programmable light switch for dusk to dawn

[rpearlberg]

We want to install one of these for our outside lights that don't have the sensors on them. I know there are different brands/models, but wanted to see if anyone here has a recommendation on what to get?

One would go in a box that currently has two light switches (one for kitchen light and one for outside), so this would replace the switch for outside lights, while the kitchen light switch would remain as is.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Any of the ones in the big box stores would work. They have them mostly in white and beige in the stores, but you can order different colors online from the same stores.

You will probably have to get different cover plates, but that should not be a problem, and they also come in different colors to match whatever you already have.

Jim

 

[rpearlberg]

Thanks, I'll need to get white. Didn't see any at my local HD this weekend, but they have some online. As well as Lowe's, Amazon, etc. Is one brand better than the other? Leviton, Lutron, Honeywell, Defiant, others....

Should I go to an electric supply house or just try any of them? Thought about calling my electrician, but hopefully I can do it myself...

 

[shoot summ]

I've never had any luck with the stand alone switches, they all ended up not working.

I installed a Wemo switch over a year ago, and a couple of the switched plugs for lamps. Easy WiFi setup, and easy programming, they've worked great so far.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I think what you are looking for is not really a "dusk to dawn" switch, but a timer switch.
The switch can be programmed to turn on at a set time and the off at a set time.

The one I have for my patio light I bought at Home Depot for about 25 bucks. Here is the one I have:

I have the white one.

Here is a picture of one along side another light switch. This is not mine, but one from the Home Depot website that someone else posted:

http://homedepot.ugc.bazaarvoice.com/1999aa/747733/photo.jpg?client=HomeDepot

Jim

 

[pattenp]

Do you have a neutral in the box? Make sure if the programmable switch you get needs a neutral or not for power.

 

[rpearlberg]

Yes, Jim, that is what I'm look for, sorry for the bad description. Is this one just as good as a honeywell, leviton, lutron brand?

I think these timers, have the option of dusk to dawn, right?

 

[rpearlberg]

Do you have a neutral in the box? Make sure if the programmable switch you get needs a neutral or not for power.

I'll have to take a look...

 

[RAYJAY]

best timer out there very easy to set and last forever. used to be tork brand at one time

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A3V03A/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[CJ7VFR]

?

I think these timers, have the option of dusk to dawn, right?

Really, you can't have a "dusk to dawn" type thing if it is inside the house. Dusk to dawn times change throughout the year, so if you don't have a sensor on the light outside to sense the sun coming up and going down, the timer is next best thing.

These timers are programmable, and you may have to re-set them from time to time, such as for shorter daylight times in the winter and longer daylight times in the summer.

The one I have is pretty smart, and changes the on and off time according to the time of the year. I don't know how it knows, but it does.

Here is some verbage from the website about it:

"SunSmart options provide sunset and sunrise times for easy settings that adjust automatically throughout the year. Set one or multiple ON/OFF settings for each day of the week, daily cycles, or weekday-weekend cycles, up to 7 individual weekly programs. Random vacation security feature varies the programmed ON/OFF times within an hour to create a lived-in look with a push of a button."

Jim

 

[rpearlberg]

Really, you can't have a "dusk to dawn" type thing if it is inside the house. Dusk to dawn times change throughout the year, so if you don't have a sensor on the light outside to sense the sun coming up and going down, the timer is next best thing.

These timers are programmable, and you may have to re-set them from time to time, such as for shorter daylight times in the winter and longer daylight times in the summer.

The one I have is pretty smart, and changes the on and off time according to the time of the year. I don't know how it knows, but it does.

Here is some verbage from the website about it:

"SunSmart options provide sunset and sunrise times for easy settings that adjust automatically throughout the year. Set one or multiple ON/OFF settings for each day of the week, daily cycles, or weekday-weekend cycles, up to 7 individual weekly programs. Random vacation security feature varies the programmed ON/OFF times within an hour to create a lived-in look with a push of a button."

Jim

Yes, that is what I meant. Not the actual dusk to dawn sensor, but you enter your location and it can track sunrise/sunset, etc...

Thanks

 

[CJ7VFR]

Yes, that is what I meant. Not the actual dusk to dawn sensor, but you enter your location and it can track sunrise/sunset, etc...

Thanks

Your welcome. This timer works great. I have had it for about 4 years now and it still works great.

What I liked about it was that no one can mess with the light, or accidently turn it on or off, unless you flip down the little cover.

My wife is notorious for flipping the switches for our motion sensor lights on the garage on and off and messing up the motion sensing part.

She will wake me up at night and say, "Honey, did YOU forget to turn off the garage light again?"

I just mumble, get out of bed, and fix it.

She can't screw around with the timer switch, and I swear sometimes she tries...

Jim

 

[rpearlberg]

Your welcome. This timer works great. I have had it for about 4 years now and it still works great.

What I liked about it was that no one can mess with the light, or accidently turn it on or off, unless you flip down the little cover.

My wife is notorious for flipping the switches for our motion sensor lights on the garage on and off and messing up the motion sensing part.

She will wake me up at night and say, "Honey, did YOU forget to turn off the garage light again?"

I just mumble, get out of bed, and fix it.

She can't screw around with the timer switch, and I swear sometimes she tries...

Jim

Haha!! I have those little covers over our switches now to try to prevent that, but it still happens. I'll try install this sometime soon. I'll probably just go with the Defiant brand since it says my HD has it in stock.

 

[CJ7VFR]

One other option you can do is to actually get a small dusk to dawn outdoor sensor and hook it up to your light.

They are small and can be installed into the existing light fixtures wiring pretty easily.

There is also light bulbs with dusk to dawn sensors built into them, and light sockets with the sensors in them too.

Just a few other options for you incase you decide not to go the switch route.

Jim

 

[rlev11]

Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B, It was installed around 4 years ago, haven't touched it since. On at sunset, off at 3:00 am (or sunrise). It will need a neutral wire hookup in the box.

 

[ripperd]

Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B, It was installed around 4 years ago, haven't touched it since. On at sunset, off at 3:00 am (or sunrise). It will need a neutral wire hookup in the box.

This. I made a similar thread a while ago. Used this, works awesome.

 

[rpearlberg]

This. I made a similar thread a while ago. Used this, works awesome.

Thanks! That one looks pretty good to me also. Just need to make sure I have a neutral in there to use...

 

[AndrewDouglasBird]

Depending on the fixture, you could use these:

Simple install at the fixture itself and cheap too!

 

[cybrdyke]

The correct answer is Intermatic ST01C.
It can be programmed using time, or just on at dusk and off at dawn, or a combination of both...whichever way you prefer.
It's good for incandescent, CFL or LED loads, comes in a variety of colors and has battery backup. Fits in a decora wall plate. It knows what time dusk and dawn are and corrects itself throughout the year.
It can be wired as a 3-way, and requires no neutral.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Intermatic-15-Amp-Heavy-Duty-Astro-In-Wall-Digital-Timer-ST01/203954917

 

[rpearlberg]

The correct answer is Intermatic ST01C.
It can be programmed using time, or just on at dusk and off at dawn, or a combination of both...whichever way you prefer.
It's good for incandescent, CFL or LED loads, comes in a variety of colors and has battery backup. Fits in a decora wall plate. It knows what time dusk and dawn are and corrects itself throughout the year.
It can be wired as a 3-way, and requires no neutral.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Intermatic-15-Amp-Heavy-Duty-Astro-In-Wall-Digital-Timer-ST01/203954917

That one looks good too, and great reviews. If I don't have a neutral, this seems to be the way to go.

Even if I do have a neutral, should I use it if I don't have to?

 

[M Fan]

I have three of the Defiant model that CJ7VFR showed above from Home Depot, and they work great. They do a really good job of adjusting for changes in daylight lengths.

If you can't find these at your local HD, ask for assistance. Some locations have these near the light bulbs instead of the normal electrical switches.

The other nice thing about this model, which doesn't sound like would be an issue, is that the face is easily removed and can be painted any color.

 

[DC73]

Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B, It was installed around 4 years ago, haven't touched it since. On at sunset, off at 3:00 am (or sunrise). It will need a neutral wire hookup in the box.

I ordered 3 of these a week or so ago. Should be here tomorrow. Looking forward to getting them installed.

I currently have 2 of the generic ones from Home Depot. I hate them. They don't keep good time. They lose at least 5 minutes per month. The solar tables are only for large regions of US and are not specific to my latitude and longitude and so they don't switch close enough to sunrise and sunset to suit me. I wish I had found the Honeywell version before I spent the money on these.

DC

 

[pattenp]

The timer switch that doesn't use a neutral uses a battery.

 

[MikeF2316]

I have two of these.

You can program them to turn on at sunset, off at a fixed time, on at a fixed time and off at sunrise. Or skip any of those.

They don't have a sensor, you tell them your location, and the date. Then they calculate sunrise and sunset.

 

[DC73]

Honeywell Econoswitch RPLS740B, It was installed around 4 years ago, haven't touched it since. On at sunset, off at 3:00 am (or sunrise). It will need a neutral wire hookup in the box.

I ordered 3 of these a week or so ago. Should be here tomorrow. Looking forward to getting them installed.

I currently have 2 of the generic ones from Home Depot. I hate them. They don't keep good time. They lose at least 5 minutes per month. The solar tables are only for large regions of US and are not specific to my latitude and longitude and so they don't switch close enough to sunrise and sunset to suit me. I wish I had found the Honeywell version before I spent the money on these.

DC

Got them installed and they work great. Much better than the ones I replaced. These have an adjustable backlight that can either be set to Off, Low, or High. Keeping this backlight on makes for an acceptable night light, especially on High. If the backlight feature was programmable so that it was normally off during the day, it would be perfect.

DC

 

[carap]

I have two GE brand timer switches. One of the outdoor coach lamps and the other for under eve outlets used for Christmas lights. They have a random dusk to dawn feature. If varies the switch time by a few minutes so they don't switch at exactly the same time. Both switches are in 2 gang boxes. I had to make my own switch plates. I used a regular 2 gang switch plate and cut one side out to fit the Decora style switch opening.

 

[csp]

A photocell requires no programming or input of any kind other than installation.

 

[rpearlberg]

finally had a chance to look at the current switch/box. Is the white wire with wire nut the neutral? Just want to see what I have before I order the new switch.

 

[My Old Tools]

It is way cheaper to go to HD and buy one of the little photo cell switches and mount it in-line with your lights. That's what I did to convert my foundation lights to dusk to dawn. The switch costs about $12 and is about the size of a lipstick tube. It has a threaded mount that fits the knocks in most boxes. I just drilled an extra hole in the mounting plate of the light to mount it and wired it in-line with all the lights. It handles 15 amps.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Designers-Edge-Directional-Dusk-to-Dawn-Photo-Cell-L-4703/202765283

 

[DC73]

finally had a chance to look at the current switch/box. Is the white wire with wire nut the neutral? Just want to see what I have before I order the new switch.

Yes.

DC

 

[rpearlberg]

Yes.

DC

Thanks. So I can go with the Honeywell with the neutral.

 

[rpearlberg]

So I'm installing the Honeywell, but there is no place for a ground wire. What should I do with the existing ground inside the box?

 

[myredracer]

I see now that you posted the same question on the ground wire in another thread. I posted a response on that thread.

That Honeywell timer requires a neutral to work. If there is an unswitched hot/neutral in the box (ie., power incoming into the box) and then 2 wires to the light, it will work. If power was run to the light first and then a switch leg down to the switch, it will not work. See Honeywell info. here: https://customer.honeywell.com/resources/techlit/TechLitDocuments/69-0000s/69-2455EFS.pdf

When I wired our house, I installed a Tork photocell and a time switch to control a light over each of 7 exterior doors. Even though the photocell is basically out in the open and should sense the light level fine, it does not turn the lights off at dawn like it should and the lights will often run all day on a cloudy day. Even replaced the photocell with an Intermatic one and same problem.

Not impressed with photocell operation and it's not helping the utility bill either. Am going to install a sun up/sun down timer instead (aka astro or astronomic timer). Just enter your longitude & latitude and it automatically adjusts for the seasonal change in dusk/dawn times.

 

[rpearlberg]

I was able to get two of these installed. For those that have the Honeywell rpls740b I have a question. After programming both of them, one of them keeps flashing "On", while the other one has "On" on the screen, but not flashing.

Any idea why this is? I'm pretty sure I did the same settings on both.

I guess worst case is I can reset them and start over....

 

[2Big2Ride]

The correct answer is Intermatic ST01C.
It can be programmed using time, or just on at dusk and off at dawn, or a combination of both...whichever way you prefer.
It's good for incandescent, CFL or LED loads, comes in a variety of colors and has battery backup. Fits in a decora wall plate. It knows what time dusk and dawn are and corrects itself throughout the year.
It can be wired as a 3-way, and requires no neutral.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Intermatic-15-Amp-Heavy-Duty-Astro-In-Wall-Digital-Timer-ST01/203954917

Have two of these in the house and one in the shop - they are great! I would have to go pull out the instruction sheet, but I don't remember a wire for a neutral. They use a battery to run the clock and programming.

 

[PhantomEB]

I have two of these.

You can program them to turn on at sunset, off at a fixed time, on at a fixed time and off at sunrise. Or skip any of those.

They don't have a sensor, you tell them your location, and the date. Then they calculate sunrise and sunset.

Since my shop door is in full shade and I plan garden doors with embedded blinds I don't think dusk to dawn will play out very well so this will be a highly looked into option!

 

[RonJ.]

I was able to get two of these installed. For those that have the Honeywell rpls740b I have a question. After programming both of them, one of them keeps flashing "On", while the other one has "On" on the screen, but not flashing.

Any idea why this is? I'm pretty sure I did the same settings on both.

I guess worst case is I can reset them and start over....

The blinking ON is not a malfunction. It means that the timer is set in Automatic mode and that you bypassed the programmed timer settings by manually turning on the lights.

From instructions:

5.1.4 Temporary Override
When the RPLS740B/RPLS741B is in Automatic or Random mode, you can press the main button at any time to override the default state for the current program. The lights will turn off if they are on and vice versa. The icon (On or Off) of the new state flashes to indicate that the state is temporary. The new state is maintained until you press the main button again or till the next “On” or “Off” program.

 

[pdxzip]

Dusk to dawn light switches like the honeywell work well and depend on having the correct wiring in your wall, i.e. a neutral. They adjust from dusk to dawn seasonally. There is a kickstarter project going that embeds the dusk to dawn logic into the light socket and is setup with a smart phone. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/812402197/zipsocket

 

[Blue XJ]

I have a few of these installed, since my lights are on different circuits. I'd highly recommend them, I've had them for about 8 months now, with no issues. Their on/off times adjust a few minutes everyday to keep up with the different sunset/sunrise times. They also have a program feature if you want them on at certain times, or to come on at sunset and only stay on for a couple hours. There is also a random mode, so they come on a various times to make it look like your home.

I'm using them with LED bulbs with no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AP92N2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[bochnak]

OP, have you seen these LED's with a photo eye built in?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Philips-...9-LED-Energy-Star-Light-Bulb-466565/300320223

I have a few and they work great!