Roost shifts from fire to water with new smart detector
The new smart detector senses leaks and the temperature to round out the company's disaster-proofing profile.
If something goes wrong in your home, Roost wants you to know about it wherever you are. Place the Roost Water and Freeze Detector in vulnerable spots in your house, and you'll get a push notification if it senses water, or if the temperature goes below a warning threshold.
Roost announced the $50 sensor today. You can head to the Roost site to preorder the US-only device. The Smart Water and Freeze Detector should ship out this fall.
The California-based startup's previous product, the Roost Smart Battery, fits inside your smoke detector and sends you an alert when the alarm sounds. The company also has a standalone smoke detector on the way.
With the Smart Water and Freeze Detector, Roost wants to help your smart home be ready for any potential disaster. With three years of battery life and a humidity sensor built-in with the temperature and water sensor, you'll be able to place Roost under your sink or toilet, or in the laundry room.
The Smart Water and Freeze Detector has built-in Wi-Fi, so it'll talk directly to your router and that should help keep setup time to a minimum. And it has an IFTTT channel, letting you create recipes to trigger other smart devices when something goes wrong. So if Roost senses water, your Philips Hue bulbs can flash red, for instance.
For now, the $60 Fibaro Flood Sensor is our leak detector of choice, but we've been impressed with Roost's take on smart home safety, too. If the new sensor is responsive and reliable enough to warn you before pipes freeze, before mold builds up, or before a leak has time to do serious damage, then it might make for a worthwhile addition to a connected home setup.