I know there are motion sensors which detect movement and can turn on a light fixture. What I was wondering is there a way to do this inside a house? I would need one that would detect a person walking _into_ the room so the light would cut on several feet before a person enters the room.
Is there a relatively cheap and easy way to do this? Perhaps I might want to do only one room to see how it would work out?
thanks,
Sure. They cost about 10 bucks at Walmart and are normally used for driveway and outside monitoring. Just buy one and hook it to an electrical cord and place it somewhere to experiment on the coverage..... The biggest drawback I can see is that they probably won't fit in with your decor, but you can hide it behind something that is transparent to infrared, or in the foliage of a fake plant, or something.... The sensors are the same as the expensive ones that is used in stores, except the Walmart versions are mass produced which gets the price really low...... Get one and try it out. Use it to turn on a floor lamp or something and let your imagination run with it..... However, if you fall asleep on the couch at 11pm, expect to wake up with the lights out. Just wave your arms and they will come on. If you toss and turn in your sleep, the damn thing will go on and off and you probably will unplug it.... (grin)....
Andy
Sure, there are ones that can be used to replace a wall switch. To see one example, go to homedepot.com and search for 100396703
My brother has these in his house, though of course when they turn on depends on the location of the switch it replaces.
Yes. In the office where I used to work, they mounted a motion sensor on the ceiling of the bathroom to turn on the lights and exhaust fan. Just pushing the door open was enough to activate it. You can also buy motion sensors that mount in an existing switch box. Before you rush out to Home Depot or Lowe's, check your yellow pages and see if there's an electrical supply store you can visit. You're likely to get better advice there for selecting the right thing.
As far as cheap, that's an impossible question to answer, since nobody knows what you mean by cheap. And "easy" - it depends. Have you done any electrical work already?
Hi, They are basically IR sensor. I have one at the hallway leading to garage entry door. When you have handful and step into house from garage, voila! light comes on. It has adjustment for sensitivity and delay time.
Check out Smarthome.com
There are basically 2 types of motion sensor. The standard motion detector that you see on flood light assemblies is a one shot trigger that times out and needs another motion after the time out to retrigger. The other type is an occupancy sensor that will mount in a device box and can retrigger before it times out, restarting the time out clock. I have a mix of those around my house, inside and out so the light follows me around as I move. Good locations are halls, bathrooms and the rooms you go through to get somewhere else. The kitchen is a prime location for a occupancy sensor on low level lighting. It keeps the wife and kids from using the fridge light as a night light.
I installed one of these in my garage. It's great when I walk out there to empty the garbage, or with my hands full of tools, etc. It also comes on as soon as the garage door starts to raise.
Yup, the only danger is these things become addictive once you get used to them. I have at least 20. There is no place you walk that doesn't trigger a light. I use low intensity lighting so it is not obtrusive but you are not in the dark in many places. Basically the only rooms without them are the bedrooms. Outside I have them all over, again triggering low intensity walkway lights. I have a couple that trip floods but only in areas where nobody is supposed to be.
There some you can replace your switch with. Only thing though' most of them do not work well with flourecent lamps.
I thought you were going to say you didn't know how to turn the lights on when you were some place else.
Off-topic, but I have my refridgerator and freezer doors set to shut by themselves, so whenever I go somewhere, I never remember to shut the door.
Can be done, but if you want it to happen -before- someone gets into the room, it's a little more tricky. Problem is, motion sensors don't "see" the target well when the target's motion is directly toward or away from the detector. Since they detect motion by way of a change in heat, and you want to do this indoors which is close to body temp (as opposed to outside), you may well be within arm's length of the sensor before it sees you.
It can see you in an instant from 20 feet or more if you move _across_ it's field of view however. You can adjust the sensitivity, but sometimes the thing will be triggering the lights so often that a plain ol' switch would be better.
Most flourescent lights won't work with these switches either.
I have a couple of motion sensing night lights I have in my basement near the cat box. The 5-7W bulbs in them are more then enough light for the cats.
Depends on what type you use. My office building had fluorescent lights working with motion sensors, with no problems at all. This is why the OP should consult an electrical supply place, or he'll be back here asking why he keeps killing switches.
Thanks for all the tips guys. This has given me some ideas to consider.
You can buy a driveway/yard type of light with two sockets and the sensor for about $10 here. Look through the instructions, some have a wire to turn on remote lights. This type has a relay output and you can easily remove the sensor and use it to turn on any light. Put one in my girlfriends garage to turn two old kitchen ceiling fixtures on. Works like a champ.
Al
Al
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.