Technical > Home Improvement > Motion sensor security light - Are they all junk?

Motion sensor security light - Are they all junk?

All I know is an electrician that I trust and has been in business for a long time told me there is no motion sensor light that lasts.

reply to alkizmo
I have a Heath-Zenith light that's still working after 7 years.

I had a Heath-Zenith wireless transmitter that quit after 3 years. Replacement is still working.

reply to alkizmo

Re: Motion sensor security light - Are they all junk?

reply to alkizmo
I've yet to find any that last more than 2 years. Even the expensive "pro" grade ones you get from Grainger didn't last and they cost $70 something dollars.

I switched to regular photocells with LED bulbs to offset the energy cost from running them dawn to dusk. »www.grainger.com/Grainger/INTERM···ol-6P007

reply to alkizmo
While calling all of them "junk" is a bit harsh, it is true that there do not appear to be any motion sensor lights that can be called "good" (let alone "perfect").

There are certainly motion sensor lights that are above average (quality components and long service life) but I have yet to see any motion sensor light that provides the right sensitivity over a wide range of ambient light and temperature conditions.
Depending on those conditions the motion sensor either becomes overly sensitive or too insensitive. Another common misbehavior is that many motion sensors pick up a person walking past it in the distance yet fail to pick up a person walking straight towards it.

Regarding the specific problem you are mentioning (turning on and off non stop) there is probably feedback from the light bulb to the sensor. This can happen with bright colored surfaces that reflect back some of the light to the sensor(s) and is worse with the better motion sensors that detect ambient light (to turn off during day time). However also check that the light bulb is the correct one for the motion sensor. Using CFL or LED bulbs in motion sensor light fixtures not rated for it can have all sorts of wrong effects.
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reply to alkizmo
The Heath Zenith one I got from Home Depot lasted less than 2 months before it started blinking constantly and finally died.

reply to alkizmo
For best results purchase a security light with a motion sensor rated for use with Incandescent, Tungsten or Florescent lamps. Those sensors use a relay to energize the lamp. Do not purchase a motion sensor marked incandescent only, they use a Triac switch in place of a relay, which is very sensitive to the load characteristics of the lamp(s).

You might have to remove the sensor from the box and look at the information hot stamped on the outside of the sensor to determine which application it is rated for. The one I purchased to activate a florescent lamp by the front door, lasted Ten Years and would have lasted longer if a painting contractor had not flooded it with a pressure washer.

reply to alkizmo
I had an ancient Heath sensor that worked for decades. Even survived a lightning strike. It was mounted on the house and controlled a light on our shed.

Since then I have not had any luck finding a reliable sensor, even the commercial ones. I've given up trying to automatically control the light.

Our porch light is CFL so I control it with a photocell. If we need extra light flip the switch. Not very elegant but it works well enough.

/tom

reply to alkizmo
It's a shame, because I like the motion sensor lights. We have a bunch of hoodlums surrounding us (yes, it's far past time to move), so I have them on all for sides of the house.
I had 2 die this year that weren't even a year old. 1 Lithonia, and 1 Heath. I ended up just putting the RAB heads on them. It looks a little funny with brown heads and white bodies, but it's all the had in stock at the supply house.
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reply to alkizmo
Mine failed then one of my vehicles was broken into. Of course! Can I just replace the sensor (HD sells them for $20) or does the whole unit need to be replaced? Mine turns on, but only if I'm two feet away from it. Used to work great in the past, but like an old dog with arthritis, it started slowing down and now is pretty useless.

reply to alkizmo
6 years and still going for mine.

Today's lesson people. Buy the cheapest one that does what you want and hope it lasts.

reply to alkizmo
23 years. It did quit once, then I evicted a family of tiny spiders from just behind the plastic lens. It's been fine ever since.

reply to alkizmo
If you go without a motion sensor look at light sensor so it will automatically turn your light on at dusk and off at dawn. Light sensor is inexpensive.

I did that for some outdoors LED I have.

I did a motion sensor security light for another place but I paid > $100 for it. Only a few months old, I hope a get many years before it needs replacement.

reply to alkizmo
About $60 list...you also need the interface relay.

»www.wattstopper.com/products/com···FebJlS1w

reply to alkizmo
»www.amazon.com/Lithonia-OFLR-6LC···-battery

reply to alkizmo
I had the Zenith lights too, and the cadmium photocells fail at 6 months of age like clockwork. Replaced them three times, and finally switched to a different kind of light. Now have an 1800 lumen LED motion sensor light that so far, after a year, is still working. Have five of them and all are working okay still. I think the brand is Sentry.

reply to alkizmo
The three I have are pretty rugged with metal shrouds for the bulbs, but the sensors are the same ole crap. Sensitivity has dropped off significantly since new. The lenses have clouded up and become very brittle. These wide angle sensor units are actually two sensors packaged together.

I'm not certain, but I think most the detection work is done by the lenses. They have some sort of fresnel pattern which scrambles the image so that an object moving across the field of view flickers. Then the sensor can be a stupid photocell wired to something that reacts to rapid changes in light.