These $50 sensors are a useful, non-invasive way to keep your home safe

By: Business Insider

December 11, 2017 at 11:22 AM EST

Notion Sensor 2 Notion

My upstairs neighbors have flooded their bathrooms twice since moving into my current apartment.

The first time it happened was when a bathtub overflowed three floors above me, damaging my ceiling and leaving a wide brown stain behind. The second time it happened, an entirely different neighbor forgot he left his faucet on. I could hear the water rushing through the walls and watched the paint on my ceiling bubble with moisture.

Needless to say, I'm now frequently worrying about leaks — and fires, and burglars, and basically every manner of tragedy that can befall an apartment.

So when I had the opportunity to try out Notion — a sensor that can detect open doors and windows, temperature, and even leaks — I wondered whether it would reduce my apartment anxieties and keep me informed of how my home is doing even when I'm not there.

Here's what it was like:

The Notion sensor is a tiny round disk, not much smaller than a hockey puck.Notion

I used three of them, which all went in different rooms in my apartment: on my front door, near a smoke alarm, and in the bathroom.

The starter kit that I used costs $219 for three sensors and a bridge. A kit with five sensors costs $299, and any additional sensors cost $49 each.

The sensors work thanks to this bridge, which plugs into a central outlet in your home and connects to your WiFi.Notion

You'll need an app to make Notion work. Once you place the sensors around your home, you can name them in the app and let the app know what you want each sensor to track.Notion

The sensor on the floor of my bathroom is in charge of checking for leaks. It sits next to my toilet and alerts me if it senses any standing water.Notion

I also have one on my front door, so I'm alerted any time the door opens. That sensor is checking the temperature, too.Notion

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