1Introduction
Strips Drip 800 raises an alarm as soon as water reaches the absorbent pads on its plate. It also measures temperature and can warn before pipes freeze. It is only 6 mm thick, plate included, so it fits the tight spaces where leaks start: under sinks and appliances, along pipe runs, in cellars and plant rooms.
It works with any certified Z-Wave controller. It supports SmartStart, so you can add it by scanning a code, as well as S2 security and firmware updates over the air. It can also join as a Z-Wave Long Range device, which reaches up to 800 m. The battery is built in and lasts well over ten years. In a smart-home system, a leak alarm can close a water valve or send a notification directly.
What's in the box
- Strips Drip 800, with the adhesive already on the back
- The pad plate, separate. Some customer variants come with the plate already fitted.
- A magnet on the sensor, which keeps it asleep until you start
No tools or screws are needed. The +Clip mounting accessory is sold separately.
Parts of the sensor
2Before you start
You need
- A Z-Wave controller (gateway or hub) and its app, within range of where the sensor will go
- The QR code on the back of the sensor, if your controller supports SmartStart
- A small magnet for commands later (wake-up, add/remove, reset). Any small, strong magnet works.
Choosing the place
- Where water collects first: flat on the floor under sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, pipe joints and boilers. In a cellar, choose the lowest point.
- Range: up to 100 m to the controller or the nearest mains-powered Z-Wave device. Every mains-powered Z-Wave device acts as a repeater and extends the network.
- No metal: do not mount Strips directly on metal or inside a metal structure. Metal shortens the range, and a metal cabinet base counts.
3Step by step: from box to ready
Seven steps. Add the sensor to your network near the controller first. Then check the signal at the spot where it will go, and place it there. A test is optional, and only after five hours.
Unpack
Check that the sensor, the pad plate and the magnet are there. Leave the magnet on the sensor until step 2.
Join the Z-Wave network
Choose the method your controller supports.
A · SmartStart (recommended)
- In the controller app, choose SmartStart (or "add with QR code").
- Scan the QR code on the back of Strips.
- Take the magnet off Strips.
SmartStart begins 30 seconds after the magnet comes off. The sensor is added within 10 minutes if it is within range of the controller.
B · Classic inclusion
- Put the controller into add/pairing mode.
- Take the magnet off Strips.
If the magnet is already off, or you are adding the sensor again, do a wake-up while the controller is in pairing mode.
C · Z-Wave Long Range
If your controller supports Z-Wave Long Range, Strips can join as a Long Range device with SmartStart and reach up to 800 m. Follow method A, and choose Long Range in the controller if it asks.
Fit the pad plate and check the signal
Fit the plate straight after joining, so that the second calibration, two hours after the join, finds the sensor on its plate. If the plate came fitted, go on to the signal check, and mount the sensor within 2 hours.
- Peel the film off the adhesive on the back of Strips.
- Press Strips onto the side of the plate marked STRIPS SIDE.
- Mount the sensor in its final place within 2 hours (step 5), and keep the pads dry until the second calibration has been made.
Then hold the sensor at the place where it will go and do a wake-up.
Configure
The leak alarm is on by default. Temperature reporting and temperature alarms are off by default. Turn them on if you want freeze warnings or room temperature:
| Setting | Default | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| 6 · Temperature alarms | Off | Set to On for freeze and overheat warnings. |
| 8 · Low temperature alarm | 5 °C | The freeze warning level, from −20 to +60 °C. |
| 7 · High temperature alarm | 40 °C | The overheat level, from −20 to +80 °C. |
| 4 · Temperature reporting | Off | Set to 1 to report on change, or 2 to report at fixed intervals. |
| 13 · Leak alarm level | 10 | Raise it (1 = almost dry, 100 = wet) if the sensor sits somewhere damp and gives false alarms. See Damp places. |
All settings are listed in the technical reference.
Install
Mount the sensor within 2 hours of the join: it calibrates again then, and takes what it senses as "dry". Choose one of three ways:
- Loose: lay the sensor flat in place, pads down. This is good for a quick start, or where it may need to move.
- Adhesive: the surface must be clean, dry and at least +10 °C. Peel the film off the adhesive under the plate and press it firmly in place.
- Screws: the plate has a hole at each end. Use the plate to mark the holes, and use screws with flat heads.
Test (optional)
You do not have to test: a correctly calibrated sensor works. If you want to see the alarm, wait until at least five hours have passed since the join, so that the second calibration is long done with the sensor mounted and dry. Do not wet the pads before that. Then put a little water on them.
Ready
- Added to the controller, with S2 security if the controller supports it
- Optional: leak alarm tested with water after five hours, and the pads dried
- On its plate, mounted in its final place and dry within 2 hours of the join
- Signal checked at the final spot, with no five-blink error
- Temperature alarms set if you want freeze warnings
- An action set up in the controller for a leak: a notification, or a valve that closes
4Using the sensor
What it reports
- Water leak: the pads are checked every 10 seconds, and an alarm is sent as soon as water is found
- Temperature: high and low alarms, and the temperature itself if reporting is on (both are off by default)
- Moisture level: at a set interval, if you turn this on (setting 14)
- Tamper: sent if someone tries to wake up or manipulate Strips with a magnet
- Battery level: sent at each wake-up
If the controller cannot be reached, for example during a power cut or a lost internet connection, Strips keeps the message and tries again. It retries after 1, 2, 4, 8 minutes and so on, up to 17 hours, and then every 17 hours.
After a leak
- Leave the sensor where it is. Remove the water, and the pads dry by themselves. A cloth round the pads speeds this up.
- Drying takes at least 24 hours, and longer after a lot of water. The pads only detect water reliably again once they are dry.
- The sensor keeps working after a leak and can detect leaks again and again for its whole battery life.
- It survives a few days completely under water, but avoid leaving it submerged for long.
Damp places: adjusting the alarm level
In a damp place, such as a cellar, a crawl space or a plant room, the pads never get completely dry. The moisture level (0 = dry, 100 = wet) then rests above 0, and with the default alarm level of 10 the sensor can raise false alarms. Set the level to suit the place:
- Calibrate in place first. With the sensor mounted where it will stay, and as dry as it gets there, set setting 23 to 1 (see Recalibrating). The resting level then becomes the base.
- Watch the moisture level for a few days. Set setting 14 (moisture reporting period) to, for example, 1 hour, so that the controller shows the level. Note the highest value in normal conditions.
- Set the alarm level above it. Set setting 13 (leak alarm level) clearly above the highest normal value: if it rests around 10, try 20–30. Do not go higher than needed: a small leak must still pass the level.
- Apply the settings. Settings reach Strips at its next wake-up, every 12 hours by default. Do a wake-up to apply them at once.
- Set setting 14 back to 0 if you only turned it on for this. Frequent reports cost battery.
LED signals
| LED | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 short blink | Feedback during a magnet command, a report sent, or the sensor added to a network |
| 2 short blinks | The sensor is not added to a network |
| 1 long blink | A command succeeded (for example added, or reset) |
| 5 short blinks | Error: no contact with the controller |
5Magnet commands
You give commands by moving a magnet at the rounded end of Strips. Use the magnet that came on the sensor, or any small magnet.
| Command | How | Confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Wake up | Magnet to the rounded end, wait for the blink, move it away. Three times in total. | A final short blink |
| Add / remove | Put the controller into add or remove mode, then do a wake-up. | One long blink |
| Factory reset | As a wake-up, but on the third time hold the magnet at the rounded end for 10 seconds. | One long blink. It can take 10–15 seconds to come. |
Reset Strips if its controller is missing or no longer answers. After a reset, Strips must be added again.
6Maintenance and removal
Battery
The battery is built in and lasts well over ten years. It cannot be replaced. To get the most out of it:
- Place Strips away from metal and not too far from the controller or a repeater
- Keep the default reporting settings
- Set the wake-up interval to 12 hours or more, if your controller lets you
- Run a network heal or repair in the controller after you change the network
In the cold, the battery level can read lower than it really is. This is expected: the reading takes the temperature into account and does not show the real charge.
The battery is a lithium manganese dioxide (LiMnO₂) cell, one of the most stable lithium chemistries. Do not open the sensor, and do not puncture it or heat it above +80 °C. When the battery is empty, dispose of the whole sensor as a battery, for recycling. Near the end of its life the battery normally swells a little; this is expected.
Recalibrating the leak sensor
Calibrate again if the sensor was not on its plate, mounted and dry when it calibrated two hours after the join, or if you move it. Over time, dust and humidity can also make a dry sensor report some moisture, or even a false alarm. Make sure the pads are completely dry and the sensor is in its place, then set setting 23 to 1. The sensor then takes the current level as "dry". The calibration runs at the next wake-up, so do a wake-up to run it at once.
Removing Strips
Use dental floss or a thin string.
Moving to another controller
Remove Strips from the old controller (remove mode + wake-up), or do a factory reset. Then add it to the new one.
7Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Leak alarm although it is dry | Recalibrate: with the pads completely dry, set setting 23 to 1. If it happens again, raise the leak alarm level (setting 13) above 10: see Damp places. Do a wake-up to apply the change at once. |
| Moisture level above 0 when dry | Recalibrate as above. |
| No alarm although the pads are wet | Was the sensor wet, not on its plate or not yet mounted when it calibrated two hours after the join? Then the base level is wrong: dry the pads, mount it, and recalibrate with setting 23. |
| No alarm again after a leak | The pads are still drying. Allow at least 24 hours. |
| No temperature values | Temperature reporting is off by default. Set setting 4 to 1 or 2. |
| Five blinks when adding | Add the sensor close to the controller, with a clear line of sight. Check that the controller is online. Strips may still belong to another network: do a factory reset and try again. Check that the region on the label (EU, US …) matches your controller. |
| Added as non-secure instead of S2 | Remove it from the controller, reset the sensor and add it again with a clear line of sight. It may take a few attempts. |
| Shows up as another device type | Check that the controller has the Strips driver installed. Drivers for 700-series Strips also work for the 800 series, and the sensor may appear as a 700. If it still shows wrongly, remove it, reset it and add it again. |
| New settings have no effect | Settings are applied at the next wake-up (every 12 hours by default). Do a wake-up to apply them now. |
| Messages arrive irregularly | Check that Strips is not on metal and not too far from the controller. Add a repeater if needed. |
| No long blink after a reset | Wait 10–15 seconds, as it can take a while. If it still does not come, contact support. |
| The LED does not react to the magnet at all | The battery may be empty. Check the last battery level the controller received. The battery cannot be replaced, so an empty sensor has to be replaced. If the battery level was fine, contact Sensative support. |
| Can it detect oil? | No. Strips Drip Oil, for LoRaWAN, detects oil. |
Which features work depends on the controller. Some controllers support Strips fully, some only partly.
8Technical reference
For integrators and advanced users.
Configuration parameters
| No. | Name | Size | Values | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | LED on events (e.g. alarms) | 1 byte | 0: Off 1: On | 1 |
| 4 | Temperature reporting (does not affect temperature alarms) | 1 byte | 0: Off 1: On change (setting 26), and at least every period in setting 25 2: Periodic, at the period in setting 25 3: Periodic average over the period in setting 25 | 0 |
| 5 | Temperature unit | 1 byte | 0: Celsius 1: Fahrenheit | 0 |
| 6 | Temperature alarms | 1 byte | 0: Off 1: On | 0 |
| 7 | High temperature alarm level | 1 byte | −20 to +80 °C | 40 |
| 8 | Low temperature alarm level | 1 byte | −20 to +60 °C | 5 |
| 12 | Leak/moisture alarm | 1 byte | 0: Off 1: On | 1 |
| 13 | Leak/moisture alarm level | 1 byte | 1 (almost dry) to 100 (wet) | 10 |
| 14 | Moisture reporting period (reports values −100 to 100) | 1 byte | 0–120 hours between reports; 0 = Off | 0 |
| 15 | Supervision: events that require confirmation from the controller | 1 byte | 0: Off 1: Alarm reports only (e.g. leak) 2: All reports | 1 |
| 20 | Moisture reporting during wake-up polling (Fibaro controllers only) | 1 byte | 0: Off 1: On | 0 |
| 23 | Leak sensor calibration. Run only when mounted and completely dry. A moisture report is sent afterwards. | 1 byte | 1: Calibrate 0: Returns to 0 after calibration, and reports 0 to the controller | 0 |
| 24 | Temperature offset. A temperature report is sent afterwards. | 1 byte | −100 to 100 (= −10.0 to +10.0 °C) | 0 |
| 25 | Temperature reporting period (used by setting 4) | 2 bytes | 15–1440 minutes | 1440 |
| 26 | Temperature change for a new report | 1 byte | 5–100 (= 0.5 to 10.0 °C) | 20 (2.0 °C) |
| 27 | Hysteresis for clearing temperature alarms (settings 7 and 8) | 1 byte | 5–100 (= 0.5 to 10.0 °C) | 20 (2.0 °C) |
Notification events
| Type | Event | When |
|---|---|---|
| Water Alarm (0x05) | Water leak detected (0x02) | Water reaches the pads |
| Water Alarm (0x05) | Clear notification (0x00) | The leak alarm is cleared |
| Heat Alarm (0x04) | Overheat detected (0x02) | The temperature rises above setting 7 |
| Heat Alarm (0x04) | Under heat detected (0x06) | The temperature falls below setting 8 |
| Heat Alarm (0x04) | Clear notification (0x00) | A temperature alarm is cleared |
| Home Security (0x07) | Magnetic field interference detected (0x0B) | Tamper: someone tries to wake up or manipulate Strips |
| Home Security (0x07) | Clear notification (0x00) | The tamper event is cleared |
Association groups
| Group | Name | Max nodes | Commands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lifeline | 1 | Notification Report, Battery Report, Multilevel Sensor Report, Device Reset Locally Notification, Indicator Report, Configuration Report. Keeps the controller up to date with leak, moisture, temperature, battery and tamper. |
Indicator
Indicator ID 0x50 (Node Identify): the LED blinks so you can find the node.
Command classes
| Command class | Version | Security |
|---|---|---|
| Application Status | 1 | None |
| Association | 2 | Highest granted |
| Association Group Info | 3 | Highest granted |
| Battery | 1 | Highest granted |
| Configuration | 4 | Highest granted |
| Device Reset Locally | 1 | Highest granted |
| Firmware Update Meta Data | 5 | Highest granted |
| Indicator | 3 | Highest granted |
| Manufacturer Specific | 2 | Highest granted |
| Multi Channel Association | 3 | Highest granted |
| Notification | 8 | Highest granted |
| Powerlevel | 1 | Highest granted |
| Security 2 | 1 | None |
| Sensor Multilevel | 11 | Highest granted |
| Supervision | 1 | None |
| Transport Service | 2 | None |
| Version | 3 | Highest granted |
| Wake Up | 2 | Highest granted |
| Z-Wave Plus Info | 2 | None |
9Specifications
| Sensors | Water leak (absorbent pads), temperature, tamper detection |
| Alarms | Leak, freeze, overheat |
| Radio | Z-Wave 800 series, Z-Wave Long Range |
| Range | Up to 100 m to the nearest Z-Wave device; up to 800 m with Z-Wave Long Range |
| Security | S2, SmartStart |
| Firmware | Updates over the air |
| Battery | Built-in LiMnO2, 480 mAh, well over ten years |
| IP rating | IP67 |
| Dimensions | 195 × 15 × 6 mm: the 3 mm sensor plus the 3 mm pad plate |
| Mounting | Loose, adhesive, or screws through the plate; +Clip for rough or temporary surfaces |
10Support
- Support, FAQ and downloads: sensative.com/support
- Product page and product sheet: sensative.com/sensors/strips-drip-800
- Technical support request: through the form on the support page
Source: Sensative Docs, Strips Drip 700/800 for Z-Wave Plus, Strips Z-Wave FAQ and Troubleshooting Guide (read 24 October 2026); specifications from the sensative.com product data.