Can you wire 2 motions together?

Apr 22, 2008 11 Replies

I would like to connect 2 motion sensor lights (Hampton Bay 248-617) together so tripping either motion will set both lights off at the same time. Is this possible?



Lights have white, black, and red wires. Instructions only show how to wire as separate independent units, or one as a slave and the other a master (only using one motion sensor). I want both motions to work and both lights to light.



Any electricians out there?


I know the Heath Zenith units work fine with the 2 reds connected together. (logical OR)

At least make sure that both lights/sensors are powered by the same circuit.

The description makes it sound like this is two independently controlled lights, each with it's own motion detector. For this to work, the lights would have to be tied together and be on the same circuit

On 4/21/2008 7:18 PM snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com spake thus:

You may not be aware that you don't have to buy the whole unit (motion sensor with 2 lights); Home Depot sells the sensor part separately from the lights, as I'm sure other places do.

So what a guy would want to do is to install the one sensor where you want it to pick up motion, then put the lights wherever you want them (as many as you want, up to the rating limit of the sensor). I did this for a client; put the sensor way up on the top of a wall, then put a nice non-Home Depot light above the garage doors. You can use any lights you wish (again, as long as you don't exceed the capacity of the sensor).

You need a red (or another black) between lights, which you probably don't have.

The black on the sensor should go to the hot (black) The white on the sensor should go to the white power wire. The red on the sensor should go to the red feed and to the light feed. (black or red)

Yes they should be on the same circuit, I assumed we understood that. but any MD that uses a relay output should be fine running in parallel. YMMV with electronic units but triacs don't care about the outputs being together either.

The way I did in on my shed is I fed the forst MD with 14-2 and connected it to a set of lights, then I ran 14-3 to the MD on the back of the shed (matching wire colors) which then connects to another set of lights. As stated before, use small enough bulbs to not overload either sensor.. Three 75w PAR 38s will still get in the 300w limit but in warm climates CFLs are a better choice. I am actually just using R30s. It is plenty to see someone walking around out there.

I think you will short out the second unit

replying to RBM, Ed wrote: Hook Black (HOT) wire to both Black wires on Lights, Hook White (NETURAL) wire to both White wire on Lights, Hook Red wire on one light to Red wire on other light.

Always cut the blue wire first.

you would think after watching a few TV shows the baddies would start using different colored wires.

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