Method for controlling electrical devices by means of three-dimensional motion detection of objects in a monitoring space, which is subdivided into a detection region and an adjoining advance warning region, by means of a detection system comprising a distance measurement system and a control system, comprising the following method steps of: - starting the main cycle of the control method by changing the control apparatus from a quiescent state to a standby state if the presence of an event, referred to as an event below, is expected, only individual measurements being carried out in the standby state, - carrying out a distance measurement to the event by means of the control apparatus in the standby state at the time t 1 in order to identify the expected event as being inside the advance warning region or inside the detection region; - carrying out a further distance measurement by means of the control apparatus in the standby state in order to verify an event determined using said identification measurement as being in the detection region at a time t 2; - the distance measurements (66, 72) being out by means of pulsed light, and only one light pulse, referred to as the identification ping or verification ping below, respectively being used for the identification measurement and/or the verification measurement, - starting the measurement cycle of the control method by changing the control apparatus to an operating state if an event determined using said verification measurement is in the detection region, - the operating state being characterized by a higher power consumption than in the standby state and the latter in turn being characterized by a higher power consumption than in the quiescent state and the power supply needed for the control method being fully applied only in the operating state, - carrying out a measurement cycle in order to determine the position, referred to as a position measurement below, of the event verified as being inside the detection region, - starting the control of an electrical device, if the position measurement satisfies predefined conditions, by generating an output signal which is used to control the electrical device, and - subsequently ending the main cycle of the control method and changing the control apparatus to its quiescent state. - starting the main cycle of the control method by changing the control apparatus from a quiescent state to a standby state if the presence of an event, referred to as an event below, is expected, only individual measurements being carried out in the standby state, - carrying out a distance measurement to the event by means of the control apparatus in the standby state at the time t 1 in order to identify the expected event as being inside the advance warning region or inside the detection region; - carrying out a further distance measurement by means of the control apparatus in the standby state in order to verify an event determined using said identification measurement as being in the detection region at a time t 2; - the distance measurements (66, 72) being out by means of pulsed light, and only one light pulse, referred to as the identification ping or verification ping below, respectively being used for the identification measurement and/or the verification measurement, - starting the measurement cycle of the control method by changing the control apparatus to an operating state if an event determined using said verification measurement is in the detection region, - the operating state being characterized by a higher power consumption than in the standby state and the latter in turn being characterized by a higher power consumption than in the quiescent state and the power supply needed for the control method being fully applied only in the operating state, - carrying out a measurement cycle in order to determine the position, referred to as a position measurement below, of the event verified as being inside the detection region, - starting the control of an electrical device, if the position measurement satisfies predefined conditions, by generating an output signal which is used to control the electrical device, and - subsequently ending the main cycle of the control method and changing the control apparatus to its quiescent state.