Home security

I suspect many people are accustomed to using time-switches to control lighting, either for security purposes or simply convenience but these plug-in devices have a number of drawbacks.

Firstly, they can control just one light or appliance only and secondly, unless the settings are changed frequently, they turn on and off at the same times each day.

Nowadays, many new properties are of the 'connected-home' type, where just about any electrical device may be controlled remotely using a SmartPhone app.

This latter option may not be appropriate for everyone seeking a security lighting solution, so I thought I would share with you, a modification I made many years ago to my lighting circuits.

The mod consists of a photo-electric (PE) cell (dusk-dawn switch), a relay and two hard-wired time-switches, one for each of the two lighting circuits of a typical two-storey dwelling. An additional switch is needed to switch between 'Normal' and 'Via Automatic' operation of each lighting circuit.

To use the system, the lights in the rooms that you want to come on later are switched 'on' and then before leaving the property, the control switch is moved to the 'Via Auto' position.

The PE cell determines the 'switch-on' time of the room lights whilst the time-switch sets the 'off' time. The advantage of this system is that different room lights may be set to come on each day and the 'switch-on' time varies automatically with the changing lighting-up times throughout the year.

I appreciate that all of the above sounds very complicated but the modification would be a straight-forward task to an electrician or competent person. The only other consideration nowadays is that the work would come under Part P of the Building Regulations, requiring certain criteria to be met.

At todays prices, the cost of the components for the modification would be in the region of £70.00

A survey some years ago by Which? magazine (I think) concluded that after the obligatory 'insurance-rated' door and window locks, a system of security lighting, either internal, external or both, was a cost-effective deterrent to opportunist thieves, and ahead of having an intruder alarm system installed!