Why we like the D-Link Water Sensor DCH-S160

If you own a home you always have the anxiety that you will get a leak from your washing machine, hot water heater or bathtub. This can cause major damage to your home and can usually be remedied just by catching leaks early before they cause major damage. That’s why we recommend every smart home user to buy a smart water sensor. We feel like the D-Link Water Sensor DCH-S160 is one of the best options right now because it works flawlessly and does not require a hub to work.

Voice Assistant Compatibility

The D-Link Water Sensor DCH-S160 works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. There is currently no official Homekit support for Apple devices however.

Other Compatibility

This D-Link water sensor is also well integrated into Stringify and IFTTT so you can setup recipes for further integrations with your smart home gear like sending text messages in the event of a leak. If you are using Samsung SmartThings as a hub this water sensor will connect perfectly.

Extra features

The D-Link Water Sensor DCH-S160 is actually powered by plugging into actual A/C power. This could either be a very good thing or a bad thing. Most other sensors work from batteries so you need to worry about keeping those topped up. But on A/C power you would lose functionality in the event of a power outage. Mind you, if you don’t have power most sensors won’t do much anyway other than if they have an audible alarm.

Speaking of an audible alarm, the D-Link Water Sensor DCH-S160 features a very loud beeping sound as soon as itt sensor leads touch water. This means you should lay the sensor leads down on the ground in a place where water leaks are likely to occur (under a washing machine for example).

One of the best features for the D-Link is that it doesn’t need to connect to a smart hub to function. You still get notifications on your smart device when water is detected without a proprietary hub.

Conclusion

The D-Link Water Sensor DCH-S160 is not a sexy device. But it may just save you thousands of dollars in flood damage. Its wide compatibility and hubless design make it one of our favorite flood sensors on the market.

D-Link Wi-Fi Water Sensor review:

November 19, 2016 - CNET

The Good D-Link's Water Sensor is smartly designed and features all the important perks to make it an effective flood detector. The Bad D-Link's only real weakness is that it relies on being plugged in, which means power outages are its Achilles' heel...

D-Link DCH-S160 mydlink Wi-Fi Smart Home Water Sensor Review

October 8, 2015 - TweakTown

With the latest addition to the D-Link smart home portfolio, the DCH-S160 offers consumers piece of mind by monitoring any location for water intrusion. The S160 features 802.11g/n connectivity with WPS security via two internal antennas. It has 1.6...

'Your basement is flooding!' (says text alert from sensor)

October 29, 2015 - Chicago Tribune

D-Link's Wi-Fi Water Sensor: A text alert that can save thousands in damages. Not every home-automation device, sexed up, looks as desirable as a smart thermostat. A Wi-Fi-connected water sensor, however it's dressed, is still a lowly water sensor...