Kohler and Phyn have integrated their suites of smart water monitoring technology with Alarm.com, adding whole-home water network security to the residential security platform. With this partnership, the Kohler H2Wise and Phyn water monitors will be integrated into the Alarm.com app for one-stop, whole-home water and network security capabilities. And in a related announcement, national home builder Toll Brothers announced they will offer the new solution as a turnkey option for buyers of new single-family residences.
From Standalone to Integrated
As more smart home technology moves from standalone point solutions to integration with broader platforms such as Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Alexa, so too have these solutions become more integrated with full-service home technology integrators and related companies. Recently, home insurance provider State Farm announced a $1.2 billion stake in home security firm ADT to foster integration of Google Home technologies, with the goal of promoting innovation, holistic security monitoring, and enhanced risk mitigation.
Similarly, this new link-up of Kohler and Phyn technologies with Alarm.com will enable homeowners to more easily manage their water and security networks, and will facilitate 7×24 professional monitoring of them. Furthermore, home builders such as Toll Brothers see this as added value for their buyers.
“We are very excited to offer Kohler’s new H2Wise solution as an option for our Toll Brothers home buyers across the country,” said Felicia Ratka, president of Toll Brothers Smart Home Technologies. “The ability to monitor water use in real-time—down to each individual fixture and appliance in the home—is a real game changer for smart home technology and conservation. In addition, the features for automatic shut off, leak detection, and freeze warning for pipes in colder weather markets will provide a lot of value, especially for our buyers who are second homeowners or snowbirds. Having a single source to control all connected devices and the ability for those devices to speak to each other is a huge value add to the overall smart home space.”
For Kohler and Phyn, this opens up a new channel for delivering their smart water network technology to homeowners. “A major added benefit of Kohler and Phyn’s partnership with Alarm.com is that now our water monitoring technology can be used in single family homes developed by Toll Brothers,” said Huston Sprang, Kohler Senior Product Manager. “Toll Brothers’ use of Alarm.com integrates H2Wise monitoring seamlessly for one single platform for customers to control their smart home solutions more simply.”
Kohler and Phyn Solutions Supported
With this new integration, multiple Kohler and Phyn products and solutions are included. This extends to the following offerings from the two companies:
- Kohler H2Wise+ Powered by Phyn. The H2Wise+ is a professionally-installed system (see our in-depth review) with an automatic shut-off capability that integrates directly into the main water line of the home.
- Kohler H2Wise Powered by Phyn. This is the Kohler-branded, homeowner self-installable version of the whole-home water monitor. It can be easily installed under a sink. There is no automated shutoff capability in this product.
- Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff. This is the Phyn-branded version of the professionally-installed system with an automated shut-off capability.
- Phyn Smart Water Assistant. The Phyn-branded version of the homeowner self-installable water monitor.
Kohler and Phyn also announced earlier this month an enhancement to the Phyn-developed leak detection technology. The companies say the new Ultra Low Flow (ULF) identification feature improves near real-time detection of ULF events down to volumes as small as .01 gallons per minute (GPM), up to a 10x improvement from the prior version. This should lead to earlier detection of leaks and potential cost savings for homeowners down the road.
