How to Make a Daylight Detector in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a daylight detector with 3 glass on top, 3 nether quartz in the middle, and 3 wooden slabs on the bottom. It outputs redstone power based on sunlight; right-click it to invert it into a night sensor for automatic lamps.

What you need

3 glass
3 nether quartz
3 wooden slabs of any type

Step by step

Smelt 3 sand into 3 glass.
Mine 3 nether quartz in the Nether.
Craft 3 wooden slabs of any type.
Open the crafting table.
Fill the top row with 3 glass.
Fill the middle row with 3 nether quartz.
Fill the bottom row with 3 wooden slabs.
Take the daylight detector. Right-click the placed block once to switch it into inverted (night) mode.

Java vs Bedrock

The daylight detector recipe is the same in Java and Bedrock. In normal mode its signal rises with the sun (strongest at noon); inverted mode flips it to peak at midnight, which is the classic way to switch street lamps and base lighting on automatically at dusk. It needs sky access to read sunlight, though in Java it still works under transparent blocks like glass, and rain weakens the reading.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

What does a daylight detector do in Minecraft?

It outputs a redstone signal whose strength follows the time of day: strong at noon, zero at night. Right-click it for inverted mode, which does the opposite and peaks at midnight.

How do you make automatic lamps in Minecraft?

Place an inverted daylight detector with sky access and wire it to your redstone lamps. When the sun sets, the detector powers up and the lamps turn on by themselves.

Does a daylight detector work under a roof?

It needs to see the sky, though transparent blocks above it (glass, slabs) still let light through in Java. Solid blocks overhead drop its reading toward zero.

Does rain affect daylight detectors?

Yes, thunderstorms and rain reduce the effective light level, so the output signal drops during storms even at midday.