Garden LED lights and transformers

[sae1984]

Hi,
I want to put 6 LED lights at my garden and i just want to ask some questions. The lamps that i bought are called Integral OUTDOOR DECORATIVE WALL LIGHT CURVE IP54 360LM 7.5W

1) When i connect the garden lights, i do it in series or in parallel? which one is adequate?
2) I have an external rcd socket, and i will connect them there. The question is do i need a transformer and what type? Total watt of the led lamps is roughly 50watt so i was thinking a 100watt transformer. What about volts? Do i get 240 to 12 volts transformer? Will this be adequate for these lights that i bought? Can the 12volt transformer light up these 6 led lights?
3)Also i need to put a wireless sensor in order to switch them on or off with a remote. do you have anything to suggest?

Regards,
Jim

[wine~o]

Having just google them they are mains voltage, no transformer required. They also seem to come with a sensor fitted. Just wire as a daisy chain.

[Someone-Else]

As they are mains, daisy chain would be wrong, they should be wired in parallel. I should also ask as they are mains and going outside how are you going to protect the cable?

To be honest, I would suggest you take the lights back and use 12v lights as these do not require cable protection and if you damage a cable it will not harm anyone. You can buy a variety of safe 12v (with transformer) kits Click me Just plug them in and "plug the lights in the ground"
As for remote operation buy a smart plug adaptor Click me

[OnlyMe]

Daisy chain in electrics usually suggests parallel wiring.

[ericmark]

As said they are standard mains (low voltage) not extra low voltage, so no transformer required, they are designed to be wall mounted, and the pictures I have found show then powered from the rear, as to if there is an option to power from the side I don't know.

It seems likely you will need some junctions boxes and cable, and it depends on location as to what can be used.

I have found many lights have the same screw spacing to conduit boxes, but since these lights are decorative, that may not look correct. But main reason they are called decorative is 360 lumen would equate to no more than 4 watt with most LED lamps, and at 7.5 watt the only way they can be offered for sale is to call then decorative.

There are many wifi control boxes, SONOFF is popular, most seem to use a hub, as direct to wifi routers tends to use too much power, and the zigbee system uses each device to relay to the next, so uses less power. However most need mounting in a plastic box, they are not simple plug and play.

Personally I use a Tapo (TP-Link) light switch, as they are battery powered, so do not require a neutral, and it does not matter if the item switched has a PIR fitted, and it has a dusk and dawn feature. The problem with smart devices, is you only find how they work after you buy them, which makes selecting a suitable unit hard.

I used a double outlet relay for my landing light, it was zigbee, and I had a zigbee remote control, but found I could not pair the remote to the relay, it would only pair to light bulbs. Not a problem in doors, I use google Nest Mini's and voice control, but this was not what I had designed to do.

All my outside lights but one, use bulbs, so using a smart bulb is easy, the odd one out, I use a plug in smart socket adaptor, however these are not suitable for use outside. My outside sockets are actually plugged in indoors, this allows complete isolation should I get some water ingress, and also means I can use a smart socket adaptor.

My system is not ideal, but wife got the lamps for £2 each for bulb type and £4 for the integral one, when being sold off in local whole sale outlet, I have 8 outside lights, of them 6 are on smart controls, so when I arrive I select google home app on phone and turn on 6 lights, and once in house turn them off with speech controls. "Hey google turn off outside lights" but it does require some planning, to buy lights then work out how to wire them, does seem wrong way around, unless they were very cheap, as with mine.

The integral carriage lamp, I mounted over a hole with had been drilled for a TV cable, and simply plugged into a high socket which I assume was for the TV now hidden from view by the fridge freezer, I have got SDS drills and a SDS drill so could drill a hole, slopping down to outside so water will not run in, but was lucky hole was already there. And this is often the case, one uses some existing features.

I have looked at smart sockets, I did buy some, but most have since failed, but often the plastic out door sockets use a standard socket inside, so replacing it for a smart version may give you the control you want.

[wine~o]

Daisy chain in electrics usually suggests parallel wiring.

Which is my understanding