this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2025
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I'm using a run of the mill motion sensor in the living room that turns the lights off after a certain duration of no motion (unless the TV is on). Sometimes the lights turn off when I'm still in the room because I'm stationary.

I know people seem to like the mmWave sensors for this and I'm considering getting a Screek 2A from eBay.

I'm curious if anyone here has used one. Thanks!

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

You watch TV with the lights on‽ What kind of a monster are you??

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Soft white (2700K), ~800 lumen bulbs. It's pretty cozy with the lights on. Not harsh at all.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

So show me yours, I'll show you mine, "Tool Time"
You'll Lovett just like Lyle
And then we'll do it doggy style
So we can both watch X-Files

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

For a cheap or free solution, you could detect when your TV is on (Chromecast integration, home kit TV integration, etc. or power monitoring smart plug) and don't turn off the lights if the TV is on.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I already have this set up and it works well. Sometimes I turn the TV off and stay in the room on my laptop for a while, and the lights turn off. It's easy enough to turn them back on but I'm wondering if mmWave could help.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I'm using a mm wave sensor for a similar purpose and it works well. I don't use it as an on trigger. I use it to help decide when to turn lights off.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's exactly how I'd use it. It'd have a time delay, too.

Also, completely unrelated, but it's odd seeing a totally normal, non-tankie user from lemmy.ml.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

TIL what a tankie is and that lemmy.ml is politically biased. I pretty much just keep to my subscribed communities.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I’ve got two of the Screek 2A sensors and think they’re good. Mmwave technology isn’t a magic bullet that automatically works every time, like all radio tech there are some limitations.

I use one to turn on a light in a hallway and the other to detect when someone approaches the front door and issue an alert via ntfy.sh. Once in a while it misses some motion, so I’d probably not recommend it if you were building a human life kind of scenario, but they’re fine for me.

More importantly, they’re well supported by HA/ESPHome, open source, inexpensive and compact.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Thanks, good info.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I am using one and I found it quite unreliable. Sometimes too sensitive, catches motion that happens far away. Often blind, just ignores the most obvious motion.

Plan on combining it with sensors of other technology to compensate that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

That's a bummer.