Complete Guide to Smoke and Leak Protection

Home security is about more than just keeping the bad guys out, accidental damage can be far more costly if it’s not caught in time. The biggest risks we can manage are from fire and water. Smart smoke detectors and leak sensors can provide us with a vital early warning of trouble brewing, and allow us to configure some automated responses as well as giving us the opportunity to take action before things get out of hand.

shortcut to water shutoff valves

Why Use a Smart Smoke Detector?

Smoke detectors certainly don’t need to be smart in order to do an effective job, but adding smart home connectivity to such devices extends their utility in some important ways. These devices will have the addition of a communication radio, such as Wi-Fi or Z-Wave, that allows them to communicate with a smart home platform, and your smart phone over the internet.

Being able to receive alerts from your smoke alarm when you’re away from the house allows you to take action far faster than might otherwise happen, and allowing those alerts to also trigger actions within your smart home can greatly improve safety beyond just sounding the alarm. When coupled with security cameras you’ll be able to check in and see what’s going on, and then be able to make a more informed decision on what to do next.

Consider an automation that turns on smart lights along your escape route and unlocks your smart locks to allow for quick exit. Other alarms can also be triggered to ensure everyone is aware of the danger, and voice assistants can be set up to announce the kind of threat that has been detected. Many of these sensors include carbon-monoxide detectors as well, so it can be useful to know which has cause the alarm.

What Do Smart Leak Detectors Do?

Fire and Water are both major threats to the safety of our property, but the intent of smart detectors for each have very different purposes. Smoke and CO detectors are focused on protecting lives, since they can’t actually do much about the problem. Leak detectors, on the other hand, are all about protecting the property from serious damage.

Smart leak detectors are able to sense water where it shouldn’t be and alert you, wherever you may be at the time. Sounding a local alarm as well as sending smart phone notifications to make you aware of the problem allows you to take action before it becomes a disaster.

These sensors typically monitor a specific area, say under the kitchen sink or behind your laundry appliances. Integrating them into your smart home allows them to be used to automatically trigger other actions, like activating a smart water valve, turning on lights, and triggering alarms on other devices for better awareness.

What about pipe damage though? Wear and tear, as well as freezing temperatures, can cause pipes to rupture or seals to fail. In these cases you can still be protected by using a whole-home leak detector. These devices sit on the main line into the house and monitor flow rates. When abnormal flow or quantity is detected, they can automatically close their own built-in main line valve to minimize the damage.

Types of Smoke and Water Detectors

There are a few distinct types of devices in this category with the more integrated options providing the best protection - and the highest cost.

Smoke Detectors

Basic smoke detectors come in Ionization or Photoelectric models, with the former usually being less expensive. Ionization detectors are better for flaming fires, where photoelectric sensors are better with long periods of smoldering. Models are available that include both technologies for maximum sensitivity.

X-Sense XS01-WT - A very compact battery smoke alarm that connects to Wi-Fi using the Tuya platform.

X-Sense XS03-WX - A long life battery smoke alarm that connects over Wi-Fi and integrates with X-Sense's own alarm system.

Smoke and CO Detectors

Carbon Monoxide is a silent threat to our families in homes with gas appliances. Odorless, colorless, and slow acting it can cause serious cognitive impairment and eventually death. Combining a CO sensor in our smoke alarms provides an important protection against this poison.

First Alert Z-Wave Smoke Detector: A combined photoelectric smoke and CO sensor that can be used with Z-Wave.

Leak Sensors

Smart Leak sensors can be placed in areas where the risk of water damage from failed joints, valves, and seals is the greatest.

Eve Water Guard - A HomeKit compatible leak sensor that uses a clever extendable sensor cord to cover a larger area.

Automatic Shutoff Valves

These devices combine some sort of leak detection system with a motorized valve that can shut off the water to the house if trouble is detected. Often called ‘whole home’ leak detectors, they can monitor more than just a single location and respond on their own.

Key Features to Consider

Wired or Battery Power

Smoke alarms come in both wired and battery powered options. Battery powered models are the easiest to install and offer flexibility of placement to wherever you might need them. These devices offer long battery life - usually 1 or 2 years - and will alert you via their smart phone app when you need to replace them.

Not being dependent on a power supply ensures you can still get an alarm even if the power is out, but unless you also have battery backup on your Wi-Fi and internet devices, you won’t get the alert away from home. There won’t be any way for the alarm to communicate with your smart phone.

Wired smoke alarms will usually also have a backup battery to cover for power outages, and not being reliant on the battery for normal operation means you’ll get a lot longer between replacements. It is recommended to replace the backup battery regularly though, even if it’s not running low. This is to ensure the alarm will sound when you need it to, no matter what happens.

Wired alarms need to be hooked into your homes electrical supply directly, so this is best done by an electrician. This makes them more troublesome to install and replace but offers a more robust solution.

Leak sensors can also come in battery or plug-in versions. This is less of a factor with these devices, as the install location is a bigger deciding factor on which power source to use. If you need a sensor well away from where you have power outlets, then a battery powered model is going to be more practical.

Whole home shut off systems will require a power outlet as these devices need more power to operate the valve itself.

Smart Home Integration

Not all connected smoke and leak detectors will support smart home integration. Instead, they may provide integration with a dedicated app and alarm ecosystem without the ability to connect other devices outside of that. In these cases, you’ll still get the benefits of remote notifications, but you won’t be able to automate other actions based on triggers from the sensors.

If you want to be able to do this and manage your whole home’s security status in one place, you’ll need to be able to connect it to your smart home platform of choice. Not all smart homes support the use of these sensors to trigger actions, and some devices limit integration to simply monitoring the state of the device, such as battery level, and don’t offer anything more.

It’s important to look at more than just platform compatibility, but what it actual allows you to do with that integration.

Testing Functionality

Smoke detectors will always have an alarm test button that allows you to confirm the device is functioning at a basic level, but more advanced models may also incorporate a self-test function where they can check their sensors are working correctly. This is a useful feature to look for, as a failed sensor won’t be otherwise apparent until it doesn’t sound the alarm in an emergency.

Leak sensors can also include a test function, although this won’t be a self-test. This is a less common feature on stand-alone leak sensors, but where it is included, you will be able to use a small quantity of water to trigger a simulated leak. When in test mode the alarm will be at a reduced volume, and it won’t trigger any smart home actions that it’s been linked to.

Some models will also offer a reminder to do a periodic test in their phone app to ensure the sensor is validated on a regular basis.

Communications Technology

Smoke and leak detectors can use a variety of communication technologies depending on their intended integration method. In most cases this will be Wi-Fi as this allows for connection to the most platforms like Amazon Alexa, and Google Home.

Bluetooth may be used in some cases, as this provides for simple connection to smart phones, and some platforms - like HomeKit - can use this as a low power, hub free connection method. This is not common, however, as its range is limited, and it can’t be relied upon for timely alerts.

Various shutoff valves and sensors come with Z-Wave, this is specifically for use with a Z-Wave controller as part of a dedicated smart home set up.

Newer offerings are starting to appear with the new Matter smart home standard, some of these may opt to use Thread. Thread is a fast, low power protocol specifically for IoT devices and is particularly well suited for long-life battery powered operation. Thread requires the presence of a Thread Border router in order to provide a connection path between the Thread network, your normal home network, and the Internet.

Which connectivity method you choose will depend on what systems you plan to use the sensor with.

Smart Home Integration

The best smart home integration features will allow the smoke or leak sensor to act as a trigger for automation rules, routines, scenes, or whatever other terminology your platform uses. Not all platforms and devices will support this functionality.

As a general rule you’ll get full sensor support in Apple HomeKit, some support in Alexa, and no trigger options in Google Home. Other platforms like SmartThings will vary depending on how technical you want to get in order to get it working.

Where sensor triggers are provided, these should be presented as an option when creating a new automation or routine. See our automation guides for help with these:

Set Up Automation in HomeKit.

Set Up Routines in Alexa.

Mobile Apps and Remote Access

Whether you are using a dedicated app for the brand of sensors you choose, or the app for your smart home platform, there are a few things that are beneficial and worth looking for.

Beyond automating quick response actions, the ability to monitor things like battery level, connectivity, and receive alerts regarding these and things like self-test failures are additional integration benefits.

You’ll also want to look for features that allow you to adjust the alarm sound itself, at least the volume, but possible the sound used. You’ll also want to be able to mute the alarm quickly from the app. Even better is if the app provides the option to do this from the alert notifications directly. This allows you to silence it quickly right from your notification screen without having to open the app first.

Connectivity And Integration

Installation and Setup

Mounting and Placement

For Smoke Alarms: There are some best practices for the minimum placement of smoke alarms. You’ll want to have them both where there is a likelihood of fire and where you need to ensure household members will hear them, especially at night.

This means you’ll want them outside the bedrooms at a minimum, but places like the Kitchen and Garage are also a good idea.

Smoke detectors should be mounted as high as possible, typically on the ceiling itself. On top of shelves or high-mounted on a wall can also work but is not recommended for maximum sensitivity.

For Leak Sensors: As these devices generally only detect water in a limited area, these should be placed behind water using appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. Anywhere there are exposed pipers and joints would also be a good idea, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and basements.

Automated shutoff valves will need to be placed in the main water line into the house before any off take. This can be more difficult in some cases as the device will need a power outlet nearby, and these are generally not suited for outdoor installation. They are usually designed for use in situations where the water feed line is in the basement.

Network Connection

One the physical installation is complete and the device is connected to power, you’ll need to set it up on your network. This will be done in the device’s own smart phone app in most cases, but systems like Apple HomeKit or Z-Wave will require the use of the app for those to pair the device with the platform.

Use the appropriate app to add a new device. Follow the in-app instructions for the pairing process which will vary by device, connection type, and platform. Most set up processes will require you to perform the basic network connection in the device’s app first, then perform additional steps to add it to your smart home.

Privacy and Security

Even with simple sensors like these, Wi-Fi connected devices will still connect to the maker’s servers in order to provide connectivity with their smart phone app. These types of Wi-Fi devices don’t talk directly to the app, even if you are inside the house. They will always connect via the internet to ensure a smooth and trouble-free user experience.

This connectivity does mean that the device has some exposure to hackers over the internet. Either by exploiting vulnerabilities in the device’s connection or through the maker’s server infrastructure.

As customer’s we often don’t have any visibility or control of these policies and controls, so choosing well established brands is our best hedge. Even major brands make mistakes, but the value here is that these bigger names will have far more scrutiny from the tech press and security researchers who will find and report any issues. That also puts significant pressure on these companies to do the right thing and to fix issues when they are found.

To benefit from these fixes, choose brands that use automatic firmware updates, and keep an eye on the smart phone app to ensure they are installed in a timely manner. Some apps will indicate if there are updates available, so use that to install them right away.

To minimize the risk of intrusion into your account, and unauthorized access to your cameras, use two-factor authentication if it is available, and make sure your account password is long and unique. Don’t share passwords between services, as this is the primary way database breaches can be used against you. To help with managing strong, unique passwords, it’s highly recommended to use a password manager. These tools make it easy to have good password discipline and can even manage your two-factor authentication tokens and passkeys as well.

Choosing the Right Sensor

Budget Considerations

There are very good detector options available that will cover the basics at an affordable price, but for more advanced features like CO detection, emergency lighting, inter-connection between alarms, smart home functionality, and more intelligent features like abnormal flow rate detection, you’ll pay considerably more.

This is especially the case with whole home leak detection systems which can run into the hundreds of dollars. These higher end models do, however, comes with some cost saving benefits. You home insurance provider may offer discounts and incentives for having such a system. This is a testament to how effectively they can prevent major damage to the home in the event of a burst pipe.

These savings can easily offset the upfront cost of the device but check with your insurance provider first to see if they offer these at all, and for what detectors.

Look Beyond the Basics

Choosing sensors that can integrate more fully into your connected home set up is definitely worthwhile. The added utility and manageability you gain should offset the additional purchase cost, and you’ll get better build quality as well, leading to longer lasting devices and reduced replacement costs.

Of course, these features aren’t for everyone, and if you don’t have an extensive smart home the benefits will be limited. Lower cost choices may well be sufficient in your case.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

The majority of complaints we see regarding smoke and leak sensors fall into two main categories: Poor connectivity and false alarms.

Connectivity issues are usually related to placement relative to the network devices you are using to connect with, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that there are issues with the device hardware, especially with cheaper models. If you’re using Wi-Fi, the fix for these issues is to improve your Wi-Fi coverage by using a better router, an extender, or positioning it (or a mesh node) closer to the device.

Thread or Z-Wave devices may need another router-capable device placed closer to extend the network’s coverage for them to use. Router-capable devices are those with a permanent power supply like light bulbs or smart plugs, so these can be easier to extend than Wi-Fi networks.

False alarms can occur with smoke alarms more so than leak sensors. False alarms can occur sometimes due to dust, small insects, or other minor air quality issues. These should be rare and pass quickly. If these are happening frequently then you may be dealing with a faulty sensor. There’s not much to be done here other than replacing then unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Early detection and rapid alerts.

    Remote monitoring and control from your smartphone.

    Integration with other smart home devices for enhanced safety.

    Battery status and maintenance alerts.

    Historical data and event logs for review.

  • Yes, you can replace traditional smoke alarms with smart ones. However, it's crucial to ensure that the smart smoke alarms you choose meet safety standards and local building codes.

  • Yes, most smart smoke alarms allow you to silence false alarms or test the device remotely through the companion app on your smartphone.

  • Smart smoke alarms are designed to work independently from Wi-Fi for basic smoke detection. They will still sound the alarm in your home, but you won't receive remote alerts until the Wi-Fi connection is restored.

  • The lifespan of smart smoke alarms can vary, but many have a recommended lifespan of 7 to 10 years. Refer to the manufacturer's guidelines for specific information on the lifespan of your chosen model.

  • Smart leak detectors can be used in various areas prone to water leaks, such as basements, bathrooms, kitchens, and near water heaters. Some models are also suitable for outdoor use, like near sump pumps or in crawl spaces. Check the product specifications for specific usage guidelines.

  • Most smart leak detectors are designed for easy DIY installation. They typically come with clear instructions and adhesive or mounting options. However, if you prefer professional installation, you can hire a plumber or technician.

  • Most smart leak detectors are specifically designed for water leak detection. If you require gas or oil leak detection, you will need specialized detectors designed for those purposes.