Buoy Labs

What Buoy Labs does

Buoy Labs was a Santa Cruz, California-based smart home IoT company founded in 2015 that developed the Buoy Water Controller, a WiFi-connected whole-home water monitoring and leak detection device. The product paired a hardware controller with a companion mobile app, providing residential homeowners with real-time leak notifications, water usage tracking, and consumption pattern data. The company targeted the consumer/residential homeowner segment through a horizontal go-to-market approach, with primary pain points being undetected leaks causing water damage and untracked consumption driving high utility bills.

The company was acquired by Resideo Technologies Inc. in 2018, the same year Resideo was spun off from Honeywell International Inc. Following the acquisition, Buoy's distribution was folded into Resideo's channel infrastructure, including professional installation networks, retail stores in the USA and Canada, Resideo's e-commerce platform, and Resideo's social media and email marketing. The Buoy brand sat alongside Resideo's other consumer brands including Honeywell Home and First Alert.

In March 2021, Resideo discontinued the Buoy Water Controller, stating that the product did not meet its quality and scalability standards, and ended app and data services on March 31, 2021. Resideo has indicated plans to launch a next-generation leak detection and protection product, and the Buoy brand continues to exist under Resideo's portfolio in a dormant state with no active monetized product.

Name

Buoy Labs

Legal name

Resideo Technologies Inc.

Website

https://buoy.ai

Company type

Public

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Buoy Labs was a Santa Cruz-based smart home IoT company that developed the Buoy Water Controller, a WiFi-connected whole-home water leak detection and usage monitoring device for residential homeowners. Acquired by Resideo Technologies in 2018, the product was discontinued in March 2021 for failing to meet quality and scalability standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smart Home Water Management

NAICS

Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514)

SIC

Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial/Residential Building Water Management & Leak Analytics Services (HSAHAGAK)

Keywords

• Smart water monitoring
• Water leak detection
• Smart home IoT
• Residential water management
• Water usage tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Buoy Labs developed and sold the Buoy Water Controller, a WiFi-connected smart home device that monitors whole-home water usage and detects leaks, sending real-time push notifications to a companion mobile app. The product was discontinued by parent company Resideo Technologies in March 2021 after being judged not to meet quality and scalability standards.

Product overview

Buoy Labs, a brand under Resideo Technologies, offered a smart water management product line centered around the Buoy Water Controller. This core product connected to home WiFi to provide leak detection, water usage monitoring, and automated leak notifications through the Buoy mobile app. The entire Buoy product line has been discontinued as of 2021, with Resideo citing quality and scalability standards as the reason. The company has announced plans to develop and launch a next generation leak detection and protection product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Buoy Water Controller A WiFi-connected smart home device installed at the main water supply line that monitored whole-home water usage, detected leaks, and sent real-time leak notifications to a companion mobile app. Targeted at residential homeowners in the USA and Canada. The product has been discontinued by Resideo.
• Buoy App Companion mobile application for the Buoy Water Controller that allowed residential users to view water consumption data, monitor usage trends, and receive push notifications for detected leaks. Service ended March 31, 2021.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Alarm.com: Alarm.com is a smart home security and monitoring platform whose dealers increasingly bundle water leak sensors and shutoff modules, making it a broad competitor for the smart-home water monitoring channel.
• Honeywell Home: Honeywell Home (licensed by Resideo) is a broad smart home brand selling thermostats, security, and water solutions under the same corporate parent, making it the most likely brand vehicle for any successor to the Buoy product line.
• Resideo Technologies: Resideo is the strategic parent that acquired Buoy Labs and operates the broader smart home portfolio (including Honeywell Home and First Alert brands); it controls Buoy's IP, distribution, and next-gen product roadmap.

Emerging players

• Rachio: Rachio makes smart sprinkler controllers with water-usage analytics, addressing an adjacent water-management use case for homeowners and overlapping with Buoy on residential water consumption insights.
• SimpliSafe: SimpliSafe offers a home security system that integrates water and freeze sensors, competing for the same DIY smart-home homeowner segment that Buoy targeted with whole-home protection.

Direct peers

• LeakSmart: LeakSmart sells whole-home leak detection systems with automatic water shutoff valves and sensors, directly overlapping Buoy's use case of preventing water damage through connected monitoring.
• Phyn: Phyn (backed by Uponor) offers a smart water assistant that monitors pressure and flow to detect leaks and provide consumption insights, competing head-to-head with Buoy on whole-home water intelligence.
• Flo by Moen: Flo by Moen is a smart home water monitoring and automatic shutoff system that detects leaks and tracks whole-home water usage via a mobile app — directly comparable to Buoy's whole-home water controller positioning.
• Flume: Flume provides a smart home water monitor that attaches to a home's water meter to deliver real-time leak alerts and usage tracking — a direct functional alternative to Buoy for residential water monitoring.
• Wally (WallyHome / StreamLabs): StreamLabs/Wally offers connected water leak detectors and a smart water meter that monitor flow and shut off water in leak events, competing in the same residential smart water category as Buoy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/buoy_labs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCISUSClmcOrxjUH7p3-w0bg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Resideo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/resideo1
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareresideo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Buoy Labs