As a parent, it’s hard not to worry. For the most part, everything turns out fine, but given how difficult it is for me to turn off that part of my brain, I’m thankful for products like Leeo, which help set my mind at ease. Leeo monitors your home’s existing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and sends alerts to your phone should either alarm sound. Every second counts when it comes to reacting to fire or carbon monoxide, so the more immediate the alert the better. And, now, in case of an emergency, you can even take control from afar.
Leeo arrived just as my family was headed out for a weeklong vacation. Seemed like a perfect time to test the device, so I unwrapped the box, plugged Leeo into a power outlet, installed the app and did a quick test to make sure it recognized my smoke and CO alarms. Quick and simple, it was easy to do even while madly packing and rushing to catch our flight. It took less than 10 minutes. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider what this device does. It keeps your home safe, and all you have to do is plug it in and install an app. No fancy wiring or monthly subscription. You can rest assured it will watch over your house without fear that you set it up wrong or missed paying a bill. I love when new technology is this easy!
The accompanying free app is compatible with iPhone 4S or later, running iOS 7 or later, and can be downloaded from the App Store. Once installed, the app walks you through the setup process, asking you to create an account and pairing with your Leeo device. Part of the process includes entering your phone number and emergency contacts. Should Leeo detect either your smoke or CO alarm, it will call you and send a push notification. If you don’t respond, it’ll call your emergency contacts in the order that you list them. The call is an automated call that alerts you that an alarm has been detected. It then plays back a short snippet of what it’s hearing. This is so helpful, especially in the first few weeks when Leeo is still differentiating between your alarms and other similar noises, such as car alarms and screaming babies – yes, my son did set Leeo off during one especially loud tantrum. Luckily, you can tell Leeo that this is not a true alarm, and Leeo will use this information to calibrate itself. If it ever is a real emergency, this sound snippet will prevent any hesitation to call the fire department.
Through the app, you can also check and set alerts for your home’s temperature and humidity. This is helpful for ensuring comfort and health. Infants sleep best at temperatures between 65 – 70 degrees F, and humidity is best kept between 35-45% to avoid issues with respiratory infections, dry eyes or itchy skin. By keeping an eye on conditions with Leeo, you can better understand if your home is fine-tuned for your family’s wellness. This is also helpful if you’re away from your house and want to be alerted if the temperature dips, which could be important if you have pets or are possibly in danger of pipes bursting.
Leeo is about 4 inches in diameter and a couple inches thick, a compact unit that not only alerts you of danger, but also doubles as a fancy nightlight. You can even change the color of Leeo’s glow via the app. Kids love this, and we change up the color now and then, just for fun. At my daughter’s request, Leeo recently glowed red to celebrate the holidays. Highly customizable, Leeo can take on the full spectrum of colors and can also be dimmed for variable brightness. The only watch out is that Leeo is so attractive that my toddler loves to play with and will unplug it from the wall. Given that, you may need to find an outlet that is unreachable by little ones to ensure connectivity.
Generally, you only need one Leeo per floor, with a location within hearing distance of your alarms. At $99, Leeo is highly affordable, and, once purchased, there are no recurring fees. The Smart Alert Nightlight packs a complex product into a beautiful, easy-to-use package that keeps your family safe and comfortable. Learn more about Leeo at www.leeo.com.