These Motion-Sensing Smart Lights Aren’t Worth Making the Switch

I switched to a single router and reconfigured it, but my living room lights were too close together, so it did not work in that room. The hall, where this motion sensing would be most useful only worked when I turned the sensitivity to the max, and even then, it was inconsistent. If I walked through the hall, the lights often came on just as I reached the end. 

SpaceSense worked best in the dining room and kitchen—but again, I had to ramp up the sensitivity to get it working consistently, which meant my cats triggered the lights too. On the flip side, it also proved very annoying when the light would turn off if you were in the room but weren’t moving much, like when I was sitting at the table working, peeling potatoes, or doing the dishes. 

After some tweaking in the Wiz V2 app, SpaceSense began working a little bit better, but the app is still buggy. Sometimes it failed to save settings I changed, and there was often a delay between me tapping something and the light reacting. If anyone does flick the light switch (it’s surprisingly hard not to with years of muscle memory), they are unwittingly turning it to the off position (my family got annoyed about this).

SpaceSense could be worthwhile in large office buildings, windowless bathrooms, and for folks who struggle with regular switches. It may be helpful for kids getting up at night for bathroom visits or when you’re coming home into dark hallways carrying large grocery bags. One alternative is motion sensors, but they don’t work well for every space. You can also have security cameras trigger lights, but SpaceSense is better for privacy, since nothing is recorded, and all the processing takes place locally. 

I fully expect SpaceSense to improve over time, and your mileage will vary depending on your Wi-Fi router, the construction of your home, and the placement and number of Wiz lights you have. But for now, the inconvenience of lights not switching on immediately and turning off when I’m still in the room outweighs the inconvenience of flicking a switch.

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