Brits, stop stumbling in the dark: can a £7 IKEA motion sensor save your toes and £42 a year?

Night-time trips, school-run chaos, hands full at the front door. Your lights should help without you lifting a finger.

IKEA’s new £7 VALLHORN motion sensor promises exactly that. It wakes the lights when you move, sticks to your wall, and fits busy homes that need friction-free lighting.

What the £7 IKEA VALLHORN motion sensor actually does

The VALLHORN is a small wireless sensor that turns selected lights on when it detects movement. It works indoors and outdoors. It runs on two AAA rechargeable batteries you replace when needed. You stick it to a surface using the supplied double‑sided tape. No drills. No wires.

The headline pitch: £7, stick‑on installation, motion‑activated lighting inside or out. You move, your lights wake.

Why families will care

Dark landings spook children. Hallway shoes trip tired adults. A nursery light can wake a sleeping baby. The VALLHORN adds gentle convenience to all of those moments. You can place it near the front door for a welcoming porch light. You can position it on a landing so night‑time bathroom trips feel safe. You can cue a low‑glow lamp in the living room as you bring in bags.

Connect up to 10 lights, choose day or night operation, and set the lights to stay on for one or five minutes.

Real‑world uses that make sense

• Hallways and stairs: lights up as you pass, then switches off again.
• Front porch: a lit welcome when you arrive with keys and shopping.
• Utility room: automatic light for laundry runs with both hands busy.
• Nursery door: a gentle path light without flooding the room.
• Garage and sheds: no reaching for a pull‑cord in the cold.

Set‑up takes minutes

Most people will finish the install in the time it takes to boil a kettle. You place it, pair it to your compatible lights, and choose timing and mode.

Quick set‑up checklist

• Insert two charged AAA rechargeable batteries.
• Pick a mount height around shoulder level for reliable detection.
• Clean the surface; stick the sensor using the supplied tape.
• Pair it to your chosen IKEA lights or to your hub, if you use one.
• Select day or night mode, then choose a 1‑minute or 5‑minute on‑time.
• Walk‑test the area and adjust the angle to avoid false triggers.

Smarter routines with the DIRIGERA hub

The VALLHORN works on its own, yet it becomes more flexible with the DIRIGERA hub and the IKEA Home smart app. You can chain actions across rooms. You can nudge a lamp to glow softly when the hall light wakes. You can create a “welcome home” scene for weekday afternoons. You can keep the porch light short at dusk but extend it later at night. The hub lets you tune these to your family’s rhythm.

Pairing with the DIRIGERA hub turns a simple sensor into a home‑wide trigger for layered, low‑glare lighting.

How much could you save?

The sticker price is £7. The running costs relate to the lights you control, not the sensor. Motion‑based control reduces lights left on by accident. That trims energy use and bulb wear. The exact saving depends on how many lights you control, their wattage, and your habits.

Money maths you can sanity‑check

Assumption: 28p per kWh electricity unit rate. LED wattages shown are typical.

• Light landing, one 9W bulb: you currently leave it on for 2 hours nightly. With the sensor set to 1 minute, you trigger it 8 times (8 minutes). Saving ≈ 112 minutes/day = 1.87 hours. Energy saved ≈ 9W × 1.87h = 0.0168 kWh/day = £1.72/year.
• Stairs with six 5W downlights (30W total): you cut 3 hours of needless lighting to 15 minutes of motion time. Saving ≈ 2.75 hours. Energy saved ≈ 30W × 2.75h = 0.0825 kWh/day = £8.43/year.
• Hall + porch + utility (about 150W combined, older bulbs or many downlights): reduce 2.5 hours of waste to 20 minutes of motion time. Saving ≈ 2.17 hours. Energy saved ≈ 150W × 2.17h = 0.325 kWh/day ≈ 118.6 kWh/year ≈ £33.21/year.

Homes with larger banks of halogens or multiple zones can push that higher. If you stop 145 kWh of waste across the year, the saving lands around £42 at 28p/kWh. The range most households will see spans a few pounds to several tens, plus the comfort gain of lights that just work.

Comfort, safety and control

Short on‑times reduce glare at night and keep energy use tight. Night mode makes the sensor work when it is dark, so it ignores daytime movement. The 1‑minute or 5‑minute choice tailors how long the lights stay on. Shorter times suit corridors. Longer times suit porches while you find keys or unload the car.

Placement tips and pitfalls

• Avoid pointing directly at radiators, tumble dryers or busy roads to reduce false triggers.
• Angle the sensor slightly down a corridor to catch movement earlier.
• If pets trigger it, raise the sensor or narrow its view with a small piece of tape on the lens edge.
• Outdoors, stick to sheltered spots so adhesive holds and the sensor stays dry.
• Keep spare charged AAAs ready so the sensor never sits idle.

No drilling means renters can add responsive lighting without risking deposits or patching walls later.

Who this suits, and who might pass

It suits families who juggle bedtime, school runs and late returns. It suits renters who cannot wire in fixtures. It suits anyone who wants gentle, automatic lighting that scales across up to 10 lights. It may not suit those who prefer manual switches or who already run lights on tight voice routines. If you need strict zones with pet immunity and lux thresholds you can fine‑tune, you may want a more advanced sensor. The VALLHORN focuses on speed, price and simplicity.

Extra ideas to stretch its value

• Pair it with warm‑white lamps in bedrooms to keep late‑night lighting soft.
• Use 1‑minute timing for stairs and add a lamp in the destination room for a seamless path.
• Create a “school‑run return” scene with a hallway light, a kitchen lamp at 30% and a window light for presence.
• Set night‑only operation in bedrooms so daytime play does not trigger lamps.

The VALLHORN does not shout for attention. It sits quietly and makes ordinary moments smoother. At £7, it invites you to test motion‑based lighting without committing to a full smart refit. Add the hub if you want layered routines later. Start small and place it where it will earn its keep: stairs, hall, porch. If it cuts even a few hours of waste lighting each week and stops a midnight stumble, it pays for itself fast and feels like a thoughtful upgrade.