looking for recommendation on motion/occupancy sensor plug in outlet

[newbury]

Now that plug in 4' LED worklights have dropped to the ~ $6@ price point I'm wanting to plug a bunch of them in in various places to be turned on by an occupancy sensor plugged into a standard 120V outlet.
About half of my shops are lit by 8' fluorescent lights which plug into standard NEMA 5-15, 120V ceiling outlets in octagon boxes controlled by wall switches.
I'd like to find something like the Plug-In Motion Activated Control for a bunch of locations. I'd daisy chain the 4' lights, plug them in and rely on motion to turn them on.
But I'm looking for a quality product and want to avoid all the problems seen in negative reviews
such as

The device doesn稚 work consistently. Sometimes motion triggers the device and sometimes it doesnt

and

I purchased two of the Westek plug-in Motion Activated Controllers to operate a LED shop light in my Storage area. They operated correctly for about a week now both of them are garbage. Both of them are non responsive and a complete waste of my time and money.

 

[EarPlug]

Since your lights are already switched circuits, why no just replace the switch? I use the Eaton Brand Occupancy Sensor Switches in my garage's.

 

[aczlan]

Which lights are you looking at for that price?

Aaron Z

 

[dlctcg]

A motion sensor switch may not work for various areas of a shop... they need to sense motion & that is not always possible from the light switch location.... Lutron, Leviton & Lithonoia (plus a ton others) make super reliable 120V 360 degree motion sensors you could just wire between your switches & the outlets in the octagon boxes you already have. We do mostly Lutron Ra systems or low voltage control for systems we control... but some quick searches....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithoni...ERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-203675444-_-203995562-_-N

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton...VBXiGCh0XfgiHEAQYAiABEgJ73PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

1 Pack Ceiling Occupancy Motion Sensor - Passive Infrared Technology - High Bay Fixture Mount 36 Degree - By Dependable Direct, Hard-Wired, 12-277VAC, Commercial/Industrial Grade, White - - Amazon.com

ENERLITES High Bay Ceiling Motion Sensor, Passive Infrared PIR Ceiling Sensor, 36deg Field of View, 28 Sq Ft Coverage, 12-277VAC, Neutral Wire Required, Commercial/Industrial Grade, MPC-5H, White - - Amazon.com

 

[dlctcg]

A motion sensor switch may not work for various areas of a shop... they need to sense motion & that is not always possible from the light switch location.... Lutron, Leviton & Lithonoia (plus a ton others) make super reliable 120V 360 degree motion sensors you could just wire between your switches & the outlets in the octagon boxes you already have. We do mostly Lutron Ra systems or low voltage control for systems we control... but some quick searches....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithoni...ERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-203675444-_-203995562-_-N

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton...VBXiGCh0XfgiHEAQYAiABEgJ73PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

1 Pack Ceiling Occupancy Motion Sensor - Passive Infrared Technology - High Bay Fixture Mount 36 Degree - By Dependable Direct, Hard-Wired, 12-277VAC, Commercial/Industrial Grade, White - - Amazon.com

ENERLITES High Bay Ceiling Motion Sensor, Passive Infrared PIR Ceiling Sensor, 36deg Field of View, 28 Sq Ft Coverage, 12-277VAC, Neutral Wire Required, Commercial/Industrial Grade, MPC-5H, White - - Amazon.com

 

[Industrial Toys]

BEWARE! Many various electronic switches use solid state devices instead of relays. AND, many are incapable of switching LED loads. It is actually a very complex subject. bigclive.com has some really informative videos on it.

 

[dlctcg]

Is it complex... sure... (what bigclive.com has to do with it... I don't know.. its a link to their general page.. not saying they are not correct... just a general link).... I can tell you any of the big companies do this reliable... everyday (residential & commercially) & you don't need to worry as long as it is LED compatible....
The company I am part of designs & install automation, control & security systems, one of which is lighting & lighting control.... we are not electrical engineers but are certified design & installers for Lutron (Homeworks, Ra, RA2, & motorize shades), Pulseworx, CentraLite, Elan & Vantage; I am personally certified in 4 of the above mentioned lighting control systems; we do this on a weekly basis (120V, 240V, 277V, 0-10V dimming). The simple Lithonoia unit I referenced above states it works with LED's... don't overthink it, most of the manufacturers have done their due-diligence... We find bigger issues is with the LED drivers used in some of the lower end lighting, but these issues are mostly with dimming. If you purchase a quality 120V motion detector that states works with LED you will 99% of the time be ok...

 

[newbury]

Since your lights are already switched circuits, why no just replace the switch? I use the Eaton Brand Occupancy Sensor Switches in my garage's.

Because I don't want ALL the lights on the motion sensor.

Which lights are you looking at for that price?

Aaron Z

I've written about the Amazon Basics which I got 8 for $48.

A motion sensor switch may not work for various areas of a shop... they need to sense motion & that is not always possible from the light switch location.... Lutron, Leviton & Lithonoia (plus a ton others) make super reliable 120V 360 degree motion sensors you could just wire between your switches & the outlets in the octagon boxes you already have. We do mostly Lutron Ra systems or low voltage control for systems we control... but some quick searches....

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lithoni...ERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-203675444-_-203995562-_-N

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton...VBXiGCh0XfgiHEAQYAiABEgJ73PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

1 Pack Ceiling Occupancy Motion Sensor - Passive Infrared Technology - High Bay Fixture Mount 36 Degree - By Dependable Direct, Hard-Wired, 12-277VAC, Commercial/Industrial Grade, White - - Amazon.com

ENERLITES High Bay Ceiling Motion Sensor, Passive Infrared PIR Ceiling Sensor, 36deg Field of View, 28 Sq Ft Coverage, 12-277VAC, Neutral Wire Required, Commercial/Industrial Grade, MPC-5H, White - - Amazon.com

Thanks, but I've got outlets all over the place.
I'm looking for something to plug into an outlet like the item I linked to.

BEWARE! Many various electronic switches use solid state devices instead of relays. AND, many are incapable of switching LED loads. It is actually a very complex subject. bigclive.com has some really informative videos on it.

Thanks.

Once again I'm looking for recommendations for a motion sensor that I can plug into a standard outlet and then plug a standard 3 prong plug into the sensor.
Then I will probably daisy chain 4 to 8 lights off the motion sensor.

 

[dlctcg]

newbury... I completely understand that you are looking for something you can just plug in & I'm not saying that something reliable does not exist, but we have not found it for our customers, in our industry & we started in 2003... The items I'm recommending require very little change to your current installation; you would only need to add a single motion detector to each switch circuit, you would add it just prior to the first outlet (or at the first outlet) in each switched lighting circuit. I do understand you are looking for RELIABLE plug & play.... if you find it please let me know....

 

[Industrial Toys]

Another guy did a teardown and test of "The Clapper" and as I recall was quite impressed. I believe it does use a relay to switch just about anything. I was amazed that thing is still made.