Kohler brings an auto-filling tub and a smart water leak system to CES 2022
It's probably fair to say that, when Kohler first appeared at CES, some questioned a brand best associated with faucets and tubs being at the huge international tech show. Now, in its fifth year at the Las Vegas event, it's also fair to say that the smart home world is one of the most important at CES. With the pandemic bringing both home luxuries and hygiene into the spotlight, turns out there's plenty to get excited about when it comes to geeky kitchens and bathrooms.
Kohler PerfectFill is a butler for your bathtub
Kohler first started talking about PerfectFill back at CES 2018, but it's only in 2022 that you'll actually be able to buy the smart tub system. According to Kohler, one of the big reasons people don't use their tub is because of the time and monitoring involved in filling it. That's where PerfectFill comes in.
A smart drain and a bath filler work in tandem with a controller and a smartphone app. Once taught how much water your tub holds, you can use the wall touchscreen, app, or a voice command to ask for it to be filled, and to a specific temperature. The faucet and drain work together to make sure it never overflows, and it can top up cooling water with more hot if you're late to jump in.
Once you're done, you can drain the tub with a voice command or via the app, too. PerfectFill will be available to purchase in May 2022, Kohler says, priced from $2,700. You'll also need a compatible Kohler digital valve, spout, and bath tub, however.
H2Wise+ Powered by Phyn
While PerfectFill might avoid an overflowing tub, Kohler's new H2Wise+ and H2Wise water monitoring system – co-branded with Phyn – will track water use in the rest of the home. Both can learn the unique pressure signature of each faucet, sink, shower, and appliance, so can track when water use is from one of those or if it's from a leak somewhere.
H2Wise+ is designed for pro-installation on the main water valve in the home. That means it can turn off the water supply should a leak be identified, either automatically or via the app once the homeowner gets a warning notification. H2Wise, meanwhile, is intended for DIY installation under a sink, and lacks the auto shut-off feature. Both can also give a pre-freeze warning should ice crystals be forming.
In addition to emergency monitoring, the app can also highlight things like which appliances are the biggest water-hogs, and give data on average water consumption. The AI powering it, Kohler says, can even take into account repeat behaviors unique to each household: if you tend to run the faucet just a trickle every day at the same time, to refill the cat's water bowl, over time the H2Wise system will learn to distinguish that from a slow leak.
Both systems will go on sale this month. H2Wise will be priced at $400, while H2Wise+ will be priced at $666.70 plus installation.
Robern IQ Digital Lock Box
A safe for the bathroom might sound like an odd inclusion, but whether it's medication or fancy cosmetics there's a good reason why you might not want to leave bottles on show. The Robern IQ Digital Lock Box slots inside a bathroom cabinet – ideally one of Kohler's Robern range, though you could feasibly fit it to a third-party design assuming the mounting holes line up – and can then be locked and unlocked via both the keypad, a smartphone app, or a set of backup keys.
It's battery powered, so there's no wiring to consider, and the app keeps a log of when the box was opened. Notifications can be fired out when it's unlocked, and the app supports event scheduling and daily medication reminders. There's also an alarm built-in, in case someone tries to force the Lock Box open.
The Robern IQ Digital Lock Box will launch this year, priced at $449.