, battery operated security light has a motion sensor that activates when it detects motion. Julian placed a Mr Beams test unit on the front of his house in December, 2007, where he and his dog walk every night rather than hire an electrician to hard-wire a light. The Spotlight is on the original set of batteries and still turns on every time it detects motion--from as far as 30' away! David trained his dog, Darby (a previous target of this blog), to trigger the light every time David or a family member and Darby walk by--thirty-two months later, the Spotlight is still going strong; it activates every time Darby walks by.

Julian's first question to David after the intruder incident was, "how do I get more of your LED Spotlights?" Often, we don't think of home security lighting until after the fact. Since Saturday, six orders for Mr Beams motion-sensor lights were placed by Julian and his neighbors.

As our customer, Robert, stated: "crooks hate light." It is expensive to install a wired light. For $40, you can install a Mr Beams Spotlight and brighten any dark areas of your yard. For the security and safety provided by Mr Beams, it pays to be proactive and install a few battery operated motion sensor lights that may startle any would-be intruders away.

Jeff The Intern

2010-07-28T13:16:00.000-04:00

This summer, we've been blessed with a college intern. Jeff has been our "go to" for all necessary tasks that take us away from our daily activities. If you called or e-mailed Wireless Environment between June 1 and now, chances are Jeff was involved in your inquiry.

Mr Beams began providing its LED motion sensing lights to the public in 2008. For two years we have been enjoying the process of getting acquainted with different industries and markets, trying to determine exactly what our customers want. In addition to a quality light that helps to brighten all of the different places where light is not available, we have learned that customer service is the most important facet of our business. Our summer intern, Jeff, is a testimony to good service. Testing every sample that goes out, owning the shipping process, visiting the post office (sometimes multiple times a day!) and responding to customer needs quickly are just some of the ways that Jeff has helped our business this summer.

Jeff has enthusiastically sold product out of his car (that's right, he peddled an Anywhere Ceiling Light to his grandfather), delivered samples to a local handyman and actively followed up on his sales efforts, not necessarily to close the deal, but to find out exactly what people like about our products and what we could be doing better--because that's what is important to Jeff.

As an avid "Simpsons" fan, Jeff could be heard chuckling over Homer Simpson tumbling down the basement stairs and commenting, "if he had a Mr Beams light, he wouldn't have fallen." I know that, when Jeff heads back to school I will be reminded of him when I employ our Test Customer, whose address is the same as the Simpson family's.

Jeff's smile is as bright as our Spotlight and we know that his sense of humor and clever wit will spread joy across the campus of the University of Toledo in just a few weeks. You can listen for Jeff's guest spots on WXUT radio in Toledo, OH. Our office will be a bit quieter when he's gone but his inventory and pretzels will be a reminder that Jeff will be back for winter break. Best of luck, Jeffrey. We'll miss you!

Safe Stairways R Us

2010-07-27T07:41:00.000-04:00

Every day I become more cognizant of the importance of good lighting. I'm an early riser and prefer to get out the door before the rest of my family awakens. However, our three year old has inherited my circadian rhythm and now wakes with me which can prolong my exodus. We've got a pretty good system down where my son will hang out with me while I get ready for work and then I'll get him situated with his breakfast and some cartoons until I am ready to leave and my husband takes over. One complaint that has been issued (again and again!) by other family members is that when my early bird and I head downstairs, we turn on the hall light or the foyer light. The light is necessary because we have a landing on the staircase and if you "miss the turn", you'll be headlong down ten steps. While I can make the trip fairly confidently, I worry that the three year old, whose walking and balance skills are as reliable as a three year old's can be, will misstep in the dark (since it is still dark when we're beginning our day) and take a tumble. I began to rely on the Mr Beams Step Light to provide enough light to get us down the stairs but not enough to disturb the rest of the lucky sleepers in our home.

The Step Light is a great choice for our landing because, when it's dark, it provides a dim glow--just enough to provide orientation at the landing so you can sense both sides of the stairway. As you make your way down the stairs (or up--depending on your direction), the light shifts to 'bright' mode. The improved illumination provides safe passage for the balance of your ascent or descent. Perfect. Our little guys can see the stairway, the staircase, the landing and can actually see when they get to the bottom of the steps.

Stairs and children scare me--you cannot trust that an adventurous toddler or fearless kindergartner is going to take the time to turn a light on or off--typical kids (at least mine) are going to banzai down the stairs--dark or not--and don't consider the consequences of unsteady footing or poor lighting. If you can prevent an accident by installing at least one Step Light--it takes minutes and the product is absolutely affordable--why wouldn't you?

I have become accustomed to my little partner in the morning. As crazy as it can be, I enjoy his company before I head off to work. Adding the motion-sensing Step Light has eliminated one more worry from my list. Even as I don't think about it, I can appreciate every measure that we take to improve the quality of our lives frees up time to enjoy what is important.

More on Mr Beams and its parent company, Wireless Environment, at www.mrbeams.com.

"Crooks Hate Light!"

2010-07-26T15:42:00.000-04:00

I was talking to a customer today who was so excited about our Security Spotlight. He couldn't believe that a wireless product existed with such flexible mounting conditions. Robert's frustration is that security lighting is a luxury that few people can afford but that everyone deserves. He's right. You can mount the Spotlight on the front of your garage, outside of a man-door, at your mailbox--anywhere that additional lighting makes you feel safer. Timed lights and traditional motion-sensor lights depend on electricity to operate--if there's a power outage or if the timer feature is out of sync with your light (which happens a lot at our house), the lights are ineffective.

Desperate times mean desperate measures. With additional property lighting, you can minimize the threat of intruders and deter any would-be trespassers. As Robert said, "CROOKS HATE LIGHT." Let Mr Beams help you protect your home and your family affordably because no one should be deprived of home security.

Good Bright Lights by Molly Bloom

2010-07-22T07:02:00.001-04:00

Wireless Environment offers great products with their Mr Beams LED lights which are bright and effective and offer a lighting solution for people who don't want to or cannot run wires themselves or call an electrician to install lighting where they need it and where it may not be possible due to space, budgetary or time constraints, such as senior citizens looking for additional lighting in their home as a safety measure (think about going down the stairs in the dark), or students needing supplemental lighting for their dorms (think about a night owl itching to read or write but hesitant about generating light pollution around sleeping roommates) without the expenses or aggravation associated with lights that require wires, cords and plugs which are not always available in older homes, rental properties and institutions such as dormitories, assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

Whew--Joyce can keep his prize for "stream of consciousness"....

Buy Mr Beams lights--they're practical, affordable, and readily available. For more uses and how to buy online, visit www.mrbeams.com.

Emergency & First Aid Kits: More Than Just Band-Aids

2010-07-21T10:24:00.001-04:00

When you think of an emergency or first aid kit, what comes to mind? Band-Aids and gauze? Saltines and bottled water? A flashlight's a given, but why not add a lighting source that would provide illumination only when needed and hands-free? That's what you'll get when you add a Mr Beams Anywhere Ceiling Light to your safety checklist.

First Aid kits ought to be stashed around your house, garage and workshop. Don't forget your car. You never know when an emergency will creep up. You should include the obvious, like aspirin, first aid ointment, bandages, and a flashlight, but items such as tweezers, scissors, batteries, a blanket and a Mr Beams light can be essential, particularly if you are going to be without immediate assistance for any period of time. The motion-sensor technology in Mr Beams lights means that you can conserve battery power by only using the light when you need it--as long as the fixtures detect motion, they will stay illuminated. However, when you're not using the lights, they will shut off automatically, preserving valuable battery life.

Mr Beams lights are small, so you can stick them easily in any first aid or emergency kit. You can also slide one in the glove compartment or console of your car, but make sure you don't install the batteries first or the lights could activate if it's dark enough in there and they sense any movement while you're driving. These products are indispensable and provide security and comfort in dark situations.

Protect yourself and your family by investing a small amount of time and money in an emergency kit that will provide you with a few items of convenience and safety. As Uncle Ben said, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Closets, Dorm Rooms and Lights...Oh, My!

2010-07-20T07:32:00.000-04:00

"Back to School" sales start earlier and earlier each year, it seems. Walking through a department store the other day, I saw all of the requisite college supplies on display and then some. When I was in college, a dorm room was basically four walls (painted concrete block), tile floor, bare bulb in the ceiling. Now, there are bright storage cubes that double as seating, funky portable shelving, storage drawers, and really cute lighting options: multi-colored desk lamps, floor lamps, and table lamps. One must-have light for all students is at least one battery operated light from Mr Beams.

Wireless Environment offers a line of LED battery operated lights which are perfect for dorms. The Anywhere Ceiling Light can be mounted or placed in closets, on desks or shelves to provide supplemental lighting without the hassle of wires or plugs. Students like the hands-free feature of motion detection, which means that you can look through your closet, drawers, cubby without having to hold a flashlight or flip on a light.

One concern I had as a student at Ohio University in Athens, OH was the frequent power outages we experienced. Limited back up power meant dark (really dark) nights in our room. Studying meant a trip to the library, which was a hike through a dark or dimly lit campus. Supplemental lighting from Mr Beams would have allowed us to stay safely in our rooms to read, make flashcards, study with roommates.

Part of the campus life experience is social adjustment. Learning to live with roommates requires discipline and the art of compromise. No one appreciates light pollution--with a Stick Anywhere Night Light, students can make their way to the bathroom safely, change clothes, grab keys without disrupting sleeping roommates.

Preparing to leave for school can be an emotional roller coaster for kids and parents. We want to anticipate every need to ensure a successful school year. Be sure to carefully create your checklist so that you or your students is comfortable and confident at his or her "home away from home". Pack some Mr Beams lights for sure, and don't forget the cookies and ramen noodles.

Mr Beams: Great Lights for Dorm Rooms

2010-07-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

Wireless Environment co-founder, David Levine, went to his college reunion in May and realized that everything on campus had changed! One thing that had not changed: not enough light in any dorm room. Most dorm rooms, especially the older ones, don't have central ceiling lights, making the students responsible for any plug-in or supplemental lighting.

On a college kid's budget (or his parents'!), Mr Beams products are the perfect lighting solution. The battery operated LED light fixtures run on standard alkaline batteries and offer bright light without wires. The motion sensor technology means that the lights are only active when they detect motion--perfect to prevent stumbling around in the dark when you don't want to wake your roommates. When there's no motion present, the lights are simply 'off'.

The Anywhere Ceiling Light is a great all purpose light that can be mounted in closets, cupboards, bathrooms, alcoves--anywhere a student might need some supplemental (and affordable!) lighting. The portability of Mr Beams means that, at the end of the year, the lights get packed up and stored. Totally reusable. Put Mr Beams on your student's Supplies List.

Mr Beams Says "Thank You" To Bill From Middletown, NJ!

2010-07-19T11:42:00.001-04:00

It's human nature to report what's wrong with things--we criticize the government, our management team, our family members--sadly, we don't make the time to catch people doing things right. A great big "thank you" from us to Bill in Middletown, NJ who actually took the time to phone us simply to tell us how much he likes the Mr Beams lights.

Bill bought a pack of the Stick Anywhere Night Lights to install along his stairway. As he and his wife get older, they are taking care with ensuring that their home and property are equipped with products that can help them live safely with potential physical constraints associated with aging. The battery operated Night Lights affix anywhere quickly and easily with either simple adhesive or hardware--both options are included with the product. As soon as the lights sense motion, they turn on--providing safe passage up and down the stairs.

The next project on Bill's list is to brighten his closet. Previous entries in this blog attest to the fact that many closets are not equipped with a light source. If you stop to think about the number of residences over fifty years old--including homes, dorms, institutions--there may be as many as 240 million closets without light in the U.S. alone! Many older houses never had closet light and the prospect of rewiring to accommodate that requirement can be costly. Additionally, building codes prohibit installing incandescent lights in smaller spaces (such as closets) because of the heat they generate. This leaves low-level fluorescent light as the only option. However, an Anywhere Ceiling Light, equipped with a bright LED, can satisfy the need for supplemental lighting very efficiently and the result is surprisingly effective. The Ceiling Light is perfect for Bill and his wife. At around $30, they will be able to comfortably navigate through their closet.

Bill, if you're reading this, we want you to know that you are the person our business is built around. Helping people to help themselves is our goal. Our thanks to you for taking the time to let us know we're doing our jobs.

Mr Beams has all sorts of ways to help you solve your lighting problems. Visit the Idea Center for more details.

Going Green

2010-07-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

Reduce, reuse, recycle. There's even a song about it by Jack Johnson that kids sing enthusiastically. But what does it mean? We all know that the green and blue trash bins in the park, mall, and school are where you put your cans and bottles. The rest of our garbage goes in the "other ones". We've retrained ourselves to conserve water when brushing our teeth and not to worry so much about the lawn--after all, that's just cultivating vanity, right? Don't forget to turn off the lights when we don't need them. Or better yet, install off grid lighting which will work only when you need it. Here's how:

Pick up some wireless Mr Beams lights. There are six models from which to choose. They vary in style, brightness and color, but essentially, all of the lights work on the same principle--when it's dark and the lights detect motion, they activate. As long as there's motion, the lights remain on. After a period of time (you can adjust the amount of time a light stays on), the light shuts off. Think about the practicality of this lighting solution: at your front door, over your garage, near your shed, in your basement stairs--anywhere you might have to manually flip a switch for light, you can place a Mr Beams fixture which will give you the benefit of light without taxing your meter.

No plugs, wires, cords make it easy and affordable to install. Additional benefits are measures of security and safety--if you've never had a motion detection lighting system on your property, you'll quickly appreciate the peace of mind when you pull into your driveway and the lights go on and stay on until you and your family are safely indoors.

"Off-grid" doesn't just mean solar panels and wind turbines. Battery operated lights may not be as big or fancy, but they're certainly accessible and give everyone the opportunity to participate in sustainability. Batteries can be recycled, LED lights last a lifetime--as we get smarter about green choices, they'll be more adaptable for everyone.

Click here to learn more about green lighting and visit www.mrbeams.com to check out the Mr Beams lights.

Your Turn...

2010-07-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

Where Do You Need Light?

Mr Beams products promote independent living by providing hands-free lighting

Easy installation allows you to quickly and efficiently illuminate any space, inside our outside

Provide safety to loved ones by installing Mr Beams battery operated LED lights on walkways, paths, driveways, stairways

Softly illuminate light-sensitive areas, such as nurseries and dorm rooms

Safely provide a lighted area on docks and boat decks

Deter nocturnal animals from damaging your property by installing low maintenance battery operated LED lights in your yard

Create ambience by installing Mr Beams indoor/outdoor LED lights in your outdoor living space

Maximize your storage by installing Mr Beams lighting in closets, pantries and attics

...More on Wireless Deck Lights

2010-07-14T11:15:00.000-04:00

Can you outfit your deck or patio with ambient lighting for under $200 and in less than an hour? YES! With Wireless Environment's Step Lights and Path Lights, you can add up to eight LED wireless lights to enhance your outdoor living space. If you've been following this blog, you'll already know that the Mr Beams products are a better value than solar lights and much more affordable than traditional lights which often require professional installation.

The Step Lights can be mounted directly to any surface and are literally maintenance-free. Once you install the batteries, the product is ready to go. With the optional "glow" feature, you can achieve continuous ambient lighting which brightens with motion detection, or if you prefer, you can disable the "glow" feature to allow the motion detection technology to function alone. The Path Lights provide you with all of the features of the Step Light with the added convenience of a remote control function, allowing you to manipulate the lights at will, once darkness falls. Additionally, the Path Lights' kit includes two lights with mounting brackets and stakes so that no hardware is required; stakes simply plug into the ground.

It's easy and affordable to beautify your landscaping with LED lighting. Contact sales@mrbeams.com for more information.

Dock & Deck Light

2010-07-14T07:34:00.000-04:00

As Napolean said, "a picture's worth a thousand words." Yesterday, we were blogging about a customer's successful application using Mr Beams products on his boat. What makes the most sense is to showour readers how the product works. Check out the image. By mounting a Step Light to your dock (our customer, John, actually mounted them flat) or deck, you can achieve an effective lighting solution. These particular lights provide what Wireless Environment calls a "low glow", which means that, as soon as it gets dark, the products emit a soft light. However, as soon as motion is detected (from as far away as 15'), the brightness intensifies. Here's what you might not know about Mr Beams:

*All lights are weatherproof, and backed by an IP44 rating. This means that you can use the products outdoors with the assurance that they will work just fine.

*The construction of the Mr Beams products is superior to other battery operated lighting solutions. The optics are proprietary design and, in conjunction with the high quality LED bulb that is used, provide cleaner and brighter light than any comparable product.

*All lights install in minutes! You can use either the hardware/adhesive that comes with each and every product or you can mount using your own hardware. Lights can be mounted anywhere--for a temporary or permanent effect--giving you flexibility in your lighting options.

*The lights were designed to promote safety and security for independent living for seniors. The co-founders grandmother, who fell while walking in the dark, was the inspiration to the product line.

*There is a remote control option on two of the products which allows you to manually activate or deactivate the light source.

Check out the full line of Mr Beams products on www.mrbeams.com where you'll also find additional photos and product specs.

Boat & Dock Lighting Made Easy & Affordable

2010-07-13T06:47:00.001-04:00

If you've ever been on a pleasure boat you can appreciate the tight quarters. Cozy is a euphemism! Every inch of space is engineered for effectiveness. You have odd-shaped cupboards and drawers and nooks and crannies everywhere so there is no wasted space. The boat manufacturers have carefully orchestrated the plumbing and wiring because, once the walls and ceilings are intact, modifications are impossible or at least extremely difficult. If you have been following this blog, you know by now that Wireless Environment listens to its customers! We want to share application success stories so that our audience can find reasonable and affordable lighting solutions. Mr Beams lights are the perfect resolution to lighting challenges on your boat, dock and in your marina.

One of our customers, John, was complaining about the lack of light in the bow of his boat. He had an electrician survey the area to see if it was possible to wire for supplemental lighting and a sound system. The electrician reiterated that the lack of real estate on a boat generally prevents any after-market wiring enhancements. At the customers insistence, the electrician cobbled some wires together and tried his best to camouflage his handiwork, but there was no where to hide the wiring! Consequently, the customer abandoned his project until he found Mr Beams LED lights. With some adhesive, John was able to mount an Anywhere Ceiling Light in the bow of his boat and is extremely satisfied with the results. In addition to a neat installation, he finds that he appreciates the motion sensor lights better than a traditional lighting product. In the dark, as soon as someone enters the bow, the lights activate, providing our customer, his wife or any guests with enough light to make their way to bed, grab a jacket, change clothes--whatever task they are trying to accomplish--safely and easily.

With the success of the Anywhere Ceiling Light, John returned to us (we love that!) to see if we could provide him with light on his dock. He'd finagled lighting using rope lights and a tangle of extension cords. The effects of the rope lights were OK, but the hassle of the cords were unsafe and unsightly. We offered the Step Light, which mounts easily to any surface. The lights are IP44 rated, which means they are able to withstand splashproof environments, including rain. Perfect! John mounted four along his dock. The lights glow at darkness and brighten when they detect motion. The cords are gone and John has been our best advertisement at his marina. (Thank you, John!)

These are the stories that keep us inspired and help us to understand what you want. Customer feedback is one of the most valuable resources we've got--it's free!--and we find that, by reaching out to follow up how our customers are doing, they are more than happy to share their comments with us. We are grateful for our customers and committed to never being too big to care about them.

You can share your stories about Mr Beams at www.mrbeams.com where you can also find lighting tips and learn about lighting technology.

Mr Beams Wants To Help You

2010-07-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Every day our customers tell us where they need light. We are learning about new applications that have folks scratching their heads or feeling discouraged because of the costs associated with hiring an electrician to shed some light in a particular area. We work hard to help you satisfy your lighting challenges. However, as the "little guy", we don't have the brand recognition to propel us through the variety of markets and channels that ultimately lead to you, the person we're trying to reach to help you resolve your lighting problem.

We are working diligently to manage our resources to be sure that your requirements are met. Keep your stories, comments, suggestions coming. We are here to serve you and take your feedback very seriously--it's what drives our business.

Thank you for your continued support. Visit our website, www.mrbeams.com, and shop for our products! We appreciate you.

Get Rid of Skunks Safely

2010-07-12T09:59:00.000-04:00

We love hearing your stories! Last week we met with a customer who was really excited to share a unique lighting application with us. One summer night, Tom heard a ruckus on his front porch. When he went to investigate, he found a family of skunks--at least thirteen of them--carousing near his front door. After some flailing and shooing (on Tom's part), the crowd finally dispersed, in no apparent hurry. Tom followed the critters from a safe distance to see them finally squeeze under his back deck.

Googling for advice, Tom found the consensus to safely and quietly discourage the furry squatters is to position a light on their front door. Tom's "a ha!" moment was remembering that Mr Beams offers motion detection lighting. Carefully, Tom angled a couple of Spotlights on the hole under his deck. Whenever one of the skunks passed in front of the fixture, 120 lumens of light sprang into action. Within a couple of days, Tom's property was skunk-free.

Congratulations, Tom, for your quick-thinking, rodent-ridding solution. We loved it.

How can Mr Beams help you? Visit www.mrbeams.com to learn more from our Idea Center.

Mr Beams: Handy & Hands-Free

2010-07-07T11:49:00.000-04:00

Everyone can relate to this scenario: get home from the store/work/school, hands full, fumbling for keys, lights, doorknobs. Make it dark and you are really scrambling. Wireless Environment can't help you with your packages, but they can help to provide you with reliable, hands-free lighting that will at least provide you with some illumination as you manage your way through the door.

Mr Beams lights offer flexible lighting options where you need them. No wiring is required, so you can simply position the motion-sensitive lights in your path of progress, whether it's a Spotlight outside of an entryway, Path Lights along the walkway or Stick Anywhere Night Lights stuck (literally) next to your door. The convenience of having hands-free lighting allows you to balance packages, locate your keys or punch in your keyless entry or security code without the hassle of locating a light switch. As a practical light source Mr Beams is a smart choice. The security associated with motion-detection lighting will give you one less worry as you head home.

Learn more about Mr Beams at www.mrbeams.com. Share your stories with other users!

Guest Blogger, Victoria, from Huntington Beach, CA, on Path Lights

2010-07-06T08:52:00.000-04:00

My mom is a sixty-something widow whose recent move to a condo has given her new-found freedom to really enjoy her life. My siblings and I were worrying about her maintaining a house after my stepdad passed away when she decided that a condominium would be an appropriate living space for her. She is now able to focus on what she loves--her grandchildren, gardening and travel.

Since the major upkeep at her condo is performed by the association, she enjoys concentrating on the aesthetics of her home and landscape. A few weeks ago, she was shopping for lights that could be mounted on her front steps and along her path where lighting is a little lackluster. After complaining that there is "nothing on the market" to satisfy her requirement, we found Mr Beams lights. We mounted a Step Light on the railing of her front porch and some Path Lights along her brick walkway. The results are both aesthetically pleasing and effective--she now has walkway lighting for security and safety and the glow that the lights emit when it's dark and there's no motion looks great against the landscape.

We want to see more people take advantage of these user friendly lights. My mom felt great that this was a project that she could do herself. Please--check out Mr Beams' website: www.mrbeams.com to learn how you can improve your own living space or that of someone you love. Thanks for letting me share my story!--Victoria, Huntington Beach, CA

At the Ready for Summer Storms with Mr Beams

2010-06-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

Volatile summer storms can hit at a moment's notice and last just as long. However, they can leave behind considerable amounts of damage, from downed trees and power lines to flash flooding. Most of us know where to find a cache of candles, matches and flashlights, but when it's dark, it can be challenging and even dangerous to fumble around for emergency lighting. Mr Beams provides the perfect solution with battery operated lights.

When the power flickers and fails, it's often precipitated by turbulent weather. However, instinctively, most of us head for the fusebox. A lot of fuseboxes are located in the basement, where it's dark. Here's a tip: add an Anywhere Ceiling Light to a stairway wall or ceiling as well as over your fusebox. When the motion detectors in the lights sense your presence, the lights kick on, providing you with safe lighting to make your way up or down the stairs and allow you to check out your fusebox hands free.

Place some wireless lights strategically around your home--on your front porch, over your doorway, near steps, over your sink. When a power outage occurs, you'll be assured that there will be some lighting conditions to provide measures of safety and comfort to your family.

Mr Beams products require no wiring--anyone can install them without professional assistance. Mounting hardware is included with each bracket and no special tools are required. New batteries in your Mr Beams lights means that product will operate effectively for over a year with regular activation--power goes out, lights sense movement and trigger "on". LED lights provide bright and reliable illumination. There is a full line of Mr Beams products to meet indoor and outdoor requirements. You can check them out at www.mrbeams.com.

Emergency lighting isn't a luxury--it's essential. Don't get caught in the dark!

Gadgets That Work

2010-06-29T06:50:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't like gadgets? We've all been sucked into the Magic Bullet infomercial or seen Ron Popeil "set it and forget it" as he whips up a rotisserie chicken. The brilliant marketing targets those of us looking for fast, easy, better. However, after the damage is done, you've paid for your ticket to make life easier, and receive your product only to realize the long-standing adage, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is." Sigh. The good news is that there are products out there that can and do make your life easier and better. EZ Moves furniture sliders, for instance, are great. Plastic discs that vary in size slide under the feet or base of heavy furniture, allowing it to "glide" over the carpet. (You can achieve the same effect by using throw rugs, but hey, for a couple of bucks, the EZ Moves are the way to go.) If you want to think of Mr Beams lights as gadgets (and some people do), then they are also brilliant.

This is the kind of product that you don't know you need until you see it, which is why it technically qualifies as a gadget. Every time you open your closet door and have to feel your way to two of the same colored shoes you may think about installing a light. But then you get your shoes on and the problem goes away. The folks at Mr Beams had the same problem, but they invented a light that you can stick on the wall of the closet so that when you step inside, light goes on and you find your favorite scuffs.

Mr Beams lights provide supplemental lighting in a jiffy. All products are wireless--they're battery operated, so you don't need to worry about hiring an electrician to wire or mount the lights. With the included hardware, you can install Mr Beams easily. The immediate gratification quotient? Fulfilled. Wireless Environment has designed their products for rugged applications; that means that you can use them indoors and outdoors. The IP44 rating doesn't mean much to most folks, but is an assurance that product can sustain any splashproof environment, including snow and rain. The products sell themselves--you don't need to sit through an infomercial to know that hands-free lighting solutions will make your life easier.

Once you see these products, you'll think of a million places where you need a light. Visit www.mrbeams.com for lighting ideas and full product descriptions and prices. You'll be glad you did.

Get Organized!

2010-06-28T07:47:00.000-04:00

It's tough to spend money on improvements that are necessary but not particularly sexy. When was the last time your friends came over to celebrate your new roof? Or christen your new hot water heater? Completing a home project can be exciting and, while not all improvements are as glamorous as a killer patio with a firepit, most generally add value to your home and improve the quality of your life. You don't need to exhaust your life savings to complete a successful home project.

A great example of a do-it-yourself project which, literally, anyone can tackle, is organizing your closets and cupboards. You will be amazed at the extra space you can create once you are finished purging and donating. If you are not sure where to start, there are TV shows dedicated to helping you get organized. Style Network's Clean House gives some great tips and how-tos on cleaning out your living spaces. Once you're ready to put things back together, you'll want to further maximize your space with some supplemental lighting. Mr Beams lights give you uncomplicated lighting solutions--without wires, you can literally stick the LED lights wherever you need them in your closets, pantries, cupboards.

Mr Beams has a variety of products to suit your lighting requirements. The Stick Anywhere Night Lights are great for cupboards, hall closets, and vanities while the Anywhere Ceiling Lights offer brighter lighting that might be ideal for your walk-in closet, pantry, laundry room, garage, and basement. The battery operated lights are low maintenance and give you about 4,000 activations. The technology in a nutshell is motion-detection--open a closet or cupboard or walk near the lights and they go on instantly. The hands-free operation means that you are not fumbling for a light switch or cord. Best thing--these products are affordable and available. One caveat: don't be fooled by products touting the same technology. Features and functions of Mr Beams, including the quality of the product, are head and shoulders above competitor products.

With back-to-school just around the corner, summer is the perfect time to get organized. Wireless Environment can help with their Mr Beams line. Check them out at www.mrbeams.com.

Got a suggestion on how to use Mr Beams? Click here.

Solar Lights Stink

2010-06-24T06:31:00.000-04:00

I try to avoid writing this blog in the first person. I know, I know--it's a BLOG! But in the interest of trying to maintain some objectivity when blogging about the benefits of our products, I prefer not to just drone on about "our lights do this", "our technology is great"--yes, our products and technology are innovative, affordable and amazing (like how I slipped that in??), but you will realize the benefits of Mr Beams on your own; my goal is to provide you with interesting (I hope) tips and tricks about how/where/when you can use Mr Beams. However, this blog is geared at using battery operated lights, like ours, instead of solar and it relates to my own experience.

It's really simple. Ohio is NOT Southern California. The sunshine reliability factor is absent here in Cleveland, along with many other regions of the country, I'm sure. "Going green" with solar lighting may be a shoe-in when you live in California where the sunshine is abundant. As sustainability efforts take hold in other parts of the country, everyone wants to do his and her part. I know many people who have replaced existing wired outdoor lighting with or added solar lights. Guess what? If you live in the Midwest, they stink! The PV cells in most of the off-the-shelf solar products require a full charge to be even semi-effective. There's no way that solar lights can compete with the consistency or reliability of regular, wired product.

When our family decided to launch a landscaping project, a professional landscaping firm came in to help us carefully lay out a plan. Most of the work was going to be done by us, but neither my husband nor I have the vision or knowledge of where to put which plants. We embarked on an involved and thoughtful process. Part of our project included replacing existing wired path lighting along the front walk with solar lights. We made a modest investment in "quality" solar lights, installed them, and waited for nighttime. Alas, when nighttime fell the wan lighting results were unbelievably disappointing. We would have been better off simply cutting the wires on the previous set up.

Fast-forward--Mr Beams Path Lights just stick in the ground (or you can mount them to steps, buildings, whatever), emit a low-glow when darkness falls so you can achieve some level of lighting, and when motion is detected (people, pets) , the lights kick it up to provide reasonable and effective lighting. A really simple off-grid lighting solution that anyone can undertake.

I know I'm not alone--there is a house I pass almost every day and it makes me laugh because a few weeks ago they added some solar lights to their front yard. Then a few more popped up. Then more (this is true)! My guess is that the owners are increasing the quantity of the solar lights in order to achieve the quality of lighting they're looking for. (Either that or they have found a way to grow solar lights.) You don't have to go there. Wireless Environment will guarantee that the Path Lights will meet or exceed your expectations--and I am behind that guarantee 100%.

Take It Outside, Please...

2010-06-23T07:44:00.000-04:00

Summer is widely celebrated as family time. Vacations, picnics, and outdoor activities are packed into a short window of time. Maximize outdoor living with Mr Beams lights. A few Path Lights, some Step Lights and a Spotlight or two and you've transformed your patio, deck or porch into a safe and enjoyable living area in which to share with family and friends. Mr Beams lights are designed with outdoor applications in mind. All units are IP44 rated, which means they won't rust or melt and can endure weather conditions, such as rain. Since all fixtures are battery operated, mounting configurations are not limited--no wiring, no electricians required, just plant your lights with the mounting stakes (provided with the Path Lights and RC Security Spotlights) or use the mounting hardware that is included with all products. Install lights and enjoy the effects immediately. The reliability of Mr Beams lights exceeds the quality of solar lights, which in certain climates just don't cut it. Not enough daytime sun means not enough charge for solar lights to provide adequate illumination.

LED battery operated lights aren't just for outside--more information and lighting tips are available on www.mrbeams.com.

Darby & the Raccoon

2010-06-22T08:55:00.000-04:00

Do you have an ambitious yellow Labrador retriever? Wireless Environment co-founder David Levine does, along with thousands of others who love the friendly and playful breed. They are inquisitive by nature and, true to their hunting instincts, love a good chase. One night David let Darby, the Levine family lab, outside without knowing that a raccoon was lurking in the shadows. After the encounter, Darby tore her ACL while dragging the intruder around. Since there was no backyard lighting, David had no idea what was happening when he heard the commotion on his property. The result: a very expensive surgery for the dog. With supplemental lighting from Mr Beams motion detection Security Spotlights, David could have spoiled Darby's fun (sorry, Darby) but saved her from a long and painful recovery (and saved the family lots of money). The battery operated Outdoor Security Spotlight and the Remote Control Security Spotlight offer convenient lighting options. With no wiring, the lights install in minutes and provide peace of mind. Check out the rest of the product line at www.mrbeams.com.

Have a great Mr Beams story? Share it here!

Pets: Our Other "Children"

2010-06-22T08:43:00.000-04:00

If you have pets, you can appreciate how important it is to keep them safe in your yard. Pet containment systems are certainly useful, but many people have big yards and, even if your dog or cat is within the parameters of the containment system, when it's dark out, it may be hard to spot Spot. The costs associated with outdoor lighting can really add up, which is why r Beams motion-sensor battery operated lights are the perfect solution. Mr Beams is dedicated to solving lighting problems in areas where traditional lighting may not be an option. The Security Spotlight features an LED light with intelligent controls that activate when notion is detected, cutting a swath of light up to 350'. The Spotlights are great for keeping tabs on your pets, but can also alert you to other activity in your yard.

Affordable battery operated LED lighting from MR Beams installs in minutes--no wiring!--and requires no maintenance. Simply mount the lights outside for reliable perimeter lighting around the house, barn, shed or other outbuildings. All Mr Beams products are IP44 rated for durability.

There are more lighting ideas at www.mrbeams.com.

Saving Grandma Ruthie From Bumps in the Night

2010-06-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

Grandma Ruthie is 94 years old and lives in an assisted living facility. After surviving three husband, she has decided that she will only date now. Her boyfriend, Harold, lives in the same building. Grandma Ruthie is obviously doing something right because there are nine single women for every single man where they live.

As a huge sports fan (Grandma Ruthie loves her Cleveland teams: Indians, Cavaliers, Browns), a typical date night for Grandma Ruthie and Harold is watching a game together. When the game ends, Harold leaves to go back to his apartment (or so they say). After 11:00 p.m., the lights are turned down in the hallways of the facility. Harold is using a Step Light to help him walk to the elevator safely--the low glow feature on the light tells him where the Step Light is and when he is about 15' away, the light brightens, providing him safe passage down the hall. This simple measure gives Harold the confidence and independence he needs to get home on his own.

Wireless Environment supports all efforts that promote independent living--contact us if you are interested in learning how we can partner with assisted living facilities, nursing homes, VA facilities and other non-profits providing care: info@mrbeams.com.

Lighting For Infants, Children, Parents

2010-06-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

The past few blogs have addressed fall prevention primarily for senior citizens. But, guess what? Anyone call fall. This blog draws from my own experiences as a parent and where I have found supplemental lighting to be helpful and necessary.

From the moment we find out that we are expecting, new parents' priorities shift from what's good for them to what's best for their children. Baby-proofing your home is imperative--most of us are familiar with plug covers, gates, safety latches, monitors. Effective lighting is another way to keep your home safe, but we seldom think of supplemental lighting as a critical component in protecting our children. Wireless Environment manufactures a line of lights called Mr Beams that brighten intuitively in the dark as soon as they sense motion. Think about getting a drink of water in the middle of the night--hands-free lighting means that you don't have to flip a switch. If you are a small child making your way to mom and dad's room, you may not be able to reach a light switch to see where you're going. Mr Beams battery operated lights can be positioned so that your child's movement will trigger illumination. The variety of products they offer means that you can select how much light is appropriate for any spot in your home.

Our first son was (and still is) sensitive to bright lights. We hadn't been able to find a night light dim enough to allow him to fall asleep and stay asleep, yet owe needed something that would let my husband or me peek in to be sure that he was safe and comfortable in his crib, bed. The Stick Anywhere Night Light is perfect--stays dark until someone opens the door to check on our son and then the motion of the door activates the very soft glow of the night light. After our evening check-in, the light goes off. Absolutely unobtrusive and effective in providing some light when you need it while preserving your child's sleep (and your own!!).

Though not as obvious, perhaps, as plug covers, remember to protect your children from bumps in the night--literally--with some battery operated lights. And trust me on the benefits of a not-too-bright night light--the motion detection lights are a great alternative to brighter and constant night light options and certainly better than flipping a lamp or overhead light on in the kids' rooms during the night. Trust me, my kids and I sleep better for it.

To learn more about Wireless Environment and the Mr Beams products, please visit www.mrbeams.com. To share your stories, contact info@mrbeams.com.

How to Prevent Falls

2010-06-17T14:58:00.000-04:00

We are dedicating a few blogs to fall prevention. It's a topic near and dear to Mr Beams co-founder, David Levine, who lost his grandmother after she died due to complications following a fall. Levine developed the Mr Beams line to help prevent others from having to fumble in the dark, looking for a bathroom, light switch, a glass of water. While increasing the lights in your home or the homes of your loved ones will minimize falls in the dark, there are other measures that can be taken to help ensure safe mobility in the home:

Exercise regularly to increase strength, blood flow and improve balance.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the synergistic effects of medication--often, combinations of medications can be hazardous; even over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.

Have your eyes checked regularly by an eye doctor (once a year).

Reduce hazards in your home that can lead to falls: move furniture out of traffic paths, tape down or remove rugs, keep objects off of steps, remove or fix loose carpets, install grab bars and textured floor strips in the bathtub and shower, provide a light near the bed and between the bed and bathroom, provide adequate lighting on walks and sidewalks--fix cracks and uneven pavement

Mr Beams was formed to provide the best safety lights and night lights. Lighting is an affordable essential that can eliminate falls and minimize home accidents, keeping you and your loved ones safe and comfortable in your own environment. To learn more about our battery operated lighting solutions, visit www.mrbeams.com.

Facts About Falls & Fall Prevention

2010-06-17T14:47:00.000-04:00

Our previous blog featured lighting as a means for preventing falls in the home. If you were to study the statistics on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website, you would quickly realize how serious an issue falling at home, particularly among seniors, is: falls killed 15,800 people 65 years and older in the U.S. alone in 2005, which made falls the leading cause of injury deaths. More than 433,000 people were hospitalized for falls that same year. 16% of all emergency room visits were a result of a fall.

A person 65 and older has a 30% likelihood of falling during the next twelve months. A person 80 and older has a 50% likelihood of falling during the next twelve months. Up to 30% of these people who fall will suffer moderate to severe injuries. Falls often precipitate serious problems, even death. Unfortunately, that was what happened to David's grandmother (see previous blog). The fall broke her hip, but the subsequent hospitalization and lack of activity led to infections, medication interactions, and depression.

Mr Beams was developed to provide cost-effective and easy-to-install lighting solutions for those who need it most. The quality products are available at www.mrbeams.com.

Safety Lighting: Preventing Falls

2010-06-17T13:59:00.000-04:00

This blog was inspired by the Mr Beams co-founder, David Levine, who is very sensitive to household falls. His grandmother, Dorothy, died from complications after falling while walking to the bathroom in the dark. Consequently, David felt compelled to develop a product that would provide safe lighting in darkness--Mr Beams was born.

Lighting is not the only way to prevent falls in the home, but it certainly can help to minimize them. Mr Beams LED lights provide an easy solution for hands-free supplemental lighting. There are no wires--lights are battery operated and install in minutes using either an adhesive or simple mounting hardware, which is included with every product. Lights can be mounted anywhere, which makes them an appropriate do-it-yourself project for anyone.

The technology is simple: lights go on automatically when they detect motion. After a few minutes, the lights go off. Safety made easy.

There is a full line of Mr Beams products designed for all areas of the home. Visit the website, www.mrbeams.com, for more information.

Battery Operated Security Lighting?

2010-06-17T11:14:00.001-04:00

Yes! Wireless Environment provides a battery operated alternative to wired security lights. The Mr Beams LED Security Spotlight offers an affordable and effective way to light your property. Lights are motion sensitive, which means they only activate when movement is detected (up to 15' away). With no wiring and about 4,000 activations on a single-set of new batteries, the Spotlight is really a low-maintenance way to enhance your property's security features.

Visit www.mrbeams.com to preview the entire line of Mr Beams products. Your questions or suggestions are welcome at info@mrbeams.com.

Decrease Maintenance With Mr Beams Wireless Lights

2010-06-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

How many maintenance men does it take to install a Mr Beams wireless LED light fixture? The answer is simple: it takes one person less than five minutes to install any of the easy-to-use light fixtures. Pop in the batteries, use the included double-sided tape or screws, and place the light where you need it. Get rid of those energy-wasting light bulbs and store your ladders away. You can spend your time on more pressing aintenance issues when you leave the lighting to Mr Beams. Please visit the website at www.mrbeams.com for additional lighting solutions.

Have a suggestion or comment? Feel free to send them along to info@mrbeams.com. Mr Beams is a Wireless Environment company.

Mr Beams Helps Property Management With Low Maintenance Lighting Solutions

2010-06-08T07:51:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest expenses facing property managers today is the rising cost of electricity. The costs associated with lighting common areas in condominium and apartment complexes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week can be expensive and are often wasteful--areas such as mail huts don't necessarily require constant illumination. There is a solution: Mr Beams, a Wireless Environment company based in Cleveland, OH, offers a line of battery operated LED light fixtures. Any of these products can be installed in minutes in locations where it is impractical or impossible to manage traditionally wired lighting. All lights are sensitive to darkness--when motion is detected, the battery operated lights are instantly activated. For more cost-effective lighting solutions, visit www.mrbeams.com.

Mr Beams would love to hear from you! Send your inquiries to: info@mrbeams.com

Wireless Lights Make Sense!

2010-06-02T08:14:00.001-04:00

Mr Beams manufactures battery operated LED lights that are ideal for any areas where traditionally wired lights are impractical. The wireless lights install easily in minutes. Security spotlights, path lighting, emergency lighting, supplemental lighting, stair and deck lights--there is a wireless lighting solution to fit your needs!

Mr Beams products can be found at www.mrbeams.com.