Lights keep turning off while people are working

What this error means

The office classic: someone typing quietly gets plunged into darkness and waves their arms at the ceiling. Documented cause: PIR (passive infrared) sensors need line of sight and meaningful motion — still, seated work reads as an empty room, so the timeout fires. Documented fixes, in order of effort: lengthen the timeout, raise sensitivity, or upgrade to dual-technology sensors (PIR + ultrasonic — the ultrasonic side detects micro-motions like typing, no line of sight needed), which the trade literature specifically recommends for offices and conference rooms.

Symptoms

• Lights off while people sit still, arm-waving follows
• Worst in private offices and conference rooms
• Sensor can't 'see' desks around a corner or partition

Try this first (safe DIY steps)

1. Find the sensor's adjustments: Leviton-style wall sensors have dials behind the cover plate (timeout presets up to 30 min, sensitivity to 100%) — small screwdriver job
2. Lutron Maestro-style: settings are button-hold programming sequences, not dials — check the model's guide
3. Set timeout to 20–30 minutes for desk-work rooms
4. If adjustment isn't enough, swap to a dual-technology sensor — that's the actual cure

Safety: power off before any physical intervention. Never bypass covers or interlocks — fuser areas run hot enough to burn.

When to call a technician

Sensor replacement is a like-for-like electrician (or handy-person, where local rules allow) swap; dual-tech wall sensors run $40–90 plus install.