Good points about leak detectors—definitely worth it. Curious though, has anyone had issues with smart leak detectors giving false alarms or connectivity problems? I've heard mixed things about reliability, especially in older homes with thick walls...
"Curious though, has anyone had issues with smart leak detectors giving false alarms or connectivity problems?"
Yeah, I've seen that happen a few times—especially in older houses. Thick walls are like kryptonite to Wi-Fi signals, and sometimes the detector freaks out over condensation or humidity changes. Had one customer whose detector kept pinging him at work, and he rushed home three times in a week to find... absolutely nothing wrong. He joked it was more of a "panic detector" than a leak detector. Still worth having, but maybe test placement carefully before trusting it completely.
I've had mixed experiences with those smart leak detectors myself. A couple quick thoughts from my own trial-and-error adventures:
- Placement really matters. I had one in my basement laundry room that kept pinging me every time the dryer ran because of humidity. Moved it a few feet away, problem solved. So yeah, test out spots before you commit to mounting them permanently.
- Wi-Fi definitely can be an issue. My house isn't even that old, but the router is upstairs and the detectors are downstairs—had to get a cheap Wi-Fi extender to keep them reliably connected. Otherwise, they'd randomly lose signal and then reconnect at 3 AM (always 3 AM, right?), sending me into a mini panic attack.
- Also, battery life can be surprisingly short on some models. Had one detector that started sending false alerts when the battery got low, which was pretty confusing at first. Thought I had a leak, but nope—just needed fresh batteries.
Still, I'd rather deal with occasional false alarms than wake up ankle-deep in water again. Once you've had a real leak disaster at midnight (been there, done that), you'll gladly put up with a few false alarms here and there...
"Wi-Fi definitely can be an issue. My house isn't even that old, but the router is upstairs and the detectors are downstairs—had to get a cheap Wi-Fi extender..."
Yeah, same here. I ended up switching to Zigbee-based sensors instead of Wi-Fi ones because my basement's practically a bunker—no signal ever makes it down there reliably. Zigbee's been way more stable for me, plus the batteries seem to last forever compared to Wi-Fi models. Still get the occasional false alarm from condensation near my water heater, but like you said, better safe than sorry...
Interesting point about Zigbee sensors—I get the appeal of battery life and stability, but I've had mixed experiences myself. Zigbee's range can be pretty limited if your home's layout isn't ideal, especially with thick walls or metal ductwork in the way. I ended up going with Z-Wave sensors instead, since they use a lower frequency that seems to penetrate better through obstacles. Still not perfect (had a false alarm last month), but overall fewer connectivity headaches for me.
