• Easy, tool-free installation
• 85-decibel siren
• Battery life of up to 10 years (replaceable)
• Optional cable increases detection
• Easily pair to your gateway

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Despite the few options available for this type of sensor, this category is, in many ways, just as useful in the home as smoke sensors, for example. Clearly, the task of water leak sensors is to detect potential water leaks in one’s home. This could be anything from a leaking washing machine or dishwasher, as well as other random accidents, including watering flowers, or, for example, a bathtub that is being filled but forgotten about. It is definitely worth having at least one device of this type in every home that can protect you from these types of incidents and at the same time, the potentially high repair costs associated with them.

The by now well-known company Eve, which manufactures home automation devices operating exclusively in the Apple HomeKit system, has just released such a device called the Eve Water Guard, designed for water leak detection. This new product, that we first reported on at IFA 2019, and subsequently showed up at CES 2020, has now been made available in multiple territories for purchase.

UNBOXING | PACKAGING

The Eve Water Guard packaging is presented in the same clean and transparent style and is easily recognisable as an Eve product if you’ve ever owned any of the company’s previous products. The front features the product, with a noticeable red glow around the product, which isn’t just for show, as it does indeed look this way! We’ll get to that in a bit. The rear of the box has the basic features of the device (in French, German and English), along with requirement. One side of the box promotes the Eve for HomeKit app, whilst the other side lets you know that it has a 100dB alarm, a 2m extendable sensing cable, and, as already mentioned, four adaptors along with the capability to work across the two voltage ranges.

After opening the packaging, you’ll find the Eve Water Guard device in the form of a white plastic cube with exchangeable adapters designed for use in different regions. Four types of adapters are included; EU, UK, US and AU versions. In addition, a cable that acts as a 6.5 ft / 2 m long water detection sensor, along with a quick start guide. Contact and guarantee information sheets are also included. The code for pairing with HomeKit can be found printed on the quick start guide, as well as being found on the device itself. On other interesting note; you can’t see it on the packaging right now, but the Eve Water Guard has won an IF World design award for 2020.

THE DEVICE

Technical specifications of Eve Water Guard

• Power: 100-240V @ 50/60 Hz. 50 mA
• Wireless Connection: Bluetooth Low Energy

Dimensions

• 65 x 65 x 45 mm (excluding plug)

Compatibility

• Australia: Type I sockets (AS 3112)
• Europe: Type E & F sockets
• United Kingdom: Type G (BS 1363) sockets
• U.S. & Canada: Type A & B sockets

The Eve Water Guard does give the impression of a solidly made device with high-quality materials. The main cube-shaped section (the alarm, essentially) itself is made of high-gloss white plastic, with no moving parts except for the replaceable power adapter. The device is powered directly from the power outlet, so batteries are not required. The main body of the device isn’t especially large, but it is larger than most smart plugs. On the base of the main body, you can find the socket for the sensing cable, which is essentially a 1/4″ jack socket, and a small hole which houses a reset button, should you need to get it back to factory settings.

There’s a built-in 100dB siren within the device, which when triggered by a water leak, will play an audible alert, in addition to a red LED light inside the alarm, that disperses the light into the back of the device, as well as at the front, behind the front panel with the logo on it.

The device is then essentially two parts; the alarm, with a built-in warning light and the sensor, that detects the actual leaks. The sensor itself was designed in the form of a separate cable connected to the main device through a 1/4″ jack socket located underneath the device. The attached cable is 6.5ft / 2m long. Eve also offers extensions for this cable, giving you the ability to extend the sensor by up to 490ft / 150m with 6.5ft / 2m extensions, sold separately. The cable is made of a water-absorbent material, due to the fact that the cable acts as one long sensor along its entire length.

INSTALLATION

The process of adding the Eve Water Guard to HomeKit is no different from the standard procedure for other devices that can be added. After scanning the HomeKit code, you can change the name of the device and assign it to any room, as normal. Once installed, however, it’s best to use the dedicated Eve for HomeKit app for the extensive set of features available, that are not exposed to other HomeKit apps. The Eve for HomeKit app is available on the App Store in both an iPhone version and a separate version for the iPad.

As with many of Eve’s product line, the Eve Water Guard communicates with HomeKit using the Bluetooth protocol. In the event that you’re unable to place the Eve Water Guard within Bluetooth range of your HomeKit home hub, to extend the range of the Bluetooth signal, you can also use another product by Eve, specifically designed to act as a Bluetooth hub for Eve devices, called the Eve Extend, we’ll publish a review of this product separately soon, but it’s one of the devices you might find useful in situations like the one described before.

A HomeKit hub is required if you want to create automations that include the Eve Water Guard, or when we want to have Remote Access to the device’s status when you are away from home. In the event that you do not have a device working as a HomeKit hub in our home, thanks to how Bluetooth works you will still be able to communicate directly between the Eve Water Guard and your HomeKit client (a suitable iPhone, iPad or iPod) so that you have access to basic configuration functions as well as the ability to check the device’s status. It’s good to note that the Eve Water Guard continues to work even if it loses contact with the HomeKit system, so for its core function it is autonomous; if a water leak is detected, the built-in siren and the flashing red warning light will still work.

As is clear, the main and only function of the Eve Water Guard is to notify you of the detection of all kinds of water leaks. Throughout the testing period of this device, I have never been disappointed. The time from the actual leakage and notification is variable, but certainly fast enough for us to have time to react appropriately. This is due to many factors, ranging from the amount of leakage, cable placement layout, the time it takes for water to get through the material, and of course Bluetooth communication speeds. On average, you will receive a notification within a few seconds. In this case, it’s definitely worth paying special attention to the arrangement and placement of the cable, which can make a large difference with regards to the reliability of detecting water leaks.

When water leaks are detected, the Eve Water Guard’s built-in siren and pulsing red LED light are activated. In the Home app, you will receive a notification in the form of a push notification and a change in the status of the device from Ready to Leak detected. In situations when you are away from home, in order to receive notifications, and the ability to view the status of the device, a HomeKit hub is required, and I would suggest, vitally important.

When the alarm is triggered upon detecting a leak, both the alert and the alarm will be active until the cable is completely dry. To deactivate the alarm, the only option in a situation like this is to temporarily mute the alarm sound until it is completely turned off. This option can only be found in the Eve for HomeKit app. In the Eve app, when a leak is detected, a dialogue box the ‘mute alarm’ option will show up. In addition, you will also find the same mute option in Eve Water Guard options section. It should be noted that the alarm cannot be turned off completely by just using the app, so if you are in the same location as the alarm itself, you can deactivate the alarm by disconnecting the cable from the Eve Water Guard itself, by or simply disconnecting the entire device from the power supply. When you reconnect the cable to the Eve Water Guard or turn on the power again before the cable is completely dry, then the device will be triggered and the alarm will sound again.

EVE APP EXTRAS

In Eve for HomeKit app, you will also find a few additional functions not available in other HomeKit apps. The first is a reminder to perform an alarm test, which tests if the Eve Water Guard is functioning properly. The test consists of immersing the cable probe in water and triggering a short test alarm at a reduced volume. This function can be found in the Eve Water Guard options. You can also set intervals for test reminder there. The available options are:

• never
• every 30 days
• every 3 months
• every 6, months
• every year

Another feature is a record of events that shows when the Eve Water Guard was added to HomeKit, when each alarm was triggered and muted, or when the last test was carried out, and with what result. There is also an option to export this data in XLS format for use in other applications. As with any HomeKIt device from Eve, no cloud connections are used, and all data is always securely stored locally in the Eve for HomeKit app. Eve Water Guard works only in the Apple HomeKit system like all other Eve products, so you won’t find any other integrations that go beyond the HomeKit system (Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa for example), but we can extend the notifications for when a water leak is detected, to any devices operating in this system. So, beside notification via the built-in siren, the red flashing light and push notifications, we can also attach other lights or AirPlay2 audio devices. This means that if a water leak is detected, some of the smart plugs will be turned off automatically, and certain smart bulbs can turn on, and to a specific colour, for example.

SUMMING UP

What distinguishes the Eve Water Guard most from other devices of in this category of sensor, is the use of a probe-like cable, acting as a sensor along its entire length, which opens up many new use cases, whistly covering a potentially larger area. The additional possibility of extending this cable by up to 490ft / 150m certainly adds even more value. However, it often happens that not every solution works in all situations of course, so there are places where such a solution creates new possibilities for us, at the same time there are many other places where devices with built-in sensors directly at the bottom of the device can work better ( like the Fibaro water leak sensor), where we do not require or are unable to use a long cable. Before buying, you should think carefully where and how you want to use this device, and choose the device that suits you best to the conditions in which it will be placed, as well as function with the best results or coverage.

The same applies to the power supply itself. It’s certainly convenient to have a direct power supply, without worrying about replacing a battery. This solution allows us also to have a fairly loud, built-in siren and warning light, which is not standard in most devices of this type, but conversely, we don’t always have access to an outlet where we plan on having such a device, although having the ability to extend the sensor cable by a very large amount does address to a large degree. To some extent, some places that are more exposed to water leaks tend not to have outlets too close by, like underneath sink, so devices using batteries can be a better choice and being largely passive devices, which usually means the batteries can last for 2+ years.

On this topic, it’s difficult to talk about the pros or cons of such a device or device type. Everything is simply dependent on the specific conditions in one’s own home, and the Eve Water Guard is offering us a whole new approach on this. If you think the Eve Water Guard will work in your home, then I can definitely recommend this device. It’s solidly made, with a modern look, as are all of Eve’s devices to date. Most importantly, you can rely on it to save you from the potentially large costs associated with water leak damage. The only feature that I miss, is a button on the device to immediately silence the alarm.

Full disclosure: Eve provided HomeKit News with the Eve Water Guard for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made or requested.

The post Eve Water Guard (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

and serves as a full-length sensor for monitoring large areas of your room. And the Eve app reminds you at regular intervals to check that Eve Water Guard is working perfectly. With Eve Water Guard, avoid expensive water damage and add a watertight layer of protection to your home.

Leveraging the power of Apple HomeKit technology, Eve Water Guard connects directly to your iPhone, iPad, or home hub such as an Apple TV or HomePod via Bluetooth technology – all without a bridge. Eve accessories are designed to safeguard your personal data – no matter whether you access Eve Water Guard locally or remotely, your personal data is never disclosed

Features:

• Avoid expensive water damage: Eve Water Guard detects water leaks and alerts you the moment they occur
• Alerts you acoustically with its 100 dB siren, visually by a red flashing warning light and notifies you via iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch
• 6.5 ft / 2 m sensing cable (extendable up to 490 ft / 150 m) serves as a full-length sensor for monitoring large areas of your room
• Perfect for the bathroom, utility room, basement and beneath sinks and water pipes
• Apple HomeKit-enabled for unparalleled ease of use and advanced security
• Simple setup: Direct connection via Bluetooth technology – no bridge or gateway required
• Absolute data privacy – what happens at home, stays at home

Specs:

• 100 dB siren
• Visual alert
• Notifications
• 6.5 ft / 2 m sensing cable (extendable)
• Scenes
• Siren-test mode

The post Eve Water Guard appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

With that in mind, we’ll take a look at this device and how it works in real world situations.

I’m not going to start with any packaging images on this occasion, as the two leak sensors I bought were actually available before the Aqara Hub was even a twinkle in the company’s eye, and so, as with almost all Mijia and Aqara products at this time, the box was about as plain as you could get, with only the Aqara logo printed on the front of a rather flimsy cardboard box. This offers very little protection to be honest, and while this device is very cheap, it’s still a waste of money if the device arrives broken. Thankfully, since then, Aqara have stepped things up in the regard with colour packaging with a bit more protection. I haven’t seen the packaging for the Leak sensor, but I think I can safely assume it’s of the standard I’ve seen with other devices with the new style packaging.

Right out of the box, you can see it’s quite small, measuring a mere 50 × 50 × 15 mm (1.97 × 1.97 × 0.59 in.). The main body of the device is plastic of some variety, which in this case is also more glossy than their switches and plugs, which is probably for making it more repellent to water. The top of the device features a simple ‘water droplet’ icon, that follows the design aesthetic of the other sensors (temperature/humidity and vibration sensors), not that you’re likely to mix any of them up, but still, I like it. The top of the sensor is slightly soft, which allows you to press down on it, for when you’re ready to pair the device.

The base has two ‘Hex socket’ contact sensors that can be extended with the use of a hex screwdriver (which we’ll come to in a bit), and there’s a brief bit of info printed on what is essentially the battery compartment, which also uses a watertight seal to keep the battery and internals all safe from water damage. This sensor uses a standard CR2032 coin battery, so you’re unlikely to have any issues with finding a replacement and you’ll have plenty of time to find one anyway, as Aqara claim the battery will last up to 2 years in typical circumstances. You can attach a pair of suitable wires to the contacts on the bottom, thereby making sure only the wires are in contact with any leaks, or even better, leak prone areas that are hard to reach by themselves. So, mounting these with some double sided tape, and having the wires drop down has a few advantages.

Now this is a HomeKit compatible device, but only if you have the Aqara hub for it to go through, so you will need the Aqara hub. If you don’t require HomeKit compatibility, then the Mijia hub can be used instead. Either way, you will also need either the Aqara or Mi Home app in order to add this, with an account set up for either app and the server set to Mainland China. So, assuming you’ve got all those things in place, setting up and pairing the device is a doddle. The device communicates with the hub via Zigbee, whilst the hub itself communicates with your network (and by extension, HomeKit) using wi-fi.

NOTE: For the purposes of instructions for setting up the device, I’m only showing instructions for setting it up via the Mi Home app, although the process is almost the same for the Aqara app.

There are a couple of ways you can add a ‘child device’ to the app and the Aqara hub, but I find this way works every time.

• Open the Mi Home app, click on the Aqara hub tile
• on the next screen, click on ‘Device’ at the top
• Click on Aqara Hub and then click on ‘add child device’ at the bottom

When you click on this, you will then go through the process of pairing the sensor to your Aqara hub, which involves the hub telling you it is “ready to connect to child devices”. You then press down on the top of the sensor until you see a blue LED flash 3 times just under the plastic casing. The hub will then respond that pairing was successful and you’ll then just go through choosing the location of the device.

Once that’s done, the sensor should automatically appear in the Apple Home app, although you may need to force quit the app for it to refresh. It’s also important to note that while you may have designated where the sensor belongs in the Mi Home app, rooms are not synchronised across the two apps, so this device will appear in the default room, waiting for you to place it in the correct room and add it as a favourite, if required.

As you have this in the Home app, you can set up various automations for when it’s triggered, in addition to getting standard alerts on your phone, so in this regard it acts just like any other sensor. In the Mi Home app, you have additional choices; Once set up, the alarm feature on the hub is linked to the sensor by default, so as soon as the sensor is triggered, the alarm will sound on the hub. You can turn this off, and just set up push notifications to your phone, which is my preference.

The sensor has an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating, and is guaranteed to work in humid and dusty environments. This does not mean you should totally immerse it in water (indeed why would you?).

Having looked up this particular rating, it is stated that the ‘6’ refers to effectiveness against “ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.” While the ‘7’ refers to “Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).”

Video showing the Water Leak sensor working in the Aqara app and Home app.

We’ve got two of these, one located under the sink, and another located between the two washing machines, and just before I typed this review up, I did in fact get an alert of a minor leak under the sink, so it works! Of course, there are many other ways in which you can use this, for triggering an extractor fan/dehumidifier in your bathroom for example when the floor gets wet.

How does it perform? Really well. It has triggered every single time in my tests and in real life situations, like the one I had earlier today (Jan 1st), and as it works in the Mi Home app and the Apple Home app, I’ll get at least a notification from one of them if there happens to be an issue with the other app, so I feel confident any issues will be nipped in the bud really quickly, one way or another.

Regarding the cost, I feel it’s pretty reasonable to compare it to the Fibaro sensor, seeing as their main function it to detect water leaks, although to be fair to the Fibaro sensor, it does have a temperature sensor as well as tamper detection technology. As the Aqara sensor uses Zigbee, with the Fibaro using bluetooth, it’s arguable that Zigbee is a better form of communication, and definitely seems to work more efficiently, more reliably and faster than bluetooth devices. It should also be pointed out that the Fibaro sensor doesn’t require a separate hub, unlike the Aqara sensor, but if you’ve already got the hub for other devices, it’s easy enough to divide the cost of the hub by the amount of devices you already have using said hub, and I still think you’d be saving money in all honesty. As an example, the Fibaro flood sensor is $69.99 on amazon, whilst the Aqara flood sensor, also on amazon, is a mere $19.99. That’s a $50 difference. If you were to shop at AliExpress for example, you can pick up the Aqara sensor for around half that price again, so it’s difficult to justify a minimum of $50 extra, even with all additional functionality that the Fibaro brings.

Obviously, only time will tell as to how long a device like this will last, but for the time being, I’m very happy with these and I feel like these kinds of devices are a real help to those on a budget, but also want to protect their homes from the inevitable damage that flooding can cause.

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My first impression on getting the package was “this is a little weird”. I’m not talking about the packaging itself, but the size of the sensor inside, which is quite small. The packaging looks professional and sleek, and the instruction manuals were aplenty – Three in total. Coming back to the sensor – it really is small, but I didn’t expect it or need it to be a specific size. I just assumed it would be larger. You usually have a rough impression of how big or small something is, based on what you see online. That all aside, the overall first impression was was a good one. 

As for the setup, that went pretty smoothly, as I’ve generally come to expect with HomeKit installations. It comes with a custom-sized, ‘half-A4’ battery (CR123A) with a protective piece of paper to make sure the contact doesn’t touch the battery until you’re ready to use the device. Pull that and put the battery back in and you are off and running to the app stage. 

Once the device is powered on, download the Fibaro app from the App Store, as per the included instructions. You will then need to add the device itself, through the app  with the provided code on the back of the main instruction manual. The app will show ‘new home (or join one)’, so assuming you’ve already created a ‘home’ in the Home app, you would select that one. It’s important to note at this point, that as this is a Bluetooth device, you will need to keep your phone near to the accessory for the purposes of pairing (and make sure Bluetooth is active on your phone). The app will ask permission to pair up to your home while scanning the code. Once that’s finished, it sees any other installed accessories as standard with any HomeKit type app. Once the Fibaro Flood Sensor has been successfully added, it will also appear in your Home app as two devices or ’tiles’; The flood sensor also contains a temperature sensor.

In day-to-day behavior, the sensor works in two ways; it essentially measures temperature and is armed to detect water/moisture. As for the temperature sensor, I can’t speak to the accuracy of it currently, because it’s in a different place to my main thermostat. However, in terms of the water sensor, it works very well and sends the information to your iOS/OSX devices quickly. I wanted to go ahead and test it, as well as give myself an idea of what it looked like in HomeKit. It provides great immediate intel on any water that is sensed (via an iOS notification). There is another, less obvious sensor onboard, which is a ‘tamper’ sensor. This will detect when the device has been moved or ‘tampered with’, and send you a notification. This sensor would seem to be not part of the HomeKit makeup of the device, as it doesn’t appear as a separate tile in the Home app.

In terms of my final thoughts… uh, can I get back to you in 4 years?  As there are two versions of this device – one for Zigbee setups, and one for HomeKit, It’s a little expensive – the Zigbee version is a lot cheaper. However, in truth, it’s a small price to pay to protect my floors.

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Water Detection
Trigger a light or siren to turn on to alert you when detected water level reaches 0.5mm. The linked gateway alarms locally with light and siren and land notifies the APP simultaneously.

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