Installing Ceiling Mounted Infrared Motion Sensor Light Switch

The current hype of "Intelligent Home" is a myth or a reality? My idea of an "Intelligent Home" is one where all the appliances and facilities at home can be controlled or operated remotely via mobile devices or automatically with a user-defined program and with failure-proof warranty.

The software and remote devices are already available in the market. The question is how many Malaysian can manage this "Intelligent Home" system efficiently and effectively. How reliable is the system? How good is the support and maintenance services. Electronic devices can failed without any warning sign.  What is the back-up system in the event of circuit board or electronic chip failure?

Pending the arrival of a "full proof" system, I opted for the  simpler devices such a Photo sensor, Infrared Motion Sensor, Relay switch and timer switch.


The timer switch was first used in Canada in 1908. Today, this device is widely use for Advertising hoarding board lighting , business signboard lighting  and street light. User can set the time for the appliance or equipment to be switched on and off.

Photo sensor detects the surround brightness and will automatically switch the equipment on when the surrounding environment is dark and turn off the light when the environment  is bright. I used this sensor for my garden light.

Infrared Motion Sensor detects the heat of occupancy and motion in the environment. This device will turn on the equipment when heat and motion is detected in the environment and switch off when the heat and motion is not detected after a certain pre-set duration.

Timer Switch and Photosensor switch are ready available from local electrical supplier, hardware or DIY shop. But Infrared Motion Sensor is rare in Malaysia. Not many users for this device and therefore, quite difficult to source locally.

Intelligent Passive Infrared Motion Sensor light was invented by two Malaysian brothers from Sitiawan.  They won the Geneva Inventors Award in the early 1980s. The commercialisation of the invention did not take off very well due to lack of awareness and users. Thirty years later, this device is widely used in office premises in the Western countries. There is still a limited number of home users.

I am an avid user of Infrared motion sensor since 1990 with a table lamp. Now, my house is cluttered with Infrared Motion sensor from table lamp to wall light and ceiling light. The earlier sensors are either wall mounted or ceiling surface mounted and they can sense only 180 degrees wide
 This is my first ceiling flush mounted and 360 degrees sensor . It is more aesthetic and not easily visible or known to intruder or visitor. This is available from online shopping site costing about RM32.00 (USD8.00), inclusive of courier/shipping charges.



The most difficult task of installing a ceiling flush mounted sensor is finding the right position, retrieving the power supply wires inside the ceiling and cutting the hole on ceiling board. The plaster ceiling board is fragile and can be damaged easily. Do plan properly before cutting a hole in the ceiling.

Use an electric drill and a small saw blade to cut the round hole

Three pieces of one-foot long(2mm)wires are required to connect the sensor to the power supply and the light fitting.

Set the duration for the light to last upon detection of motion (2 to 5 minutes) and the lumen of the surrounding environment to activate the sensor switch.

Once the wires are properly connected and the desired setting done, pushed the two anchoring spring clips upward and insert the sensor into the hole in the ceiling board. The sensor sits nicely in the ceiling, with only the eyes of the sensor exposed.

The device is successfully test when the surrounding environment reached the set lumen.

Tools required for this installation are;-

1.An electric  Drill
2. A six-foot ladder
3. A thin saw blade
4. A test pen
5. A small precision screw driver
6 A Philip screw driver.
7. A wire stripper

Converting Energy Saver Florescent Down-light to LED Down-light

Conserving energy and lowering electricity consumption is every consumers' responsibility to reduce global warming and preserve the mother earth. This also helps to keep the earth green.

I can choose to replace the Energy Saver down-light with a new LED down-light. But this is a costly option. A complete set of new LED down-light cost about RM48.00 (USD 12.00) each. To convert it DIY only cost RM10.50 (USD2.63). That is RM8.50 for the new LED bulb and RM2.00 for the E27 bulb holder.

Electricity consumption is  burning a big hole in my pocket with the last tariff increase by Tenaga Nasional last year. Even with the current low crude oil price, the electricity tariff is unlikely to be revised downward in the future. In Malaysia, what goes up never comes down. This is very true with utilities and foods prices. When Crude oil price goes up, every thing increase in price. When Crude oil goes down, petrol and other fuel prices remain high. Food prices continue to increase. Why?  I Simply cannot understand the economic of prices in Malaysia.



Converting the Energy Saver florescent down-light to LED down-light is a simply process of dismantling the down-light from the ceiling board, remove the choke  and bulb holder from the frame and replace it  with a standard 27 bulb holder.

The LED 10W on the left (above)cost only RM8.50 per piece versus the Energy Saver costing RM12.00 each.
The 10W LED bulb provides 900 lumen brightness. Whereas the 18W Energy Saver generates 800 lumen. On top of this the LED generates less heat than Energy Saver. I can touch the LED bulb even after being switched on for three hours. But not for  the Energy Saver florescent bulb.

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Dismantling and re-installing the down-light frame involves only three (3) spring clips shown above.

First, Remove the bulb from the holder, follow with the reflector by just pulling down lightly from the frame.  The three spring clips is now exposed for dismantling. Removing the three spring will dislodge the frame from the ceiling board. The frame is still suspended on the live and neutral wire. Please ensure the switch if off and the neutral wire has no current flow from other sources, using a test pen. (Very important warning- many electricians were electrocuted in Malaysia by neutral wire.) Disconnect the two wires to remove the frame for conversion.




The only tools for this job is a Philip screw driver and a test pen.

A re-installed LED down-light (below)

A converted LED down-light is re-installed securely on the ceiling board.