Customer Reviews

SensorPlug Motion Sensor Outlet Plug

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I have found many uses for this device.

The light to my tabletop Essex parlour case (I have reviewed this item previously) is plugged into a Sensor Plug in the following sequence: light cord from case to sensor plug, then sensor plug to a short extension cord, then the extension cord into the wall outlet. I positioned the Sensor Plug to lie on the ground just under the Essex case. Whenever the Sensor Plug detects motion, the Essex case lights turn on. That way, anyone approaching the case to view it will have lighting. When there is no one around the case, the case lights turn off. I like this because this keeps the halogen lighting in the case from getting too hot from staying on too long.

I have a small desk fan plugged into another Sensor Plug. The corner of the room where the desk is tends to get a bit warm. Whenever I walk over to the desk to do work, the fan turns on. Shortly after I leave, the fan turns off.

I have another Sensor Plug in the hallway that I have plugged a small table lamp into. When the hallway gets dark, the Sensor Plug will allow the lamp to come on to give illumination. During the day when the hallway has more light, the Sensor Plug does not operate and so the hallway light stays off when it is not needed.

There are settings on the Sensor Plug where you can have the Sensor Plug operate all the time or only when the room gets dark. With the Essex display case and the desk fan, I have the Sensor Plug to operate at all times, but with the hallway light, the Sensor Plug only works in low light conditions.

I only give the Sensor Plug 4 instead of 5 stars for this reason: for a while, it seemed that the sensor plug that the Essex case was plugged into stopped working. I thought that maybe the lights in the case were burned out. Then, somehow, the sensor plug is now working again and turning the case light on and off. I have no idea why.

I bought this for my garage, one of the suggested uses on their website. The response time gets slower as the weather gets colder. Below freezing, it doesn't work at all. That makes it almost useless here in Vermont.

A solid product as long as there is a significant load on the plug. If you do not have a decent amount of current being drawn, the unit will not turn off. I tried to hook this up to a Drinkwell Pet fountain that is basically a low current pump. The unit turns on, but will not turn off. After reading the "fine print" in the literature included with the device, found the minimal load requirement.

I bought this to scare away the opossums that come into my back porch at night. I used a 3 prong adapter with this to plug in a lamp and a radio.
When they pass it, suddenly music and a light goes on and they scoot away fast. It is great to use if you want a lamp turned on when you walk in front of it, or anything else you want to use it for.

I put one of these on the ceiling of a stairway with a swag lamp plugged in. Works fine, except sometimes it turns on right away and sometimes I'm on the third step going up or down. If I just came in from the cold, sometimes it doesn't turn on until I'm directly under the sensor. For the price, though, this is just what I needed and I'm a happy customer.

Works great. I installed in my Laundry/Pantry closet and plugged in some fluorescent lights. Now every time I open the bi-fold door, it turns on. It turns off in a few minutes after I close the door. No more need to fumble for the light switch.

I purchased two of these units and neither works. I have a 16" floor fan plugged into the unit so it would turn on when I walked in the room and circulate air while in the room (had the timer set on max time). Both units seem to time out OK, but only cut off approx 10% of the time. While in another room, I often hear the fan cut off when the unit timed out, but it would immediately start back up. I'm guessing 10% of the time, it would actually stay off when it timed out.
I would also liked to have had more range on the sensor, but that's a toss-up depending on your intended application-if you want it to turn on only when relatively close, fine-if you want it to sense motion at longer distances (my application), it was a bit lacking.
Sent an e-mail to the manufacturer with no reply-was going to return for replacement, but I've since found a similar unit at my local Harbor Freight that seems to work, so I'm sending 'em back to the maker for a refund (per their warranty).
The unit I'm replacing these with has more range and a switch on the side to select 5, 10, or 30 minutes. I like the definitive time settings on my replacements rather than the variable dial timer on these units.
PROS
Not much to recommend, since neither of mine worked correctly
CONS
Would like a longer sensing range (possibly adjustable)
Temperature operating range is way to narrow!
Variable timer located on back of unit-have to unplug to change settings
Timer not marked-timer setting is guesswork (not that bad a problem)

I have this connected to two halogen lights in my apartment and I like not having to worry about wasting energy when I leave a light on in one room but end up spending too much time in another.

It has some issues, though. I quickly learned that this is a motion detector and not a "presence" detector, so if you need your light to stay on, the plug must be able to see your constant movements. Sitting at the computer, the light would turn off, so I had to move the plug under my desk in order for the sensor to see my feet move. Before, it was too far from me to see my smaller arm movements, but moving to closer solved it.

If you plan to use it attached to a reading light, forget it. You'll stay motionless longer than the sensor will keep the light lit.

When the weather turns cold and you come in from outside, there's a good chance the sensor won't see you. Just take off your jacket and, ta-dah, light!

This is not appropriate for every situation, but if you find you could benefit from it, you'll be glad you bought it.

I purchased two of them to plug into the lamps on both levels of the stairs in my house instead of having to leave the lights on throughout the night. They work perfectly staying off during the day and only turning on for a few minutes when someone approaches the stairs. As long as there is movement they will stay on. The right gadget for the right situation!

First of all, I'd like to say how pleasurable it is to shop online here at here at Amazon.com. The whole buying and shipping process is always a breeze and I hardly shop anywhere else online now.

I moved to a new-to-me house in November and stepping into the garage was like falling into a black hole ... had to fumble around for a not very well located light switch and wait for the fluorescent lights to flicker on. The situation was inconvenient and possibly unsafe when in a hurry.

Enter the "SensorPlug Motion Sensor Outlet Plug". Wow ... what a difference. It is located where opening the door from the kitchen triggers the sensor immediately and turns on the lamp plugged into it "quick as a flash", so to speak. I couldn't be happier.

I have it set to operate all the time as the garage is always dark enough to need a light. It can be set to keep the power on for 2-6 minutes after the last movement ... I find two minutes more than adequate and saves a little electricity.

The directions say it may not work correctly below 40-50*F ... my garage has been down to 35*F (outside temp 24*F) and the sensor still worked fine.

I am very happy with this product. Recommended.