Earlier this year, my wife and I officially purchased (and have since moved into) our first house. Since then, we’ve been working on different projects (nearly every other week, it seems) to refurbish and make it feel like a real, honest-to-damn-goodness home. Our work has been paying off so far, and for that we’re grateful. It’s an older house, but it’s got “good bones,” as we’ve been told.
However, leaks have been a problem; a significant one, at that.
Since discovering leakage in our basement, we’ve had to not-at-all-proactively diagnose issues with (and ultimately replace, rather than simply repair) both our sump pump and a whole stretch of PVC piping that runs under and along the side of our home. We even had to purchase a large dehumidifier that runs constantly, and still we get small pools of water every now and again.
Suffice it to say, we mostly have a handle on things now but it was – by no means – an overall enjoyable experience.
Thinking back on it, it’d have been sensational if we’d had a sure-fire means of detecting the worst source(s) of the leaks. That would’ve saved time, money and a boatload of stress, to be sure.
This whole leak-centric runaround is what immediately sprung to mind as I sat down to write about the subject of today’s story:
SwitchBot.
SwitchBot is a provider of smart home retrofitting and automation products. Its teams specialize in economically viable solutions that upgrade, rather than full-on replace, making folks’ homes smarter and hassle-free environments.
And just last week, SwitchBot officially announced the launch of a new product that homeowners (like us, honestly) would benefit from: the SwitchBot Water Leak Detector.
It’s mostly self-explanatory, but there are plenty of supplemental details to cover. Let’s break this down.
The SwitchBot Water Leak Detector enables remote water leak monitoring from anywhere via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Its essential features include the following:
- Equipped with 3-in-1 functionality for water drip, water immersion, and water level detection
- Used with a 1-meter cable and features sensors that can detect water levels as low as 0.5mm to provide early warnings (e.g. involving dripping pipes, floor immersion, etc.)
- Emits a 100dB alarm to alert users (this can be adjusted/muted, if necessary)
- Sends real-time push notifications, and is also capable of providing both email alerts and voice alerts that integrate with Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Smart Things, etc.
- Powered simply by two AAA batteries, provides up to 24 months of continuous use, and has a 1P67 waterproof rating (Note: Matter support is expected to be enabled later this year.)
Overall, devices like SwitchBot’s are incredibly ideal for areas prone to leaks; laundry rooms, bathrooms, kitchens and – yep, you guessed it – basements, of course. And while the above list of functionalities is helpful, the fact that IoT solutions like these are capable of providing bona fide peace of mind is a whole separate win, in its own right.
Learn more about SwitchBot’s “Home Life” line of products here.
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
