By all accounts, your home should be a safe space where you can relax and raise your children without any life-threatening dangers. But unfortunately, that isn’t usually the case. Your home might seem safe, but many things can risk your health or damage your house.
For example, carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can make you pass out. To prevent tragedy from occurring, technology is there to help, especially when it comes to detecting invisible threats.
Shop this article: YoLink Smart Leak Sensors, Ring Alarm Smoke and CO Listener and Google Nest Protect
Stay safe during a fire or flood
It’s not uncommon for people to wake up in the middle of the night to water dripping. It’s usually a faucet that isn’t closed properly. However, other times it can be more serious. If there is a major pipe leak in the walls, it can quickly flood the house or cause structural damage.
Leak detectors are the perfect tool for stopping water from becoming a bigger issue if left unchecked. There are different kinds, but the most common are acoustic leak detection devices, and a leak detection system monitors water flow through a pipeline.
Another regular safety gadget in most homes is a smoke detector. It’s an essential part of keeping your family safe, as the detectors are often the first warning that there is a fire. Once smoke enters the detector’s chamber, it scatters the beam, which triggers the alarm.
Smoke and water are relatively easy to detect, even if you don’t have sophisticated gadgets. However, carbon monoxide is different. This odorless gas is invisible, and without a detector, there is no way of knowing if it’s in your home. The most common cause of CO in a house comes from gas or kerosene-powered heaters, stoves and furnaces.
The strangest danger that few might know about is radon. Just like CO, it is colorless and odorless, but it’s a radioactive gas. It’s as bad as it sounds, and the only way to find it is with a unique detector. Radon is routinely found in basements, cellars or spaces in contact with the ground, with granitic-type soils often having a higher concentration. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it seeps up from the ground and causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year.
Best gadgets to keep your home safe from damage
YoLink Smart Leak Sensors 2 Pack
Installed in seconds, this smart leak detector doesn’t require a Wi-Fi or internet connection. It has a 1/4-mile range, making it perfect for hard-to-reach places such as basements or freestanding garages. Compatible with virtual assistants, it has three alarm modes and app notifications when it detects a leak.
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This small leak-detection system connects to the Aqara Hub and requires a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection. Whenever it detects a leak, it sends an alert to your mobile phone and triggers the warning system on the hub. There is no need for wires or screws, and setup only takes a few minutes.
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Fighow Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector 3-Pack
This three-pack smart leak system alerts your phone when excess water is detected. Each detector has four rear water leakage detection probes and two front drip probes. You simply place it where leaks can happen and keep an eye out for notifications. If Wi-Fi is unavailable, it has a 128-decibel alarm.
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By installing this smart detector close to water heaters, drain pans, and underneath sinks, it can alert you to as little as 0.5 ounces of water. When connected to other smart home accessories, it can trigger a whole-home shutdown of water valves, preventing any possible damage.
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Govee Water Leak Detectors 5-Pack
This leak set comes with five detectors which feature two groups of backwater detector sensor probes and one group of front probes for pipe dripping. When connected to the smart hub, it sends you mobile alerts when a leak is picked up. It features an adjustable alarm that has a maximum volume of 100 decibels.
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Ring Alarm Smoke and CO Listener
Amazon’s Ring Smoke Alarm is an excellent choice for turning your traditional smoke detectors into smart devices. The gadget doesn’t detect smoke or CO but listens for an alarm. It then sends you a mobile notification through the required Ring Alarm Security System. It has a battery life of three years and is easy to install.
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Ecosense EQ100 Smart Continuous Radon Detector
Radon is incredibly challenging to detect if you don’t have a smart warning system such as this one. It’s easy to set up, and you get your first reading after just 10 minutes. The connected mobile app displays any data and graphs on current levels in real-time, and the device is 15 times more sensitive than the minimum required for professional testing.
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First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound
This hardwired smart system features a photoelectric smoke and electrochemical carbon monoxide alarm. It is compatible with virtual assistants and Apple HomeKit, and the built-in speaker lets you listen to music or make calls. The speaker is also used as a loud alarm when smoke or CO is detected. You receive real-time alerts through the connected mobile app.
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This battery-operated smoke and carbon monoxide detector has a Split Spectrum Sensor that looks for fast-burning and smoldering fires. When a change in the air is detected, it alerts you in a friendly voice to not cause panic. It connects to the Google Home app for mobile notifications and features a nightlight.
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Charlie Fripp writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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