Introducing Direct echo

Non-life insurance provider Direct Pojišťovna is offering home sensors as part of a new brand called Direct echo that offers motion and water sensors along with an app. The service was launched in May this year.

“By providing these sensors to our customers and building them into our insurance products, we are delivering on a promise to pioneer innovative technology in the insurance industry and become leaders in the field when it comes to protecting people’s property and assets. Through this revolutionary service, everyone can now feel safe in the knowledge that should something go wrong at home, they will be the first to know.” – Nela Maťašeje, Marketing Director at Direct.

The sensors are designed to be placed on appliances such as washing machines as well as on pipes – anywhere where water could cause flooding – to notify people as soon as water starts leaking or a pipe burst. If the sensor detects water, it will alert homeowners via the mobile app, so that they can call a plumber before water causes too much damage to their, or their neighbor’s, property.

Unlike other sensors that need an Internet connection or to be plugged into a central unit or electrical outlet in order to work, this cost-effective technology (€50 per unit) connects to Sigfox’s global 0G network instead. The energy efficient, low cost IoT network, is more secure than a cellular network and the sensors themselves benefit from a long battery life. Sensors come with the mobile app and one year’s connectivity, which can then be renewed on a subscription basis.

Bottom Line: “Direct is the first insurance company in the Czech Republic to offer these sensors, which were made available to order online at www.directecho.cz on May 16th, 2019. By the end of the year, customers will also be able to purchase them alongside their existing insurance package.”

// In July, three insurers acted on their ‘smart home’ strategy; compared to zero in June.