Digital 7-Day Timer for Lit Signs, Plug-In or In-Wall

A timer switches your sign on and off at the same times every day, so nobody has to remember to do it at opening and closing. This one is a programmable 7-day digital timer: you can set a different schedule for each day of the week, for example later hours on Friday and Saturday or the sign off on a day you are closed. It is also called a sign time clock or a programmable light timer.

It comes in two types, both for 120 V AC:

• Plug-in. Plug the timer into the outlet and the sign's power adapter into the timer. This is the type for indoor plug-in signs: lit letters on a lobby wall, a lightbox in a window, a desktop sign. No tools, no electrician.
• In-wall, hard-wired. It replaces a regular wall switch on the circuit that feeds the sign, and an electrician wires it. This is the type for hard-wired signs, including outdoor signs whose power supply is fed from a switch inside the building.

In-wall digital timers usually need a neutral wire in the switch box to power their electronics. Older switch boxes sometimes have none, so let your electrician check before you order.

The timer works on the 120 V side, before the sign's power supply or adapter. It does not go between the power supply and the letters on the 12 V side; for that, use our Wi-Fi smart switch.

Timer or photocell? A photocell switches on at dusk and off at dawn and follows the seasons by itself, but it keeps the sign on all night. A timer switches at set hours. Many storefronts use both: the photocell turns the sign on at dusk and the timer turns it off at closing time.

A timer also helps with local rules. Some cities ask for lit signs to go off around 10 or 11 pm, or at closing if that is later, especially near homes; check your sign code. After a long power outage or a daylight saving change, check the timer's clock.

When you order new letters, you can also have a timer wired in; it is an option in the price estimator.

Look at how your sign gets power. If it plugs into an outlet through an adapter, choose the plug-in timer; it takes a minute to set up and needs no tools.

If the sign is hard-wired, which is how outdoor signs are connected, choose the in-wall timer and have your electrician install it in place of the switch that controls the sign circuit. Ask them to confirm there is a neutral wire in the box.

For an outdoor storefront sign, consider a photocell as well: it turns the sign on at dusk all year, and the timer turns it off at closing time.