Wiring for freestanding lights?

[Alan Ambrose]

In our present place, built about 30 years ago - in the sitting room we have a bunch of small round pin sockets for wall lights - they're all controlled by a single switch. This kind of thing below.

 

Is there a more modern version? Anyone doing this?

 

[garrymartin]

That's still the modern way of doing it. It's a 5A socket used almost exclusively for lighting (table, floor, bed-side, etc.) and they're almost always operated from a wall switch. You see them a lot in high-end lighting installations.

[-rick-]

Definitely the way to go if you want to control an outlet from a light switch hard wired. But with todays 'smart' products it seems a somewhat unnecessary complication. Even if you don't want smart stuff anywhere else, wiring it into free standing lamps and a switch on the wall to control them gives you a lot more flexibility. ie, you can move lamps around, add extras, etc, no need to predetermine locations or run special cables.

 

It doesn't even have to be that smart if you just want on/off. Quinetic switches are an option there https://www.quinetic.co.uk/

[Nestor]

We have them in all rooms and use them most of the time instead of the overhead pendant lighting.

Not another socket! 

[Mike]

3 hours ago, -rick- said:

Definitely the way to go if you want to control an outlet from a light switch hard wired.

Yes, very useful. It's one thing that I wish we had here in France - instead we use regular sockets on a lighting circuit (2 maximum, unless a contactor or the like is used) & rely on intuition to distinguish them :(

[Dreadnaught]

I am installing 5A lighting sockets in the living room and a bedroom of my new build. 

 

I intend to use plenty of "smart" lighting. But I want everything "smart" to be fully removable for a future buyer (or renter) so am designing & building the house with a good non-smart lighting system first.

 

(At switches, I am installing the deepest back boxes anticipating future "smart" things.)

[Thorfun]

we have multiple 5A sockets controlled via Loxone for ambient lighting.

[-rick-]

3 hours ago, Dreadnaught said:

I intend to use plenty of "smart" lighting. But I want everything "smart" to be fully removable for a future buyer (or renter) so am designing & building the house with a good non-smart lighting system first.

 

Agree with this for installed fittings. Just think the 5A sockets, fixed positions and extra wiring effort is unnessary these days. Future buyer of property is not going to make any purchasing decisions based off having 5A sockets (and will they necessarily be in the right place for them anyway?).

 

3 hours ago, Dreadnaught said:

(At switches, I am installing the deepest back boxes anticipating future "smart" things.)

 

Absolutely.

[Super_Paulie]

Thought about it, then just added a smart relay to every light switch.

Came in handy especially when we decided that we didn't want a pendant over a table, but already had the wiring in. Just told the software to do something else when the switch was thrown (dim spotlights lights 50%).

"Sexy time switch" 

[andyscotland]

On 14/04/2026 at 07:53, Dreadnaught said:

I intend to use plenty of "smart" lighting. But I want everything "smart" to be fully removable for a future buyer (or renter) so am designing & building the house with a good non-smart lighting system first.

 

On 14/04/2026 at 11:17, -rick- said:

Agree with this for installed fittings. Just think the 5A sockets, fixed positions and extra wiring effort is unnessary these days. Future buyer of property is not going to make any purchasing decisions based off having 5A sockets (and will they necessarily be in the right place for them anyway?).

 

I agree with @-rick-, I'm not sure 5A sockets are that useful these days, there's no guarantee they will be where you want them/controlled from where you want them to be over time (or for a future buyer).

 

I think the most flexible/future proof setup is:

 

* As many standard 13A sockets as possible, including in places you might logically want a floor lamp (corners of rooms etc).

* Each fixed lighting appliance (counting e.g. a run of downlights as one "appliance") and lightswitch wired individually back to a central e.g. Wago box accessible but out of sight in a plant room / cupboard etc. Even for two-way etc switching, each switch goes to the wiring centre and then back out to the other(s).

 

Then you can very easily:

 

* Fit smart drivers at your wiring centre, controlled by any existing switch or from e.g. an app

* Replace one or more light switches with a powered scene controller / smart device (as you're just reconnecting the existing cable to carry phase and neutral instead of phase and switched phase)

* Put freestanding lamps anywhere you like, fitting a smart driver either in the lamp itself or a discreet/suitable box between lamp and plug, controlled by physical lightswitches/scene controller/app/whatever as above.

* Change any of those decisions and any of that kit at any time in the future.

* Rip out all of the smart stuff and just reconnect the switches and lighting points directly as "dumb" wiring at the wiring centre without opening up individual accessories (no risk of damaging/marking paintwork etc).

 

May mean a bit more cable than traditional loop in/out, but for the flexibility you get I think it's more than worth it.

[-rick-]

29 minutes ago, andyscotland said:

* Put freestanding lamps anywhere you like, fitting a smart driver either in the lamp itself or a discreet/suitable box between lamp and plug, controlled by physical lightswitches/scene controller/app/whatever as above.

* Change any of those decisions and any of that kit at any time in the future.

 

One of the issues with the 5A sockets is you have to fit the plugs. Lots of people may be put off by doing that. Maybe in your house you are comfortable doing it but your partner isn't, this could cause issues as you age/are temporarily unavailable/unable. Who wants to call an electrician so you can put the new light you just purchased where you want it?

 

Once the 5A plug is fitted the light is restricted to just the 5A outlets, this elminates the possibility of temporarily moving a light to another spot for whatever reason (party, another light failed and you want to move one while you get a replacement, you are working in a normally darker area and need the extra light temporarily).

 

On the plus side, 5A plugs may limit kids ability to mess around with these things if you are in that situation.

[Thorfun]

7 hours ago, andyscotland said:

there's no guarantee they will be where you want them/controlled from where you want them to be over time (or for a future buyer).

 

Not sure about anyone else but I built our house for us and couldn’t care less about any future buyers!

[JohnMo]

1 minute ago, Thorfun said:

Not sure about anyone else but I built our house for us and couldn’t care less about any future buyers!

I did, put some smart stuff in, but was way more work than it needed to be, so now have a box of smart relays gathering dust. Good old light switches and 5A sockets for side lights. Works every time. Not sure I need lights changing colours or themes and then the wife nagging me why can't we just have stuff that works. KISS.

[MikeSharp01]

On 14/04/2026 at 10:50, Thorfun said:

we have multiple 5A sockets controlled via Loxone for ambient lighting.

Same here - put them everywhere.

[dpmiller]

I used Klik sockets rather than 5A plugs