At a look
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Connects on to Wi-Fi, no bridge or sensible residence hub required
- Impressive movement sensor catches all the pieces
- Incredible assortment of person choices
- Great 3-way assist, together with a wi-fi possibility
Cons
- Requires a impartial wire
- Motion sensitivity is sort of blind at decrease ranges
- More costly than the competitors
Our Verdict
Leviton’s up to date motion-sensing dimmer pulls out all of the stops with wired (or wi-fi) 3-way circuit assist and spectacular customization choices.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Price When Reviewed
$54.99 (MSRP)
Best Prices Today: Leviton Decora Smart Motion Sensing Dimmer (mannequin D2MSD)
$39.71
With each dimming and movement sensing inbuilt; plus, assist for 3-way wiring setups, Leviton’s 2nd-gen Decora Smart Motion Sensing Dimmer (mannequin D2MSD) in-wall sensible change has nearly all the pieces you possibly can ask for.
As its identify explicitly states, that is an replace to an earlier mannequin, the principle additions being improved compatibility with third-party ecosystems and assist for Leviton’s wi-fi distant management companion, which I’ll delve into in a bit. All informed, it’s properly price its $40 road value.
Specifications
This dimmer has an in depth checklist of options, however the wanting it’s that it’s fairly the loaded gadget.
A Guidelight setting turns a managed gentle on very dimly when movement is detected at night time, however turns the sunshine on to your regular brightness settings when daylight is detected.
Again, that is an in-wall change that requires everlasting set up and the presence of a impartial wire within the field the place it’s put in. The change is rated to assist as much as 300 watts of LEDs or 450 watts of incandescent bulbs, or one other load of as much as 450 volt-amps. It’s additionally suitable with MLV (magnetic low voltage) hundreds. As with most dimmers, fluorescent bulbs will not be advisable to be used with this product (though dimmable compact fluorescents are OK).
Leviton’s app gives a bunch of advantageous controls for the corporate’s motion-sensing dimmer.
Christopher Null/Foundry
The change connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks solely, and also you’ll want Leviton’s cellular app for setup and administration. You also can combine the dimmer into Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant ecosystems. It will not be, nonetheless, suitable with Matter right now (Leviton tells me a firmware replace is within the works; most of the firm’s different 2nd-gen Wi-Fi merchandise–together with its standard on/off change and dimmer–already assist Matter after a firmware replace).
The centerpiece of the gadget is its built-in movement sensor, which sits simply above the button-style energy change. This sensor contains a 180-degree area of view with a most vary of 30 ft. Naturally, the sensor’s major operate is to show the lights on when movement is detected, although this may be simply disabled and adjusted within the app.
Physical controls work as anticipated. Press the central button as soon as to toggle the sunshine on or off. Or use the pair of tiny buttons to the proper of the facility button to regulate brightness, both by tapping up or all the way down to rapidly leap by way of 10 broad ranges of brightness, or by holding one of many buttons all the way down to extra easily and steadily modify it, releasing whenever you get to the sunshine stage you need.
Press the massive button beneath the movement sensor to toggle the managed gentle on and off; press the small buttons on the right-hand facet to brighten or dim the sunshine.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Lastly, the gadget helps the Leviton Anywhere Companion Dimmer ($27 at Amazon), a wi-fi distant management with a 50-foot vary that syncs with the D2MSD and replicates its dimming capabilities (though not its motion-sensing characteristic). It’s additionally suitable with the Leviton Anywhere Companion Switch ($25 at Amazon) Powered by two coin-cell batteries, both gadget might be mounted to the wall and lined with a plate to emulate a three-way change with out requiring any wires or electrical work in any respect (the Switch product, in fact, lacks a dimming characteristic).
If the change you’re changing is already wired on a 3-way circuit, nonetheless, you’ll want to exchange that different change with a Leviton Dimmer Companion ($27 at Amazon) or Switch Companion ($25 at Amazon)—each of that are wired merchandise—for the D2MSD to work.
Installation and setup
Like most wired sensible switches and dimmers, the D2MSD requires a stage of consolation with gentle electrical work and a modest quantity of know-how to finish the set up correctly (we are able to stroll you thru the method with this easy-to-follow guide to installing a light switch). The gadget is designed fully with pigtail connections, with wire nuts included within the field that will help you join the 4 obligatory wires (5 if connecting to a 3-way circuit).
The Leviton sensible dimmer D2MSD requires a impartial wire and it gives the choice of a 3-way set up by way of a traveler wire (or you should utilize Leviton’s wi-fi companion change).
Christopher Null/Foundry
As is frequent, the in-wall portion of the dimmer is slightly giant (although Leviton says the 2nd Gen gadget is slimmer than the first Gen), so getting it into the receptacle so it’s absolutely flush in opposition to the wall can take some effort, however I used to be in a position to wedge the gadget into place with out a lot hassle. A white change plate is included within the field, which snaps on over a mounting body that connects to the change with two small screws (so the screws gained’t be seen whenever you’re completed).
From there, digital onboarding is accomplished by way of the My Leviton app. The app is easy, auto-discovering new Leviton gadgets close by as quickly a they’re powered on. A number of easy decisions allow you to bridge the gadget to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi community. Oddly, whereas setup runs you thru just a few fundamental configuration choices, it doesn’t immediate you to replace firmware. You’ll need to try this manually, underneath the “Device Health” menu possibility within the Settings tab; out of the field mine was properly old-fashioned.
If you need to add the change to HomeKit, the QR code is printed on a sticker connected to the change, beneath the body.
Using the Leviton Decora Smart Motion Sensing Dimmer
Leviton’s sensible dimmer can assist quite a lot of lighting sorts, together with compact fluorescent, incandescent, LED, and magnetic low voltage hundreds.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Out of the field, the D2MSD labored precisely as I anticipated it to. At the very best movement sensitivity setting, the change was very aware of motion within the room. I put in the change in my storage, on the identical wall because the door main into the home, about 6 ft away from it. The sensor was so efficient that the related gentle would usually be on by the point I took my first step from the home into the storage, with zero delay.
It’s nearly too delicate, to be sincere; but I discovered the medium and low sensitivity ranges to be too indelicate to make use of. The low setting typically wouldn’t activate with out me standing immediately in entrance of the dimmer and waving my arms. What I would love is a sensitivity setting someplace between excessive and medium, although that’s a really minor criticism.
The dimmer can both be set to return to probably the most just lately used brightness stage or to a preset brightness every time it’s used. Fade on and off speeds may also be set by the person.
One half of Leviton’s two-piece change cowl will get screwed to the change itself. The different half snaps onto this half, hiding the screws.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Digging deeper into the settings, the dimmer might be set in one in every of two modes: Occupancy turns the lights on when movement is detected and off when it stops; Vacancy requires you to show the sunshine on manually, it then leaves them on till movement stops, at which level it turns them off. You can configure the size of time for no movement to be detected till the lights flip off, with choices starting from 1 to 60 minutes.
An ambient gentle sensor constructed into the change can be utilized to maintain the lights off if the room is already brilliant from one other supply (corresponding to daylight from a window). This might be toggled on or off and the minimal gentle stage specified by a slider. (You’ll want to make use of some trial and error to dial this in.)
A ultimate movement sensor characteristic is the choice to allow or disable a purple LED throughout the sensor to flash if movement is detected. There’s additionally a separate inexperienced LED underneath the movement sensor that may be set to be both on or off when the sunshine is energetic, or off altogether.
You can add Leviton’s sensible dimmer to your Apple HomeKit ecosystem by scanning the QR code on the gadget.
Christopher Null/Foundry
Another helpful characteristic of the change is known as Guidelight. This is an non-compulsory mode that turns the lights on very dimly throughout night time hours when movement is detected, however turns the lights on to your regular brightness settings throughout different occasions. These hours might be configured manually or in relation to dawn and sundown, primarily based in your location.
I had zero hassle with any of those options, and the dimmer labored flawlessly all through every week of testing. The {hardware} controls work properly, and the app is simple to navigate and fast to reply. Novices ought to discover it straightforward to work with, however energy customers who need whole management over the best way it really works gained’t be disillusioned, both.
Should you purchase the Leviton Decora Smart Motion Sensing Dimmer 2nd Gen D2MSD?
I’ve been utilizing a really related product, the motion-activated Kasa Smart ES20M Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer from TP-Link, for practically three years. After changing it with Leviton’s gadget, I need to say the sting goes to Leviton.
These are each excellent merchandise, however Leviton’s gadget has a superior movement sensor, it helps 3-way circuits–together with that wi-fi distant–and I merely most well-liked working with the My Leviton app over the Kasa Smart app. You’ll pay $15 extra for the D2MSD, nonetheless, so if money is a priority, TP-Link gives efficiency that’s practically nearly as good. If you don’t want 3-way assist, you’ll be able to’t go incorrect with both choice.