How to install a light fixture without a ground wire
Older homes often lack a dedicated ground wire at the electrical box, leaving only black and white wires when trying to replace an old exterior light. This prevents homeowners from directly connecting modern floodlight cameras like Ring or Eufy without first figuring out if the box is grounded or how to wire the device safely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Tie the ground wire to the metal box if the box is grounded via armored cable or metal jacket.
- 2Add a junction box and connect the cable with a proper connector, then attach the light's ground wire to the box.
- 3Hire a professional electrician to handle the wiring modification.
- 4locate or run a ground to the flood light
- 5access the wiring space above to check for a ground
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am trying to install a Eufy E340 Floodlight Camera. However, my house does not have a ground wire.”source ↗
“How do I install the light fixture without a ground wire and/ or check if the box is already grounded?”source ↗
“I’m trying to replace this old exterior light with a Ring floodlight. However, there’s no ground wire. Just the double white and double black.”source ↗
Where this came up
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