[OT] Motion Sensing Light

[Tim Daneliuk]

I know this is OT, but there is sufficient genius here that I'd take a stab at this.

So the latest project is for a home where some rocket scientist remodeled it (pretty well, actually), but failed to put a wall switch in the laundry room. This is roughly a 10x10 area with the lamp (a standard hallway style glass dome) more or less centered on it with a pull string. This is untenable for the homeowner when it is dark.

I've tried the eSenLite - in fact two of them - and they have the same defect - the delay timer to shutoff simply does not work. It either shuts down after a few seconds or stays on for many minutes - the middle adjustments don't work.

So - ideally - what I need is something that will fit into the existing fixture as a bulb that will turn on- and off, strictly based on motion, not ambient light. Failing that, a quality fixture replacement is not out of the question.

Ideas?

[Eli the Bearded]

Attach a longer string (or ball chain) to fixture, use eyelets to route to doorway, have convience of pull string by door.

Elijah

------ optionally add weight to end of string (chain) to make it hang better

[DerbyDad03]

If it were me, I'd replace it with a standard fixture and run a switch leg down to a wall switch. I got tired of the pull chains in my closets and installed switches in them all.

It you don't want to fish wires, you could use surface mount wiring.

This should get you started...

[whit3rd]

So, get a low power LED bulb and leave a 5W light burning nearby, just to illuminate the path to the main light switch. The basement here got much safer when I did that.

[Dave in SoTex]

Dave in SoTex

[Michael]

That wireless switch is pretty danged awesome.

[Leon]

[dpb]

On 02/22/2017 7:43 AM, Dave in SoTex wrote: ...

I couldn't find any way to actually find out what the device itself is/who's the manufacturer...the page had so much ad copy never loaded fully and the link to "purchase list" or whatever it was actually called just self-directed to the same page.

You got the product info; what kind of range does the switch have; only a few feet? I've kept eyes out for long-range switch for barn light from house w/o having to wire it but it's 100 yds or thereabouts away...

[bnwelch]

Try this:

[Scott Lurndal]

I wonder if X-10 would work in that application.

[dpb]

Thanks...Illumra site says 50-150 ft (typical). Probably won't make it, either as I'm guessing it's near 2X that max between locations.

[Unquestionably Confused]

IIRC, the X-10 system utilizes the power line itself to carry the signal to the remote (light). Thus, the only impediment to using it in your particular application should be whether or not there is a transformer between where you wire the transmitter (wall switch or whatever) and the load/light.

[krw]

Some of these things are in a "mesh network", so to double the range just drop another switch or outlett in the middle.

[dpb]

On 02/22/2017 10:49 AM, Unquestionably Confused wrote: ...

Yeah, the house (where would be nice for the remote switch) and barn (light) are fed from the same transformer. Started to say they weren't actually tied, but the feed does come down the pole to the meter and then back up and across the driveway to the barn while on underground to the house. I can't envision just now whether there's a double terminal block in that box or the two feeds have a common point or not--though guess they must, indirectly.

So, that might work; hadn't really thought about that for this purpose...when nights get short what was a trivial walk in the dark when younger seems easier to trip or stumble or whatever any more...I've got to wearing one of the headband LEDs if I remember it but then it ends up at the wrong location all too often... :(

[Unquestionably Confused]

Happened to think of one other thing that MAY guide you on this.

I had a "wireless" intercom (over the household AC lines) between two locations in the house and the shop which was in the detached shop/garage 40' or so away. Same deal: signal traverses the power line and no problem so long as there is no intervening transformer.

200AMP panel in the house and 100AMP panel in the shop/garage. NOT a branch circuit as the UF for the garage is fed on my side of the power meter where its tied to the same lugs as those that feed the house panel.

This worked fine for me so in your case, it should also.

[John McGaw]

With the sky-high claims they make for their product and at the price they charge they certainly should be able to provide at least a reply to an email or phone call. Have you tried contacting them?

[Trenbidia]

There's always "The Clapper" :-).

[dpb]

On 02/22/2017 4:36 PM, Unquestionably Confused wrote: ...

I ran that here for quite a long time to get from upstairs to the basement as access otherwise is difficult to come by...worked well until one of the units died..

...

[Tim Daneliuk]

No, I just gave up. Life is too short to chase half engineered products around.

I did, however, find this partly due to this thread giving me some ideas:

[Tim Daneliuk]

Thanks all for your thoughts. I am going to give this a whirl next: