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Are you hosting a party, an event, or maybe in charge of stage equipment for a concert - then you need lighting! In the past, lights and lamps were always big, heavy monsters that were difficult to handle. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case! Technological developments have made it possible to produce battery-powered lights which, as the name suggests, run on batteries, are easy to handle, and don’t compromise on light output and quality!
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the different types of battery-powered lights, as well as what you should pay attention to when buying!
One light, many uses
Battery-powered lights are available in many different shapes and versions. Whether you need spots, PAR Cans or maybe uplights, they all come in a battery-powered version. Normally, a lighting setup can be a labyrinth of cables in different lengths that have to be routed along stands, across floors, and the like. But not with battery-powered lights - set them up, switch them on, and there’s light!
Where battery-powered lights really have their major advantages, however, is their mobility. They are easy to move around, and their (often) small footprint means that one light can be used for many purposes. This makes them ideal for companies that work with events, where there can be many different requirements for different lighting setups, or for mobile discos that want to be able to adapt their lighting to as many different locations as possible, without having to drive around with extra equipment!
Light output
A crucial factor when looking at battery-powered lights is how powerful they are. Many factors come into play here, including the effect you want to achieve with the lighting, as well as how large a venue they will be used in.
Today, most lights use LED to deliver brighter light at lower power. However, there is still a big difference in how much power the light has. Therefore, always look at how much power (watts) the light has. As a rule of thumb, the more watts, the brighter the output!
Many battery-powered lights today offer an app that lets you turn the brightness up and down, however the maximum output cannot be changed via the app, so always buy a light that you’re sure can meet your maximum requirement. You can always turn the brightness down, but you can’t turn it up beyond max.
Battery life
When we work with products that are powered by battery, it goes without saying that they won’t shine forever before they need recharging. Battery life is one of the most important things to consider when buying battery-powered lights.
Battery life varies a lot between the different types of lights, but will often be somewhere between 5 and 10 hours, some even up to 20 hours. Depending on your needs, pay particular attention to how long the light can run if you plan to use the product’s colour-changing functions. Battery life is often specified as how long the lights can run with a fixed colour; this time decreases if you use options such as changing colours, patterns, or flashing effects.
Also pay attention to the charging time of the products. It’s not insignificant whether your light can be recharged in 3 or 10 hours if you depend on them and, for example, have two concerts or events on the same day!
Smart lights
A selection of battery-powered lights has built-in app access. This means you can switch on/off, change colour, or adjust the brightness directly from your phone. This function helps make setting up lights - even for large events or in big venues - extremely easy!
Some battery-powered lights can also be set up with DMX. You can read much more about DMX in our blog post: Get started with DMX!
We hope this article has prepared you to make a decision about your need for battery-powered lighting. If you have questions, or need advice for a larger lighting setup, please contact our customer service!
