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

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

Coupon for Lighting Up Your Stairs with Wireless LED Lights

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.

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Lighting

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.

Battery Powered Lights and the Chilean Miners

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.

Living Off the Grid in Nigeria

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.

Mr. Beams: Your Defense Against Blackouts and Power Outages

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

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

Where Do You Need Light?

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.