# in-lite HUB and cable: which transformer to choose

> in-lite makes four HUBs from 75 to 300 VA and two cables: 14/2 up to 40 m and 10/2 up to 80 m. How to add up the VA of your lights and pick HUB, cable and app.

Canonical: https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/in-lite-hub-and-cable
Last updated: 2026-10-25

![A terraced-house back garden just after dark: a multi-stem tree lit from below, small spots among the grasses and two wall lights on the fence](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/in-lite-transformator-en-kabel-a8de0575.webp)

Published: 2026-10-03

An in-lite transformer is called a HUB, and it turns the 230 volts from the
socket into 12 volts for your garden lights. You add up the VA values of all
your fixtures and choose a HUB well above that total. The HUB-75 supplies 75 VA,
the SMART HUB-150 150 VA and the SMART HUB-300 300 VA.

Buy in-lite garden lighting and the dealer shows you four black boxes and two
rolls of cable that look alike. The difference is in four numbers: how much VA
the HUB supplies, how many cables run out of it, how much VA one cable may carry
and how far that cable may run.

## Which in-lite HUB do you need?

Choose on the total of your lights first, then on how you want to control them.
The HUB-75 and the SMART HUB-75 both carry 75 VA. The SMART HUB-150 carries
twice that, split over three cables. The SMART HUB-300 carries 300 VA and works
only with the thick 10/2 cable.

| HUB | Total | Cable outputs | Per output | 14/2 cable | 10/2 cable | Control |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HUB-75 | 75 VA | 2 | 75 VA | up to 40 m | up to 80 m | buttons, light sensor and timer; both outputs together |
| SMART HUB-75 | 75 VA | 2 | 75 VA | up to 40 m | up to 80 m | in-lite app over Bluetooth, per output |
| SMART HUB-150 | 150 VA | 3 | 100 VA | up to 40 m | up to 80 m | in-lite app, per output |
| SMART HUB-300 | 300 VA | 3 | 130 VA | not suitable | up to 160 m | in-lite app, per output |

![Four in-lite product photos side by side: the HUB-75 with buttons and two cable outputs, the SMART HUB-75 with one status light, the SMART HUB-150 and a roll of 10/2 cable.](https://tuinontwerp.app/images/blog/in-lite-transformator-en-kabel-1-08b0baa4.webp)
*From left to right: HUB-75, SMART HUB-75, SMART HUB-150 and the 10/2 cable. Product photos by in-lite.*

Mind the unit. in-lite rates a HUB in VA rather than watts, because every
fixture carries a VA value too. The two figures differ: a SCOPE spot uses 3 W
but counts for 5.2 VA on the HUB. Add up watts and you pick a HUB that is too
small. The VA value is on the box, in the manual and on the product page of each
fixture.

The number in the name is the capacity. A SMART HUB-150 therefore takes more or
heavier lights than a HUB-75. in-lite gives no percentage for the margin, but it
advises a HUB well above your total, so you can add lights later. Spread the
lights over the outputs as well. On a SMART HUB-150 one output may carry 100 VA,
not the full 150.

A HUB hangs under cover, somewhere out of rain and snow. Where that is not
possible, in-lite sells a protective cover for it, the HUB PROTECTOR. And the HUB
belongs with in-lite lights: parts from another brand void the five-year
warranty.

## How long can an in-lite cable be: 14/2 or 10/2?

A 14/2 cable may run 40 metres, a 10/2 cable 80 metres. You measure that
distance along the cable, from the HUB to the farthest end point. A branch
counts, and the limit applies per cable output. Two cables out of one HUB may
therefore each run 40 metres.

You recognise the thick cable by the print "10AWG" and "2 x 5.26 mm2" and by its
width of 10 mm. The thin one reads "14AWG". Both have two cores and work at
12 volts.

You do not choose the 10/2 for more lights but for a longer distance. It is
thicker and so loses less voltage over the same length. For a short route along
a terrace and a border the 14/2 is enough. If one cable has to reach a tree at
the back of a deep garden or a pond on the far side, check the route: once an
end point lies more than 40 metres from the HUB, it becomes the 10/2.

Other figures apply on the SMART HUB-300. There the 10/2 may run up to 160
metres, and the 14/2 does not fit it. That is the HUB for a garden where the
farthest light stands far from the house.

Lay the cable in a line. in-lite states the maximum length for a cable laid in a
line, from the HUB to an end point. A ring that comes back into the HUB with both
ends is not how the system is meant to be wired. A cable along a border often
follows the edge of a terrace or path; how to choose that edge is in
[which garden edging suits lawn, gravel and a sandpit](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/garden-edging).

## How a light and a branch connect

Every in-lite fixture comes with an EASY-LOCK. You clamp it onto the main cable
at any point you like, so you do not need to know in advance where each light
goes. The joint is filled with gel, which is why it may sit on or under the
ground.

When a light stands further from the main cable, an extension cable of 1, 2 or 3
metres bridges the gap. Move a light later and you take the EASY-LOCK off and
clamp it on somewhere new.

A second cable attaches to the first with the CC-2 cable connector. That can be
at the end, but also halfway along, so you reach another part of the garden.
in-lite adds a caution of its own: not too many branches. A branch counts in the
length of the cable it hangs from.

Draw a cable plan before you dig. Mark the HUB, the lights and the route of each
cable, and write the VA value beside every fixture. In in-lite's own cable plan
the fixtures add up to 75.1 VA, just over a HUB-75. That is exactly the moment to
split an output or take a larger HUB.

## Worked example: six spots and two wall lights

Take a back garden of six by twelve metres. You want six SCOPE spots in the
borders and two HALO DOWN BLACK wall lights on the fence. A SCOPE counts for 5.2
VA, a HALO DOWN BLACK for 5 VA.

| Light | Number | VA each | Together |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SCOPE | 6 | 5.2 VA | 31.2 VA |
| HALO DOWN BLACK | 2 | 5 VA | 10 VA |
| Total | 8 | | 41.2 VA |

A HUB-75 carries 75 VA, so 31.2 VA plus 10 VA fits, with 33.8 VA left for later
lights. You do not need a SMART HUB-150.

Hang the HUB under a canopy on the back wall of the house. Run the first output
along the left border to the back, with the six spots on it. Say the farthest
spot is 15 metres of cable from the HUB: well inside the 40 metres of the 14/2.
The second output runs along the fence to the two wall lights.

Choose the SMART HUB-75 if you want to switch the wall lights apart from the
spots. Each output is then a group of its own in the app: the spots can go off
earlier, while the wall lights by the terrace stay on until you go inside. With
the HUB-75 both cables go on and off at once.

## Plain HUB or SMART HUB: what does the app switch?

The app switches and dims per cable output, never per light. A SMART HUB has two
or three outputs, and each of them is a group you turn on, off or onto a schedule
on its own. Lights on one cable always follow together.

You work the HUB-75 with buttons on the box. It switches with the supplied light
sensor and a timer, and its two outputs go together. If you want everything on at
dusk and off after a set number of hours, that is enough.

The SMART HUBs work with the in-lite app for iOS and Android, over Bluetooth Low
Energy. Point the front of the HUB at the place where you use the app most, and
the connection holds best.

To control the lights over the internet there is the SMART BRIDGE. It links the
SMART system to the internet and to Google Home, Apple Homekit, Amazon Alexa and
other systems that speak Matter. You can then switch the garden lights on with a
voice command too.

## Drawing your in-lite lights in tuinontwerp.app

Which HUB and which cable you need only becomes clear once the lights stand in
their places. In tuinontwerp.app you put your own plot down to scale, with your
house, terrace and borders. Under Lighting you choose a brand first, then that
brand's lights. Lights, cable and transformer of one brand work together; the
app does not mix brands, just as your garden cannot.

An in-lite light appears in the app at the size in-lite gives on its product
page. A wall light goes on the house wall, a shed or a fence, and a pond light
goes in the pond or on its edge. You draw the cable as a line through the
garden, and the 14/2 shows "Up to 40 m from the transformer". The overview lists
per brand the lights, the transformers, the metres of cable and the load of your
lights against your HUB, in VA. If the lights ask more than the HUB delivers, or
a cable runs too far, the app says in one sentence what is wrong and what to do
about it; under Needed it names the HUB you need, and how many. Set the clock to
the evening and you see where your lights shine.

Working with another brand? Read how [the Lightpro transformer and cable](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/lightpro-transformer-and-cable)
work, or [the Garden Lights transformers](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/garden-lights-transformer-and-cable)
with their 75 percent rule. More on building your garden is in
[the construction category](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/category/aanleg).

Add up the VA, choose the HUB, and keep each cable within 40 or 80 metres. Start
at the address field at the bottom of this page and place the lights in your own
garden.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many lights can I connect to an in-lite HUB-75?

That depends on the VA value of your lights, not on how many there are. The VA of all fixtures together must stay under 75 VA. Six SCOPE spots at 5.2 VA and two HALO DOWN wall lights at 5 VA come to 41.2 VA, so they fit with room to spare.

### How long can an in-lite cable be?

A 14/2 cable can run 40 metres and a 10/2 cable 80 metres. You measure along the cable from the HUB to every end point, branches included, and the limit applies per cable output. On the SMART HUB-300 the 10/2 can run up to 160 metres.

### Can I use another transformer with in-lite lights?

No. in-lite states that the warranty lapses once you use parts in the system that are not made by in-lite. Use an in-lite HUB, cable and cable connectors.

### Can the in-lite app switch one light on its own?

No. A SMART HUB controls each cable output, not each light. If you want the spots at the tree separate from the path lights, give them their own cable from the HUB.

### What is the difference between the HUB-75 and the SMART HUB-75?

Both supply 75 VA over two cable outputs. You work the HUB-75 with buttons, and it switches with a light sensor and timer; both outputs go on and off together. The SMART HUB-75 works with the in-lite app over Bluetooth, and there you switch each output separately.

## Sources

- [in-lite — Transformatoren: vergelijkingstabel van de HUBs](https://in-lite.com/nl/systeem/transformatoren)
- [in-lite — Kabels: 14/2 en 10/2](https://in-lite.com/nl/systeem/kabels)
- [in-lite — Veelgestelde vragen (kabellengte, garantie, aansturing per lijn)](https://in-lite.com/nl/faq)
- [in-lite — Kabelplan maken](https://in-lite.com/nl/kabelplan)
- [in-lite — HUB-75](https://in-lite.com/nl/hub-75)
- [in-lite — SMART HUB-75](https://in-lite.com/nl/smart-hub-75)
- [in-lite — SMART HUB-150](https://in-lite.com/nl/smart-hub-150)
- [in-lite — SMART HUB-300](https://in-lite.com/nl/smart-hub-300)
- [in-lite — EASY-LOCK](https://in-lite.com/nl/easy-lock)
- [in-lite — SMART BRIDGE](https://in-lite.com/nl/smart-bridge)
- [in-lite — SCOPE (vermogen en VA-waarde)](https://in-lite.com/nl/scope)
- [in-lite — HALO DOWN BLACK (vermogen en VA-waarde)](https://in-lite.com/nl/halo-down-black)

## Read next

- [Lightpro transformer: 24, 100 or 150 W, and the cable](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/lightpro-transformer-and-cable) - Lightpro makes three transformers, 24 W, Touch 100 W and Touch 150 W, and one 14 AWG cable up to 80 m. How to pick the size and connect lights and branches. (2026-10-03)
- [Garden Lights transformer: choosing 24, 60 or 150 W](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/garden-lights-transformer-and-cable) - A 60 W Garden Lights transformer carries 45 W of lights, the 150 W one 112.5 W. How the 75 percent rule works, the Flex cable up to 80 m, and the app. (2026-10-03)
- [Garden edging: which edge for lawn, gravel and a sandpit](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/garden-edging) - Which garden edging suits a terrace, gravel, lawn or sandpit? Types, sizes, Dutch prices per metre from €4.49, and its lifespan next to lawn, gravel or paving. (2026-10-03)
- [More about construction](https://tuinontwerp.app/en/blog/category/aanleg)