Outdoor light with a sensor: motion sensor, dusk sensor or solar?

Three kinds of sensor

A motion sensor with a light sensor does not come on during the day: it only reacts once it is dark enough. That is not always stated; check in the product description whether the lamp has a dusk or light sensor.

Motion sensor: PIR or HF

Most motion sensors are infrared sensors, called PIR. Steinel explains that such a sensor reacts to the body heat of people and animals that move. A PIR sensor picks you up well when you walk across it; according to Steinel, an HF sensor picks up movement straight towards the sensor better.

An HF (high-frequency) sensor works differently: according to Steinel it detects any movement, regardless of temperature, and also sees through glass, wood and thin walls. Steinel puts "iHF" in the name, as on the Steinel L 830 LED iHF and the L 835 LED iHF.

Other lamps with a motion sensor include the Steinel L 940 SC, the Nordlux Tin Maxi Double Sensor or, if you want a lot of light on a driveway, the Brennenstuhl AL 2050, which gives 2080 lumens at IP44 according to its name.

Dusk or day/night sensor

A dusk sensor measures the daylight. When it gets dark the lamp comes on; when the light returns it goes off. Calex puts "day and night sensor" in the name of the Calex Alba and the Calex Pavia, EGLO on the Cornale.

Already have an outdoor lamp with an E27 fitting? Then you can also screw in an LED bulb with a built-in dusk sensor, such as the Osram E27 dusk sensor bulb or the Lucide A60 Twilight Sensor. The sensor sits in the bulb itself, so it must be able to see daylight: in a closed or dark fitting it works less well.

Combinations exist too. Lutec gives a PIR motion sensor and a day/night sensor for the Lutec Sunshine; Lucide puts "motion and day/night sensor" in the name of the Lucide BASIC.

Solar or mains

A solar lamp charges a battery through a solar panel during the day and needs no cable. That is handy at a shed, a garden gate or a wall without power. You usually get less light, though. Compare the lumens in the product data: the Brilliant Parson gives 240 lumens, the Paulmann Eileen 400 and the Brilliant Luton 1000 lumens, while the Brennenstuhl AL 2050 on the mains gives 2080 lumens.

How long a solar lamp stays lit depends on how much sun the panel gets. In winter the days are shorter, so the battery is less full. Mount the panel where it catches the sun; that is why Lutec gives the Lutec Arrow a tilted solar panel. A lamp with a motion sensor saves the battery, because it only lights up when someone is there.

A mains lamp needs a fixed connection. Have a new outdoor lamp connected by an electrician, and always switch off the circuit when you replace an existing one.

IP rating and position on the facade

Outside, a lamp has to cope with rain. At the front door and on the facade IP44 is the usual minimum: protected against splashing water from any direction. If the lamp is fully exposed to the weather, or you hose down the wall, choose IP54 or IP65. The IP rating is in the specifications of every lamp.

Place the sensor where it sees the path or driveway, but not the street or the neighbours: otherwise the lamp keeps switching on for passers-by and cars. Shrubs and branches moving in the wind can set a sensor off too.

Setting it up: range, time and light level

On many sensor lamps you set three things, often with small dials under the lamp:

• Range: how far the sensor looks. Turning it down helps against passers-by on the street.
• Time: how long the lamp stays on after the last movement.
• Light level: how dark it must be before the sensor works.

How it works on your lamp is in the manual. All models are under outdoor lamps.