Frequently asked questions

The product

Is it really free?

Yes. The core app is free — no license fee, ever. Everything works locally on your vehicle’s network at no cost. The optional hosted plans ($3–5/mo per vehicle) only pay for our cloud running the remote parts for you. Your one required cost is the off-the-shelf hardware.

Does it work offline / without internet?

Guardian is local-first: when your device is on the same network as the sensors and gateway, the app talks to them directly — no internet, no cost. Local monitoring, control, and the in-app flood watchdog (while the app is open) work for everyone on every tier. Internet only matters for the remote features: checking in from afar, push alerts, and the cloud flood-shutoff fallback.

What happens if my internet goes down?

The most important protection doesn’t depend on it: the valve only ever opens with a volume or duration limit, so even if a hose bursts while everything is offline, the water stops at a bounded amount. On the local network the app keeps working normally. Remote monitoring, push alerts, and the cloud shutoff fallback pause until connectivity returns.

Can it really shut off the water by itself?

Yes. While the app is open, the in-app flood watchdog closes the valve on a flood alarm — on any tier. The cloud fallback does it even with the app closed, also on any tier including Free: we’ve measured about 16 seconds from flood alarm to valve-close command. And behind both layers, every valve open carries a hard volume/duration limit, so the shutoff makes a bounded incident end sooner — it isn’t the only line of defense.

Which platforms are supported?

Web (any browser), native macOS and Windows desktop apps, and Android. Desktop and Android downloads come from our downloads page (downloads.boatrvguardian.com); the web app runs at app.boatrvguardian.com.

Is there an iOS app?

A native iOS app is on the roadmap. In the meantime the web app works on iPhone and iPad.

What does “pre-alpha” mean for me?

It means we’re early and honest about it. The features documented on this site are real and working, but expect rough edges, fast-moving releases, and the occasional breaking change. Anything marked “coming soon” is planned, not shipped.

Pricing & plans

What does “per vehicle” mean?

Plans attach to the boat or RV, not to people — a bit like Plex. The owner subscribes a vehicle, and everyone it’s shared with inherits that vehicle’s features at no extra cost per person. Each vehicle can be on a different plan.

How does the free trial work?

Every vehicle can opt into one month of Basic free — one trial per vehicle, started from the app’s Account view. No commitment: it drops back to Free automatically if you don’t continue.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Plans are managed through the web account portal at account.boatrvguardian.com (the native apps open it in your browser). Cancel whenever you like — the vehicle keeps working on the Free tier, and everything local keeps working regardless.

What do I actually get on the Free tier?

More than a demo: the full app on every platform, local and remote monitoring, the local flood watchdog while the app is open, the cloud flood-shutoff fallback with the app closed, away push notifications, an alert email to your account address, cloud settings sync, closing the valve from anywhere (closing and every safety shutoff are free forever), on-device usage history, and remote viewing via manual refresh (throttled to roughly every 3 minutes), for up to 2 devices. Paid plans add valve control — opening the valve from the app, run programming, live flow metering — and the hands-off parts: automatic telemetry, extra alert destinations, hosted history, more devices, and inviting other people to the vehicle.

Do paid plans include automation like schedules and rules?

Not yet — cloud automation (timers, schedules, and condition rules) is coming soon, with an Essential level planned for Basic and an Advanced level for Premium. The same goes for voice-call alerts and integrations such as Home Assistant, MQTT, and IFTTT: on the roadmap, not shipped.

Hardware

What hardware do I need, and what does it cost?

Guardian uses off-the-shelf smart-home gear: a LinkTap G2S valve (~$85–100) with its gateway for water shutoff and flow metering, a Shelly Flood Gen4 (~$30) for leak detection, a Shelly Plus Uni for battery voltage, and a Shelly PM Mini Gen3 (~$25) for shore power. A typical full build runs about $265–290 one-time — no proprietary hardware, no hardware subscription. You can start with just one device and add the rest later. See Supported Devices.

How do battery-powered sensors last?

They’re event-driven, never polled. The Shelly Flood Gen4 deep-sleeps until it actually senses water, then wakes and pushes the alarm instantly. No polling means no battery drain from constant check-ins.

How do I set up the Shelly sensors?

The Android app can provision Shelly devices over Bluetooth, which is the recommended path. From any other platform you can use the sensor’s own Wi-Fi setup mode or enter its IP manually.

Can it monitor temperature and humidity?

Not yet — temperature and humidity sensing is coming soon (hardware is on the bench now). Today Guardian covers water shutoff and flow, flood detection, battery voltage, and shore power.

Privacy & data

Is my data private?

With the hosted cloud, the server keeps your vehicle’s last-known sensor state (so the app can show status from anywhere) plus history only if you opt in, at your tier’s retention.

Can I export my data?

On-device history is always yours, on every tier. Hosted history adds CSV export on Premium.

Can I delete my account?

Yes — full account deletion is built into the app.

The project

How do I request a feature or report a bug?

File a ticket from the Support tab of your account portal — you can follow the thread there — or head to the Support page and email us. Hardware suggestions from fellow boaters and RVers are especially welcome — new sensor integrations are shaped by what people actually run on their rigs.