the problem with ambient light sensors is people tend to put bright ass lights on them which then reflect back and make em think its daytime
ambient light sensors work best for ambient lighting (who'd guess!?), day/night sensors are a lil more reliable but can still be subjected to same problem without filtering specifically for sunlight, which makes them less usefull indoors.
timers that calculate sunrise/sunset through GPS location are the most reliable you'll find.. I have one in a light switch in a hallway that should have 2 switches at each end, but instead has one in the middle.. timer turns hall light on every night at around sunset and then back off at some random offset after bedtime, provides a tiny bit of security while away. BEWARE, you need a neutral wire in your switchbox for those to work, its not common to have them in some parts of the country. (I didnt have one, had to pull one in from a nearby outlet)
Edit: Buy CREE LED Bulbs from Home Depot; work much better outdoors.. turn on instantly in cold and survive weather much better (Compared to CFL/Incandescent)... also suck less power and the warm color looks just like an incandescent... top quality available locally.