CFL + motion detector = Motionbulb

There's not much to say about the Motionbulb that can't be extrapolated from the above image and the product's name: it's a CFL bulb with a built-in motion detector capable of, uh ... detecting motion from up to 25 feet. Walk into a room, light goes on; leave the room, light goes off. 'Nuff said. They say the $20 bulb will last five years, which means it should still be around when those inefficient incandescents go the way of our favorite robo-dog in 2012.

[Michael @ Feb 12th 2008 6:37PM]

I've just watched "When a Stranger Calls". If the lights work the way they do in the movie (which I doubt) then that's great! I think more likely though, is for them to work the way they did in the movie, you'd be constantly waving your hands around. I really liked the way the lights 'dimmed' in and out rather than just on/off.

Unfortunately, I've got downlights everywhere, so the FOV for the bulb would be covered, making the bulb ineffective. I also agree that it makes sense to separate the sensor from the bulb.

[Anton @ Jan 9th 2008 5:22PM]

Mmm...Green!

[BigD145 @ Jan 9th 2008 5:44PM]

Uh, no. This thing requires you to leave the electricity on. It's almost as bad as wall wart transformers.

[jroc @ Jan 9th 2008 5:50PM]

Watch out if it breaks you'll have to vacate the room for 15 minutes on account of the mercury in the bulbs, and they are toxic to recycle mmm poison http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=59554

[Mark @ Jan 9th 2008 5:28PM]

How well is this going to work behind a lampshade or behind a diffuser in a cieling fixture?

[Tim @ Jan 9th 2008 9:21PM]

I doubt you will get any motion sensing functionality if it is inside a shade or blocked from view of the motion it is intended to sense.

[elights @ Jan 10th 2008 12:07PM]

The product uses a passive infrared sensor, so it doesn't work very well under a lamp shade. Depends on the ceiling fixture... if there is a glass lens it will not work. If it's an open fixture with the socket facing down it should work well.

-elights

[Bryce @ Jan 9th 2008 5:32PM]

What a relief! Those light switches the landlord put in were getting so hard to use. I mean, you have to *do* something to turn the light on and off! What a pain!

[Tim @ Jan 9th 2008 9:21PM]

Try walking through a dark hallway or room and turn on the light without kicking your kid's toy or bumping in to a piece of furniture. This thing isn't intended to replace light switches or other light bulbs in your house it has a very specific function. I use motion sensing in my garage and closets, it's a nice feature.

[Technex @ Jan 9th 2008 5:35PM]

Great idea, but something tells me it won't work to good, at least for that price...

[Spyvie @ Jan 9th 2008 5:46PM]

CFLs are at their best when left on for at least 10 min. Frequent on-off cycles greatly shorten their life screw up their efficency

[Craig @ Jan 9th 2008 6:45PM]

Exactly what I was thinking! If they keep turning on and off everytime they detect movement the bulbs only gonna last a year or so, not the five+ years promised.

[elights @ Jan 10th 2008 12:37PM]

Our product has a timer that can be changed to up 5 minutes of ontime. As long as the sensor detects motion it will reset the timer, so the product will actually be on somewhat longer than a CFL which is controlled by a regular switch and will not have a reduced lifetime. If you don't believe me, there is a 5 year warranty included. ;)

[Spyvie @ Jan 9th 2008 5:47PM]

AND screw up their efficency

[George @ Jan 9th 2008 6:07PM]

Bloody stupid. CFLs are LESS efficient than incandescent bulbs if you use them in very short bursts like this since the energy needed to get them started is so significant... Should have been LED based

[BigD145 @ Jan 9th 2008 6:46PM]

MYTH BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alexander @ Jan 9th 2008 6:52PM]

That was debunked by the Mythbusters. It takes milliseconds for the bulbs to 'stabilize' and level out with current draw.

[Seth @ Jan 10th 2008 9:10AM]

If it were LED based the bulb would be about $250 for the same luminance.

[elights @ Jan 10th 2008 12:37PM]

If this product were LED based, it would cost $50-$100 to put out the same number of lumens. The costs of the high efficiency LED's are still very high and the optics and heat sinking required make the overall design very expensive.

[Alexander @ Jan 9th 2008 6:13PM]

I was wondering when someone was going to come out with this. Always bugged me that I had to touch a light when I left a room.

I was going to rig up a infrared beam about 4' from the floor in every door, that way when you come in you turn the lights on, you leave the lights go out...

but what if two people came in the room? You would need two sensors--one on either the inside or the outside, and then you figure out which one was tripped first and then figure out if that was a incoming person or an outgoing person. And then keep a count of how many people come in so that when the same number of people leave a room as entered, the lights go out.

But then what about rooms that have two entryways? You would need sensors on each door, and have them both linked so that the count from each door sensor would be recorded correctly.

So, each room would have a minimum of one sensor pair. It would be better to have all the sensors link up to a computer, so that you can track where people are going from room to room. Then you could have a X10 system linked to all the lights in the house, so that you could turn them on and off as everybody moves around the house.

Then you can link it to your security system. If no movement in the house in X amount of minutes, and the last sensor tripped was a door leading to the outside then turn on the security system.

Or if movement is detected from 6PM until 6AM then change the max brightness of the lights to 50%.

All kinds of things would be possible then.

[TwhiT @ Jan 9th 2008 7:40PM]

...........

[jmaravillas @ Jan 9th 2008 6:22PM]

Why not just use the switches that have built in motion sensors with an off switch? I know they're usually found in office buildings which could mean they're a bit expensive for home applications.

[Mii @ Jan 9th 2008 6:59PM]

They're not too bad, we have switch-plate motion sensor switches in all our bathrooms and hallways so when you get up in the middle of the night you don't bump into anything. If you take too long, they sometimes turn off, but they turn back on with just a wave. They're under $20USD each, though they have a specific FOV they can detect motion so replacing your existing wall switch doesn't always mean it will turn on when you need it to in hallways. Probably a good idea for stairways if you have them.

[Scott M @ Jan 9th 2008 6:41PM]

Great idea, perfect for my basement.

Quick tip however, I don't recommend ordering through motionbulb.com directly as it's unsecured. Use elights.com.

I was about to complete my order on one before I noticed the $13 in shipping + tax making the order over $35. I'll wait.

[elights @ Jan 10th 2008 12:45PM]

We have installed a 128-bit SSL encryption certificate and any orders on elights.com will have their shipping adjusted back down to $7.95. Thanks for pointing that out... we just assumed our web programmers would have made it secure. Bad assumtion! ;)

[Kris @ Jan 9th 2008 7:12PM]

They have motion sensing light switches - those are far better than these bulbs - although these bulbs are a great solution to switchless lights.

[CaliforniaKid @ Jan 9th 2008 8:48PM]

It makes better sense to use a separate sensor that can be kept over the lifespan of many bulbs. This form factor is NOT a good idea.

[elights @ Jan 10th 2008 12:37PM]

The other screw-in sensors available do not have the proper electronic design to switch a CFL lamp. Our product is less expensive than the competition as well is lasts longer.

[jay.viz @ Jan 9th 2008 10:13PM]

This device reminds me of a scene from Gremlins 2 where Billy was sitting at his desk in the Clamp building and everything started shutting off.

[Gordy @ Jan 10th 2008 10:34AM]

..and the new age design will match any tree-hugger's decor...

Seriously, motion detecting? On the bulb? Lampshade/diffuser? Just use the naked bulb? Come on...

[Marco @ Jan 10th 2008 12:57PM]

Uhh, did anybody realize that the light will only be on while you're moving? Unless you feel like doing jumping jacks while you read a book or doing the wave while you take a crap, it's lights out, homie.

And if you've got pets, you're going to have more flashing lights than a NY techno club.

[elights @ Jan 11th 2008 2:17PM]

The motion timer can be set up to 5 minutes. The timer then resets everytime it senses movement. So you don't need to be moving constantly, but if you take a nap it might turn off!