Phyn

by Belkin

IoT ArchitectureReact NativeMachine Learning IntegrationServerless Infrastructure

Scroll

Our Methodology

Overview & Architecture

Pre-Market Prototype

Built the initial proof-of-concept that validated Phyn's core technology—Bluetooth device pairing, pressure data visualization, and leak detection alerts.

Production Architecture

Designed the full-stack IoT platform—serverless event processing on AWS Lambda, real-time data pipelines, ML model integration, and React Native mobile applications.

CES Launch

Shipped the consumer-ready product for CES 2019 debut. Phyn won a Webby Award and established itself as the smart water monitoring leader.

Scale & Team Transition

Scaled the platform to millions of connected homes while helping Belkin build their internal engineering team to own the product long-term.

“

ClearSummit has a rare talent of understanding what they're building and what user context it needs to function with. This fosters a collaborative environment where both designers and developers can push boundaries.

Director of Product Design

Technical Challenges

Consumer IoT at Scale

The complexity wasn't in any single component—it was in orchestrating hardware, ML, cloud infrastructure, and mobile applications into a seamless consumer experience.

Bluetooth Provisioning

Device pairing in consumer IoT is notoriously fragile. Network timeouts, firmware states, user error—dozens of failure modes that all need graceful recovery. We built a provisioning flow that handles edge cases users never see, with clear guidance when they need to act.

Real-Time Sensor Integration

Phyn's hardware generates continuous pressure data that feeds ML models running in the cloud. The mobile app needed to reflect that intelligence instantly—showing users what Phyn learned about their home as it happened, not minutes later.

Serverless Event Architecture

Water emergencies don't wait for servers to spin up. We architected an event-driven system on AWS Lambda that processes alerts in milliseconds—the difference between a notification and a flooded basement.

Platform Design

Intelligence Made Tangible

The challenge with smart home products is making invisible data feel real. Phyn knows things about your plumbing that you don't—the app's job is to surface that intelligence in ways that feel intuitive, not overwhelming.

Learning Mode UX

Phyn's ML models need time to learn a home's water signatures. We designed an onboarding experience that turns this waiting period into engagement—showing users what Phyn is discovering about their plumbing in real-time.

Alert Hierarchy

Not all water events are emergencies. We built a notification system that distinguishes between "your sprinklers ran longer than usual" and "shut off your water main now"—with appropriate urgency in the UI.

Cross-Platform Consistency

The same intelligence, the same interactions, the same reliability across iOS, Android, and web. React Native for mobile, React for web, shared component libraries, unified design system.

Offline Resilience

IoT apps can't assume connectivity. We implemented offline-first architecture with intelligent sync—users can review their water data and configure settings even when their network is down.

From Prototype to Platform

Phyn launched at CES 2019 to critical acclaim and establishing itself as the leader in smart water monitoring. The platform we built now serves millions of connected homes. Beyond the product, we helped Belkin build their internal capability. Our architecture documentation, codebase standards, and direct involvement in hiring enabled them to assemble an in-house team that could own the platform long-term. That's the goal: build something excellent, then make ourselves unnecessary.

Build Your IoT Platform

Hardware integration, real-time data, consumer-grade UX—we've shipped it at scale. Let's talk about your vision.