The best Outdoor motion sensors, compared.
Top pick: Philips Hue outdoor sensor Best value: Maclean MCE468 B – Lowest price among the IP65 sensors that switch a light, at about £10.96, score 90. Updated 20.10.2026.
An outdoor motion sensor on amazon.co.uk is one of three products. A battery smart sensor runs a scene if the hub is already there. You are usually replacing a porch or garage sensor, checking the drive, or automating or lights. The outdoor sensor also scores 92, and it cannot switch a non-Hue floodlight. Match the weather code to the wall, read LED watts rather than the incandescent figure, and keep detection separate from radio range. The [outdoor motion sensor buying guide](/hub/burglar-protection/motion-sensor-outdoor/sub/motion-sensor-outdoor-buying-guide) covers job, IP rating, LED load, and hub before a brand. It is a mains wall PIR that switches a light, a wireless driveway PIR that chimes a receiver, or a battery smart sensor that needs a hub. A driveway kit does not light the path. None of these units is a monitored intruder alarm.
An outdoor motion sensor on amazon.co.uk is one of three products. A battery smart sensor runs a scene if the hub is already there.
28 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What should it do?
The Philips Hue outdoor sensor is a black battery unit at £43.99 on amazon.co.uk, rated 4.6 from 2,174 reviews, and it only automates Hue lights. The listing says a Hue Bridge or Hue Bridge Pro is required and sold separately. Signify’s own shop lists the sensor at £54.99, so the Amazon price is not the only shelf. Two AA cells are included, with a battery-life claim of two years, and the housing is IP54. Amazon’s listing says 12 m, while Signify and Screwfix say 10 m, and Screwfix also states 100°, so the range is not one figure. Reviews mention plastic that goes brittle in UV. It will not switch an ordinary floodlight, and it is not a monitored alarm. You buy it when the Bridge and the Hue lamps are already in the house, and you skip it for a plain porch lamp on a 3-wire circuit.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A household that already owns a Hue Bridge and Hue lamps and wants an outdoor trigger for those lights.
Less suitable: A normal mains floodlight, an open wall that needs IP65, or a house with no Bridge in the budget.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Hue sensor need a hub?
Yes. The listing says a Hue Bridge or Hue Bridge Pro is required and sold separately.
Can it switch a normal floodlight?
No. It is a battery sensor for Hue lights. It is not a 3-wire mains PIR.
How weatherproof is it?
The listing rates it IP54, which is dust and splash protection, and includes a dusk-to-dawn sensor.
The SEBSON IR_OUT_IA is an IP65 3-wire PIR at £17.99 with a range dial the bullets set from 8 m to 14 m, and a stated LED limit of 1,000 W against 2,000 W incandescent. It is rated 4.6 from 103 amazon.co.uk reviews, a smaller file than the other SEBSON wall sensors. Time runs from 10 seconds to 15 minutes and lux from 3 to 2,000. The same listing says 240° in the bullets and 160° on the highlight, so you cannot quote one angle as settled. It does not need batteries, and it does not need a hub. In this set it is the top pick when rain hits the wall and the lamp is a high-output LED, though the modest review count and the angle clash are the reason not to treat 4.6 as a closed case. It will not run Hue lights or sound a driveway chime.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An exposed wall and an existing LED lamp up to the stated 1,000 W, where you want a mains PIR and no hub.
Less suitable: A Hue-only scene, a driveway chime, or a buyer who will not accept a listing that disagrees with itself on the angle.
Specifications
Common questions
What detection angle does this SEBSON claim?
The bullets say 240 degrees. The highlight line says 160 degrees. Both figures are on the same listing.
What is the LED limit?
The listing states 1,000 W for LED lamps and 2,000 W for incandescent lamps.
Can the range be shortened?
Yes. The bullets say the range dial runs from 8 m to 14 m.
The Betterlink 1R2S is a solar driveway kit at £79.99 with two IP65 PIRs and one receiver, rated 4.5 from 280 amazon.co.uk reviews. The bullets separate detection of up to 30 ft from a radio claim of half a mile, also written as 1,500 ft, so the long number is not how far the lens sees. The sensors charge from the sun and have a USB-C backup. The listing does not measure a British winter, so a dark week is a charging job for the cable rather than a performance promise. The PIR is described as seeing people, cars and animals, and reviews mention birds. The bullet states −20 °C to +60 °C, 433 MHz, and up to 16 sensors. The receiver can alert with sound, light, or both. It is the kit to consider when you want two solar heads and you will tolerate animal trips, and it is the wrong spend if you only needed one chime or a light that switches itself.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A drive where you want two solar sensors and a chime, and you can aim them so pets and birds are not the whole story.
Less suitable: A single short path, a mains floodlight, or a buyer who needs the sensor to ignore every animal.
Specifications
Common questions
Is half a mile the detection range?
No. The bullets separate a detection range of up to 30 ft from a radio range of up to half a mile.
Will it see animals?
The bullets say the PIR can see people, cars and animals. Reviews mention birds.
Does it need mains wiring?
The sensors are solar-charged. The kit is an alert, not a 3-wire light switch.
The Maclean MCE468 B is a black wall PIR at £10.96 that the listing rates IP65, with a 180° lens and a 12 m catalogue range, and it is there to switch a light. Across 99 amazon.co.uk reviews it sits at 4.5. The bullet confirms 1,200 W resistive, while the title also prints 600/1200 W and never states an LED wattage, so you cannot treat it as a 1,200 W LED switch. Time runs from 10 seconds to 15 minutes, and the lux dial is marked under 3–2,000 lux. The power line says corded electric, while other lines mention batteries, so do not buy it as a battery sensor. One review calls the terminals flimsy, which matters once the cover is off a 230 V box. At this price it is the best value in the set if you already have a lamp and someone to connect it, and it is the wrong box if you need a stated LED limit or a driveway chime.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the lowest price in this set for an IP65 sensor on an existing lamp, and an electrician will make the connection.
Less suitable: You need a stated LED load, a battery sensor, or a chime instead of a light.
Specifications
Common questions
Can this Maclean sensor be used outdoors?
The title rates it IP65 and the listing describes an outdoor PIR with a 12 m range.
What load can it switch?
The bullet states 1,200 W resistive. The title also prints 600/1200 W and does not say which figure is for LED.
Does it need batteries?
The power source is corded electric. Separate battery lines contradict that, so do not buy it as a battery sensor.
The SEBSON IR_OUT_AA is an anthracite 3-wire wall PIR at £13.99, listed at 12 m and 180°, and it carries 4.2 from 6,428 amazon.co.uk reviews. The listing allows 400 W for LED lamps and 800 W for incandescent lamps, with time from 10 seconds to 15 minutes and lux from 3 to 2,000. The head adjusts about 100° horizontally and 40° vertically, and the highlight mentions three infrared sensors. The housing is IP44, which is splash protection, and reviews mention rain, so it belongs under a porch rather than on an open gable. The page gives time and lux, not a separate sensitivity story you can set against a busy road. It will not chime a hallway or join a Hue scene. You buy it when the wall is sheltered and you want the largest review file in the mains group. You leave it if rain hits the face of the sensor.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A sheltered porch or soffit where you want a widely reviewed 3-wire PIR and the lamp stays within 400 W of LED.
Less suitable: An exposed gable, a non-Hue floodlight you hoped a smart sensor would switch, or a drive that only needs a chime.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the IP44 SEBSON suitable for an open wall?
The listing rates it IP44, which is splash protection. Reviews mention rain. It is the sheltered-spot unit in this set.
Will it run LED lamps?
The listing allows 400 W for LED or other energy-saving lamps, and 800 W for incandescent lamps.
Does it need a neutral?
The listing calls it a 3-wire sensor for surface wall mounting. A qualified electrician should make the connection.
The SEBSON IR_OUT_EA is an IP65 dual-head PIR at £16.99 that the listing rates for 12 m at 180° plus a 3 m zone at 360° underneath, from two infrared sensors. Amazon shows 4.2 from 2,742 reviews. It is specified for 600 W of LED and 1,200 W of incandescent, with a timer that stops at 7 minutes rather than 15, and lux from 3 to 2,000. The head swivels 180° vertically. Reviews that praise it call the housing solid in the wet, while others put useful detection nearer 4–6 m, which is a review report and not a lab check of the 12 m line. Reviewers also note there is no separate sensitivity dial. It is the mains sensor to shortlist when you want a zone under the fitting as well as across the path. It is a poor match if you need a 15-minute hold or a chime.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An exposed wall where you want IP65 and a short zone directly under the sensor as well as across the approach.
Less suitable: A light you need held for up to 15 minutes, or any job that is a chime or a Hue scene.
Specifications
Common questions
What does the second sensor cover?
The listing states 12 m at 180 degrees and 3 m at 360 degrees from two infrared sensors.
Is there a sensitivity dial?
The listing gives time and lux. Reviews say there is no separate sensitivity control.
How weatherproof is it?
The listing rates the housing IP65 and describes it as an outdoor wall sensor.
The KERUI DW9 is a wireless driveway PIR and an indoor chime at £39.99, rated 4.0 from 221 amazon.co.uk reviews, and it does not connect to a lighting circuit. The box includes a UK adaptor, while the sensor still needs 2 AA cells and the receiver needs 3 AA cells or that adaptor, and none of those cells are included. The bullet says about 20 ft of detection while a specification line says 12 m, and the 500 ft figure is open-area radio, not how far the lens sees. The lens is 90°, with window covers, and the listing claims a chime up to 100 dB and room for up to eight sensors. IPV4 on the page is not an IP code. Notes on battery life and missed detections in cold rain are why the score sits below the mains PIRs. The listing’s mounting advice is about 3–4 ft if you want fewer trips from small animals and traffic, and the lens will still see heat and movement.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A household that wants one battery PIR and a plug-in chime for a short driveway zone, and will buy the cells separately.
Less suitable: Switching an outside lamp, an exposed wall that needs a real IP65 code, or a long drive where you read 500 ft as detection.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the KERUI switch my outside light?
No. It is a PIR and an indoor chime. It does not connect to a lighting circuit.
Are batteries included?
No. The sensor takes 2 AA cells and the receiver takes 3 AA cells or the included UK adaptor.
How far does it detect?
The bullet says 20 ft. The specification line says 12 metres. The 500 ft figure is the open-area radio range, not detection.
Eve Motion is a white Matter sensor at £44.95, rated 3.6 from 601 amazon.co.uk reviews, with a 120° lens and a 9 m range, and the listing rates it IPX3. That is spray protection, not an IP65 seal, so an open gable is the wrong wall. It needs a Matter controller that is also a Thread border router. Reviews include Apple Home setups that work and Echo setups that did not connect, and dropouts are part of why the stars sit at 3.6. Two AAA cells are in the box. Eve’s own page states about −18 °C to +55 °C, while the Amazon spec block only prints 55 °C. Sensitivity adjustment in the Eve iOS app does not help a household that never opens that app. It automates lights on the hub’s platform, and it does not switch a mains floodlight or chime a drive.
Pros
Cons
Best for: An Apple Home or other Matter house that already has a Thread border router and a sheltered spot for an IPX3 sensor.
Less suitable: An exposed gable, a plain floodlight, or a first smart sensor with no Thread hub in the house.
Specifications
Common questions
Can Eve Motion be used outdoors?
The listing says yes, with IPX3 water resistance. That is spray protection, not an IP65 seal.
Does it need a hub?
Yes. It needs a Matter controller that is also a Thread border router for Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home or SmartThings.
Will it work with Alexa on its own?
Only with a compatible Echo that is a Thread border router. Reviews include Echo setups that did not connect.
Eight amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the display file, the review notes in those rows, and the digest. There is no lab test, no hose test, and no measured detection distance on a UK path. A catalogue range, a radio range, and a reviewer’s shorter result are three different claims. The three weights below are the point maxima in the scoring note, and they sum to 100.
Evidence
35%Up to 35. Star rating, then the size of the UK review file. A 4.6 from 103 reviews does not out-prove a 4.6 from 2,174, and a 4.2 from several thousand is not treated as a failed product.
Fit for the stated job
40%Up to 40. A real IP code for the wall, a separate LED wattage where the unit switches a lamp, lux and a timer, and detection kept apart from radio range. A hub that is required and sold separately is part of the product. IPV4 scores as no IP code.
Value
25%Up to 25. Shelf price on 19 October 2026 against what the listing actually switches or alerts. A £10.96 mains PIR can score well on value and still need an electrician. A £43.99 Hue sensor is incomplete without a Bridge.
Match the sensor to the job before you compare prices. A mains wall PIR, a driveway chime, and a battery smart sensor do not do the same work. The eight prices below are the amazon.co.uk shelves carried in this set, from about £10.96 to about £79.99. The score is not a lab test, and the electrician often costs more than the sensor on the wall.
An outdoor motion sensor on amazon.co.uk is not one product. In this set it is a mains wall PIR that switches a light, a wireless driveway PIR that chimes a receiver, or a battery smart sensor that needs a hub. A wall PIR is silent. A driveway kit does not light the path. Hue does not switch a non-Hue floodlight, and Eve does not switch a mains floodlight either. None of these units is a monitored intruder alarm. The four mains PIRs sit at about £10.96 to about £17.99.
KERUI’s 500 ft figure is open-area radio. The detection bullet is about 20 ft, and a specification line says 12 m. Betterlink’s half a mile, also written as 1,500 ft, is radio. Detection on that listing is up to 30 ft. Do not merge them, and do not treat a reviewer’s 4–6 m note on the dual-head SEBSON as a lab test.
SEBSON states LED and incandescent separately: 400 W and 800 W on the IP44 unit, 600 W and 1,200 W on the dual-head, 1,000 W and 2,000 W on the IR_OUT_IA. Maclean’s bullet confirms 1,200 W resistive. The title also prints 600/1200 W and does not state an LED wattage. Hue and Eve switch nothing on the mains.
IP65 is the code in this set for a wall the rain hits. IP44 is splash protection for a porch. IP54 is splash and dust. IPX3 is spray only. IPV4 on the KERUI listing is not an IP code. Adding Hue or Eve with no hub, or aiming the lens straight down the path, is the other usual miss. Call an electrician if you cannot identify the conductors or the outside circuit trips.
Start with the job. Switch an existing lamp, sound a chime, or run a smart scene. A wall PIR is silent. A driveway kit does not light the path. Hue does not switch a non-Hue floodlight, and Eve does not switch a mains floodlight. Then match the weather code to the wall. IP65, on the Maclean, SEBSON IR_OUT_EA, SEBSON IR_OUT_IA, and the Betterlink sensors, is the shortlist where rain hits. IP44, on SEBSON IR_OUT_AA, is splash protection under a porch, and reviews mention rain.
A catalogue range is not a measured path. Twelve metres on a mains PIR is a maximum, and a PIR sees someone crossing the beams better than someone walking straight at the lens. Some reviewers of the dual-head SEBSON put useful detection nearer 4–6 m. That is a review report, not a lab check. The IR_OUT_IA range dial runs from 8 m to 14 m, and the same listing says 240° and 160°. Keep radio separate.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You already have a lamp and you can book an electrician. The SEBSON IR_OUT_IA is the IP65 mains PIR in this set with a stated 1,000 W LED limit, a range dial from 8 m to 14 m, and no hub. The listing still prints both 240° and 160°.
You want a warning upstairs and you will aim the lens so cats and birds are not the whole story. The Betterlink 1R2S gives two IP65 solar PIRs and one receiver. Detection is about 30 ft. Half a mile is the radio claim, not the lens.
The Bridge and the Hue lamps are already in the house, and you want an outdoor trigger for those lights. The Philips Hue outdoor sensor is IP54, battery powered, and it will not switch a non-Hue floodlight. The Bridge is sold separately.
The top pick is the SEBSON IR_OUT_IA, score 92, at about £17.99. It is an IP65 mains PIR that switches a lamp without a hub, with a stated 1,000 W LED limit and a range dial from 8 m to 14 m. The same listing prints 240° and 160°, and 103 reviews is a smaller file than the other SEBSON wall sensors. The Philips Hue outdoor sensor also scores 92 and keeps that score for households that already own Hue lights. It does not take the badge, because it cannot switch a non-Hue floodlight. The best value is the Maclean MCE468 B, score 90, at about £10.96, the lowest price among the IP65 units that switch a light. The missing LED wattage and the flimsy-terminal review stay with that price. None of these scores is a monitored-alarm test.
Maclean MCE468 B
Lowest price among the IP65 sensors that switch a light, at about £10.96, score 90.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings for the eight ASINs. Shelf prices in the scoring note are 19 October 2026.
Expert source (DIY & tools): Charlie White (Charlie DIYte) (external profile) – public expert commentary used as a research source, not as a contributor to our pages.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk with the tag pcuk26-21. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars, and review counts are the UK listing lines in this set, noted on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test.
