Remote Controlled Light?

[Anonymous Poster]

I am looking for suggestions on how to turn on an outside light at my barn from my house, which is about 300' away. There isn't any wiring running between the two. Is there such a thing as a remote controlled light?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yup, get hold of one of the remote control units for Christmas lights all the home centers push this time of year.

 

[MikePA]

Would a dusk to dawn attachment work?

 

[RobS]

I've had good luck with X-10 hardware (available here) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[gws]

X10 is a great way to control lights remotley. Check out www.x10.com or www.smarthome.com

Gary.

 

[cowboydoc]

I have one that I got at Menards last year that has a switch at the house that is on a remote control located in the barn. I can turn the light on from the house and the barn lights come on. It was about $30 though.

 

[MossRoad]

X10 is great stuff. I use it for all sorts of things. The starter kit called Active Home is $49.00. And get the $49.00 surplus kit that has 3 lamp modules, 3 appliance modules, 3 wall switches and 3 key chain remotes. Can't beat it. It's great for holiday lighting. For instance, at Christmas, I have two trees out front, several strings out back and a snowman at my garage. They are all set to the same code. I programmed the X10 box with my computer to turn on that code at dusk and off at 11:00pm. Also on again at 6:00am and off at dawn. The kit comes with a remote that controls the TV, VCR, Stereo, Satellite AND the X10 stuff. So you can be watching TV, dim the lights down to a comfortable level, turn the lights off in your kids room and turn off the light at your garage without getting off your butt. Gosh I'm lazy. If you want any more info, just ask. I've got tons of stuff.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[Jeff396]

I just visited the X10 site. It looks like something I'd be very interested in. Question, is anybody using it on Windows Millenium? They don't list that specifically in their requirements.

Jeff

 

[MossRoad]

I use it in win 95, 98 and 2000. Don't have ME to try it on. Do have XP, but haven't tried it on that yet either.



<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[LGinIA]

Will the X10 transmitter handle 300'? X10 site indicates only 100'. Real world experience?

 

[MossRoad]

The X10 signal travels over your home wiring. It shouldn't have any limitations. I have several runs that are over 150' out in my garage. I think the 100' range that you are reading about might be for the remote controls, which us Radio Frequency(RF) to transmit to an X10 module that has an antenna on it.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[JJT]

10 years ago I switched all my outdoor quartz and incandescents to high pressure sodium, dusk to dawn. 70 watts of Sodium provides more light than 1000 watts of quartz, and no big deal to leave on all night. At $75 per fixture and $15/bulb they are not cheap, but the bulbs last ast least 10 years.

 

[MossRoad]

psalisbury,
Maybe I didn't read that right. No wires between the two buildings? Are they on seperate electric meters? If so, X10 won't work. If they are on the same meter, it should work fine. They do sell a signal booster and a bridge for 3 phase systems as well.


<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[MossRoad]

I don't like to leave my outdoor lights on for two reasons. One, power consumption. Even though it's really cheap, it still uses power. Two, light pollution. My kid has never seen the milkyway from our back yard because you can't see it from the city anymore due to all of the yard lights, street lights, etc... While outdoor lights are almost a must for security, we have many motion sensors that take care of that. X10 motion sensors are really cool. If one goes off, it can trigger all of the other flood lights around the property to go aff as well. It can even trigger a $69.00 camera to go off and start the VCR recording before it trips the lights. That way, the critter or intruder will be caught on video. Cool stuff for cheap. Can't beat it.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

JJT,
High pressure Sodium are great lights for plant growth and outdoor lighting.
<font color=blue>70 watts of Sodium provides more light than 1000 watts of quartz</font color=blue>
This may be a little optomistic, the following link provides a good comparison of different lighting technologies. It's complete with pictures/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Comparison
Al

 

[JJT]

No light pollution here, my Sodiums are shielded. If we break out the telescope I can always flip the switches off.

It's also nice to always come home to a lighted front yard. We live in the boonies and you never know when a neighbor's going to pop in, no problem, the lights are always on.

 

[MossRoad]

My yard is lighted too, just not when I'm not in it. I pull in the drive, the lights come on. If it's between 5:30 and 6:30pm Mon-Fri, the kitchen and living room lights in the house come on at 50% brightnes to welcome me home. The outdoor lights go off after 10 minutes if there is no motion.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>