This produce is great under normal circumstances. I have this installed in a pantry closet, the master closet, and in the laundry room. I would not recommend this for the garage unless you dont mind the lights turning on during the day when the garage is opened. Also, there is a setting for how long it stays on. If you put in a room you stay in for more than a few minutes, it will turn off after the set number of minutes. Mine are all set to 1 minute. However, I am in my closet sometimes for more than a minute and I have to walk back in front of the sensor for it to turn back on. That only happens about 1% of the time. The other 99% of the time it's great not having to worry about turning it on and off.
Here's the big flaw..... If your power goes out and comes back on, you will find that all of the lights connected to motion sensors in your house will be on. They will not turn off until you switch to off, then back to auto. If you go out of town for more than a couple days, it's probably wise to turn it from auto to off just in case your power cycles. (Unless you don't mind having your lights left on until you return). Leviton PR180-1LW Decora 500W Incandescent, 400VA, Passive Infrared Wall Switch Occupancy Sensor, Single Pole and 3-Way, White
This product has a much lower price than some of these switches because it fails to make it clear that it will NOT work with newer compact fluorescent bulbs (you will have horrible quirks if you try it). This can be worked around by adding an incandescent to the circuit this switch controls (if multiple bulbs). If you only have one light on the circuit (like a closet) you will have to just use an incandescent. That being said...
I noticed one reviewer mention if the power flashes off when it comes back on the lights will stay on and you will have to turn each switch on and off. I have not had this issue. When the power goes off and back on, the lights do come on but they go off at the interval you have them set at just as they would if motion had set them off.
I find the sensor on this switch is much better than others I've had experience with (certainly better than the GE). So long as you know upfront about the previously mentioned "catches", you can take advantage and get a good deal on a sensor switch.
I was suspicious of this item, at the price, but I bought two of them and they are both working well.
The handyman did not get the three-way wired right, so it is necessary to leave the toggle switch in the on position at the bottom of the stairs, but that's no problem. Sometimes the sensor even picks up the person at the bottom of the stairs. If not, just flip it off and back on once or twice and that triggers the light. Then leave it in the on position. The sensor will turn it off automatically.
If it lasts, it will have been a very good deal.
Works phantastic as a 1-way switch. But there are some minor issues when replacing a 3-way switch: There is an older and a newer version of the switch, but unfortunately the installation instructions were not updated and are not complete (when it comes to replacing a 3-way switch). Luckily the manufacturer's customer service quickly provided me with the instructions. However, I still couldn't get it to work the way it is supposed to (as many others according to some other internet forum). In my case the remaining conventional 3-way switch cannot trigger the light to come on which is fine as the sensor field is so big that it is no longer needed. If your 2 conventional 3-way switches are far apart from each other you can replace both by a Pir sensor switch.
I almost didn't buy this item because of a previous review stating that "it will NOT work with newer compact fluorescent bulbs". Well, I'm purchasing a new home so I decided to purchase three of these sensors. I installed one for the laundry room light fixture which has a "newer compact fluorescent bulb" and it works like a champ.
I don't know yet if it will have a negative effect on bulb's life, but it has been over a week since I installed it and it's working just fine.
"Your body heat turns it on"
The preceeding was brought to you by The Committee To Make People Go, "Hey, I Remember That!"
These sensors are built fairly cheaply and you get what you pay for. However, with judicious use, what you pay for might be exactly what you need. :)
1) These switches will NOT work with CFL's, with lamps using a GU-24 2-pin socket, with any variation of the GX-24 4-pin socket, or any modern (electronic ballast) fluorescent lights. They work with incandescent and halogen lights, as well as old magnetic ballast (T12) lights that are being phased out. I have not tried these switches with LED lights.
2) These seem to be of an older design than the manual-on IPP15 or the commercial-grade OSS10 switches. The light sensors stick out further from the wall, and the sensitivity and timeout controls are hidden behind the wallplate cover. The control gradations are not labeled (i.e. it's impossible to set the timeout to "exactly" 5 minutes, or light sensitivity to "exactly" 100 lumens). By contrast, the IPP15 has a nice timeout dial you can get to without removing the switch cover plate. :)
3) A pair of PR180's can be easily used in a 3-way circuit by following these instructions:
[...]
The setup is actually a dual-switch single-pole (the 3-way yellow wire is NOT used). The light stays on as long as EITHER switch has tripped, and not timed out. One BOTH switches time out, the light turns off. Works very well for hallways and stairways.
So, they're cheap, cheerful, they see me coming down the stairs from fifteen feet away, and you can stick a pair of them in a three-way circuit. Not bad for $20.
Note: Because these switches are auto-on, and have a permanent-on position, they are NOT California Title-24 compliant. The IPP15 is, but who wants to turn the lights on MANUALLY in the 21st century? :) - Hands Free - Motion Sensor - Light Switch - Motion-activate'
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