Beneath one pipe connection, you may know exactly where escaping water is likely to appear. Along a row of pipes, the location may be less obvious. A water leak sensor with a spot probe and one with a sensing cable cover different areas. The useful choice is the one whose sensing surface the water can actually reach.
Kilo Electronics lists the Milesight EM300-SLD with a spot probe and the Milesight EM300-ZLD with a sensing cable for these different arrangements. This guide explains how to choose between them. Check each current offer for availability and the exact package contents.
Choose a water leak sensor around the possible escape point
Inspect the area you intend to monitor. Mark the possible escape points and consider where liquid would travel from each one. A connection, a collection tray and a longer pipe run can call for different sensing arrangements.
Make the task specific. “Monitor the utility room” names a room but does not establish a useful sensor position. “Check the tray below this connection” defines something you can evaluate. Access matters too: you need to inspect, clean or restore the installation after an event.
Identify the liquid involved. The Milesight models compared here use conductive detection. Do not assume that suitability for water establishes suitability for every other liquid. The EM300-SLD product introduction describes that principle.
A sensor detecting the presence of a leak is also not automatically a liquid-volume or level instrument. Define a task that the resulting state can actually answer.
Water leak sensor with a spot probe: check a known location
A spot probe fits an arrangement where you can identify the point to monitor. The EM300-SLD detects liquid through the probe contacts. Follow the mounting and test procedure for the supplied hardware version; placement determines whether liquid reaches those contacts.
In practical terms, check more than whether the probe can be attached somewhere convenient. Its position needs to match the escape point, surface and likely liquid path. Mount it so the intended detection remains possible and the probe can be inspected later.
One probe does not establish coverage of the rest of the room. Where several separate points matter, evaluate each of them. A successful test at one probe does not prove that a leak in a different corner would also be detected.
Compare the proposed location with the EM300-SLD spot leak sensor. Check the sensing arrangement, frequency version and package contents before ordering.
Water leak detection cable: monitor along a planned route
A sensing cable provides a detection route instead of one probe position. With the EM300-ZLD, liquid must reach the sensing cable. It reports a leak but does not automatically identify the exact location along the cable. The EM300-ZLD User Guide states that limitation.
Plan the cable route on the actual floor layout. Decide which length needs monitoring and whether the cable can be secured there according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Spare cable coiled beside the sensor is not equivalent to a suitable detection route.
Check the length and type supplied with the ordered version, along with any accessories approved for that device. A similar-looking connector does not establish compatibility. Also plan access after an event: the route must be inspectable and capable of being restored as instructed.
Compare your proposed route with the EM300-ZLD sensing-cable model. The required detection path is more useful than floor area alone when making this choice.
Connect a LoRaWAN water leak sensor and plan the response
Include the data path in the purchase decision. Check the frequency version against the gateway and intended installation. Identify the network server receiving the messages and how the chosen application will display them.
When connecting to the Kilo IoT platform, verify a current state from the correct sensor with its timestamp. A gateway status alone does not establish that a leak message has been interpreted correctly. Notifications also need a triggering condition, responsible recipients and configured channels.
Decide who will inspect the area after receiving a message. Installing a water leak sensor does not, by itself, shut off a water supply. Automatic shutoff would be a separate control task requiring suitable equipment, configuration and a verified result.
Test the water leak sensor before handover
Test the actual configuration using its manufacturer-approved method. The appropriate procedure depends on the probe or cable and hardware version; do not transfer it unchanged from a different device. Use the EM300 quick-start guide together with the relevant model guide.
| Check | What to record |
|---|---|
| Detection location | Where the probe or cable is actually placed |
| Sensor response | The state change observed using the specified method |
| Data path | Correct sensor, reported value and timestamp |
| Notification | A message actually received by the intended recipient |
| Restoration | Normal condition restored according to the instructions |
| Responsibility | Who maintains the setup and responds to messages |
Repeat the affected checks after changing the probe, cable route, gateway or notification recipients. Keep the result with the model designation and placement plan.
Choose a water leak sensor around the location it can meaningfully observe and the response to its message. A spot probe and a sensing cable answer different placement needs. A clear installation plan and a tested data path make that choice useful in practice.
No sensors were tested and no customer installation or notification setup was changed for this article.
Water leak sensor: check one complete monitoring project
You can try Kilo free with up to five devices, one dashboard and one rule. Check the current plan against your intended setup; hardware, installation and connectivity are separate costs. Start with one measurement and verify that its data arrives as expected before expanding.
You can buy suitable project devices and accessories at Kilo Electronics. Check the exact variant and supported connection to your application before ordering.