Different Leak Detectors We Like
First Alert L1 Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector for $62: This huge flood sensor, branded First Alert, works with First Alert or Resideo apps and equipment. It sends push notifications and emails to warn you to any leak and sports activities a 100-decibel alarm you can cease with the aspect button. The sensor was comparatively gradual to alert in all my assessments, and the push notifications solely got here via when my telephone was related to Wi-Fi. The 5-foot water sensing cable permits you to cowl a a lot bigger space, and I discovered it alerted quicker. The detector connects on to Wi-Fi, so that you want a good sign. This sensor also can observe temperature and humidity, however not very precisely (it persistently overestimated temperature and underestimated humidity). The 2 AA batteries offered are supposed to last as long as two years.
SwitchBot Water Leak Detector for $18: This rectangular detector triggered swift alerts in all my assessments with a 100-decibel alarm. With prongs on high and beneath, this gadget was fast to detect water. It connects on to Wi-Fi, so that you don’t want a hub, and it will possibly ship push notifications and emails, although you should set them up within the app. Sadly, the push notifications didn’t come via after I was out of the home, related to a mobile community as a substitute of Wi-Fi. Sensible house connectivity is sweet (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT), and you’ll arrange automation within the SwitchBot app, which makes this a flexible possibility, notably when you have different SwitchBot units. SwitchBot says the 2 AAA batteries offered are good for as much as two years.
AiDot Winees Water Leak Detector S1 Plus (3 Pack) for $60: Join the plug-in hub to your 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, place the three round detectors in possible leak spots, and you’re set. You possibly can pair as much as 10 detectors with the hub and configure it to ship emails and SMS messages on high of app notifications when there’s a leak. The probes on the underside of every detector are fairly far aside, and it takes 2 millimeters of water earlier than the alarm is triggered. It did not go off with a gentle drip on high, however the alarm sounded as quickly as water pooled beneath. The alarm goes as much as 100 decibels, however I like you can tweak the quantity and period for alarms. You possibly can cancel alarms via the app or by urgent the buttons on the hub. These detectors take CR2 batteries which are good for as much as a 12 months, and there’s a sign within the app after they die. After I eliminated a battery from certainly one of them, it took the app a couple of hours to replace and present it as offline. One final draw back is that the hub is round, so it could block adjoining retailers. Help for IFTTT is a probably helpful further that might set off a water shut-off or a lightweight to flash pink when a leak is detected.
Aqara Water Leak Sensor for $19: This Zigbee sensor is finest used with Apple’s HomeKit, and also you want an Aqara hub (bought individually). The corporate makes a superb safety digital camera that doubles as a hub and gives a full vary of sensible house sensors. These small round water leak sensors are very low to the bottom, so simply 0.5 mm of water beneath is sufficient to set off an alarm. Dripping on high gained’t set them off, however an iPhone notification is triggered as quickly as water swimming pools beneath the place the probes are. It’s also possible to have your related hub play an alarm and set off automations via HomeKit. The sensors take CR2 batteries and might last as long as two years.
Sew by Monoprice Water Leak Sensor for $25: This inexpensive water leak detector has a design that’s much like our high decide. The primary physique is spherical, with metallic toes to detect water pooling, and it slots right into a bracket for wall mounting. It comes with a coin-sized plug-in extension that stretches as much as 3.8 toes. Each the principle detector and extension have been fast to sound the alarm and ship notifications to my telephone when moist (although the on-device alarm just isn’t very loud). It takes a single CR2 battery, shows the remaining energy within the app, and alerts you when it’s time to vary batteries. Sadly, the app is primary and poorly translated, it’s a must to dry the detector to cease the alarm, and it took too lengthy to warn me when it went offline (weirdly, the offline detector is toggled off by default within the app settings, so I needed to change it on). You may get this a bit cheaper by shopping for immediately from Monoprice.
Leak Detectors to Keep away from
We didn’t have a terrific expertise with each water leak detector we examined.
Swann Leak Alert Sensor for $12: Whereas this battery-powered water detector (two AAAs) is inexpensive, I had a horrible time setting it up. Your telephone have to be on 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, however even then it took me a number of makes an attempt to attach. Frustratingly, you should take away the screw panel to reset it as a result of there’s no possibility within the app. Alerts got here via to my telephone round a minute after I soaked the sensor, however the Swann app is gradual and clunky.