Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of death in kids under the age of 14. In as little as two minutes without oxygen, a person can become unconscious. By using a pool alarm, which works by determining that the water has been disturbed, you'll have time to react in an emergency situation.
But pool alarms go farther than that. They will also alert you to unauthorized pool usage by anyone, which can be a hazard all by itself. They will give you a heads-up on errant party-goers, vandals or illegal break ins.
No pool alarm should be used as the only means to limit access to the pool. Locked gates and electronic surveillance are two other good choices, that when combined with pool alarms, give you the best possible chance to avert a tragedy. In fact, many states require alarms for both pools, gates and fences for just this purpose.
Ultimately, pool vigilance depends solely on you. Know where your kids are, know where your guests are, keep pool alarms "on" and keep gates locked and secured at all times.
The pool alarms selected for this list were chosen because they're most sensitive to artificially disturbed water, and they also give the least amount of false alarms when they are in place. Ease of installation and convenience was also considered in these selections, but price wasn't considered because you cannot put a price on safety. We've compiled the best pool alarms in 2022.