I would like to convert an entry area to motion-activated lights, so that we don’t need to leave them on all night wasting power. Currently have two lights there, controlled by one interior switch. I’d like to keep the same lights. Wondering what the best way is to do this?
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I have a bunch of regular lights on motion detectors. You can just buy the motion heads. The trick is finding the place where you can get to the wiring and also have good coverage for the MD. You may be running a spur of 3 wire /g cable.
Do you control several lights off the same MD then, wired in series?
One of my concerns is positioning the MD so that it activates the lights from both directions (when entering and leaving the house). Is this possible, perhaps by mounting the MD overhead and pointing vertically down?
Another concern is with the switching. I'm assuming the light switch would need to be kept 'on' at all times, so I would need to cover it somehow so that it doesn't get turned off?Shawn
>>>Do you control several lights off the same MD then, wired in series?Sort of; you actually wire them in parallel. Yes, you can control multiple light fixtures with one MD. There is usually a maximum wattage indicated on the unit; just stay within that and you will be fine.Scott.
The switching aspect is going to be up to how much wiring you want to do and where you hook up the MD. I have my front door light hooked up parallel to the switch so the switch turns the light on no matter what the MD is doing. Most also have a switch flipping option that will lock the light on if it is behind the switch.They do sell a little plastic clip that goes under the bottom switch screw that holds the switch on.As for the detector itself, they are most sensitive to motion across the face of the lens, so going out usually works better than approaching it from the front. Mine usually "sees" the screen door opening before I step out. Just be sure you buy one with a wide view.
They go up to 240 degrees in the common styles. Mine at the front door is that one and it "sees" someone coming from any direction.
Simplest approach is to replace the switch with a motion-sensing one.
Well, I'd be inclined to get a pair of fixtures with integral MD built-in. I'd leave one wired to the switch, which would permit "on demand" use. The other one, I'd wire "outside" of the switch leg, so that it was 'always on.' Adjusting the sensitivity would get a nice balance between the two.
Why go to that troubles? Well, most people 'expect' to be able to flip a switch by a door and have a light go on. The MD allows the light to be off, yet respond to anyone in the sensing area. (Which does work both ways; if with a longer delay exiting than entering.)
If there is a requirement to keep existing fixtures, then you will want to find a spot to install a separate MD. Which really ought to be wired outside the switched leg, to be always on. But, can be left on a switch, too--some MD have a "flip switch twice fast" function that will control the light directly. The alternative being a cover for the switch.
Which then leaves you with a switch that does nothing, or needing a blank cover for the box. Which is where having a 'traditional' switched light can come in handy (or means a lot less griping from the Design Committee, for wanting "a light I can turn on and off").
If you have 2 md's that can "see" each other (the other's light) they can end up playing ping pong. One goes off, the other one sees that light (heat) change and it turns on. The other one sees that one turn on and it turns on, rinse repeat.
I didn't want to run new wiring, so I ended up leaving one of the lights wired through the switch, with no MD. I rewired the other one hot and fitted it with a add-on MD. I like that we can still switch one light on when leaving the house, and that the other one will do it's thing when visitors come.
Thanks everyone for the tips!Shawn