PumpSpy WiFi Sump Pump Smart Outlet with Sump Pump Water Level Sensor, 24/7Monitoring & Alerts, Works with any 120V Sump Pump, Has Additional Outlet for Backup System For Sump Pump, White

My situation: Years ago, I had a 14 inch flood in my finished basement. Now, I have 2 sump pits. The one in the front of the basement runs less often but I still need to know what is going on. The one in the back of the basement has high volumes of water. I have 2 1/2 horsepower Zoeller pumps. I recently replaced both Zoeller pumps. The float switches last around 10 years. But as I started to examine the conditions in the basement, I realized that I would like a little more protection and I wanted to have a better understanding of what exactly is going on down there. So, I read about this PumpSpy Smart Outlet and realized that it could be a nice addition to my system. So, I bought 2 of them. Installation: Basically, you plug in the PumpSpy Smart Outlet into an existing outlet and male pump plug into the top female receptacle on the PumpSpy Outlet. It lights up in Yellow for set-up mode. Then you download the PumpSpy Android app onto your phone, connect it to your wireless network, add the location, add the device, and once it is online the top outlet will be a green light. Not terribly difficult to set-up but you will need to follow the instructions. Results: The Android app allows me to see how frequently the pumps run, how long the pumps run in each cycle, and the approximate gallons pumped. Now I know exactly what is going on down there with the pumps. Very nice. The best feature is that you can add your cell phone number to the PumpSpy Android App and you can receive text message alerts if anything is going wrong. If your internet goes down, you will get a text message. Most importantly, if the power goes out, you will get a text message as well. This is perfect for my situation since a power outage could lead to a massive flood in a bad storm. I also invested in the PumpSpy Battery Backup solution for the front of the basement which works off of the cellular network (not wireless). I will be adding a third Zoeller pump and it will also be using a PumpSpy Smart Outlet. How my system will work? The power goes out, I get a text message from PumpSpy. In a rain storm, the battery backup systems will last for 5-10 hours. I am installing a back-up generator, an inlet on the outside of my house, and an interlock device on my electrical panel. I get home and fire up the generator and my basement stays dry. The PumpSpy Smart Outlets are an integral part of my system that will allow me to make decisions based on the weather conditions. Love this product. UPDATE: i received a text message tonight from the PumpSpy Outlet: Excessive Motor Runtime. I checked the app and it looks like the pump motor was running continuously. Checked the pumps and the main pump was running but the water was NOT pumping out of the pit. I unplugged the main pump, checked outside and it turns out that the discharge pipe froze. I cut the excess pipe and used a heat gun to melt the ice inside the pipe. Plugged in the main pump and then it pumped and drained the pit. The PumpSpy App text message feature probably just saved me $300 because I never would have known that the pump was running continuously and it would have burned up eventually.

Ive had two outlets over the course of 4 years and havent had any real issues, but when I did have some bumps in the road, customer service was great. App is good and allows free (no monthly fee) monitoring and allows you to add multiple e-mail/SMS recipients, the no monthly fee part is the best.

I was debating on whether to give this review a 4 star rating or a 5 star rating. I settled on a 5 star rating solely due to the support response speed I received. If it were based on my 1st attempt at installation it would be a 1 star rating. The product would have gotten a 4 star rating once working but the great support bumped it back up to 5. Let me elaborate. This product is solid, and works well, once it works. I had trouble getting it installed, but once working, it works great. Let me elaborate below: 1. Installation: This is where I had issues, which was even more frustrating because I am an IT professional and as such this should have been a breeze. The included pamphlet for install is well designed, but my experience did not match. Basically on the step where you plug the outlet into your AC outlet, you are supposed to connect to the Wifi network named PumpSpyOutlet that the device puts off, then you connect to that Wifi network then launch the app and then tell the app which Wifi network to connect the outlet to. For me it showed a Wiced Wifi network. I connected to it and the app does nothing. I got a pop-up on my android phone to sign in as if it were a public WiFi network or hotel etc. Basically this directs me to the internal web server page of the device. Luckily on this page there is a Wifi button and you can tell the device which Wifi network to use, but the app doesnt show data in this scenario. The ring turned green, meaning my outlet WAS connected to the Wifi, but something on the back-end was wrong or I had a defective device. Not counting my issues, the install is pretty simple, and the hardest part, which is not hard at all, is to get down by your sump pump and screw the metal bracket around your discharge pipe to put the high water sensor about an inch above your actual sump pump float that kicks it on, and then run the connector to the bottom of the outlet. Your WiFi must reach your sump pump area (obviously). NOTE: Ideally you are supposed to use the included screw to mount the outlet into the box rather than just plugging it in on top of the existing face-plate to avoid accidental slip out etc. This would work if your existing outlet is a two-outlet box. Mine was a single outlet box so the screw hole didnt line up, but that it is fine, it is in there pretty tight so I dont think it would fall out by itself ever. Just be aware that screwing in your PumpSpy outlet may not work if you have a single port AC outlet. 2. Support Solution: Email is the only support option available, which I did at about 6PM Eastern on a Friday. I honestly didnt expect to hear back and figured I would have to do a swap through Amazon. The next morning on Saturday they emailed me basically saying that they have had some devices here and there that show the Wiced network, rather than the PumpSpyOutlet network. The Wiced network is the build in Broadcom web server from what I can tell, and they needed my serial number and PumpSpy account email and they would link up my PumpSpy unit (serial #) to my PumpSpy account. They emailed me about 4 hours later before I even had a chance to respond checking in and asking for the serial #. I replied with the required info and a few hours later they had it fixed. Now when I launched the app I could see the data that was being collected by my PumpSpy outlet. 2. Using the product / app: Now that they had the back end fixed, I now see my data. I can see lots of info, including Wifi status, Main Outlet status, Sump Pump status, Water Level status, Last Cycle time, Cycle Length & # of Cycles today. All very neat. The Alert tab shows which alerts have happened (high water, sump pump issue etc.) and the history tab will show you how many cycles and approximately how many galons of water it pumped out that day. The Contacts area of the app is where the magic happens, you can put in as many phone numbers or email addresses as you like, so I put in my personal cell, work cell, work email and wifes cell # for alert. I tested it by lifting the water sensor (to simulate if water rose the float) and within a few seconds I got my messages to let me know. It also lets you know when it returns to normal. Being alerted within a few seconds is perfect. It supposedly will also let you know if it stops hearing from your SmartOutlet within a few minutes, I guess if the Wifi goes down or your lose power at the house. UPSIDES: The service is free, the only cost is the hardware. The hardware is a bit high, but the value is great if youve ever had any flooding anywhere, ever. I am sure part of the hardware cost goes into paying for the servers that host the sump data and notificaiton systems as well. The support was quick and nimble. The data is great, the peace of mind is great. DOWNSIDES: My settings area of the app has no Wifi section so I am not sure how I would ever change the Wifi network it was connected to if needed, I guess I could factory reset it and then use the Wiced network to get it on a new network, but that seems like something overly technical for most people. I should be able to use the app to point it to a new WiFi network. If the servers ever go down, this product becomes absolutely worthless, it relies entirely on servers in the cloud and your device reports to them, this device does NOT contact you directly if there is an issue (the notification is sent from their servers in the cloud), which is good because its a lot less complicated than running your own SMTP server or something like that, but it has the downfall that if this company ever goes out of business, the outlet is useless. OVERALL: It is clear that this is a very small company, but they do a great job of looking professional. The website is top notch, the product packaging is just as good as you would see on any product at Walmart, the pamphlet is professional etc. The only tip-off that this was a small company was the app only lists about ~100 downloads for the Android version and the emails, while helpful, lacked a signature, persons name and was probably just some guy checking that email address on his phone, but thats fine since the support was quick and helpful. I would recommend that you buy it especially if you only have one sump pump. The peace of mind is worth it.

Install process via the app was very clunky. The out of the box instructions didnt help AT ALL but thankfully someone else here in Amazon Q&A shared their steps. App feels very old, not well-maintained, kicks back to the username/login screen, and indicates bad password (despite saving it in a password manager). The detector ring that goes on the sump pump could have a MUCH longer cord What works well is when the app is syncing, it sends notifications when the sump loses power.

Setup using the app is cumbersome (using Samsung Galaxy S21+), manual setup is probably the way to go. I never did get the app setup to completely work (got me about 90% there, still had to add the device in the app via the serial number), while the manual setup worked much more reliably in my testing. Instructions for both methods are included in the packaging. Some interesting network notes for those who may have more restrictive firewalls/network setups: 1. Outlet requires 2.4Ghz band for wireless communication, will not see 5Ghz networks. 2. Outlet seems to be hard-coded to use 8.8.8.8 as its primary DNS, and will not use DNS servers offered via DHCP. Thus will require UDP/53 outbound. 3. Outlet seems to communicate status information to the PumpSpy servers via TCP/8081. Thus will require TCP/8081 outbound. Text/Email/Push notifications seem to work fairly reliably. No immediate issues noted, and pump status information (water level and cycle info) seems to be communicated to the PumpSpy servers quickly. Time will tell...

It worked well for my monitoring app, just a couple of small things. One is that you cant set the alarm level for how long the pump runs normally. I got constant alerts because my pump ran longer than it had as the limit. You cant configure how long it should run to set the alarm threshold, how many GPM your pump is etc... They did adjust it once on their own which helped, but it went over again later and did the same thing. But the reason I gave it three stars rather than five, is that the power conditioning circuit seems the be weak. I put a small humidifier on it to see how it was cycling relative to the humidity, and within a day this appeared to kill it. The ring doesnt light up, nothing, completely dead. It is a small Phillips humidifier that I have used with a KillAWatt and with Wemo wifi on/off switches with no issues. I know there is a power spike when a pump or motor starts up, but apparently, the PumpSpy is very sensitive somehow. When the Wemo is on, all power is pulled through the MOSFETs just like the PumpSpy, one can handle it, one can not. But when I was using it on the pump, other than the small annoyances, it worked fine and was very convenient. For the price though, I would have expected a more robust power management system.

I returned it. - Be aware that the water sensor is a float that attaches to the pipe in the sump well. Not a contact sensor. This is not shown anywhere in any sales materials with this product. I needed a contact sensor as I also wanted to detect *any* water around the well. Either from a water heater leak, pipe leak, or foundation leak during a storm. Well, OK, the float is fine. I could even use it without it until I dropped a new pump in. (My sump cover, like most (#radon), is sealed so, kind of a PITA to remove it unless it is a major repair or replace event.) But I returned this device much more so because, I could not see the ROI on it for the price. Unless you have a home you are away from a lot, I would skip it. Even then, you SHOULD have a back up sump pump. If you have a back up sump pump, you can get a smart back up pump, if you must. However, you could also just have a smart water sensor down a bit into the sump which will notify you when the water is high enough for the back up to be triggered either by failure of main or by power failure. Either way, if you are not home, you STILL need a person to get there within a few hours to see what is happening and fix it or, drop in another marine battery if the one you have is old or about to die. Also, does this house you are away from have back up power to send you the notification? Like during a hurricane? If you have a second home, you probably have the money to simply pay a plumber to check the system once or twice a year AND be on call for heavy rain situations. So, this device is still useless. So, since I am home most of the time, I could not see any advantage. It also does not seem to monitor the health of the pump much at all. It kind of does. But even Pump Spy could not fully explain it to me. That is a red flag. But the deal killer for me is it did not integrate with HomeKit. When I asked if it would work with Matter — which will combine HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home and others into one common system — in the coming months, they had no answer. I think money is better spent on replacing your pumps, the main and the back up, about every decade. If it runs all the time, like from ground water, every 7-8 years. If it is just when the sump has water from big storms (mine), I am at 11 years and, about to replace the main. I might run the main via a smart plug simply to alert me when it is running and when the power is off using Shortcuts and Automation. I guess there might be a way to tie in weather and rain amount to sensing if the sump is not turning on, then an alert if not on after an hour… Hey, THAT is something THIS should do! Then it might be worth it…

I’ve been using this since mid-January and it gives me great peace of mind knowing that my sump pump is doing its job 24-7. It’s nice to know how much the sump pump is having to pump out, too! I have had short power outages and internet pauses but everything comes back online without a hitch. I just had a situation where the unit was still connected to the internet but not transmitting data to my app and I contacted tech support (via Facebook Messenger) and the support person helped me get it working again (on a Saturday even though tech support is supposedly only open M-F!). Just had to sign out the app and sign back in. Very happy with this product.

07/08/2022 - I am revising my rating as the history feature has been returned to the app. 06/13/2022 - Today I am lowering my rating from 5 stars to 3 stars after confirming with their tech support that the history data feature has been removed from the app. I can no longer recommend this product. I have been using this monitor for 2 years and was very happy with its performance. I have Apple iPhone and had no problems setting it up or connecting to my WiFi (two floors above). I have recommended it to others. I have received power outage alerts and during/after a rain storm I check to see that the pump has been running. I know that when working, my pump runs for 17 seconds and in a extreme downpour can run once every 1-2 minutes. Why is this important? Knowing your pumps characteristic nature and knowing your rainfall you can monitor the run data and detect a failing pump. One example is a worn impeller or cracked case will result in longer run times but not continuous running. PumpSpy has decided to delete the historical data feature that allowed me to periodically review past cycles and verify that the pump is operating normally. Someone else said they stored 90 days of history on their servers (data is not stored on your Outlet or your app/smartphone). I called Tech Support and they called back and confirmed the deletion of this feature and gave their reason. IMHO its a cost issue, as we dont pay for monitoring service, but somebody has to pay a server provider to host their service and store user data. I suspect as more people bought the product, their cost (which include data storage) increased and paying these costs was being paid from future sales. Sustaining this model can be problematic. Having this history feature is a key feature and PumpSpy probably needs to consider offering yearly cost for users who want historical data. Just a theory. One the positive side, if PumpSpy sees the error of their ways, it would be easy to reinstate the history feature.

This may be expensive, but its worth it! I needed something to tell me when my pump was cycling on and off. This is the only product I can find. It is well worth the expensive price tag. It does exactly what it says it supposed to do and I have had zero issues so far. It is very easy to set up and very easy to navigate the software. ** One month later_ the high level alar is stuck on. Water level never got high and even without the high level sensor the alarm is still on. With the alarm on the u it will not record how many times the pump cycles. Looks like it was too good to be true***