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We wanted to replace a light fixture in our dining room, and I thought it would be straightforward, but I find myself second-guessing myself.

The fixture comes with four wires and instructions that are essentially nonexistent. I think "N" is neutral, "L" is load and the bare copper wire is ground. And this question said the wire with the horizontal lines and vertical line is also a ground?

wiring from fixture

And I'll be wiring into this box, which is switched and has a set of wires coming from the right (switch?) and one from the left (to continue the circuit?)

enter image description here

Am I on the right track that the Load wire goes to the black wires and the Neutral wire goes to the white wires.

And the ground wire with the horizontal lines and vertical line, that should go to the bare copper wire, while the fixture's bare copper wire should to the fixture bracket's ground screw and then to the other grounds?

EDIT: The switch works. It also controls four, recessed LED fixtures surrounding the fixture box.

Here's the old fixture. The wire with blue tape went to the black wires in the box. The neutral wire on the old fixture may have been not connected to the white wires in the box. I say may have because as I was taking it down, it wasn't really pigtailed to the others.

old light fixture

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  • Grounds all go together - and should connect to the green screw on the bracket. A little concerned about the existing wires though. Was there a fixture previously? Are you sure the switch actually works? Are there any other lights on the same switch? Commented Jan 14, 2022 at 3:17
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    Is that how you found those wires in the ceiling box, or have you disconnected & reconnected some or all of them?
    – brhans
    Commented Jan 14, 2022 at 4:40
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    What's puzzling is that given the way it's wired right now, if the switch controls the light it also switches whatever is downstream from it.
    – HoneyDo
    Commented Jan 14, 2022 at 5:40
  • Great questions. I updated and added edits to my original post. Commented Jan 14, 2022 at 14:27
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    The old fixture is ETL listed. What, if any test lab labeling is on the new fixture? It bears the hallmarks of "quite possibly unlisted direct import" and if that's the case, it should be returned, not connected. "CE" is not a listing and is probably fake, if that's the only apparent marking on the new fixture. Cheap fixtures that burn your house down are expensive.
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Jan 14, 2022 at 16:58

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