I’m interested in getting one of them fancy doorbells with motion-activated video. Prefer one that can be hooked up to existing doorbell wiring/transformer rather than battery powered. Looked at several different Ring models and a couple of Arlo’s. Also looking at motion-activated camera + floodlight rigs - battery powered would be o.k. here, as I’d like to get up and running a.s.a.p. and self-install would be much faster than having an electrician out to run the wires. Obviously, app compatibility and cloud video storage are very much preferred, but seem to be more or less standard with most equipment.
I used to have a nest camera set up. The camera worked GREAT. But the main issue was that to access video you had to pay for their cloud storage (like 8 bucks a month). This is more so “something to consider.” Personally, i wouldnt pay for anything that required a subscription.
We use the Ring doorbell. It wires into the current doorbell and is very easy to install/use via the app on a smartphone. You need good wifi to the doorbell for it to work well. It’s not very sophisticated but it works well. Also has a ‘neighborhood’ feature where other Ring users around you can report issues such as strangers coming to their doors, etc.
Do you have any smart home products? If you do then you should probably go with something designed to work in that infrastructure. If not, then I guess it depends on what you intend to do later, how much you want to spend, and what will work with your house and wiring.
For me, the camera was one of the last things I invested in (camera and security system were installed at the same time). I already was a NESTie - Thermostats, front door lock, and smoke/CO2 detectors. At the time google did not have a door bell camera, but my front door is under an overhang that has an outside outlet within 3 feet, also under a protected overhang. So now I have an outdoor NEST cam that looks down/across the front door, but more importantly down the sidewalk leading up to the door and most of the driveway.
It’s been there for 2 years an appears to be bullet proof.
We use the Ring doorbell. It wires into the current doorbell and is very easy to install/use via the app on a smartphone. **You need good wifi to the doorbell for it to work well. ** It’s not very sophisticated but it works well. Also has a ‘neighborhood’ feature where other Ring users around you can report issues such as strangers coming to their doors, etc.
I have no experience with other systems.
This is a very important item to consider. My Ring doorbells will not stay connected to my WiFi and never work and I’m cancelling them. Not sure what I’ll switch to.
Nope, the house is dumb as a stump but we do have solid WiFi. Best Buy is currently offering a ‘free’ Google Assistant" with most Ring purchases, so we’ll be getting a little smarter if I go that direction.
Thanks for the info. I’m leaning in the direction of the Ring - most recent reviews are solid and it sounds like it has the features I’m looking for. They also offer some floodlight/camera setups that look pretty slick - might consider that as well.
We don’t have the Ring doorbell, but, we have Ring cameras front and back. They are all wireless. Batteries last a very long time. We have a smart home, so, the entire thing is hooked up and tied in with Amazon Alexa. We also have the Ring home alarm system. Absolutely love it. Works very well. The Ring app allows you to access all the cameras at any time anywhere. You can set the motion alert settings. Very nice.
FWIW, I am part of the Ring Explorer program, so, I beta test new software and new products. I do not receive any compensation for this, just early access to new stuff. Plus, my inner geek likes testing new products.
Have a battery operated Ring, works well. I see more are adding a down facing camera to show packages. Wish we had that, as ours will get from about the knee up , but any packages placed at the door can not be seen.
Great info - thanks! Glad to hear you’re happy w/ the cameras - I’m considering them for front and back. Might have to get WiFi boosters for the cameras to work optimally since the router is a fair distance away from the planned locations but that’s not a big deal. Will likely start w/ the doorbell and go from there - can’t go getting too smart too fast.
//This is a very important item to consider. My Ring doorbells will not stay connected to my WiFi and never work and I’m cancelling them. Not sure what I’ll switch to. //
We had a similar issue and they sent us a signal booster (free) and it solved the problem. Perhaps you’ve already been down this path but thought it worth mentioning.
I’m interested in getting one of them fancy doorbells with motion-activated video. Prefer one that can be hooked up to existing doorbell wiring/transformer rather than battery powered. Looked at several different Ring models and a couple of Arlo’s. Also looking at motion-activated camera + floodlight rigs - battery powered would be o.k. here, as I’d like to get up and running a.s.a.p. and self-install would be much faster than having an electrician out to run the wires. Obviously, app compatibility and cloud video storage are very much preferred, but seem to be more or less standard with most equipment.
What’cha got?
I have Ring Pro 2. Both the door bell and the stand alone camera. Strong wifi is an absolute must.
The door bell works great. I like how you can set up the motion zone. I usually get a notice of “Motion at your front door” before they have even gotten out of their car.
I put the camera near the lake in back of the house. The wifi signal was not strong enough so I had to use POE (Power Over Ethernet) and run an ethernet cable to it. I have beavers that come into my yard and rip my bushes out and return to the lake. So I set up this camera and use the “siren” to alert me to when there is motion.
In theory, it works. In practice, not so much. There are too many false signals. Moths, bugs, spiders come across the camera and it goes off. When you get woken up 4 or 5 times a night, and it is just another moth, you get to where you just look at the video instead. But, there is a slight delay in the video upload. I didn’t think that would matter. It does. It takes about a minute for the video to upload onto the server. It only takes the beaver about 40 seconds to cross the yard, rip out the plant, return to the lake. I got lots of videos of beavers but never got the notice quick enough to kill the bastards. The times you wait for the video to upload instead of turning off the alarm, getting the gun, turning on the spot lights and going out on the deck, well, that is when it is a freakin beaver. By then, it is too late.
One other thing. If you want to have the videos saved to the server, it is $30 per year, per camera.
I still use the camera. But no longer rely on it. I put in an electric fence with 8500 volts. I am now waiting for the camera to capture one in it so I can watch it over and over again.