Monitoring apparatus for a sanitary installation

A monitoring apparatus for a sanitary installation, the sanitary installation having a water pipe with a discharge opening, a valve provided in the water pipe to turn water flow on and off to the water pipe, a controller adapted to control operation of the valve, an upper spatial region defined proximate to and below the discharge opening, and a lower spatial region defined proximate and below the first spatial region, comprising a first sensor for monitoring the presence of a person in a first spatial region in the surroundings of the sanitary installation and a second sensor for monitoring a second spatial region in the surroundings of the sanitary installation, wherein the first sensor comprises an operating mode and a standby mode and the second sensor is embodied to switch the first sensor from the standby mode into the operating mode in the case of a predetermined detection, and a third sensor for detecting the person's hands in one of the upper spatial region or the lower spatial region, wherein the third sensor is adapted to send a signal, via the controller to the valve, to turn on water flow to the water pipe at a first water pressure when the third sensor detects the person's hands in the upper spatial region, and at a second water pressure greater than the first water pressure when the third sensor detects the person's hands in the lower spatial region, and further comprising a control unit for controlling the first sensor, the control unit being embodied to switch the first sensor from the operating mode into the standby mode depending on an output signal of the first sensor and of the second sensor.