Resideo RCHW3610WF1001/N Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector, 1.2, White

I researched and compared over a dozen of these small battery-operated water-leak detectors. I found the Resideo (CHW3610W1001) was the best of the bunch, and certainly for my needs.I was looking to purchase a water-leak detector to set in my upstairs HVAC’s emergency drain pain, to alert me when excess condensation drips into the pan, which means the condensation line is clogged. I already have several water-leak detectors and an automatic shutoff valve on my water line; but, I needed a separate device on a different system for my HVAC because I would not want my HVAC water-leak device to shut off my plumbing if it sensed moisture. I just wanted to be notified for this—a notification sound locally and a notification sent to my iPhone.All of these types of water-leak devices run on batteries and provide notifications when water is sensed (by e-mail, text, and/or push notifications). My priorities in finding the right device for me were: a solid piece of equipment, that is easy to set up, that will attach to my home wifi network without a hub and remain connected, that is easy to reset and change out batteries (without a screwdriver), and that would provide a notification when the batteries need changing. Temperature and humidity readings, an attached water-sensing cable, and an LED light were all bonus features to me. The resideo satisfied all of my criteria, more so than any other, and it has all of those bonus features too.In my research, I found a couple of other devices that I had read great things about, difficult to attach to my home wifi network (maybe it had something to do with our mesh network system). I was not too patient with this; if I could not get a device to attach to my strong wifi network within 10 minutes, then I would start packing it back up for the return. And any device that required you to tinker with your mesh network wifi settings was not anything I was interested in.Some other devices lack user-friendliness in the setup, which quickly turned me off (e.g., having to unscrew the back of a device to put it in paring mode and/or to change out the batteries; having to remove the batteries to put in pairing mode; lacking a button to put in pairing mode). An LED light is helpful when setting up these devices, and it makes you feel that it is a nicer product for the money.I did call resideo’s customer service once to confirm information. I was not impressed. Fortunately, you probably won’t have to connect with customer service on an easy device like this one.It’s important to note that these battery-operated water-leak devices that attach directly to your wifi network do not stay connected to the wifi network all day. Each of them merely "checks in" one to three times each day to get temperature, humidity and battery readings (the higher end devices like the resideo can be programmed to check in up to three times each day). So, for any device that provides temperature, humidity and/or battery information, the information is not in real time. The readings are taken and recorded at one to three (depending on the device) check-in times throughout the day. Don’t worry—this check-in system for temperature, humidity and/or battery does not affect the device’s ability to alert you when it senses water.I read in one or two reviews that the resideo was seconds slower than other devices to provide water-leak alerts. I never ran any such tests myself, because I examined one device at a time. Having said that, the resideo's water-leak alert worked quickly for me when I tested it.Also, the resideo does not provide text alerts; it just provides e-mail and push notifications. I would rather have all three, and many devices do have all three. But, this was not a deal-breaker for me.Resideo spun off from Honeywell. Resideo no longer makes the CHW3610W, although you can still find them online for a hefty price of around $100 (which I still find worth it compared to the other devices in this space). Even though this product is no longer manufactured, it is still supported on the easy-to-use Resideo app. Resideo's replacement product--L1 Wifi Water Leak Detector (CHW3610W8001/U)--does not have all of the qualities that I liked about the CHW3610W.

The contractor says that the leak in the wall started at least 2 years ago, judging by the condition of the drywall and the amount of mold in the closet that the bathroom backs up to! We haven't been in that closet in ages, it's full of boxes that we never look at, or at least it was. Black mold 2 inches thick or more is all that's left of the bottoms of the lowest boxes. The tile in the bathroom was strong enough that we never knew there was a leak until the day that it got worse and I could hear it behind the wall. That was the day the carpet in the bedroom got wet. That was 5 weeks ago, the mold is now gone, the bathroom is now nearly repaired, and I'm out $9,000! All because of a leak that might have cost $500 to fix if I had caught it 2 years ago... That $9,000 includes two devices. A $200 whole house water monitor, and a $50 leak detector. Because if this ever happens again, I don't want to wait 2 years to find out! It also includes extra tile in case it happens again and I do catch it early!The water meter on the whole house is nice, but it won't tell me where the leak is, and it won't tell me the minute it happens (it'll alert me after 2 hours, and then I'll think it's a fluke and silence the alarm, and then at 4 hours it'll go off again and I'll start looking around but see nothing if it's in the wall). So I'm drilling a small hole in the wall of the closet that connects to the bathroom, and pushing this cable in so that it lies on the ground under the pipes that might one day leak. If this goes off, I will immediately pull down the drywall and look. A false alarm will cost an hour putting the drywall back up, but that's a small price to pay if a real alarm will save me $9,000!!!After receiving the first one, setting it up, testing it, and deciding it's worthwhile; I will now be buying these for the kitchen, the other bathroom, and the laundry room. Better safe than sorry!!! I'll spread the purchases out, maybe one a month so I don't have to pay another $150 right now. If you're wondering whether $50 is worth it, the answer is an emphatic YES!!!BTW, the whole house meter I installed is the Fluke water monitor. I also highly recommend that $200 investment!!

Careful ordering this. The Square product works, but some sellers are sneaking in the "new" oval model, which has terrible reviews, in hopes that people will just take it.