Way off topic, need some home elc help

[flybye]

OK, I trying to wire up my garage florescent lights to tun on once I open the garage door.
I'm just unsure how to wire it.
Ideally I want to place a magnetic contact on the door, when the contact opens the outlet becomes live. Now since I can have the whole circuit in this config, I want to have a outlet plug. Basically I want to utilize a wireless type switch, but hard wire the on/off portion in a magnetic config. Somethign like this
Remote Motion Sensor Outlet Adapter Kit - GadgetShack

[cn90]

Much easier to replace the existing wall switch with Leviton PR180-1LW.
As soon as the car enters the garage, the infrared sensor picks it up and the ceiling light is ON.

I did this 10 years ago and to this day, it works great...

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-PR180-.../dp/B0007N737S

[flybye]

The switch is in the corner, wont see the car enter.

[jdstrickland]

I'm not getting what the problem is. You want a bank, or more, of lights to come on when the door is opened? There is a light, or two, already in the door motor, just install a plug-in adaptor into the light socket, then connect the bank of lights to it. The door opens, the lights come on and remain on for the time that the garage door keeps them, typically about 5 minutes. The lights remain on after door open, and after door closed. At the end of a preset period, the lights turn off. By then, you should be in your LazyBoy recliner sipping a beer. You'll easily be to the light switch to turn on other lights in the garage.

[flybye]

What i'm looking for is someone to provide a wiring diag and advice of how to wire a magnet contact relay switch to tell the motion sensor to power on. The motion, wont seem to cover the whole garage.

[jdstrickland]

Tell a motion sensor to power on? Just wire the motion sensor, and it will pass power to the load when it sees motion.

I'm not getting the goal, and the solution seems to be horribly convoluted.

If a motion sensor sees no motion, it will time out and the load will turn off. If there is no power to a motion sensor, it will not detect motion.

Are you wanting the garage to light up when the door opens, or when there is motion?

[jdstrickland]

The sensor has 3 wires, black, white, and red. It may have a ground, but this is not important.

In a wall switch plate, take the plate off and the switch out. Wire the white to the existing batch of white wires. Connect the black to the black that is hot all of the time, and connect the red to the black that goes to the lighting circuit.

The sensor will see motion and pass power through the red wire out to the fixtures you want to have on.

[cn90]

flybye,

You will be surprised the range of the infrared in the Wall Switch by Leviton (mentioned above).
My Leviton wall switch motion sensor sits in the corner, yet as soon as the car enters the garage, the ceiling light is ON.

[andrewwynn]

if your goal is: lights always on when garage is occupied the leviton occupancy sensor is the way to go; the trick is: don't put in place of existing switch if that won't help it notice if there is a car or person in there. It seems to be heat sensing. if there is something 'not room temperature' in there that is 'not moving' the light will stay on until that condition is no longer.

I use them in my bathroom, kitchen and hallway and there is no going back.

recently i used to add automatic lighting to four closets. i put a new 'retrofit box' right next to the light outlet in the ceiling and put some BX back and forth to the new box where i installed the switch to look down and out the closet door. This same concept would work for a garage; maybe fish wire up the wall to have an overhead view looking down and over a 'near' car that may block it's view.

The switch has about a 160° view angle and maybe 30° down. I have one on a side of a hallway and it works both ways down the hall.

[davesx5]

All you guys are making this way to hard. Plug your light into this unit and use your remote garage opener button.
Remote Control Lighting for Garage or House | Chamberlain Do-It-Yourself Products