Posted: 6/16/2008 7:01:11 PM EDT
| Anyone know if or where I can find a motion sensor that will work with existing outdoor lights? I have some fixed lights near the front door and garage that I would like to have on motion sensor at night and I dont want to swap them out. Do they make something that would screw into the bulb socket? The bulbs hang down and are surrounded by glass. |
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i havent seen any that work via the socket. if you check you Lowels/HOme depot, you should find some add on sensors. The ones i used, you needed to change out the mounting place since it had a 3rd port. 2 for the lights, 1 for the sensor. If you mtg plate has an extra port, you can just add the sensor. btw, i have also noticed that over time the sensor becomes less sensative. |
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We have some in our garage that screw into the sockets--like these: http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product/first-alert-motion-sensor-socket.do I don't know if they're meant for outdoor use or if the glass will cause problems though. Anything else is going to require some wiring work. For the recessed lights above my porch, I went for an electronic timer that replaces the wall switch inside and set it to turn the lights on/off at sunset/sunrise. The wiring for the timer is not really any different than replacing a switch. ETA: Home Depot and Lowes both have a variety of motion sensor lights. |
| Thanks for the replies. I have looked into both the wireless and screw in type motion sensors. Two problems. One is that the front lights are on a string of 6 (four near the garage doors and 2 near the front door all linked to the same switch. Second is that each one of the wireless or screw in devices is $30-$40 each. For that price ($40 x 6) I think I probably could get replacement lights with motion sensors in them, or directly wire one large motion sensor over the garage/front of house. I was thinking about getting an electrician to give me a quote on what it would cost to run the line, put a switch in (maybe 2) and put the light junction box in, but just thinking about it sounds expensive. |
| I purchased the wireless motion sensor from Home Depot. If i remember correctly, it was around $45. It consisted of a wireless motion sensor and a receiver/switch that replaces the existing switch. It worked fine for me, but I only wanted it for the 2 lights outside our front door. |