No problems
(Update at end)
Out of the blue, I get an email from my home insurance carrier State Farm informing my that they have collaborated with this company to provide FREE monitoring of my home electricity that could detect conditions that could cause electrical fires. It operates through a dongle plugged to a receptacle that transmits various data back to the Mother Ship. The data is stored, analyzed and if significant abnormalities are detected, the user is contacted. Normally there is an upfront cost for the device, then annual service fee but State Farm will provide it free for three years. I presume this is experimental with them, to determine its effectiveness in reducing house fire claims.
I, of course, was VERY suspicious. Insurance companies offering gifts? Never to be trusted. In this case, I actually read all the agreements and terms of service. One especially bothersome part is that Ting reports your data back to State Farm and if there are unremediated hazards. They are also EXTREMELY vague as to how this device works AND what exact faults it detects. BUT ... my tech geek curiosity got the better and I signed up. Just installed the device yesterday.
As their materials state, it requires you to have a cell phone with WiFi and Bluetooth, a WiFi router, internet access and email account. Installation was reasonably fast and painless. Google app store, download app, install, open app, set up account (they verify email), ensure WiFi AND Bluetooth enabled on phone, follow app's instructions and then plug the device into a directly wired receptacle (no power strips, etc).
So far the app shows two real-time graphs: voltage and something called "Hi-Fi" which they do not explain clearly but appears to be a measure of noise on the line. They say it takes seven days of monitoring to establish a baseline.
Notes:
- No desktop app; Android and iOS phones only
- No integration with any home automation system
- MUST plug into a receptacle directly wired to the breaker panel with no interference in between
- They will pay up to $1,000 for an electrician to visit and repair a detected problem
- They will provide support if problems originate with the electric utility
- They send a weekly report of problems detected including power anomalies including spikes and outages
For now, this is in the early stages for me and I am cautiously optimistic that it might be useful and not open a nightmare with an insurance company. I will keep updated.
Update, December 19, 2024: It has now been a year (really flew by) since my initial review. The thing has been a big meh. It had not caused any problems and appears to work just fine. It has not reported any problems with my electrical wiring and did successfully capture and report a couple brief power outages that I was aware of. So ... I can NOT opine as to how effective it would actually be in detecting significant internal electrical problems. Would I pay for it beyond a first year to see if my wiring was buggy? Probably not. Will I keep it plugged in as long as SF pays for it? Sure, why not.