Shipshape Smart Monitoring Hardware

Homeowner Summary

Shipshape's smart monitoring hardware is a gateway plus sensors and smart plugs that give SAM real-time visibility into your home's critical systems — HVAC, water, and electrical. Smart plugs go into an outlet, and battery sensors sit on the floor or mount near the equipment they watch. An energy meter in your electrical panel is wired in by a professional.

The sensors feed continuous data to SAM, enabling it to detect problems early — a dehumidifier using much more power than normal, a sump pump running too long, or water where it shouldn't be. Without sensors, SAM relies on equipment age and service history alone. With sensors, SAM sees what is actually happening in real time.

Monitoring hardware is optional. SAM provides significant value from your Home Health Record alone. But sensors unlock the most powerful layer of protection: real-time alerts when something goes wrong.

The Parts of a Shipshape System

A Shipshape system is built from a gateway and a few kinds of devices. Here is what each one does and where it is commonly used.

Shipshape Gateway

The gateway connects to your home's internet router and lets Shipshape talk to the sensors in your home. It works like a small computer: it collects the data from your sensors and sends it to Shipshape's cloud.

Shipshape chose to put a gateway inside the home to help the sensors' batteries last longer and to keep your system more secure. See How Shipshape Uses Your Internet Connection.

Smart Power Plug

A smart power plug measures the power an appliance draws, and Shipshape alerts on patterns that point to a problem, like a pump that runs too long or a dehumidifier using much more power than normal. Plug the smart plug into a regular household outlet, plug the appliance into the smart plug, and monitoring begins. Smart plugs also pass the wireless signal along for sensors nearby.

Common uses: dehumidifiers, sump pumps, condensate pumps and refrigerators.

Water Leak Sensor

The leak sensor alerts you when there is water where there shouldn't be. See Aeotec Water Sensor 7 Pro.

Common uses: sump pumps, condensate pumps, dishwashers, washing machines and garbage disposals.

Temperature and Humidity Sensor

This sensor measures the temperature and humidity in a room or area of the house.

Common uses: next to dehumidifiers, and in crawl spaces, basements, bedrooms and kitchens.

Where to Place Your Shipshape Sensors covers where each device works best.

Integrations

Besides its own hardware, Shipshape can connect to smart home products you may already have. For example, you can sign in to your Ecobee account in the Shipshape app. Then you manage your thermostat from the Shipshape app instead of switching between apps. See Connecting Smart Home Devices to Shipshape.

What the Sensors Monitor

HVAC Monitoring

• Supply and return air temperature — Reported by some connected thermostats, such as Honeywell's
• Runtime — Tracks how often and how long your system runs
• Energy consumption — Monitors power draw, which the Home Health Score compares with the same model in nearby homes

Water Monitoring

• Leak detection — Sensors placed at high-risk points (water heater, under sinks, near washing machine) alert immediately on moisture contact
• Temperature — Leak sensors also report the temperature around them, which helps spot freezing conditions near pipes

Electrical Monitoring

• Power consumption — Smart plugs track the power each plugged-in appliance draws, and the Home Energy Meter measures your home's total use
• Voltage — Some smart plugs report voltage. Shipshape does not alert on voltage at this time

Installation

Shipshape sensors are designed for simple installation:

• Plug-in and battery devices — Smart plugs go into an outlet, and battery sensors sit on the floor or mount with tape or screws
• Wired devices — An energy meter or heavy-duty switch is wired into your electrical panel by a professional
• Professional install — Your service professional handles placement during a regular visit

Battery Life and Power

• Temperature and humidity sensors — Aeotec rates the aërQ's battery for up to about 2 years
• Water leak sensors: Aeotec rates the battery for up to 3 years in the Water Sensor 7 Pro and up to 2 years in the Water Sensor 8. See Sensor Battery Life and Replacement
• Smart plugs and the Home Energy Meter — Plug into an outlet; no battery needed
• Low battery alerts — SAM notifies you well in advance when any sensor battery is running low, and your service professional can replace batteries during the next visit

Connectivity

Shipshape sensors communicate through a dedicated home hub:

• Wired connection — The gateway plugs into your internet router with an ethernet cable. It does not use your WiFi. See Connecting Your Shipshape Gateway
• If your internet goes down — The gateway cannot reach Shipshape's cloud, so monitoring pauses until the connection comes back. See My Gateway Is Showing Offline
• Z-Wave mesh — Sensors talk to the gateway over Z-Wave, a low-power radio separate from your WiFi. Plugged-in devices such as smart plugs and range extenders pass the signal along, so sensors in distant parts of the home stay connected
• Cloud sync — Data is transmitted to Shipshape's cloud in real time, where SAM processes and analyzes it

Data Collection and Privacy

What Data Is Collected

• Environmental readings (temperature, humidity, moisture presence)
• Equipment performance metrics (runtime, energy draw)
• Device health data (battery level, signal strength, connectivity status)

What Is NOT Collected

• No audio or video: the sensors have no cameras or microphones
• No personally identifiable information from the sensors themselves
• No monitoring of personal devices, browsing, or activity within the home

Privacy Approach

• Security — Your data is protected with commercially reasonable safeguards
• Minimal collection — Sensors collect only what is needed for home health monitoring. Nothing more
• Service company access — The service company connected to your home sees your contact details, your home's alerts and your equipment, so they can respond when something needs attention
• Your choices — You can ask us to delete your personal information. Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, who we share it with and what we may need to keep

Monitoring Kit Pricing

Your service professional's company installs the monitoring hardware and bills you for the installation. Buying the Smart Monitoring Kit yourself is optional: it is $550 at store.shipshape.ai. It includes a Shipshape Gateway, 2 Environmental Sensors, 1 Smart Switch, and 1 Water Leak Sensor.

Monthly monitoring subscriptions start at $12/mo. See shipshape.ai/pricing for current plan details.

Battery replacement is included with an active monitoring subscription.

Important for SAM: Do not quote specific hardware or subscription prices from memory. Always direct users to shipshape.ai/store for hardware pricing and shipshape.ai/pricing for subscription plans.