Home » Honeywell Lyric WiFi Water Leak Detector – for your peace of mind

Honeywell Lyric WiFi Water Leak Detector – for your peace of mind

Summer holidays are a time of great fun. You get your family together, you hop in the car and hopefully drive away to a nice cottage by the sea. Home owners often have to deal with anxiety surrounding issues such as security when they are away. However, incredibly, more damage comes from the silent issues. Water leakage is a big one on the list. Studies have shown that up to 234 million litres of water a day, 20% of the nation’s usage, escapes via leaky pipes. Not only is this wasteful, it can also cause immense damage to your property as well as of your neighbours.

Honeywell, an old and trusted name in the household world, have a simple and easy solution for all such worries. Their portable WiFi compatible leak and frost detector (W1Ks) can be placed anywhere in your house, and can simply alert you via email or app in case of a leak. You can hear it scream if you’re next door, or you can hear it bleep on your phone as you travel around the world. Leak or frost, either way, you are covered.

Honeywell W1KS Lyric W1 WiFi Water Leak and Frost Detector – Key Specs

  • Compact size can be easily carried and stored
  • Battery-operated for simple install
  • Low-maintenance and low-risk one-box solution
  • Place in areas susceptible to water damage
  • Comes with three AA batteries, lasting up to three years
  • 1.2m fully sensing cable can wrap round at-risk pipes
  • Quick-start step-by-step in-app guide and clear LED display
  • Customer receives notifications via smartphone or tablet
  • Appears on Lyric app, even if no Lyric T6 Thermostat is present
  • Requires Wi-Fi router (802.11b/g – 2.4GHz) with internet access
  • Works with Android smartphone or tablet with Android 5.0 or later with Bluetooth. iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 9 or later
  • Additional fully sensing cables (sold separately) can cover area as large as 150m
  • Simple non-invasive installation
  • No wiring required
  • Freeze detection and humidity monitoring provide additional reasons for install
  • For internal use only
  • Size: 72 x 72 x 32mm
  • Siren: 100 dBA
  • IP Rating: IP44

In the box:

  • Unit base
  • 1.2m fully sensing cable
  • Mounting screw
  • 3 x AA batteries

For the purpose of our review, we were also sent an additional sensing cable. Combining the cables, you can cover an area up to 150m.

Setup

Things have improved dramatically over the last few years, but the setup of smart and home devices is still bit of a pain. It isn’t straightforward with the W1KS either, though once set up you are good to go.

  • Start off by installing the Honeywell Lyric app from App Store or Google Play
  • Launch the app and try to add a new device.
  • Insert the 3x AA batteries into the detector. They can be done via a grey cover at the back.
  • Once inserted, a beep sound and a flashing blue LED indicate that the device is ready to be paired.
  • Replace the cover.
  • Ensure your phone has Bluetooth enabled.
  • Pair it with the app, labelling the device location
  • A successful connection is indicated by means of a beep as well as the flashing LED going solid.
  • Follow this by entering your WiFi details so that the detector can connect directly via WiFi.
  • Set up low and high levels of humidity/temperature (i.e. when to trigger alarms)
  • Set up the recipient email addresses of the alarm
  • If you wish to use the cable sensor (optional), plug that into the bottom of the detector.
  • Find a suitable place for your sensor and place it there.
    • The cable sensor can be stretched out or wrapped around a pipe, as needed.
    • A simple fixing kit is also provided to mount the device.

Initial tests

Two simple ways to test the device and the cables were used.

First of all, the device was placed on a damp kitchen cloth. Moisture was reported by means of a siren.

Same happened with the sensing cable.

Since it is summer and we are in the middle of a freak ‘heat wave’, a frost was harder to come by. Of course, a freezer wasn’t, so in the device went.

Once again, the siren was audible reasonably soon.

Playing with the app

The app is free to download for both Apple iOS and Android devices. While the main purpose of the app is to ensure you get notifications and configuring the device, it also maps out humidity and temperature via the device.

While the initial setup may feel annoying, after that, you are good to go.

Leaving it installed

The battery life promises to last 3 years, which is something I haven’t had the chance to test. However, as somebody who lives with a leaky garage, this is the perfect device for me. I have bunged it around the occasional leaky pipe, and have been monitoring both the temperature and humidity in the area.

We shall see how it goes! Luckily, the leaks, when they do happen, are rather slow and get captured in a bucket. Winter though, is a totally different story. This shall come really handy then!

More information

More information on the Honeywell W1KS Lyric W1 WiFi Water Leak and Frost Detector can be found on the Honeywell website.

It is available via online retailers such as Amazon, where the base unit retails for £64.99.

Extra sensing cables are also available from around £26.

Verdict

In a sad kind of way, I am rather looking forward to being able to use this in the garage. The price may be a consideration for some. However, the peace of mind and the ability to know your house is safe, no matter where you are, is absolutely priceless!

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