Outside security lights

Chickereeeee

knightstyle said:

I moved recently and one of my first jobs was to install a light on the drive and a new wall light by the front door. Both controlled by a time clock and a photocel wired in series.  Timeclock on at 3PM off at 10.30PM  So the lights come on when it gets dark and off at 10.30 unless I use the time clock override switch to stay on later.
No annoying lights coming on and off all night when a cat or something goes past.

Yes, I wish this were standard for PIR lights. I too had to wire something similar my last house.

coffeehound

The Steinel Nightmatic 3000 photocell switcher on does that sort of function automatically, keeping in sync with the changing sunset times.  (The 2000 model is just a straight dusk to dawn switch)

Chickereeeee

coffeehound said:

The Steinel Nightmatic 3000 photocell switcher on does that sort of function automatically, keeping in sync with the changing sunset times.  (The 2000 model is just a straight dusk to dawn switch)

Ha, yes, when I moved house about 5 years ago, I was all prepared to make my own 'sensor that switches on at dusk, and switches off at about 12pm' for a porch light. No PIR needed, but I did not want it on all night. Then I found the Steinel Nightmatic 3000, which does this (almost). It works by measuring the duration of the night, and uses that, plus the setting you enter, to work out when to turn off. Hence it varies between 11:30pm and 12:30am, as the clocks change!  But good enough for what I wanted. Flawless, so far. (It also allows for any reflected light, the bane of most daylight sensors, so positioning is easy)

knightstyle

Yes i would probably have gone for one of those.  But my timeclock is in the hall and easy to flick a switch on it if we are going to be home late.

coffeehound

knightstyle said:

But my timeclock is in the hall and easy to flick a switch on it if we are going to be home late.

What sort of clock do you use @knightstyle?  Is it a DIN rail mounted thing?

knightstyle

Just a cheap one, the switch under it is 3 position, 1.timed, 2.off, 3.on all the time.

coffeehound

Thanks, that's a neat solution