# Light-activated automatic light switch?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 12, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694 "2003-03-12T00:17:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694/1 "2003-03-12T00:17:48Z")

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You know how some rooms are wired so that certain electrical outlets are on the same circuit as the light switch? So you can plug a lamp into them and when you turn on the light switch the lamp goes on.

I don’t have that. But I have a regular light (attached to light switch) and some lamps that I want to control with the same switch, for convenience. I figure there must be an automatic switch of some sort that I can plug the lamp into (like a light-timer, but not) that will sense when the big light is turned on with a photosensitive circuit, and then turn the current to my lamps on.

Anybody know if such a device exists and where I can get it?

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**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694/2 "2003-03-12T00:24:32Z")

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You can try **Home Depot** , they do have these devices but you may have to do some wiring yourself.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694/3 "2003-03-12T00:26:20Z")

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I don’t mind doing a little wiring as long as I don’t have to tear any walls out. (Landlord wouldn’t like that.)

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694/4 "2003-03-12T00:26:29Z")

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[X-10](http://www.x10.com/home/offer.cgi?!TS3,../techtoysts3.htm) manufactures a large number of home automation and control solutions.

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**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694/5 "2003-03-12T00:59:10Z")

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You could also try something like [this](http://www.smarthome.com/2533L.html), which uses photons in a different way.

For more fun, hook the photo switch back to the first light, to turn it off, then hook up another one to turn it on when it gets dark.

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**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-activated-automatic-light-switch/160694/6 "2003-03-12T01:54:45Z")

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Oh god, please don’t give X-10 any money. They need to feel the retribution from those horrible spycam popup ads.