# Why can't some lighting controls, like motion or light sensors, work with fluorescents?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-some-lighting-controls-like-motion-or-light-sensors-work-with-fluorescents/499891>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 15, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-some-lighting-controls-like-motion-or-light-sensors-work-with-fluorescents/499891 "2009-06-15T23:25:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-some-lighting-controls-like-motion-or-light-sensors-work-with-fluorescents/499891/21 "2009-06-20T15:02:09Z")

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> [@Balthisar](#):
>
> Lamp modules are self contained. I should have specifically mentioned light switches.

Well, for those I use the three-way controllers (XPS3) that use relays (non-dimming). Like [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/X10-PRO-Non-dimming-Fluorescent-Switch-X-10-XPS3_W0QQitemZ110292872057QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19adf7ab79&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50).

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