Customer Reviews

Leviton IPP15-1LW Decora Manual-On Occupancy Sensor, Single Pole, 3-Way or More Applications, 180-Degree Field of View, White

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Does what it is supposed to do. Works with CFL's and that is a plus. However I really wanted a product that would turn the lights on with motion. This does not do that. You must turn the lights on by pressing the switch. The lights will stay on as long as it detects motion. If it does not detect motion it will turn the lights off. You can specify how long to leave the lights on after it stops sensing motion.

I purchased these for a bathroom & hallway in which my 'tween boys constantly leave the lights on. I like the fact that it cannot be left on indefinitely without occasional motion and it has to be turned on each time. It also acts as a timer in the bathroom -- I told my son who likes long showers, when the lights go out, his shower time is up. Very nice. For the hallway, which has 2 switches in 3-way, I had to buy another Leviton switch (the VZ0SR) to get it to work, but that wasn't a big deal. These are perfect if you want manual control each time vs. auto on, which these do not do. Leviton & Cooper both make cheaper versions for automatic-on functionality. Of course, their cheaper versions do not let you use CFLs, which have electronic ballasts, so you get what you pay for. I am running mostly CFLs with these two and they work perfectly. That is definitely a plus that pays you back for the extra $$ you will pay for these.

Before I begin, let me say that if you're going to do any sort of wiring project it's up to you to learn about applicable codes and regulations, from reliable sources. Do the job right. Get the needed permits and inspections. Get an electrician, if you have to.

I live in Alameda County, California, where we have to be Title 24 compliant. According to the city permit desk, and as I understand it, Title 24 dictates that all lighting in bedrooms etc. needs to be energy efficient. It also indicates that for a lighting fixture to be considered "energy efficient" it cannot be possible to easily swap out the efficient bulbs (LED, CFL, etc.) with something less efficient (incandescent). The upshot is that currently most of the lighting fixtures you purchase at the major home improvement centers cannot be legally installed in your home. Why? Because it's possible to remove the CFLs that come with the fixture, and use incandescent bulbs.

Fortunately, there's a way. Title 24 also indicates that any lighting fixture can be used if it is either (1) on a dimmer, or (2) on a manual-on occupancy sensor.

My wife and I were selecting ceiling fan/light fixtures for installation in our home. When I found out about Title 24 from the city permit desk, I was worried because the ceiling fan/light combos my wife had purchased at the local home improvement store were not Title 24 compliant (nothing they sold was), and she really wanted *those* fans and lights.

This switch saved the project. I purchased several of them, and wired them to the fan's light kits. This made the whole thing compliant, and they passed inspection. Installation of the switch is easy--just make sure to read the directions. Be aware that the switch takes up more space (volume) in the box than a regular toggle-type switch, so if your box is crowded you may have to install a larger box. Also, as this is an occupancy sensor it needs to be able to "see" most of the room to work as intended. Again, this is a *manual-on* occupancy sensor switch. The only way to turn the light on is to push the button. It will turn off automatically if no movement is detected for a period of time (so don't sit too still!).

The switches are nice. They don't really stand out, and after a few days we forgot all about them. The button has an LED on it, which makes it easy to find the switch in the dark. They seem to be well-built, so unless you're really whacking the button, it should last a while.

One more thing to be aware of: even when the switch is "off" there is still voltage on the hot switched wire. It's probably very low current (I didn't touch it to find out!) as it's not enough to light the lights.

This is an excellent energy saving device. I just installed one in our common rest room in the main floor. It functions like a normal switch with manual on/off but it shuts off when there is no motion detected by the sensor for a certain time frame base on your preference.
One reviewer wrote that he is disappointed that it doesn't turn on by itself whenever motion is detected. This is not that kind of switch. Who would want a switch that turns on each time it detected a motion even on broad daylight. If you are looking for a motion activated switch for certain application such as your always-dark basement then this is not for you. But if you are looking for a switch that turns off the light whenever somebody forgets to do so, then this is perfect! Five star for the great idea.

I am very happy with this sensor. I tried a few different ones I bought from Lowes and Home Depot but they would not work with the flourescent lights in my garage. It costs a little more than those Lowes and Home Depot ones but it sure beats changing out the lighting fixtures.

This item works well as advertised, and the single-pole application is easy enough to install. I'm giving it less than five stars only for the lack of clarity in some of the instructions.

If you're installing it as a three-way, the instructions strongly imply that you need another Leviton product, specifically from the Vizia line, to work with it.

My boys always forget to turn lights off in room expecially getting ready for school. This is a manual-on / auto off; which means you have to push the button in order to turn the light on. Then, after a certain amount of time, if there is no motion sensed in the room, the light will go off. You can also push the button again to "manually" turn it off - but I know my boys will likely never do this. It works as described and I am happy with the product. My boys did not want one that automatically went on with motion and light sensitivity - you know - they like things dark. These work with electric balast CFL lights with no flickering. I had to purchase online because local store did not carry cfl compatible product in the color I needed.
I gave this 4 stars based on the above. It lost a star for me for two reasons: 1) color dificult to choose as they are not standard among manufacturers and 2)troubleshooting/instructions were not clear enough - so let me help you make this a 5 star experience.
1) BEFORE you order online - goto a local store and look at the leviton brand colors and decide which color you need for that brand. I learned that apparantly Almond/ light almond / ivory are not standard shades across brands. I had to return my first order based on this info plus the item pictured in the Amazon listing was a photo of the wrong color switch for the item listed. So you make sure you know what color to buy regardless of the picture online (Amazon return easy).
2) You must connect ALL of these color wires: black, red, white and green/ground. The original light switch only connected a black, red, and green - no white. In the back of the box there were 3 white wires bundled together not tied into the original light switch so I was thinking maybe it was an optional type of thing - it's not! Leaving the white wire unconnected will result in your lights just to stay in the ON position only. I called the leviton 800 number and they said I must connect the white wires. By the way, the night before I did unravel the white wires and tried to connect only one and it still didn't work. So when I called them and they said connect all of them (since they were originally twisted together) I was trying to think how I would do this with the 3 white wires which are really thick. I had to get a wire nut and cut an "extra" piece of wire I thankfully had and wired that "extra" tail piece of white wire to the 3 already connected - I took that loose tail end and then connected it into the leviton switch and of course placed all the other wires in place and VIOLA! They worked!!! So check out your wiring situation too beforehand so that you know if you need to add this extra tail piece.

Neither the advertisements nor the product external package tell the buyer that this product can only be used in an outlet which has the "power" line, NOT the "load" line, even in a 3-way system. This is only noted inside the packaged installation instructions. Unfortunately, I want to use the sensor unit in the load box of a 3-way system; so I had to return it to the store. Also, the retail dealers (Home Depot and Ace Hardware) do not carry the required "coordinating" VPOSR remote unit. In fact, they never heard of it. The manufacturer does not explain to them nor the customers the difference between "coordinating" and "matching" units in any of their literature or packages. I think the matching units are used only in standard three-way systems without any sensing devices.

Worked fine, but I needed an electrician to get the wiring right. Good instructions, just not enough knowledge on my part. Set 2 in a gang switch for 5 150W ceiling floods. Good equipment.

I wanted this for the hallway which has compact flourescent bulbs and is connected to another switch down stairs. So you need this switch and the other switch too, which is a different part. You need the Remote Control switch which is IPP0R-1L. So you have to spend $fifty bucks not $25 and a cheap switch for a $2, which is what I was thinking I could do. So it works in that combination, CFL, 3-way, two different light switches.