The Eve Water Guard: a user-friendly water leak detection device for iSheep.

Difficult-to-pinpoint water seepages from dishwashers or washing machines are common and annoying. And unfortunately, MENA is particularly vulnerable to water leaks, thanks to maintenance issues in homes and urban infrastructure, and the effects of inclement weather — whether searing summer heat or more unusual recent heavy rain. Enter the second-generation Eve Water Guard, designed for Apple HomeKit users. The second-generation Eve Water Guard, released in February by German company Eve Systems, builds on the offerings of its predecessor, first released in January 2020 — by adding support for Thread networking technology.

Why you should care — water damage brings hefty costs: In the UAE, The National reports one family in Dubai footing a AED 54k bill in 2012 to repair damage from long-undetected pipe leaks, which had led to 1 mn gallons of wasted water. Unwanted water in the home can cause serious structural damage and impact human health. And in Egypt, leakages result in the loss of an estimated 28-29% of drinking water, Enterprise reported in 2020.

The Eve Water Guard tells users about leaks as soon as they happen: The device detects water leaks in the home and alerts users the moment they occur — visually with red flashing warning lights, audibly with a 100 decibel siren, and through notifications to your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

It also notifies Apple home hub users remotely: Users with home hubs like Apple TV, HomePod or HomePod mini will also get notifications about leaks when they’re away from home. A quick scan of a QR code allows users to install the device through Apple HomeKit, according to iMore. It can then be controlled by any connected Apple device, which picks it as the best smart water leak detector for use with Apple HomeKit, notes home website The Spruce.

Eve Water Guard’s standard sensing cable offers precision and range in detecting leaks: The water guard is one of few smart water leak detectors with a standard sensing cable. This means it offers spot-level detection — a very precise detection of a water drop at any single point, and its 2 meter cable allows it to monitor far more wide-ranging leaks. Cable extensions of up to 150 meters can also be bought.

The device scores props for easy installation and performance: Installing the water guard is straightforward, note reviewers in PC Mag and TechHive. You plug in the main unit, plug in the sensor cable, and then put the cables down in areas where you want to monitor possible leakage. “There's no hub to rely on, no battery to die, and you could blanket an entire basement with enough sensing cable extensions” adds Apple Insider.

And added support for Thread gives Apple users more robust connectivity options: Eve Water Guard supports both Bluetooth and Thread. Like Bluetooth, Thread uses low-power mesh networking technology to connect devices, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices. But connecting Thread-enabled devices can create a more extensive and robust network than what Bluetooth alone can offer, notes Apple Insider.

It’s fairly expensive: The Eve Water Guard is priced at AED 541 on Amazon UAE, with extension cables costing AED 133 each.

No need to apply if you’re not an Apple user: The Eve Water Guard doesn't work on Android devices or support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, PCMag notes. It’s “all about Apple, for better or worse,” adds TechHive.