Never Panic About Leaving the Oven On Again: This Smart Sensor Alerts You To Anything Wrong at Home

Ever leave the house with a nagging panic? Whether your personal nightmare is that you left the coffeepot or iron being left on or the pipes bursting when you’re not home on a below-freezing night, there’s a new smart home sensor that could be just the kind of anxiety-killing remedy that we need.

Denver-based Notion is a “complete home awareness solution and all-in-one IoT (Internet of Things) home sensor” that can monitor and send you instant alerts on things happening across your entire home — from motion and temperature changes to water leaks and sounding alarms. The second generation of their product, released on November 7th, integrates with your existing Nest thermostat to help you save energy and money — and relieve anxiety.

Inspired by a real-life incident, Notion co-founder Ryan Margoles said that he had a smoke alarm go off one day because the battery was low. By the time he got home, his new Golden Retriever puppy was totally frazzled, and Margoles thought it would be a great idea to build a smart smoke alarm that could alert you when you weren’t home.

In a recent presentation, Notion CEO and co-founder Brett Jurgens said:

“We’re on a mission to help people protect the things that they love most. Every space is very different. You may have a rental property. You may have elderly parents you want to monitor. How can we come up with something easy to use and powerful enough for all of us to be empowered to protect us?”

By partnering with Nest, the company says the newly updated Notion sensors can help homeowners track not just smoke alarms but water leaks and temperature changes — especially from doors, garages and windows opening and closing. The founders say that in addition to preventing accidents and providing homeowners with peace of mind, insurance companies are also big fans of the potential for Nest and Notion smart home integration because they can now help reduce risks that result in insurance payouts.

According to VentureBeat, Notion’s connections to Nest will initially launch on iOS, while its second-generation hardware is now available for purchase on Notion’s website. Three sensors and a bridge unit cost $220, can run on two triple-A batteries for 12 to 18 months, and can withstand the pressure of one meter of water submersion for 30 minutes.

If you were thinking of adding other IoT-connected features to your home, like Amazon Key for package deliveries or any of these futuristic smart appliances that respond to voice control, then investing in a Nest and Notion sensors (and maybe a few Dropcams while you’re at it) sounds like might not be such a bad idea.