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I've just bought a Luxomat 2-wire Indoor 180-N-R Motion sensing light switch. Manual here: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technical/DataSheets/BEG/BE180R2W_User%20Instructions.pdf

I was fitting the device and when reading the instructions discovered it has a minimum load of 50 Watts. I would ideally want to use this with an LED bulb but that is just 7 Watts. Apart from buying a 60 Watt filament light bulb what options do I have? Is it possible to use this with an LED bulb?

Location: UK

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This is not really suitable for LEDs. Not only is the wattage too low, but since the switch has no direct neutral connection, it gets its power by trickling a small current through the light. With an incandescent light, the power would be so low that you wouldn’t notice it lighting at all when off. However, with most LEDs, you would probably notice a dim glow or flashing from the light with turned off.

Assuming you have a separate neutral wire at the switch (I have no idea how common this is in the UK), you’ll need to return this switch and get one with a third wire that connects to neutral. Make sure it’s rated for LED lights.

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  • Thanks for the explanation, really helpful. Looks like I'll have to change plans.
    – James Mundy
    Dec 12 '20 at 22:11
  • +1 on that , incandescent 60w . regular CFL and LED play havoc on 2 wire systems or atleast get a compatible bulb(CFL/led) if your going with that.
    – binaryOps20
    Dec 13 '20 at 15:44
  • Yep, not going to work without a phantom load - which you can get - but it will actually need to consume all that energy for no reason whatsoever. @JamesMundy what did you do in the end?
    – Sam_Butler
    Jan 29 '21 at 16:52
  • @Sam_Butler in the end I just decided to buy some filament lightbulbs which the light socket works with. They aren't as efficient but it is for a communal area that won't be on much. The switch works great!
    – James Mundy
    Jan 30 '21 at 17:21

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