Looking to put up a couple of outdoor lights round the house where it’s dark at the moment, triggered by PIR sensor but not sure on the best method for wiring.

They don’t need to be Alcatraz style floodlights, just enough to be able to see the locks on the doors when coming home after dark. We don’t get any ambient lighting from streetlights etc.

I’ve had cheap solar LED lights before at our previous house and they were a bit weak (but they were cheap). Solar strikes me as a good option but only if the light output is decent enough.

Not that keen to add to the lighting circuit if possible (plug sockets are reasonably close and accessible) but is that the most sensible way to go?

All advice and recommendations welcome!

Not that keen to add to the lighting circuit if possible (plug sockets are reasonably close and accessible) but is that the most sensible way to go?

Do you mean drill a hole in the wall, fed lightning cable through and plug in?

I would run a spur from the socket to a convenient place to connect the lighting cable up to.

Can’t see a solar light being much use in winter.

Yeah – not sure if these type of lights are supposed to be connected the same way indoor lighting is (to the lighting circuit) or wired to a 3-pin plug and plugged into a socket?

I have covered outdoor sockets and overhanging eaves on the roof, so it’d be simple to plug them in that way (given enough cable) but I’m not sure if that’s how these sort of lights are supposed to be powered.

This is all new to me!

Wired mine up running a wire through the loft and down the wall, but my gutter is at ground floor level not first floor. removed the requirement to drill holes in the wall.

A PIR will need an unswitched live so run a flex from the plug to the PIR. Connect this into L-N-E. Then connect another flex into SWL-N-E at the PIR and run this to the lights and connect . Voila.

If in doubt pay a proper sparky.

Edited to add this is assuming a standalone PIR. If its built into the light just take the flex from the plug straight into it.

I have covered outdoor sockets and overhanging eaves on the roof, so it’d be simple to plug them in that way (given enough cable) but I’m not sure if that’s how these sort of lights are supposed to be powered.

Ah if you have external waterproof sockets then plugging them in will be fine. It’s just a light. And if there isn’t enough cable supplied either rewire the light with enough cable or fit a waterproof junction box.

A PIR will need an unswitched live so run a flex from the plug to the PIR. Connect this into L-N-E. Then connect another flex into SWL-N-E at the PIR and run this to the lights and connect . Voila.

I presumed the light will have a built in PIR.

Yeah – not sure if these type of lights are supposed to be connected the same way indoor lighting is (to the lighting circuit) or wired to a 3-pin plug and plugged into a socket?

Most of mine are the latter, wired into a plug.

I’ve got about 10 of these around the garden

[url=https://flic.kr/p/qgUd3o]Outside lights[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

Means I can wander out at night to collect wood, put the rubbish out etc, look for cats and the garden just lights up wherever I am.

The path to the workshop is also flood lit on a timer plug using 12v LEDs

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pWyUPo]12v 10W LED flood lights[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

I quite like outdoor lights, can you tell?

Thanks all – it’s something with a built-in PIR I’m after. Perhaps a scaled-down version of footflaps’ setup!

I take it I can have a single 13amp plug with flex to a junction box, then 2 or 3 cables from there, one to each light (if I want 2 or 3) meaning they’ll all run off one socket?

Any recommendations on the lights themselves, or are they much-of-a-much?

I take it I can have a single 13amp plug with flex to a junction box, then 2 or 3 cables from there, one to each light (if I want 2 or 3) meaning they’ll all run off one socket?

Yes, that’ll work fine.

Spot on, cheers.