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Notifications & Alerts

All notifications go to both iPhones unless noted otherwise. Here's every alert you might receive, what it means, and what to do.

Emergency Alerts

These bypass silent mode and Do Not Disturb — they will sound no matter what.

Water Leak Detected

"Water detected — [Room name]"

A leak sensor found water. Go check immediately.

  • The room name in the alert tells you exactly where to look
  • Turn off the water supply to that fixture if there's an active leak
  • The alert clears once the sensor dries out

See Leak Detection for sensor locations.

Garage Door Alerts

Door Opened or Closed

"Garage — Left door opened" / "Garage — Right door closed"

Normal notification whenever either door changes state. No action needed unless unexpected.

Garage Open While Away

"Garage door is open and you're both away"
Action button: Close It

Sent when a door is open and both phones are away from home. Tap Close It to close the door remotely.

Garage Left Open Too Long

"Garage door has been open for 30 minutes"
Action button: Close It

Sent if either door stays open for 30 continuous minutes. Tap Close It or check manually.

Air Quality Alerts

CO₂ High — Bedroom

"Bedroom CO₂ is elevated"

Carbon dioxide in the master bedroom has reached an unhealthy level. Open a window or run the HVAC fan to bring fresh air in.

VOC High — Bedroom or Office

"Bedroom VOC levels are elevated" / "Office VOC levels are elevated"

Volatile organic compounds are high. Common causes: cleaning products recently used, fresh paint, cooking fumes distributing through the HVAC. Ventilate the space.

System Alerts

Low Battery

"[Device name] battery is low"

One of the ~15 Zigbee sensors (leak detectors, SmartSensors, etc.) needs a battery. Replace when convenient — the device will still work until the battery is fully depleted.

Physical Chimes (Not Phone Notifications)

Motion at Garage or Personnel Door Camera

When either Ring camera detects motion, Ring rings the chimes directly. This is handled natively by Ring — not by Home Assistant. Cooldown and frequency are configured per-device in the Ring app.

Most notifications include a link that opens directly to the relevant dashboard tab when tapped. Garage and security alerts open the Security tab; climate-related alerts open the Climate tab.