- Reaction score
- 0
Hi. I'm an I.T.. engineer with some outdated electrical experience. I qualified C&G 2330 17th edition about 15 years ago, but my only experience since then has been fairly basic stuff maintaining my own properties etc. I've just had a couple of LED security lights fail (Again) so I'm going back to 150W halogen PIR's with removable bulbs rather than the cheap crap that keeps failing. I've decided that it would be a good idea to link 4 x 150w halogen (Or 118mm LED replacements) together so that all lights are triggered together when one PIR is activated. I know i need a 4 core circuit with a common switch live, but I don't know if the PIRs in standard lights will work effectively.
So the questions are:
Do I replace all 4 lights with something better than the 2 halogens that have worked for decades and the 2 LED's that failed in months and link them with 4 core cable?
Do I keep 4 separate lights?
Or do I look at smart lighting that could be triggered or sync'd over an Ethernet or wireless network connection?
I'm pretty competent with technology, the house is wired with Cat5e cabling and there is plenty of room for me to run additional cabling to each location if need be. I'd rather use cable than wireless, but that's because i know how ---- wireless technology can be.
An additional option would be to use good quality LED strip lights under the guttering with separate PIR detectors. I done this on my summerhouse with a 12V LEDs and a 12V PIR and it's worked for years. I'm just aware that a lot of stuff we buy today fails tomorrow and the house is more important than the summerhouse, so I'd rather buy good quality branded stuff that will last.
Sorry if this is a question that's been answered before. In a nutshell, I don't want to keep ripping out cheap Chinese lights every few months and I'd like all of my lights to come on at the same time. I'm pretty hands on, but I don't really keep up with current technology, hence the question.
Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
So the questions are:
Do I replace all 4 lights with something better than the 2 halogens that have worked for decades and the 2 LED's that failed in months and link them with 4 core cable?
Do I keep 4 separate lights?
Or do I look at smart lighting that could be triggered or sync'd over an Ethernet or wireless network connection?
I'm pretty competent with technology, the house is wired with Cat5e cabling and there is plenty of room for me to run additional cabling to each location if need be. I'd rather use cable than wireless, but that's because i know how ---- wireless technology can be.
An additional option would be to use good quality LED strip lights under the guttering with separate PIR detectors. I done this on my summerhouse with a 12V LEDs and a 12V PIR and it's worked for years. I'm just aware that a lot of stuff we buy today fails tomorrow and the house is more important than the summerhouse, so I'd rather buy good quality branded stuff that will last.
Sorry if this is a question that's been answered before. In a nutshell, I don't want to keep ripping out cheap Chinese lights every few months and I'd like all of my lights to come on at the same time. I'm pretty hands on, but I don't really keep up with current technology, hence the question.
Thanks in advance for any and all advice.
Last edited: