Question about bypassing a PIR and ambient light sensor

[jamescl131]

Hi,

I would like to bypass an outdoor light PIR and ambient sensor as I have put a wifi smart bulb in, which gives me more more flexibility about scheduling the light to come on and being able to turn it on and off via google assistant etc. Using the maximum duration setting on the potentiometer, it still only stays on for around 10 minutes.

Smart Bulb
Has features like auto sunrise / sunset (for postcode)

The issue I have is how exactly to bypass the PIR. I was going to solder 2 of the wires together and heat shrink, but I wanted to check with some experts.

PIR / light sensor unit

3 Wires going into PIR
1 x Red (I think this is switched live)
1 x Brown (live)
1 x Green (Neutral)

A look up inside

My diagram
May or may not be correct, looking for feedback

Question
What I'm looking for is guidance on whether my diagram looks correct. If I wanted to bypass the PIR / Light Sensor all together, then would snipping the red and brown wires from just outside of the PIR box and soldering them together and heat shrinking work?

If I'm right I'd still have the blue neural left over which I would have to just leave and put some neat shrink on to the end?

Help much appreciated!

 

[jamescl131]

I am unable to edit now, but I typed green instead of blue in relating to wiring.

 

[telectrix]

basically with a pir, you have Lin brown and Lout red. connect these 2 together, make sure the N and cpc are continuous. job done.

 

[Spoon]

I know nothing about wifi smart bulbs but I did hear a report that hackers used these to hack into your system as not many people changed the generic passwords in them...
Not sure how true it was.... Just thought I would mention it..

 

[telectrix]

can i use this smart bulb technology to make my tulips grow big?

 

[Octopus]

The simplest easy would be to change the light fitting ....... Simples

 

[littlespark]

Scaremongering over smart devices. Embrace the technological progress!

Someone hacks your smart bulbs and all they can do is turn your light on and off.

 

[Spoon]

Scaremongering over smart devices. Embrace the technological progress!

Someone hacks your smart bulbs and all they can do is turn your light on and off.

I'm not sure if the report was scaremongering or just informing people who but these smart devices to change the generic passwords...

 

[jamescl131]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Somebody suggested I should change the whole fitting, but that seems such a shame if I could just solder a couple of wires together.

The main issue I can see is it would be easy to join the brown and red wires by soldering them and head shrinking, but then I'd be left with a spare neutral and I'm unsure if that's ok or not (to just terminate and heat shrink), since there's already a neutral going straight from the inside switch to the lamp.

 

[jamescl131]

Sorted (I think), it does look like there's not a redundant neutral coming from the block (now no longer needed with the PIR bypassed).

I can just safely terminate and heatshrink the end of the neutral I think. Unless anyone thinks otherwise?

 

[jamescl131]

Yup, that's sorted. Worked a treat, I got a new choc-block and joined the brown live and red live which goes to the lamp. To ensure the spare neutral (due to the removal of the PIR) isn't flapping around I put that into a separate section of the choc on its own, then wrapped it all up in electrical tape.

It is working like a charm!

Somebody mentioned the security of these things and they're right. I wouldn't trust it that much, but hopefully all that any hacker can do is turn the light on and off.

Just in case I set up my own 'internet of things' wifi network with its own SSID and some rules on DDWRT which means the 2 networks aren't bridged and can't route between each other.

When I open the app on my phone to set or control the lamp, it connects to cloud servers anyway, so I don't need to be on the same wifi as the lamp except for the very first set-up. I connected to the IOT network once on my phone to set it up and now it is isolated with other internet controlled things on a segregated network.

Thanks all.

 

[KentSparky]

I know nothing about wifi smart bulbs but I did hear a report that hackers used these to hack into your system as not many people changed the generic passwords in them...
Not sure how true it was.... Just thought I would mention it..

The thought of someone hacking into my porch light and turning it on and off makes my blood boil