Motion sensor socket vs PIR switch
Updated: 23 October 2026
The landing light has no plug, and a £9 motion sensor socket looks simpler than calling an electrician. The socket switches whatever is plugged into it. A wired PIR switches the lighting circuit. The [motion sensor socket comparison](/hub/electronic-surveillance/motion-sensor-socket) is the plug-in rows, from £8.54 to £9.40. A trade PIR is not a row in that table. If you only have a table lamp, stay with the plug. If you need the ceiling point, the socket will not get you there.
The landing light has no plug, and a £9 motion sensor socket looks simpler than calling an electrician. The socket switches whatever is plugged into it. A wired PIR switches the lighting circuit.
The landing light has no plug, and a £9 motion sensor socket looks simpler than calling an electrician. The socket switches whatever is plugged into it. A wired PIR switches the lighting circuit. The motion sensor socket comparison is the plug-in rows, from £8.54 to £9.40. A trade PIR is not a row in that table. If you only have a table lamp, stay with the plug. If you need the ceiling point, the socket will not get you there.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Sensor | Range | Load | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  RAYZEEK RAYZEEK wireless PIR socket kit | Separate PIR | About 5–7.9 m | 1100 W resistive | 5.8 | about £9.24 | View offer |
 EfforPrac EfforPrac UK PIR socket, 4.1 | Built into the plug | 2–6 m at 120° | 300 W ind. / 1200 W ohm | 7.4 | about £9.40 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Carylozet Carylozet UK PIR socket | Built into the plug | 2–6 m at 120° | 300 W ind. / 1200 W ohm | 5.3 | about £9.16 | View offer |
On this page
Two different jobs
The socket lives in a 13 A outlet and restores mains to one lamp or small fan. You can unplug it. The lamp’s own switch has to stay on. Use a wired PIR when the light is the ceiling point or every useful socket faces the wrong way. The how to use a motion sensor socket page assumes you have already chosen the plug.
What each sensor can see
Single-body sockets here are listed at 120° and 2–6 m from the wall socket. You cannot tilt a sensor moulded into the plug. The RAYZEEK kit lets the PIR leave the receiver, and it still switches only that outlet. It does not acquire the ceiling rose by standing on a shelf. The 110 V line is a reason to read the UK plug page before you mount it.
Watts are not interchangeable
UK-titled sockets print up to 300 W inductive and up to 1200 W ohmic, with no separate LED wattage. The 1200 W figure is the resistive number. You cannot borrow it as the LED rating of a ceiling detector. A table lamp is usually inside 300 W. A 2 kW heater is not. The kit’s 1100 W resistive claim names fans, desk lamps, humidifiers and Christmas lights, not a landing pendant.
Plugging in and wiring are not the same paperwork
In England, notifying building control under Part P applies to a new circuit, a replacement consumer unit, or circuit work in a special location, on the IET’s account of the rules since 6 April 2013. Plugging into an existing, sound 13 A outlet is not those three jobs. A like-for-like replacement at a ceiling rose can still be work you should not start if you are unsure. Approved Document P says socket-outlets should not be within 3 m of a bath or shower tray. None of these sockets prints an IP rating.
Which one to choose
Choose the socket if the light you can live with already has a plug and the sensor can see you cross the room. In this set the UK-titled row whose reviews describe switching is EfforPrac B0GWHVYTWF at £9.40, with the five-minute limit those reviews describe. The sequence for plug, load and timer is the motion sensor socket buying guide. A PIR on the lighting circuit is the tool when the result has no plug.
Common questions
Can a plug-in socket run the landing light if that light has no plug?
No. The socket only switches the appliance plugged into it. A pendant on the lighting circuit has no 13 A plug for these rows to feed. The RAYZEEK kit can move the sensor, and the receiver is still a plug. For the ceiling point you need a PIR on that circuit, which is a different installation.
Is a 120° sensor at the skirting the same as a 360° ceiling PIR?
No. The single-body listings here say 120° and 2–6 m from the socket. A ceiling detector is sold to look down across the room, often as 360°. The kit’s separate sensor can leave the skirting and still only switches its own outlet. Viewpoint is the difference, not a small change in the degree number.
Do I have to notify building control to plug one in?
Plugging into an existing socket is not, by itself, the notifiable list the IET describes for England: a new circuit, a consumer-unit replacement, or circuit work in a special location. You still use a sound socket and a suitable plug. Fixed wiring is a different question. This is not a certificate for your particular house.
When does a wired PIR become notifiable?
When the work is one of those notifiable jobs, for example a new circuit or work in a special location such as a bathroom. A like-for-like replacement in an ordinary room may sit outside notification and still be work you should not start if you are unsure at a ceiling rose. Hire a competent person rather than treating this page as a wiring diagram.
Why are trade PIRs dearer than a £9 socket?
They are a different product: a fixed detector, often with a stated ceiling or wall pattern, sold through a trade channel. A Danlers unit we saw listed at £45.71 including VAT is an illustration, not a row beside the EfforPrac socket. A £9 plug does not include an electrician, a ceiling bracket, or a 360° view.
Can I put either of them in a bathroom?
Not these sockets. None prints an IP rating, and Approved Document P says socket-outlets should not be within 3 m of a bath or shower tray. A wired bathroom PIR has zone and IP rules of its own. Ask a competent person before either product goes into a special location.
What if I only have a table lamp?
Then the socket is the matching tool, provided the UK plug and the load checks pass and the sensor can see the walk. You do not need a ceiling PIR to automate a lamp that already unplugs. Start with the £9.40 UK-titled row if you want reviews that describe switching.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the digest first, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Prices and stars were taken on 20 October 2026.
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002, regulation 27 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, consumer products staying safe (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- IET, Part P FAQ (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Approved Document P (2013) (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for the five ASINs in this set (retrieved 20 October 2026)