X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A Review

Design and features

• Top and bottom water sensors
• Three-year battery life
• Integrates with SBS50 base station

The X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A is available in a few packs, from a single device, to a three-pack, to a kit that also contains the necessary SBS50 base station. If you already have an X-Sense smoke alarm system that uses the SBS50, you can buy the water leak detectors separately and add them to your system.

Each sensor is a small disc, which has a sensor on top for picking up drips, and a sensor below for picking up water that might pool. It’s useful to have this dual detection, although for the drip sensor to work you need to place the detector in the right place.

At just 17mm thick, the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A is quite small, so placing it shouldn’t be too difficult. I found that I could easily get it under my dishwasher or under the toilet cistern, where there was quite a bit of room in both locations.

My washing machine was too close to the ground for the puck to slide under, even at the side, so I had to place it at the rear instead.

Set-up is easy. Just use the X-Sense app, double-tap the button on the back to start the pairing process, and within a few seconds the sensor should be added. I could then add each X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A to a room and then give a name (Kitchen, dishwasher, for example). The app also gives some advice on where to place each sensor, which is handy.

Sensors appear in the app alongside any smoke detectors you might have, complete with a handy battery meter.

When the battery does run out, the rear of the sensor needs to be removed, giving access to the dual AAA batteries. These should last for up to three years, so you won’t need to change them often.

In the app, there’s a test feature for each sensor, which checks that the sensors and network connection are working. It’s worth running regularly, just to make sure that each X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A is working as it should, particularly for hard-to-reach detectors.

There’s a speaker in each X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A that sounds when water is detected, and base station will also sound. The app gives control over the base station’s tone and volume, but the speaker on the sensor is fixed.

In addition, the app will send an alert when water is detected, with the option to turn on Critical Notifications that bypass your phone’s do not disturb mode.

Home Assistant integration is supported, but it’s a shame that there’s no Matter support or wider third-party integration. For example, it would be nice if the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A could be used as a trigger for the Aqara Valve Controller T1 to actually shut off your water supply in the event a leak is detected.

Performance

• Reacts quickly to water
• Easy to locate triggered sensor

I started by using a pipette to drip water onto the top of the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A. After just a couple of drops, on top, the sensor fired up its loud speaker, the base station went off and my phone got a notification.

Similarly, placing a sensor in a tray and letting water from a tap drip down, it didn’t take much water before the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS0A’s underneath sensors had picked up enough water to sound the alarm.

The app notifications are useful, telling you the alert type (water leak to distinguish it from a fire alert), the device name, and its location, so you can quickly deal with an issue. Alerts can be silenced from the app quickly, too.

I do like having the physical alerts, as they work for anyone in the home, and help make tracking down where a leak is easier. Once the sensor is dry again, the alert clears and the app sends another notification.

Should you buy it?