Best HomeKit water leak sensors for the Apple Home app in 2024

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When it comes to buying smart devices for your home, there are plenty of obvious options. There are smart light switches, smart bulbs, smart speakers, cameras, and more. Yet the best HomeKit water sensors on the market are an equally vital piece of smart home equipment, even if they’re not as well known. A smart HomeKit water sensor can alert you to water ingress, leaks, and even flooding before you might otherwise have realized it’s happening. These units can be placed in vital areas such as under your sink, near a boiler, or even in your basement. Many of them feature audio and visual indicators that alert homeowners to water leaks, and of course, they also work with the Apple Home app to deliver those alerts directly to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, even if you aren’t at home. 

A smart water sensor is such an important piece of kit that Apple even sells them on its official website. But what makes a HomeKit water sensor right for you? Well, given how niche this market is, one key facet is going to be availability. There are only four smart water leak sensors compatible with Apple HomeKit and the Apple Home app available on the market, so even finding one in your area might be a struggle. Beyond that, the main choice you’ll be making is whether to choose a mains or battery-powered model. Other variables include some of the extra features you get, such as temperature sensing, privacy, and connectivity. Here are the best HomeKit water sensors on the market right now, and what makes them right for you.

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Best overall

Eve Water guard next to a washing machine

(Image credit: Eve)

1. Eve Water Guard

Best overall

Specifications

Power: Mains power (EU, UK, US, AU adapters included)
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Thread
Hub: Only required for control away from home
Alert system: 100dB siren, flashing red light

Reasons to buy

+
No batteries to replace
+
Very loud alarm
+
Design gives much broader detection coverage

Reasons to avoid

-
Most expensive option
-
Isn’t wireless

Any accessory endorsed by Apple and sold on the company website is worth its salt. Eve is one of the most reputable names in smart home accessories, and its Eve Water Guard honors that tradition. The Eve Water Guard has a very unique design. Firstly, it’s mains powered. That makes it different from our other picks, while it doesn’t have batteries you’ll need to change, it does require wall power in order to work. As such, it’s also not portable, which might be a deal breaker for some. 

The design incorporates a 6.5 ft cable that can detect water leaks. The long cable gives you much better coverage of a large surface area, such as under a sink or in a boiler room, and you can even add multiple extensions to the cable (sold separately), up to a total length of 500ft. If water ever is detected, a 100dB siren and a red flashing light are bound to get your attention. With Apple Home support those alerts will also be delivered to your iPhone. With Thread support, you can also connect the Water Guard to a HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K to connect it to the internet. This will allow you to control the Water Guard away from home. 

Best budget

Aqara Water Leak Sensor T1

(Image credit: Aqara)

2. Aqara Water Leak Sensor

Best budget

Specifications

Power: Replaceable CR2032 battery - 2-year lifespan
Connectivity: Zigbee
Hub: Required
Alert system: n/a

Reasons to buy

+
Cheap
+
Small and portable
+
Two-year battery

Reasons to avoid

-
Needs extra hub
-
Very small detection area
-
No built-in alarm

The Aqara Water Leak Sensor is the complete antithesis of the Eve Water Guard, and one of three wireless, portable offerings in our range. This small sensor must be used with another hub to operate, hence its low price. An Apple Home hub (HomePod, iPad, or Apple TV) is required for HomeKit automation. However, for the more basic functionality, you’ll just need the Aqara Zigbee 3.0 hub. The Aqara doesn’t have a built-in alarm, rather it sends a signal to the hub triggering an alarm there. 

The Aqara offering is IP67 Dustproof and Waterproof, which makes it ideal for rougher parts of the home such as a basement or anywhere humid. The on-board battery is a replaceable CR2032 that should last two years before you need another one. While the Aqara is much more discrete than the Eve Water Guard, it has a much smaller area of detection due to its size. 

Best wireless option

Fibaro Flood Sensor

(Image credit: Fibaro)

3. Fibaro Flood Sensor

Best wireless option

Specifications

Power: Replaceable CR123A battery - 2-year lifespan
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Hub: Not required
Alert system: Sound alarm

Reasons to buy

+
Small and portable
+
Can be used standalone
+
Has a temperature sensor

Reasons to avoid

-
Still requires a hub for full functionality
-
Small detection area

The Fibaro Flood Sensor is very similar to the Aqara. It’s more expensive but offers the same basic concept. It’s a portable, battery-powered flood and water detection unit that can send an alert to your HomeKit network. However, unlike the Aqara it can be used as a standalone device, and it also offers an extra feature, a temperature sensor. 

The Fibaro Flood Sensor communicates with Apple HomeKit via Bluetooth, which limits its range somewhat. However, you don’t need a hub because Fibaro has created a special Apple HomeKit version with Bluetooth that can be connected to your iPhone. Otherwise, you’ll need an Apple TV or HomePod to connect it to your HomeKit network, so that you can receive alerts on your iPhone when you’re out of range or even not at home. The Fibaro is very sensitive to changes in temperature or position, with a tamper alert setting should your sensor end up moved or out of place.

Best for range

Meross Smart Water Leak Sensor

(Image credit: Meross)

4. Meross Smart Water Leak Sensor

Best for range

Specifications

Power: Replaceable CR123A battery - 18-month lifespan
Connectivity: 433Mhz
Hub: Required
Alert system: 60dB alarm

Reasons to buy

+
Great range
+
Inexpensive

Reasons to avoid

-
Hub required
-
Slightly shorter battery life
-
Shape more intrusive

Meross is a key name in budget smart home tech, and its Smart Water Leak Sensor is relatively inexpensive. Like the Aqara and Fibaro, it’s a small portable sensor with a battery. It requires a smart hub for connectivity, but once online it offers an impressive range of 100m (328 ft) over open air thanks to SubG wireless. While most people won’t need that kind of range, it will provide significantly better connectivity through walls at shorter distances, for example, if you want to use one in the basement. 

Meross’ offering supports Apple HomeKit as long as you have the HomeKit Version of the Meross Hub, which is included in some of the online bundles available for the sensor. The only quirk of the Meross is its design, which is decidedly less discrete than either the Fibaro or the Aqara. It’s not as low-profile, so harder to hide away. The Meross’ battery is also only rated for 18 months of use, rather than two years like the other portable options.

What to look for in a smart HomeKit water sensor? 

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The biggest choice you’ll need to make when choosing a HomeKit water sensor is whether to go wired or wireless. There’s only one wired option, the Eve Water Guard, and there are three wireless options as shown. Which is right for you depends on a couple of factors. If you don’t want to spend time replacing batteries (or you don’t want to risk those batteries running out), a sensor that relies on mains power is key. However, if you want to be more flexible in moving your sensors around, or you need a sensor that can be placed somewhere mains power isn’t on offer, then a portable option will suit you better. 

Connectivity is another big factor. All of these smart water sensors do broadly the same thing, but how they connect to your HomeKit ecosystem and interact with it varies quite a lot. The Eve Water Guard offers variety with Bluetooth and Thread and doesn’t need a hub to connect. Meanwhile, the Meross offers the best range but does need a hub, as do all of the portable offerings if you want full functionality. 

The other biggest difference in these sensors is the way they detect water. As mentioned, the Eve Water Guard uses a long cable to detect water. That gives it an immediate detection zone of 6.5 ft that can be extended up to 500 ft. By contrast, small portable sensors can only detect water exactly where they’re placed. Even positioning it wrong by a few inches or feet could be the difference between stopping a leak before your home gets damaged.

Do I need a smart water sensor? 

If you’re looking for a smart water sensor for your HomeKit ecosystem, the chances are you’re already quite invested in smart home technology. As such, why leave something as important as flooding to chance? A smart water sensor can alert you to flooding or a water leak before it has a chance to get out of control and cause damage. Paired with the right smart home devices, these sensors can even be configured to automatically shut off water valves or turn off your central heating, fixing the problem before it becomes a problem. Water ingress and flooding can cause serious damage to a property, or your appliances and other electronics. Smart water sensors are also unique in that, without a smart home application, they probably wouldn’t exist. While security cameras, doorbells, and more have been around for decades, the smart home water sensor is a product that has been enabled by the move to the smart home in recent years. As such, it’s definitely one you should take advantage of. Finally, most of these sensors are relatively cheap compared to other smart home devices. 

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9