Control shed light from house's porch light switch on different circuit

Question

This may have been asked already, but I can't find a post with the exact question so here goes:

I have a garden shed with an outdoor light, controlled by a standard switch in the shed. The shed's power comes from my detached garage, which has its own electrical supply separate from the house.

I have a porch light on the house. I want the shed's light to be controlled by the house porch light's switch, and by the switch in the shed.

I'm certain there's some sort of remote switch solution but I don't know the right questions to ask to find it.

Can anyone recommend a solution?

Have you considered LED fixtures or LED bulbs controlled by a photocell? It will turn on as it gets dark and turn off in the morning. Maybe you don't want it on all the time at night, if so, this isn't the best solution. If you are worried about cost,, LEDs are incredibly cheap to run. — George Anderson, Feb 11 '23 at 08:33
Adding a line from the house to the shed is not an option. This is a “nice to have” rather than a “need”, so I don’t want to spend too much. — Cetoken, Feb 11 '23 at 22:24

P2000 · Answer 1 · 2023-02-10T21:50:03.833

What could work in your case is a Remote Controlled Light Socket.

Since both lights that you wish to switch are on different circuits (or different supplies as you write) operating both with one normal house-wired light switch would require running a new (underground) cable from the porch to the shed.

With a remote, on the other hand, you could operate multiple lights that are wired from different circuits. No app or WiFi required.

A smart switch could accomplish the same, and then you'd need a hub and possibly wifi and an app. When it comes to apps and smart devices, personally I prefer the least dependence on technology to operate a light switch, to minimize the risk of app malfunction at the worst possible time, and to avoid perpetual upgrades and logins. Therefore I would prefer a simple remote.

When you purchase such a device at an on-line store, you must ensure it has the proper certification for your region (e.g. UL, CUL, CSA etc..) and that it has the wet/dry rating suitable for your outdoor covered or uncovered light base. Rules vary by region.

Examples:

and

Images from amazon.ca, provided as an example of such a product.

This is in line with what I had envisioned. I’ll check it out - thanks! — Cetoken, Feb 11 '23 at 22:26

Control shed light from house's porch light switch on different circuit

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