Ideally something in the realm of Matter / Thread so I don’t just have a bunch more devices hanging off my WiFi router. Out maybe there’s an additional good option I’m not even aware exists? (Apple HomeKit house if that helps)
What do you like and recommend? Anything to avoid? Thanks in advance!!
The boys on the ATP podcast swear by Yolink.
I’m using Eve Water Guard and can recommend it. It works when testing (which it reminds me to do every couple of months), gladly never needed it.
+100 for YoLink. It’s an app-centric solution, not HomeKit compatible, but I’d argue the unique features are worth it: Very long range using LoRa wireless, no dependency on Wi-Fi, great battery life, not subject to Matter or HomeKit software/firmware problems, and very inexpensive per-unit pricing.
Home Assistant users, I think, can add drivers to bring it into HA, but for this particular use, I actually like having it as an isolated island of app+devices only.
It can get addictive - besides water leak sensors, I’ve added a motion sensor for reaching my street-side mailbox, and I’ve add a bunch of temperature/humidity sensors for refrigerators and and a few rooms in the house.
(I know I could do temp/humidity within HomeKit or other ecosystem, but the basic reporting and graphs in the YoLink app have been “good enough” without turning me into a home hobbyist environmental monitoring nerd.)
Thanks! I did catch the YoLink discussion o ver on ATP. Def intriguing.
Also, looking at these, I wonder if the same LoRa tech under the hood:
I’ve been using the Govee sensors. Nothing special about them but it does work. Last year my water heater started leaking and I was promptly notified.
Thx! So how does the Govee stuff work? Only the hub connects to wifi and sensors connect to the hub?
Yes, hub connects to WiFi and devices connect to the hub. The hub is plugged into a basement outlet and it connects fine to sensors upstairs in the laundry room and garage. I also have one of their temperature sensors that connects directly to WiFi. We use it in our motorhome so we can make sure our dogs are ok when we’re out and about.
Aqara 1,000% #twentycharacters
Thx! I’ve considered getting into the Aqara world but need to read more. I assume their stuff uses a hub? Is it HomeKit compatible?
Could also be a proprietary RF wireless. That is also very commonly used for water leak or other sensors where battery life and range are more important than compatibility.
Anything that needs its own little bridge (or hub) is typically using something other than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Thread is more confusing, it needs a bridge, but since that is built into HomePods, some Amazon Echos, some Aqara, some Google devices, the “needs a hub or not” issue is blurred by the manufacturers.
Careful, it’s addictive! I’ve got their senors, plugs, and lighting all over the house LOL. Absolutely HomeKit compatible. Hardly ever open the Aqara app.
Just to clarify, technically a network bridge converts from one physical transport format to another.
Example we all use - Home Router or Wi-Fi router converts Ethernet packets to wireless Wi-Fi and vice-versa.
A Hub, OTOH, might include a bridge, but also has more hardware and logic to perform other functions which are primarily software protocols or features.
For example, the hub function of home routers links the local in-home network transports to the wide area network we all know as the Internet.
Similarly, the “thread border router” software which is part of HomePods and other hub products, links the thread local network to other network protocols and systems.
Many hubs perform automation processing such as Apple HomeHub running scenes, automation seqeuences, and hub-based short-cut sequences.
Vendor-specific hubs such as Aqara, Lutron, Philips Hue and others also provide scenes, routines, and other automation features but often limited to only working with their own hardware devices.
It’s all become a confusing/blended universe of features, transports, and functions so at this point “hub” and “bridge” are use interchangeably as the distinction has become very blurry and most devices are multi-function doing many things and not purely a single function like bridging or routing.
IKEA has a new line of Matter over Thread sensors that are reasonably priced. I picked up the humidity/temperature sensors and the water sensor recently but have not yet had a chance to put them through their paces.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/klippbok-water-leak-sensor-smart-50617769/