Remote light switch
 

for some odd reason the sitting room in our new (to us) house doesn't
have any wired in lighting. The previous owners had lots of standard
lights etc.. No I don't understand it either.

Now we have sufficient lighting in the room, but it's pretty
inconvenient to have to walk into the room in the dark and then find the
standard lamp, so I to install a ceiling light. but I really want to
avoid running wires down the wall to the switch (Yeah I know I can run
trunking etc. But TBH, its years down the redecorating list I imagine,
I'd like to avoid looking at it, and there would be a picture rail and
the nice Victorian cornice to get past as well.

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off. I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

any recomendations
--
Chris French

In article , "chris French"
says...
for some odd reason the sitting room in our new (to us) house doesn't
have any wired in lighting. The previous owners had lots of standard
lights etc.. No I don't understand it either.

Now we have sufficient lighting in the room, but it's pretty
inconvenient to have to walk into the room in the dark and then find the
standard lamp, so I to install a ceiling light. but I really want to
avoid running wires down the wall to the switch (Yeah I know I can run
trunking etc. But TBH, its years down the redecorating list I imagine,
I'd like to avoid looking at it, and there would be a picture rail and
the nice Victorian cornice to get past as well.

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off. I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

any recomendations

Use a pull cord switch.

In message , Rob Morley
writes
In article , "chris French"
says...

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off. I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

any recomendations

Use a pull cord switch.

I have though about that (sorry should have mentioned it in the post),
but would prefer the wireless option if possible
--
Chris French

"chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , Rob
Morley
writes
In article , "chris French"
says...

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can
switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off.
I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that
lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

any recomendations

Use a pull cord switch.

I have though about that (sorry should have mentioned it in the
post),
but would prefer the wireless option if possible
--
Chris French


I bet that there has been wiring for a switch in the past. I'd get a
cable tracer / metal detector and search round the (door none hinge
side) for evidence. It wouldn't surprise me to find rolled conduit
that you could pull through.

AWEM

chris French wrote:
for some odd reason the sitting room in our new (to us) house doesn't
have any wired in lighting. The previous owners had lots of standard
lights etc.. No I don't understand it either.

http://www.eurobatteries.com/sitepag...ntrollers.asp?

wireless lighting switch in Google turns up lots of possibilities.

I think it's a brilliant idea, personally, because you can put the switches
anywhere.

Si

In uk.d-i-y, chris French wrote:
So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can
switch a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off.
I'm not looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that
lying around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

I'd look into X10 products. When I was looking for a solution to a
similar problem some time ago, I came across remote controls that are
designed to be stuck to the wall and look like (American) light
switches, rather than being hidden down the back of the sofa. I can't
tell you exactly *where* I saw them but Google should help.

It would be easier, and probably more convenient, to have this remote
control operate your existing free-standing lights - no need to install
a ceiling light. Prepare for a loud "clunk" whenever you switch them on
or off, though.

--
Mike Barnes

In article ,
Mungo \two sheds\ Toadfoot wrote:
wireless lighting switch in Google turns up lots of possibilities.

I think it's a brilliant idea, personally, because you can put the
switches anywhere.

Most would put the main one somewhere accessible from the doorway. ;-_

--
*Ever stop to think and forget to start again?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

chris French wrote:

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off. I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

One of those sound activated gizmo's? Clap your hands twice, or mutter
"let there be light!"?

any recomendations

Looking for disused cabling as suggested sounds a good idea though you
might find (if it's victorian) it's old unusable stuff (which you might
if lucky be able to use to pull through newer). I'd scout around in the
floorboards above to find out what kind of cable it is.

--
Adrian C

In article ,
Mike Barnes writes:
I'd look into X10 products. When I was looking for a solution to a
similar problem some time ago, I came across remote controls that are
designed to be stuck to the wall and look like (American) light
switches, rather than being hidden down the back of the sofa. I can't
tell you exactly *where* I saw them but Google should help.

You are probably thinking of this...
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/552

You will also need one of these to convert RF X10 to mains borne X10...
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/495

Then you can use lamp or appliance modules on table lamps, such as
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/468
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/469
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/461

and professional X10 wired-in modules to switch fixed lighting, such as
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/476
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/477
http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/product/481

It would be easier, and probably more convenient, to have this remote
control operate your existing free-standing lights - no need to install
a ceiling light. Prepare for a loud "clunk" whenever you switch them on
or off, though.

Appliance modules use relays and can handle larger loads.
Some of the lamp modules use triacs and can dim the load.

BTW, I have no connection with Cyberselect -- it was just the first
website I could think of which lists all the X10 parts, and I have
used them as a supplier.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Mungo \two sheds\ Toadfoot wrote:
wireless lighting switch in Google turns up lots of possibilities.

I think it's a brilliant idea, personally, because you can put the
switches anywhere.

Most would put the main one somewhere accessible from the doorway. ;-_

Um...you could have a spare one somewhere.....

In your pocket? Um...

Si

In article ,
Mungo \two sheds\ Toadfoot wrote:
I think it's a brilliant idea, personally, because you can put the
switches anywhere.

Most would put the main one somewhere accessible from the doorway. ;-_

Um...you could have a spare one somewhere.....

In your pocket? Um...

Nope - down the side of the settee as always. ;-)

--
*Why is the word abbreviation so long? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
BTW, I have no connection with Cyberselect -- it was just the first
website I could think of which lists all the X10 parts, and I have
used them as a supplier.

Shouldn't stop Evil describing you as a spammer...;-)

--
*I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , Andrew
Mawson writes

"chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , Rob
Morley
writes
In article , "chris French"
says...

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can
switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off.
I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that
lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

any recomendations

Use a pull cord switch.

I have though about that (sorry should have mentioned it in the
post),
but would prefer the wireless option if possible
--
Chris French


I bet that there has been wiring for a switch in the past. I'd get a
cable tracer / metal detector and search round the (door none hinge
side) for evidence. It wouldn't surprise me to find rolled conduit
that you could pull through.

in this situation I'm pretty sure there isn't, though I did think about
it - my cable detector is still stashed in box in the garage right now,
and I'm not lifting the bedroom carpet until I have to.

however, it seems that wiring for most electrical stuff was first
installed in this house in the 1960's - when it was sold in the 1960's
in had been in the same owner ship since the 1920's and still had the
range in the kitchen, gas lighting etc.

The previous owners bought it in 1983, I spoke to them about it when
viewing the house and they said it had not been there when they bought
the house, and they understood it hadn't been wired it at all.

Certainly no evidence of the old rolled conduit anywhere around the
house.
--
Chris French

In article , "chris French"
says...
In message , Rob Morley
writes
In article , "chris French"
says...

So I'm looking for some sort of wireless lighting switch that can switch
a relay or whatever in the ceiling to turn the light on and off. I'm not
looking for a remote control type thing, i'd just leave that lying
around the room and not be able to find it in the dark.

any recomendations

Use a pull cord switch.

I have though about that (sorry should have mentioned it in the post),
but would prefer the wireless option if possible

How about using a relay? You could put the switch on a bit of bell
wire and tape it down the corner of the wall. I know it's not
wireless, but the wireless method seems like overkill to me.

There is a product called Easy Switch on page 21 of the latest Contact Electrical (TLC) catalogue which is exactly what you're after. Their website is www.tlc-direct.co.uk

John