Staircase lighting

I had grand plans for staircase lighting that illuminated whenever you stepped on the first steps. I carefully engineered a board and had it all working on the bench using IR reflecting detectors to sense the footsteps. But upon installation I discovered that the sensors sucked -- their practical range was only a few inches and they generated a lot of false positives. So, until I can find a new sensor system the lights are just boringly connected to an old-fashioned light switch. But, at least I can tread safely on the stairs at night now!