From what I can find, the retrofit kits are uglier than the sconce I already have, but I have not found an inconspicuous one. Do they exist?

Lars,

I am a modernist at heart and have searched high and low for motion sensors. I gave up as they are not made for contemporary fixtures. Also, for a majority of them, I don't set off the motion sensor. The neighborhood cat, squirrel, fox, etc, all set off the motion sensor but I don't half the time. I use a timer switch that is based on astronomical clocks which automatically adjust to local sunrise and sunset times.

This is an example of one by Leviton.

Good luck!

The fixture I have now works very well - no neighborhood cats or squirrels to set it off, and we do not have foxes in my neighborhood. We only turn it on briefly, and so it does not get all that much use. Therefore, I might be okay with a fixture I like that is not motion sensor. There is a street light in front of the house next door to me that provides enough light for me to see how to open my door, and so I guess it really is not all that necessary, but it is a nice convenience to have the light fixture I have now. I really only need the light for when I come home from work in December and the first part of January - otherwise I get home before dark, and if we plan to go out in the evening, I am okay with leaving it on, if I can find a good LED fixture. When I do get home and it is dark, I leave the light on for my brother, as he get home later than I do - his commute is 20-30 minutes, and mine is 4 minutes, which is why I can go home for lunch.

I guess I have to decide whether it is more important to have the motion sensor I have now or to have a fixture that I really like.

Would something like this work for you? One version has the motion sensor built right into the bulb, the other is a motion sensor you screw in between the socket and the bulb.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-globe/6-watt-a19-globe-bulb-motion-sensor/1159/

http://www.amazon.com/First-Alert-PIR725-Motion-Sensing/dp/B003QKS4Z4

Yes, I was going to mention the ones built right into the bulbs. Of course, how well they work will depend to some extent on what the surround is like. I haven't used any of the LED ones, but we had one that was just a piece that screwed into the bulb socket and then you screwed the bulb into it. It was okay, but not very good for anything smaller than a person.

If you don't like any of the options, you could always just add a light sensor and just remember to turn the light on in the morning on dark days before you go to work.

Jay, the first one looks very good, but the web page says they are out of stock. However, I can look for them elsewhere. I would definitely want to give that a try, and I could buy it and test it before I change the fixture. In fact, it would fit in my existing outdoor fixture. The second one looks nice also, but it says that it is for indoor use only, although I think I could get away with using it on my porch. I will buy one of those as well. That could be nice for another room.

If your porch light is on a single switch inside the house, you can get a timer for it. My porch light switch is attached to a gang of 2 other switches, so I couldn't fit a timer there. I tried a motion sensor insert, but my light is installed too high up for it to work, and I also tried light sensor insert, but my light is under an overhang, so it didn't work either. My only option is to turn my porch light on in the morning when I know I'll be coming home after dark.

A friend has motion-sensor porch lights and you have to be almost on the porch before they turn on. They don't function when someone is looking for your house number while driving on the street.

No concern about anyone seeing my house number; here's a photo of my garage from Oct 2015 (showing new gutters!), which is well lit at night by the street light in the yard next door:

My porch light is on a double switch - one switch is for the overhead track lighting in the living room.

I do not want to leave a light on all day, but then I go home for lunch. Today I drove right past my house and and had to make a U-turn to get back, and so I guess I did not notice my house numbers either.

What about 2 fixtures? One motion detecting ugly one mounted low and inconspicuous and a good-looking one where you can see it? Rewiring will be required but you might be able to tie it in to the camera job.

I finally found a sconce that meets all of my criteria, from Kuna. I got it at Lowe's and had to order it because they do not stock it. Today we picked it up at the nearest store (where I had it delivered) and we also installed it. Installation took 15-20 minutes, and we did it ourselves, but to get the light to work, I had to download an app on my smart phone, and getting that to work fully took about two hours, partly because I had disabled parts of my phone that I actually needed, such as Google Play. I thought that was for games, but it was necessary to be enabled in order to get the sconce app to work. Then I had to set up an account, go outside with my phone for the phone to recognize the sconce, and then adjust the settings so that it will turn on when I want it to.

This sconce came with features that I did not require but think that I may like, such as a security camera. For $5 a month, Kuna will keep photos of everyone who comes to my front door, and I can easily access these photos. I have security cameras at the front door with a small screen inside beside my front door, but those cameras are too sensitive and record every moth that flies by and cat that walks over my driveway - much more than I need, but since I do not have a clear window in my front door, I need the security cameras to show me who is outside my door, and they work fine for that. They also have an intercom, but I've rarely used that.

The new sconce also came with a doorbell, and so when anyone comes to my front door, I will hear a doorbell chime on my phone, providing I have kept it turned on, which I plan to do in the future. It seems to take better pictures than my security camera, which takes movies instead of still photos.

Anyway, if you are looking for a new modern porch light with LED and motion sensor, then this one may fit your bill. It's not overly attractive, but it does have a minimalist design, and that was what I wanted. This sconce was not available when I started this thread.

Since the above photo was taken, we have changed our front door and also have a different mail box, which we bought in Palm Springs and is red. Hopefully, we will be getting part of the house painted next week.