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The Proteus Aquo is more customizable than any other water-leak sensor we tested. However, it has no dedicated app, it needs to be plugged in, and it’s more expensive than our other picks. Both the Monoprice Stitch Smart Water Leak/Flood Sensor and the Merkury Smart Wi-Fi Water & Leak Sensor lack enough features for us to recommend either one.
To pick our favorite water leak detectors available at the time of publishing, we considered essential water detection technology, alert types, price and customer reviews. Smart water-leak sensors are for anyone who is worried about small leaks turning into big ones, as well as anyone who doesn’t want to wait until they step into a flooded room to find out. Plenty of non-smart water-leak sensors trigger a siren when they detect water, but they may go unheard if you’ve situated them in a bathroom or deep in the basement, or if you’re not home. A “smart” water-leak sensor, however, sends alerts right to your smartphone no matter where you are. Most water-leak sensors are tiny pucks or sensor points that you can place near or underneath a water source.
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If you notice your utility bills are rising but can't find a leak in your home, you may have an underground water leak caused by shifting soil, damage from pests or normal wear and tear. To install a water detection system, you typically place a sensor near any system or appliance that uses water. Integrating a smart water sensor with your devices is often as easy as downloading an app.Some advanced systems require a plumber to sync the sensors and shut-off valve with your water main.
Throughout our testing, the Proteus Aquo sensor gave us some of the best response times, firing off audible alerts within two seconds and text messages within four seconds. Since the device doesn’t have a dedicated app , it doesn’t send smartphone notifications. But you can designate as many phone numbers and email addresses as can fit into 400 characters. Cool water can be refreshing—except when it’s in the form of a puddle that seeps from a toilet. A smart water-leak sensor can lessen the impact of plumbing problems by alerting you the moment they’re detected, whether you’re at home or away.
Best water leak detectors
Smart water-leak sensors are pretty low risk when it comes to concerns about being hacked, but we always prefer to use the highest form of security available. (And it’s not required.) Our other two picks currently don’t offer 2FA, a situation that we hope will change. If you know your home has plumbing issues, it’s worth it to buy a leak detector so you’re alerted immediately to any flooding problems.
There are plenty of reasonably priced devices (including high-tech models) out there to keep you and your home protected. Sometimes water leak detector installation requires a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. A plumber may need to help if you have a more advanced system with automatic shut-off features. Since all leaks create soundwaves, a detector can gauge the severity of a leak by the frequency it produces.
The Best Smart Water-Leak Detector
Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. Whether it's finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we'll help you get it right . Rachel Cericola is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter who has been covering smart-home technology since the days of X10. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wired, Men’s Health, USA Today, and others. She hopes her neighbors read this bio because it would explain why she always has four video doorbells running simultaneously outside her home.
The system supports Google Assistant for announcing activity on smart speakers, as well as the web service and app IFTTT for triggering other smart devices when it finds a leak. Like every other leak sensor, it has a few quirks, but it’s still the best choice for monitoring more than one spot in a home. The best water leak detectors trigger a high-decibel alarm, send notifications to your smart devices and automatically shut off water to prevent damage.
The D-Link DCH-S1621KT Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi Water Leak Sensor Kit is the best all-around leak detector we tested. It reliably delivers fast alerts when water is present, both with an audible alarm and push notifications to your smartphone. The kit includes a plug-in hub with an epically loud siren and also comes with an optional water-sensing cable so you can monitor a range around the outlet. The kit can scale for small or large homes, too, since the hub can support up to 16 add-on battery-powered remote sensors for keeping tabs on water heaters, sinks, washing machines, toilets, and other vulnerable areas. Admittedly, the D-Link DCH-S1621KT has a few shortcomings, but it’s still the best smart leak detector currently out there.
The kit includes a hosting component with a 7-inch high-definition touch screen, connecting wire, sensor, sound pole, earphones, charger and protective case, and the detector requires a lithium-ion battery . You can select spectrum analysis or filtering analysis modes, record live and manage data through the touch screen. Govee systems are expandable and let you add up to 10 water sensors for more thorough protection (this package comes with a three-pack of sensors).
It includes a plug-in hub , but it also has a removable 19-inch water-sensing cable and a 38-inch extension cord to lengthen that cable’s reach. In addition, the kit comes with a matchbox-sized remote battery-operated sensor that connects wirelessly to the hub from up to 300 feet away. The hub can connect with up to 16 add-on sensors, responds quickly when it senses water or if it loses power, and features a loud siren.
The hub’s siren registered at 94 dB on our meter, about the same volume as a lawn mower—it’s one of the loudest leak alarms we’ve tested. Smartphone notifications typically came within a second of the system’s detection of water, whether we used the cable or the Sensor Pod. This D-Link kit has a plug-in Wi-Fi hub with an optional sensor cable and can connect with up to 16 battery-powered remote sensors. It responds quickly to potential problems with both a loud siren and fast smartphone alerts. The D-Link app lets you easily glance at the status of all connected sensors.
You can get a leak sensor that sets off an eardrum-piercing tone for as little as $10, but if you want smartphone alerts and the ability to check in on your sensors remotely via an app, be prepared to pay a bit more. The cost of smart water-leak sensors is all over the place, ranging between $20 and $100, and dependent on features, accessories, and manufacturer. Though some people may question the value of such devices, the cost to replace furniture, rugs, and memories is much higher, so we’ve concluded they’re a worthwhile investment for most people. You do need to place them thoughtfully, so that they are in the path of where water might flow. Some models come with cords that allow you to better reach leaky places, while others let you combine multiple devices that communicate with a hub. Ideally, you should place multiple sensors throughout your home to cover a variety of spots where water leaks might happen.
D-Link’s app shows you which device was triggered by water and provides an option to mute the siren. The device can detect leaks in pressure pipes made of any material within two meters of soft soil. During severe flooding, this Zircon can float and sound its alarm for up to 72 hours or until the battery is depleted. Under normal circumstances, you can expect the battery to last a few years. Many readers are concerned about how the manufacturing, shipping, and normal use of the products we recommend impact the world. We also recognize that the following may not paint a complete picture of a product’s supply chain and overall environmental impact.
