Motion lights IN garage?

[jayoldschool]

Looking for some ideas. I have Chamberlain openers, the older ones with the single bulb. Security+, not the really old dip switch ones. At night, it's still really dark in my big garage with just the opener light on. The light switch for the overhead flourecsent lighting is inside the house. I'd like to add some sort of motion activated lighting. Should I just get a driveway-type motion light and add a cord to the box? Are there better options out there that I'm missing?

 

[dfiler2]

Install an Occupancy switch, they work really well, however, you do need a neutral wire to the switch.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WM3ALC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[jkwilson]

I have an outdoor motion fixture inside. Handy when I'm just going in to grab something or have my hands full.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Put a two bulb motion light in the garage with screw in outlet in place of the bulbs. Buy 2 shop lights with cords and that should give you plenty of light.


If you go away on vacation, replace one of the lights with a siren.

 

[RoyBell]

You can put a ceiling mounted sensor in your garage and wire an overhead light to it.

My garage had the overhead wired to a switch in the garage. I put a wall mounted sensor on and it's the best thin I ever did. It actually goes on as soon as I open the garage door and my car starts to enter. I never have to worry about forgetting the light on either which is a bonus.

I have a few throughout my house. Laundry room and walk in closet. Two areas prone for leaving lights on. Generally the lights are only on for 30 seconds when you are in the rooms anyways.

 

[mark11]

I put two recessed lights in the ceiling and run them off a Lutron occupancy sensor. When I'm working in the garage I turn on the rest of the lights but for normal daily in and out the motion switch is fantastic.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Do any of these motion sensor devices also have a photo cell so the light won't go on during the day time?

It seems like I can find lots of motion sensors and separately lots of photo-electric cells, but nothing combined. Ideally I'd like to find a motion sensor/photo-cell device to screw into the socket on the ceiling of the garage and put a light into.

 

[jayoldschool]

I do have occupancy sensors on other rooms. However, the switch for the garage lights is in the house, not in the garage.

 

[Showkey]

These guys make a wide range of LED motion lights.

http://www.mrbeams.com/products/ceiling-light

I have two light the steps in the garage and garage stairs to the basement. Eliminates the need to power up the whole garage just for a guiding light.

Check Amazon and few other places for best pricing.

 

[Slednut]

Regular outside motion light mounted on a piece of aluminum screwed to the ceiling. Used an old three wire extension cord that I cut into. It's plugged into a ceiling outlet.

 

[rayra]

Considering that nobody else in my house seems ot know how to turn a light off, I'm thinking about replacing all the wall switches with something like these sensor switches.

 

[nadogail]

Do any of these motion sensor devices also have a photo cell so the light won't go on during the day time?

Yes they do, the same units you might use to light your way to the trash cans can also light your way into the a dark garage.

 

[brownsmustang]

But if they're mounted inside your garage the photocell won't detect sunlight.....

Scott

 

[bob15]

I do have occupancy sensors on other rooms. However, the switch for the garage lights is in the house, not in the garage.

Add a two-way switch in the garage (of course you need to replace the one in the house) and run some 14-3 wire. Now you can turn the lights on in both the house and/or the garage.

The garage door opener doesn't have a separate switch for just lights? We had that option 25-30 years ago......

 

[dfiler2]

But if they're mounted inside your garage the photocell won't detect sunlight.....

Scott

Unless you have windows in your garage...

 

[dfiler2]

Do any of these motion sensor devices also have a photo cell so the light won't go on during the day time?

It seems like I can find lots of motion sensors and separately lots of photo-electric cells, but nothing combined. Ideally I'd like to find a motion sensor/photo-cell device to screw into the socket on the ceiling of the garage and put a light into.

All of the occupancy sensors I've installed also have light sensors and do not come on during the day, assuming the room has windows.

 

[dfiler2]

I do have occupancy sensors on other rooms. However, the switch for the garage lights is in the house, not in the garage.

Put a switch in the garage, especially easy if switch is on the garage/house wall.

 

[fastjohnny]

I am installing an LED motion light rather than using the liftmaster 8500 remote light.

 

[elm_street]

But if they're mounted inside your garage the photocell won't detect sunlight.....

Scott

If there isn't any sunlight in the garage you probably want the lights on when someone is in there.

I have an occupancy switch in my detached 15x26 garage. It is a Lutron "learning" one that you can either set it to come on anytime there is motion or only when it is too dark. It learns what "too dark" is by when you turn the lights on or off (there is a physical switch to use if you want the lights on or off).

Mine looks similar to the Maestro line of switches but I don't think that is the exact model I have.

 

[Kevin54]

Do any of these motion sensor devices also have a photo cell so the light won't go on during the day time?

Yes they do, the same units you might use to light your way to the trash cans can also light your way into the a dark garage.

But if they're mounted inside your garage the photocell won't detect sunlight.....

Scott

A motion sensor light doesn't detect sunlight and darkness. It has an infared eye that detects motion. When my dads light were up and he was mowing the yard, he would walk past it and they would flash on and off. Pain in the ***. Then at night, he had a bird feeder up close to the house. Raccoons at night would get in there and his light would go on and off all night long.

If it's just to light up the garage at night, I'd do like NUTTS stated. If going on and off during the day, just wire a switch to it. Just make sure to turn it on anytime you're not in the garage.

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

One of these for $13.00 ought to do the trick:

 

[jayoldschool]

lol, yes. If the switch was IN the garage.

 

[JasonF]

Put a two bulb motion light in the garage with screw in outlet in place of the bulbs. Buy 2 shop lights with cords and that should give you plenty of light.


If you go away on vacation, replace one of the lights with a siren.

I've been planning on doing a motion light inside the garage just for security reasons but would love to know more about a siren? Do you have any pics or links?

 

[brownsmustang]

A motion sensor light doesn't detect sunlight and darkness. It has an infared eye that detects motion. When my dads light were up and he was mowing the yard, he would walk past it and they would flash on and off. Pain in the ***. Then at night, he had a bird feeder up close to the house. Raccoons at night would get in there and his light would go on and off all night long.

If it's just to light up the garage at night, I'd do like NUTTS stated. If going on and off during the day, just wire a switch to it. Just make sure to turn it on anytime you're not in the garage.

I know what a motion detector light does and how it works. It was asked if you could get one with motion and photocell so it wouldn't come on during the day. Smh.

Scott

 

[SARG]

I wired a 500w halogen light to each of the garage openers to light up the yard. One through a relay and the other direct.
They stay on the four minutes and go off.

 

[elm_street]

lol, yes. If the switch was IN the garage.

Can you get to any of the wiring in the garage easily? If you can you could just add a second switch in the garage and either keep the switch in the house on all the time or maybe do some sort of 3 way switch setup but that would require another wire from the existing switch.

 

[cdestuck]

Take the bulb out of the opener. Screw one of the adapters where you can screw in a extension cord plug. Lowes has 4' led shop lights for 39 bucks. I mounted this light to the rear of the opener and plugged it into the adapter. Garage door up-- light goes on. Plenty of light. Did this to both my doors. Cheap, easy, and garage door vibration won't shorted the life of a LED light.

 

[Chukster]

Occupancy sensor light to go in a standard octagonal ceiling box.

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ProductDetail.jsp?partnumber=9863-OCC&section=39796&minisite=10251

I got tired of the light over the laundry nook being left on for hours/days. I'd tried to scab together outside motion sensors to small plug in flourescent strips; This one: Walk up to the nook, light goes on, walk away, light cuts off at about 3 minutes

 

[bob15]

lol, yes. If the switch was IN the garage.

Add another switch.

 

[wssix99]

Are there better options out there that I'm missing?

Have you seen the threads on how to wire controls to your garage door opener to also turn on your overhead lights when the opener light comes on?

 

[CraigStu]

I added a second Liftmaster light to my garage addition but don't know if you have any capability on your current opener. I will second the MrBeam units. We have three of them. One in a hall closet, one in the towel closet, and one in the garage right next to the door from the house. One big advantage of some of them is they only stay on for 30 seconds after the last motion is detected. All have been installed for a year and I have only replaced the batteries in the garage unit because it is used the most.

 

[Norcal]

Put a two bulb motion light in the garage with screw in outlet in place of the bulbs. Buy 2 shop lights with cords and that should give you plenty of light.


If you go away on vacation, replace one of the lights with a siren.

This is not a good idea, the shop lights will be ungrounded as the screw in adapters are 2-wire, & one either has to break off the ground prong or use a grounding adapter on the shop lights, either are a big fail IMHO.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've been planning on doing a motion light inside the garage just for security reasons but would love to know more about a siren? Do you have any pics or links?

No pics and I haven't done it. It's just an idea I have had for years as a cheap intruder alarm. Point the light straight at the door, middle of the night intruder comes in the door, gets blinded by a spot light and ringing in the ears by the siren.

This is not a good idea, the shop lights will be ungrounded as the screw in adapters are 2-wire, & one either has to break off the ground prong or use a grounding adapter on the shop lights, either are a big fail IMHO.

If it bothers some one that much, then pull off the bulb holder and hard wire it in with some bx/mc wire then.

People do much worse things with UL listed two wire $1 extension cords that are sold everyday right beside polarizing grounding adapters that I doubt are used correctly.

 

[Norcal]

No pics and I haven't done it. It's just an idea I have had for years as a cheap intruder alarm. Point the light straight at the door, middle of the night intruder comes in the door, gets blinded by a spot light and ringing in the ears by the siren.



If it bothers some one that much, then pull off the bulb holder and hard wire it in with some bx/mc wire then.

People do much worse things with UL listed two wire $1 extension cords that are sold everyday right beside polarizing grounding adapters that I doubt are used correctly.

Just because others do things wrong does not make it right for you or me to do it wrong.

 

[Marcm157]

Considering that nobody else in my house seems ot know how to turn a light off, I'm thinking about replacing all the wall switches with something like these sensor switches.

I agree 100%