We have a walk in closet, and we constantly forget to turn the light switch off. Time to solve this problem with automation!

There are 2 types of motion-sensing light switches: Occupancy sensors activate with motion and automatically shut off Vacancy sensors require manual activation but also automatically shut off

I accidentally bought an occupancy sensor, thinking it was a vacancy sensor. That’s how I learned about this! Luckily since this is a closet, we didn’t mind the auto-on thing.

Here’s the original switch

The occupancy sensor

Gettin to work!

Inspecting wiring

Turned off the breaker switch before proceeding.

Mini screw drivers are key for releasing pushed wiring

Briefly turned the breaker back on to identify the hot wire with a contactless voltage tester and tag it with electrical tape

Smooshing wires into a box is surprisingly more difficult than it looks. It’s actually enough to make me not want to replace more switches hahaha.

Turned the breaker back on and tuned the knobs.

Took this opportunity to swap out the old wall plate for a fancier Lutron plate.

This always happens after doing work on switches…didn’t get a picture but trust me I vacuumed! Also apparently my base boards need repainting.

Final result