Help me with a solution

[festive]

Ok i have 3 outside lights

They were supposed to be wired in parallel but sparky missed a bit! Long story but the end result is the switched circuit only feeds one light, the other two in parallel are not connected. The only way to switch these two on are by manually connecting the unconnected tail that feeds this parallel circuit in loft. The cable to the single switched light run up the cavity so cannot connect them easily.

Now i can of course access both end points for live switched circuit, can i add some kind of remote slave switch? Some wireless transponder receiver for a switched live? That would be a solution right?

Your thoughts appreciated.

 

[WabbitPoo]

Can I be the first of several to suggest you get your electrician back to do what you paid for?

 

[davelx]

I find it very odd that the electrician left the site (and got paid) without demonstrating to the client that the work was complete - by switching the lights on! Even if the actual light fittings weren't available at the time I'd have expected him to have fitted temporary BC sockets/lamps.

One might also wonder how he was able to get a Zs reading at the furthest lighting point.

 

[festive]

As i said above long story, he routed cables but we had no external wall lights for a good 6months until we finished this work, when we did consult he argued i had routed some of the cables which i did but but he undertook all connect and tests. As usual another cowboy tradesman does the work but then does a runner and either goes out of business or just says take me to court.. i have the choice of small claims etc.
Anyway this was all too late as walls were plastered and sealed etc.
So.. this is where i am looking for an easier solution, before i get a sparky in to start making channels etc to rectify.

 

[Iggifer]

If I understand correctly, you are basically asking for wireless electricity? Such a thing does not exist. And is not likely to any time soon.

 

[ericmark]

The end result is the switched circuit only feeds one light, the other two in parallel are not connected. The only way to switch these two on are by manually connecting the unconnected tail that feeds this parallel circuit in loft.
The cable to the single switched light run up the cavity so cannot connect them easily.

Now i can of course access both end points for live switched circuit, can i add some kind of remote slave switch? Some wireless transponder receiver for a switched live? That would be a solution right?

Now let me see if I am reading this correct.
You have one lamp that works OK, but you can't gain access to the cables to connect to cables in the loft, what you want is a remote switch which can transfer the switching action of the one light to work the other.

You can get a device

which will transmit a switch action to a remote device. You can get a receiver to go with this to work lights

at £67.98 for receiver and £40.02 for the transmitter that is likely more costly than getting it hard wired. Plus you need the room in the switch box to fit it.

 

[Iggifer]

i read it as he has the feed from the switch to light one, and a link from light 2 to 3, but nothing from light 1 to 2. I could well be wrong.

 

[Echo the husky]

before i get a sparky in to start making channels etc to rectify.

This is by far the best option, and the only one I'd recommend. Anything else could cause problems or more work at some time in the future. Call an electrician, a good one may be able to provide a less destructive route for the cable.

 

[Himaginn]

Why not make the two non-switched lights live and fit a movement detector to them?

 

[festive]

If I understand correctly, you are basically asking for wireless electricity? Such a thing does not exist. And is not likely to any time soon.

Not understood correctly i am looking at an master/slave wireless actuator. They exist in many forms Steinel for example have them in garden lighting etc, when a PIR is triggered any paired wireless devices will also trigger giving you a master slave effect for wireless garden lighting, the slave device still needs a wired feed it's the switch which is 'wireless' ie actuator signal.

 

[davelx]

If I understand correctly, you are basically asking for wireless electricity? Such a thing does not exist. And is not likely to any time soon.

If there is a live feed to both sets of lights, and it's just the switch drop that's missing, then maybe something like Lightwave RF
could be used. This is functionally the same as, but neater and cheaper than the kit ericmark referred to (about £20 for a RF wallswitch and the same for the inline relay which can switch 500W. If you use an inline relay to switch both sets of lights from the RF wallswitch that will give you the control you are asking for.

 

[Iggifer]

Yea if it's just a wireless switch you're after, there's plenty of options.

I still can't get my head around how this error has happened. You would normally take a cable from the switch to the first light, and then a link from there on to any other lights. I don't understand how the first light works and then there's a cable in the loft.

Was this cable in the loft supposed to go to light 1?

 

[festive]

Now let me see if I am reading this correct.
You have one lamp that works OK, but you can't gain access to the cables to connect to cables in the loft, what you want is a remote switch which can transfer the switching action of the one light to work the other.

You can get a device

which will transmit a switch action to a remote device. You can get a receiver to go with this to work lights

at £67.98 for receiver and £40.02 for the transmitter that is likely more costly than getting it hard wired. Plus you need the room in the switch box to fit it.

Thanks ericmark, this is what i was looking for something along the lines, was more as i suggested a relay style trigger which senses a live voltage which opens a gate to a wireless TX which then actuates a slave switch remotely. Although this looks good if that switches live + sends wireless could be a winner.

Alternatively as you and some other sensible chap here have suggested i go the route of calling sparky for a possible hardwire solution, however ill be surprised if he doesn't end up chopping into walls to achieve a standardised solution.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, most appreciated.

 

[festive]

Yea if it's just a wireless switch you're after, there's plenty of options.

I still can't get my head around how this error has happened. You would normally take a cable from the switch to the first light, and then a link from there on to any other lights. I don't understand how the first light works and then there's a cable in the loft.

Was this cable in the loft supposed to go to light 1?

I have no idea, so much was going on i never checked and of course there were bunches of wires everywhere after initial build phase, id have to ask Sparky that question, he was a grumpy fcker most of the times, in fact reminded me alot of Jack Dee but without much of the humour!

 

[festive]

If there is a live feed to both sets of lights, and it's just the switch drop that's missing, then maybe something like Lightwave RF
could be used. This is functionally the same as, but neater and cheaper than the kit ericmark referred to (about £20 for a RF wallswitch and the same for the inline relay which can switch 500W. If you use an inline relay to switch both sets of lights from the RF wallswitch that will give you the control you are asking for.

Aye cheers this looks good also looks much cheaper than Rako, i have Rako lighting in the house and it's hideously expensive, (£110 per dimmer control and about 100 per dimmer module per room, never again)