How To Make Outdoor Motion Lights Stay On

You might need your outdoor motion lights to stay on, perhaps to help illuminate an outdoor party at night. Setting outdoor lights to stay on takes just minutes, but you must reset your motion sensors to their regular usage setting when you no longer wish them to stay on all the time. Check the owner's manual that came with your motion detector lights to determine which steps to follow to set your motion-activated lights to remain lit.

Step 1

Check your manual to determine if your light has dusk to dawn operation, which lets the light respond to motion only after dark. Choose a time at twilight or when the outdoor light comes on with motion. Wave your hand in front of the sensor to trip the light to come on. Wait for it to time out and shut off again.

Step 2

Place a ladder on a firm surface directly below the outdoor motion light you wish to adjust to remain on. Have an assistant hold the ladder steady. Climb the ladder to reach the light, taking care not to set the sensor off. Place the lantern on the top step of the ladder to light the switch area of the motion light. If using a flashlight, have your assistant hold the light while standing on the ground and direct the beam to the light. Locate the switch at the bottom of the sensor that allows you to test the sensor.

Step 3

Place a piece of electrical tape over the motion sensor to be certain that you correctly turn the light to the right setting to stay on without responding to movement.

Step 4

Examine the switch to see if your night model has a manual override setting on the switch. If so, set the switch into this position. For lights without this feature, move to the next step.

Step 5

Flip the switch to the OFF position and then immediately return it to ON. This double flipping makes the motion sensor remain on all the time without detecting motion. Check that the light does come on. Climb down from the ladder, carefully, with your assistant holding the ladder in place.

Step 6

Follow this step when you want to restore the motion sensor lights to their detection default. With your assistant watching that the base of the ladder remains still, climb up to access the motion sensor light. Remove the electrical tape and flip the switch from ON to OFF to ON again quickly to reset the motion detector to respond to movement.