Dark porches and passageways beside homes are uninviting - except to unwelcome intruders like burglars. A simple light that illuminates the back or front door will welcome visitors and help them to find your home more easily. This type of light also allows you to check on the identity of any callers before you open the door to them at night.

In all cases where lights are for outdoor use, only those designed specifically for the purpose must be used. All fittings must be weatherproof and the lamp or bulb itself secured in a moisture-proof rubber gasket or cup that surrounds the electrical connection. Use only recommended cables in order to comply with IEE Wiring Regulations.

A straightforward porch light, operated by a switch located inside your home, is installed by a procedure very much like that of adding a new interior light. You can take the power from a ceiling rose - in the hallway perhaps - and run it to a 20-amp four-terminal junction box screwed to a board positioned between two ceiling joists. For added security, the supply cable should be run through a short length of protective conduit with a plastic grommet in each end, where the cable runs from the interior wall to the exterior wall and light.

A range of exterior lights is available, including automatically activated lights, which have sensors that detect a caller's presence.