Home Automation and Security Systems

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Home Automation and Security Systems

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Im looking into buying either a Ring or Skybell doorbell camera and neither one of these looks like they are at a maturity point in terms of software to buy yet.

AFewBricksShy posted:

Wired. The system is most likely 25 years old.

Its important to note that with a lot of panels nowadays support wireless takeover modules that work in the 300mh or 400 mhz bands (if you're outside the US). You can take those hardwired zones, add them to the Take and then wirelessly add the take into the panel. Its pretty simple to setup.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2016 18:56

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 4, 2024 05:06

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Next-Gen posted:

Ring is broken as poo poo on Android right now, they pushed an update last week that made nothing work except on iOS. I'd agree with the software maturity point based on that alone.

I cant remember which company it was but some of them are freezing in Canada. They are supposed to be rated down to -40F and are failing before that. Im wary of buying anything that is at this level maturity at this point even though I really really want one.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2016 18:03

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

IuniusBrutus posted:

So, I need some sort of security camera-type setup. I only need one right now, and maybe a second in the future. I am borrowing a buddies Nest Cam, and I love everything about it...except for the subscription fee. I wouldn't mind, but I don't need 95% of what it offers; all I need is the ability to store 24 hours of video at a time. Motion detection would be nice, but not needed. I know some of the Samsung cameras will do what I need them to, but apparently the app/web interface is garbage, given that I'm spending $nest on them. Any other options? I don't mind something clunkier, but I don't want to spend $200 for it.

If you have a newer netgear router (like the Nighthawk) home automation is built in with their Arlo software. Add a couple of wifi cameras and youre good to go.

http://www.arlo.com/en-us/?cid=PSarlogoogleps10.26AW-Brand

# ¿ May 2, 2016 16:55

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Next-Gen posted:

The Arlo has a decent free cloud recording system (7 days of motion alerts for up to 5 cameras for free), but the cameras themselves are gonna hurt for the cost. Fry's has the arlo q on sale this week for 169, but you have to be signed up to their email promo codes to get it.

Otherwise, there's a (somewhat lovely) 4 hour plan with Amcrest ProHD cams but they're decent if you want PTZ and really robust software/local recording options (Dahua makes them). The other option would be the LaView Panda which, despite their lovely name, is a good camera made by Hikvision that has PIR motion detection and also good local recording options but no cloud recording that I know of.

I checked out the cameras at ISC West at the beginning of April. They are expensive but they are top notch. I didnt know that Arlo was built in until the Rep told me about it. They're probably the cameras Im going to go with.

The bigger problem with Netgear is their crappy configuration software.

# ¿ May 3, 2016 18:06

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Hughlander posted:

Not sure this is the right thread so if it isn't point me elsewhere please.

I just brought a house that's newish construction (2014) and the previous owner went in for a lot of home automation and left most of it as fixtures in the house. So I had the fun of dealing with all the IOT vendors and trying to get things moved to a different account. Anyway, as I was naming all of the Simplisafe sensors in the various rooms by opening windows, taking out batteries, etc... I noticed that there's also 3 Z-Wave Multi-Sensors Now AFAIK they're not compatible with the SimpliSafe and one of them is in the same room as a SimpliSafe motion sensor. I know Z-Wave can make their own mesh, but I haven't seen anything that would be a base station or integration point with another system, though it's possible the owners took that with them.

Why would you have 3 Z-Wave compatible multi sensors in a home? Could they extend the Nest Thermostat coverage to know the house temperature away from the thermostat? But even then two are within a dozen feet of it. What should I use them for now that they're mine?

At least one of those is probably being used as like an interior follower in a security system. In that situation when the system is in armed stay they dont trip, but if its armed away it does. I dont know what kind of system they were learned into but this sounds like its more of a security sensor. They could be using it for any of "loops" that a normal environment sensor use.

I would use it as a motion sensor in different parts of your house. You could have one setup in your garage, one near your panel and then maybe one outside somewhere.

Hughlander posted:

Maybe. This is part of my bitch session about IoT and automation. The sensors were considered fixtures, but any hub / control wasn't? Now I even just found something new I can't identify in another room. anyone recognize ones of these?

Found it on the wall in another room, it's positioned in the center of the wall not a corner, there's also a simplisafe motion sensor in the same room. Couldn't see a manufacturer on it but didn't pull it off the wall either.

You typically dont put a motion sensor in the middle of a wall in a room, you would put it in a corner almost at the top of the wall but not quite. A lot of times what will happen is someone breaks into your house, opens a door, sees the motion sensor in the middle of the wall and then uses a screen of some sort to walk across the room. Remember these sensors are looking for heat, unless its a dualtec sensor.

I've worked with Aeon Labs ZWave light switches but I didnt know they made motions sensors. Looks like there are standalone hubs that interface with these like the VERA3.

Tacos Al Pastor fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Jun 27, 2016

# ¿ Jun 27, 2016 17:58

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Hughlander posted:

Maybe, but they had SimpliSafe set with that already. And in the same rooms. (All motion sensors except the garage one were Armed Away only, garage was Armed Home/Away)

Right, that's why I'm not sure what it is or what the brand is. And it's in the same room as a SimpliSafe motion sensor which is in the corner, which is why I pointed out the fact that it's in the center of the room that's confusing me. Plus it's a different type than the Aeon's I mentioned originally. If the seller wasn't such an a-hole to deal with I'd really like to reach out asking, "WTF did you have going here!?!?"

Do you know what they had these setup as? If they were setup as monitoring lighting, they could have possibly had some sort of Z-Wave rule where if the lighting got to a certain point another ZWave-Light in the room would turn on, or some other rule would kick in like that. I've seen rules get really weird sometimes. Thats probably my best guess. It makes no sense to have two motion sensors setup they way they did, so maybe one of the other sensors beside motion was being used.

Sounds like whoever setup the Simpltec knew what they were doing.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2016 21:49

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

dreesemonkey posted:

Are there any recommendations for a not-terrible basic security cam / DVR systems? A 4 camera one would probably be plenty. My feeling from reading most of the reviews of different kinds are the software tends to be poo poo and/or people are expecting it to be end all be all absolutely perfect in every situation. My requirements are fairly basic. I don't need text/e-mail alerts or anything like that if it detects motion, I would just like to be able to access and export footage if something were to happen and I guess it would be nice if I could see live feeds if I really wanted to.

Not surprisingly, our rural neighborhood had some people going through our cars (everyone keeps them unlocked) taking change. Could have been way worse, this is the first time in 7 years something like this has happened since I've lived there. My neighbor got some footage of the perps (and they were caught later that day), and I thought "dang that's cool".

I'm not adverse to rolling my own solution, I do have a "server" but I already use it for plex and I don't want to overtax it running one or two cameras (i3 processor, 4GB ram). I'd rather shell out ~$300 for a 4 camera DVR bundle with few frills than spend $1000 on a new PC and cameras and software.

This is a pretty good system. Hook up a couple of their cameras and you're good to go.

http://www.nortekcontrol.com/pdf/literature/2gig-nvr-lit.pdf

# ¿ Aug 17, 2016 18:05

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Three Olives posted:

There are hardwired smoke detectors that don't have a alarm trigger, there are hardwired alarm systems that use standardized mesh wireless for connection, there are hardwired that use wifi for connection, there are completely proprietary ones.

The simple answer is if you don't want to do some basic research on how your alarm sensor(s) are triggered hire someone, none of us know how your system is wired nor what detectors your contractor is planning on installing.

There are smoke rings that integrate with existing hardwired smoke detectors that trigger a 24hr Fire to a panel if its running a 345 receiver (which I believe most do in the US). It looks at the electrical signal that is generated during the alarm and sends the signal to the panel. I think they work with most 345 panels.

Honestly I wouldnt mess with wiring anything. Wiring sucks and its just easier to deal with wireless when applicable.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2016 16:14

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

wandler20 posted:

I've used Smartthings for 2-3 years now and I'd say my up time is around 99%. The only time it hasn't worked for me is when my internet was out. It's very easy to use and setup and I'd have no problem recommending it to anyone.

Smart things is great for home automation but honestly I wouldn't use for home security. Any knowledgeable thief is going to know to cut your cable before entering your home. Would be better to get a home security option that does both.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2016 19:12

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

housefly posted:

So I've been holding off on posting this, but my home was broken into my first day of a European vacation. The good: my smartthings setup notified me of knocks on both the front and back door as well as the intrusion when they opened up the back door to get in. I knew the moment they went inside and was able to call the police immediately. I didn't have alarm.com service setup, so I had to take care of it myself. The police just missed them and they unfortunately were already gone with about $3000 in various possessions (I'm still traveling and haven't been able to verify all that is missing).

Honestly I'm not sure if the monitored service would have seen any different results. I called the police immediately and they dispatched units. The burglars must have been listening to a scanner and heard it called in, as there were MANY things they left that were far more valuable than what they stole. I was able to contact friends who went to my place to retrieve them so there were no repeat attempts to obtain the things they didn't get.

That said, I really wish I had a siren setup with this system. I think it would have immediately deterred them. Funny thing is that it was during the day (1:30pm on a Monday). I'm sure they were banking on people not being home during the day.

Honestly its more important imo to have cameras than a siren. A doorbell camera and a camera inside the residence somewhere out of view. If your security system is monitored then when they break in the central station will immediately get notified of a sensor that was tripped (a verified alarm), your cameras will get images and the images uploaded to alarm.com's backend. The advantage of monitored service is that someone like alarm.com can listen in to the premises without the intruders knowing and dispatch police without it going over the air for everone to hear. You'll also get the notification of an alarm and will be able to see the pictures from the break in almost immediately.

Monitored systems definitely have their advantages and can respond even if you cant.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2016 00:39

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Coredump posted:

Anyone in here use Arlo or Arlo Pro and can give their thoughts on it?

Arlo cameras are pricey. The functionality is built into their routers like the Nighthawk though so you don't have to buy the base station.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2016 00:41

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Coredump posted:

Wait really? So if I upgrade my router and just get some of the cameras I should be good?

I went to ISC West last year and this is exactly what the Netgear Rep told me: "You dont need the base station if you have the nighthawk router, the functionality for the cameras is built in".

Unless they changed something, yes, you wont need that base station.

BTW: The Nighthawk router kicks rear end. I love it.

Tacos Al Pastor fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Dec 15, 2016

# ¿ Dec 15, 2016 18:04

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Would anyone like me to post my findings at CES in this home security and automation sector of the show? Ill be out there next week for my job and will be mainly hanging around this area.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 00:27

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Scrapez posted:

That would be awesome. I'd like to hear what's coming.

Cool. Ill be sure to post some of the interesting stuff I come across.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2016 20:34

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

# ¿ Jan 9, 2017 20:35

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Duxwig posted:

Sometime in the last two weeks, someone came to our house and clipped the wires to our christmas lights in the front shrubs. Over the summer we found twisted up metal in our yard. Thinking it's our neighbor with dog lovely on the property border. We currently have a front porch light so not sure if motion light would do anything extra but I wanted to setup some cheap security camera to watch at night and review if something is amiss.

Was looking to do a wireless setup if at all possible as this is a rental and we cant drill holes for all the wires to run inside. I was going to get two cameras, one in the corner by the door to face down and outward towards the tree. The second camera somewhat overlapping the first and pointing towards the property line so we can see if it's Mr. Neighbor. Also purely as a visual "we're recording you now rear end in a top hat" signal to him.

I found the Arlo wireless setup and wasnt sure if there were other options. Basically looking only to record (whether continuous or motion sensed) at night as my wife works from home during the day and seriously doubt someone would try during the day. Don't necessarily have a free PC or tons of GB to utilize, but could if we had to. We'd bring the system with us in a year or so when we have a house but that's minimal in the type to get. Looking to stay under $300 if possible but open to options.

Take a look at Blink. I recently checked them out at CES. They have some outdoor cameras that are going to be released here very soon that run on AA batteries and have a two year life (if you can believe that). Motion activated and cloud monitoring you can dump video (720 I think) toyour phone. Best of all the cameras are only $120.

https://blinkforhome.com/pages/pre-order

I'm def keeping this one on my radar.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2017 22:23

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Thomamelas posted:

Blink's indooor camera claim a year. But that's based on 5.5 hours of motion occurring in front of them. Most people were reporting actual battery life of weeks to months. Outdoor environments may be slightly better but are more likely to be much worse. They say they improved the battery life but I think 2 years is the marketing department being extremely optimistic.

Hence why Im keeping it on my radar. There are a few software features they plan on adding in that aren't available yet, plus I would only buy the outdoor model.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2017 00:39

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

azurite posted:

I have a Yale Z-Wave lock and I love it. It unlocks via code or via Z-Wave, no key. If it runs out of juice, you can use a 9V battery as a backup. You'd have to neglect warnings for that to happen, though. A set of batteries lasts for months.

The new ones are good, the old ones are poo poo. Also make sure that the z-wave lock is the last thing you add into your chain. I've noticed that if its the first, its routing a lot of traffic and will eat through batteries.

# ¿ May 15, 2017 19:18

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

azurite posted:

Thanks for the tip. Mine is first in the chain, but the same set of batteries have been in there since late last year.

I have this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HS1O77G/ref=psdcmw_511306_t2_B005NLKRAO?th=1&psc=1

Depends on how many devices you have in the chain. I have some production ones here at my job that are the newest like this touchpad one:

And it does pretty well. The older Schlage and Kwikset really eat through batteries though if its first in chain.

Just something good to keep in mind.

# ¿ May 17, 2017 18:22

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Elephanthead posted:

So can you use a phone to unlock this within range or do you need an apple TV to work as the internet connected device? I think I have an apple TV 3 and I have stacks of ipads but they are always dead.

Its a zWave lock so any zWave appliance or security panel that supports the zWave protocol should work with it. Schlage makes bluetooth door locks but honestly I find those to be more trouble than they are worth.

# ¿ May 31, 2017 17:14

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Moey posted:

I have had my Schlage zwave unit (just like the one above) in for two months now. It's the first in the chain (first device I added and closest to my controller), currently battery shows 98 percent.

That model is actually pretty decent. Go with Schlage before Kwikset even for regular locks imo.

BTW guys you should be seeing more ZigWave (Zigbee + ZWave) devices here on the horizon if you're into that sort of thing (apparently zigbee is still alive and well!).

# ¿ Jun 1, 2017 18:13

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Keystoned posted:

Im looking for some type of electronic cat door that I can close or lock automatically. Ideally it would be something that I could trigger using my phone and ideally Alexa. It would also be nice if I could build in some type of automation to tell it if the garage door is open the lock the cat door, otherwise leave it unlocked.

This may be a bit specific so not sure if ill find anything. Basically we keep the litter box in the garage and have a cat door already, but the cat is in the habit of bolting out the door the second we open the garage and running down the sewer so Im trying to figure out how to stop him.

I saw something interesting when I was at CES this year. Its a smart switch for dumb appliances that can be controlled from Alexa. Check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faV56ZvRkoQ

It might work if you have some sort of power switch or something for your cat door(?).

https://prota.info/prota/

# ¿ Jun 6, 2017 19:50

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

edit: oops nm looks like you guys already mentioned the smart things shield addon

Tacos Al Pastor fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Oct 27, 2017

# ¿ Oct 27, 2017 00:58

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Added a Skybell Camera to my house. Works pretty drat good and it was way cheaper than the Ring Pro.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2018 00:47

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 4, 2024 05:06

Tacos Al Pastor: Jun 20, 2003

Thermopyle posted:

They may have improved it since I last used it months ago.

But yeah, I don't see a compelling reason to get Ring over Skybell.

There is a problem where every once and a while your feed will go blank (even inside the 7 day period) and the Skybell will need to be reset in order for you to see recordings again. Apparently I am not the only person who has seen this issue. Thats my only complaint and its only happened once, other than that the camera is pretty great.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2018 22:45

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Home Automation and Security Systems