One of my outside lights has sstopped working. This has prompted me to rethink the whole lot.
Below is a diagram of what I currently have installed.
The light which is kaput is the photocell one. Its just got a small circuit board in it, which seem to combine the starting circuitry and the photocell business end. So I'm not looking to repair it.
The system I HAD working was that the photocell lamp works until about midnight (it had a built in timer). This allowed us to open the back door, and turn on the two halogens top and left, using the weatherproof switch below the photocell light.
But people kept turning off the photocell light in the house (which I think ultimately lead to its demise, frequent switching). So to clarify, the two halogens are fed from a WP JB on the house wall next to the window, and are switched outside the back door. The photocell light is fed from a switch in the kitchen. So now its pitch black when we open the back door (not good)
Now, due to recent incidents involving things being thrown over the shed onto the conservatory roof, I am wanting to put more of a security swing on this installation (if they want to throw things, they wont mind trespassing either, and I have a few valuable fish in the pond) - the shed light has a PIR, but this only lights the small area near the shed door. I'm thinking a wireless system would meet my requirements, controlling all the lights, but I dont know how reliable they are, and I dont know which lights to control with it. I dont want the whole garden lighting bringing up because a cat has wandered through.
I would also want an override, to keep the lights on (I have a dog who likes to lay in the grass late at night). I guess it complicates things that there's three sources of power here (though the light above the back door could be eliminated if a method to bring the lights up was installed indoors)
Any suggestions would be welcome.
Also, FYI, I have angled the lights downwards, such that the light only goes in mine and next doors garden (they dont mind this), and it certainly does not shine into anyone else's house.
Below is a diagram of what I currently have installed.
The light which is kaput is the photocell one. Its just got a small circuit board in it, which seem to combine the starting circuitry and the photocell business end. So I'm not looking to repair it.
The system I HAD working was that the photocell lamp works until about midnight (it had a built in timer). This allowed us to open the back door, and turn on the two halogens top and left, using the weatherproof switch below the photocell light.
But people kept turning off the photocell light in the house (which I think ultimately lead to its demise, frequent switching). So to clarify, the two halogens are fed from a WP JB on the house wall next to the window, and are switched outside the back door. The photocell light is fed from a switch in the kitchen. So now its pitch black when we open the back door (not good)
Now, due to recent incidents involving things being thrown over the shed onto the conservatory roof, I am wanting to put more of a security swing on this installation (if they want to throw things, they wont mind trespassing either, and I have a few valuable fish in the pond) - the shed light has a PIR, but this only lights the small area near the shed door. I'm thinking a wireless system would meet my requirements, controlling all the lights, but I dont know how reliable they are, and I dont know which lights to control with it. I dont want the whole garden lighting bringing up because a cat has wandered through.
I would also want an override, to keep the lights on (I have a dog who likes to lay in the grass late at night). I guess it complicates things that there's three sources of power here (though the light above the back door could be eliminated if a method to bring the lights up was installed indoors)Any suggestions would be welcome.
Also, FYI, I have angled the lights downwards, such that the light only goes in mine and next doors garden (they dont mind this), and it certainly does not shine into anyone else's house.
