Generator WiFi Monitoring and Smart Home Connectivity
Modern standby generators from Generac and Kohler are WiFi-connected devices that report their status to your smartphone in real time. The days of walking outside to check if your generator is running are over. Current residential models include built-in WiFi connectivity and free monitoring apps that give you complete visibility into your backup power system from anywhere in the world. Here is how generator monitoring works and where it is heading with smart home integration.
Built-In WiFi Monitoring
Generac Mobile Link
Current Generac Guardian series generators include a WiFi module built into the controller. Mobile Link connects to your home WiFi network and communicates with Generac cloud servers. The free Mobile Link app (iOS and Android) displays real-time generator status (standby, running, exercising, or fault), utility power status (on or off at your property), exercise cycle history and results, maintenance reminders based on actual run hours, and fault code alerts with descriptions. Setup takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes through the generator controller menu. There is no subscription fee for WiFi-based Mobile Link monitoring.
Kohler OnCue Plus
Current Kohler residential generators include WiFi connectivity with OnCue Plus monitoring. The OnCue Plus app and web portal provide the same core functionality as Mobile Link: real-time status, power event history, maintenance tracking, and fault alerts. Kohler OnCue Plus is equally straightforward to set up and operates without a subscription fee on WiFi.
Cellular Monitoring for Properties Without WiFi
WiFi monitoring works well when your home internet is running. But during a power outage, your router and modem may also lose power (unless they are on the generator circuit or have a UPS). Additionally, vacation homes, rural properties, and rental units may not have active internet service. For these situations, both Generac and Kohler offer 4G LTE cellular monitoring modules that connect directly to the mobile data network, bypassing WiFi entirely. Cellular monitoring costs a small monthly data fee but ensures uninterrupted connectivity regardless of your home internet status. This is the recommended option for any property where you need monitoring to work during the exact events (outages) that monitoring matters most.
What Monitoring Tells You That Matters
Peace of Mind While Traveling
Checking your generator status from an airport lounge, a hotel room, or a vacation destination confirms that your home is protected. If a storm hits your area while you are away, you can see immediately whether the power went out and whether the generator is running normally.
Early Warning on Problems
A fault code that appears during a weekly exercise cycle is an inconvenience. The same fault code discovered during a real outage is a crisis. Monitoring catches problems between outages when you have time to schedule service. Without monitoring, a failed exercise cycle goes unnoticed until the next outage, when the generator fails to start.
Maintenance Compliance
Monitoring apps track run hours and send reminders when maintenance is due. This removes the guesswork from service scheduling and helps you stay within warranty maintenance requirements. Generators that receive on-time maintenance last longer and start more reliably.
Smart Home Integration
As of 2026, direct integration between generator monitoring systems and major smart home platforms (Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa) is limited. Generac Mobile Link and Kohler OnCue Plus operate primarily through their own dedicated apps rather than through third-party smart home ecosystems. However, some indirect integration is possible through automation platforms like IFTTT or Home Assistant for advanced users who want to trigger smart home actions based on generator status (such as turning on specific smart lights when the generator activates or sending a custom notification to a family group chat during an outage). As the smart home ecosystem matures, deeper native integration between generator monitoring and platforms like Alexa and Google Home is expected to expand.
Choosing Between WiFi and Cellular
If your generator is at your primary residence with reliable internet, WiFi monitoring is sufficient and free. If your home internet goes down during outages (common if the router is not on a backed-up circuit), consider the cellular module for uninterrupted monitoring. If the generator is at a vacation home, rental, or property without internet, cellular monitoring is the only reliable option.
IB Lighting carries Generac and Kohler generators with built-in WiFi monitoring, plus cellular monitoring modules for both brands. Browse our Generac home standby generators 10kW to 28kW collection and Kohler generators, or call (800) 674-9019 for recommendations. Free freight plus insurance on every order.