Ditching my home security monitoring and go DIY

[lazypucker]

So I have been paying like $50+ for years for Vivint home security. But recently I got 3 false alarms in the middle of the night because of strong wind tripping the window sensors, I called in and they offer me to upgrade the equipment (basically pay more).

Now I am thinking, maybe I can do it myself and skip the monthly monitoring fees.

I have the following currently and want something similar:

3 keypad doorlocks
3 smoke/CO2 detectors
2 or 3 window sensors (which are useless)
doorbell camera
garage overhead door control
2 nest thermostats (1st gen, needs to be replaced anyways - another gear grinder)

All equipment have already been paid for so I can keep them without extra costs if they are still functional.

I am looking to get a Blink system from Amazon, what are your guys' thoughts? I don't need 24/7 monitoring by a call center, and I don't need to control everything remotely from the phone.

https://www.amazon.ca/Blink-Video-Do...dp/B0DTR69N17/

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Do you need a new system if you don’t want monitoring or remote access?

We just stopped paying for monitoring. The system works exactly the same except if it goes off we don’t get the useless ‘are you a robber or currently being robbed’ phone call.

[EldrickOnIce]

I pay $60/year (early adopter) for monitoring with Wyze, but would get same notifications via app if not subscribed - just would not dispatch police. Only using this as example because I am sure there are lots of others where you can self monitor only. We have had wyze for several years and not got a false alarm. Let not pretend it's not bottom of the barrel stuff, because it is. But I'm happy with it's function but mostly it's price.

Don't plan to use cameras as security devices. They won't really work like that - and definitely won't without subscription, but are still nice to have.

[Hemi-Cuda]

If you really like DIY and are comfortable with tech I would go with Home Assistant. You can install it yourself on any kind of PC you may have lying around (or a Raspberry Pi), or you can buy a pre-configured system directly from them

https://www.home-assistant.io/green

Best part of that system is you can pick an choose pretty much any type of hardware you want to use. There is official support for all of the big brand name stuff, and user made addons that cover most everything else

For cameras specifically I'd recommend Reolink. Their wifi doorbell can hook into your existing doorbell wiring so no need for batteries, and their outdoor security cameras are excellent quality for the price. For recording you can use their cloud service, hook them up to an NVR, or record directly to an SD card you plug into the camera

[1qqaaz]

You can also get a dog.

I've never had any security, or any issues, and I'm pretty sure the dogs are the reason why.
Get a yappy rat as an initial deterrent, and a tank dog as actual defense.

[lazypucker]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

You can also get a dog.

I've never had any security, or any issues, and I'm pretty sure the dogs are the reason why.
Get a yappy rat as an initial deterrent, and a tank dog as actual defense.

Feeding the dog probably costs a lot more than the $60 monthly monitoring fee

[Fuzz]

Just to point out, of you care about Chinese surveillance, the Reolink stuff seems to be a bit suspicious. Buyer beware.

[lazypucker]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Just to point out, of you care about Chinese surveillance, the Reolink stuff seems to be a bit suspicious. Buyer beware.

Thanks for the reminder. I should order a bunch of Huawei cameras and I should have the best security as an army will be monitoring my home 24/7

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Just to point out, of you care about Chinese surveillance, the Reolink stuff seems to be a bit suspicious. Buyer beware.

Unlike Wyze, you can use Reolink cameras without hooking them up to the internet. Mine record to my Synology NAS and sit on a segregated LAN with no external access. Don't even need internet for firmware updates, since Home Assistant can push those out

[Fuzz]

Ya, if you do all that they are probably ok. But most people just see a brand recommendation and go with it. I work a bit in IT and am way too lazy to do it myself at this point. But it is good to know a brand exists that can run like that without issue, so I appreciate the comments. Maybe one day I'll get motivated after a break in...

[Hemi-Cuda]

Well really, if you do go with a cloud camera then what is the safe choice? All of the hardware is made in China regardless of what brand you go with, and if the company stores their data in the US then the NSA likely has full access to it anyways. And at this point I'd probably be more comfortable with the Chinese government having my data over the current US administration

That wasn't even why I went with Reolink though, I had a Wyze setup before and too many times the cameras went offline because of some issue with their cloud connection. Reolink handles everything local, so I never have to worry about outages that aren't power related. And setting up your own VPN is stupidly easy using something like Wireguard, so I can access them from anywhere

[Fuzz]

That's one of the reasons I don't have a camera yet...can't find a safe choice!


Also, lazy.

[Winsor_Pilates]

I use Blink cameras and they suck.
Unless you have hard wiring outside your house, the batteries die very fast.
They also struggle to connect to the wifi router inside my house, so are offline all the time.
Aside from looking like I have security, they do nothing.

[Arsenal14]

I also use Blink cameras - the batteries are an issue, but compared to the price of most systems I'm willing to live with it. I haven't had any issues with them connecting to my wifi. The only real issue I have with them is that they only record up to one minute clips with a minimum 10 seconds before retriggering. So when somebody broke into our garage we were missing chunks of time that would have been useful to have. There's probably better options out there but it serves my needs - mostly just notifying me that a package has been delivered and occasionally showing what wildlife is walking through our yard at night.

[DoubleF]

Double check your insurance. I believe some discounts are based on subscription for active monitoring, but the definition of active monitoring are kinda loose. If you haven't asked about that discount and have the system and monitoring, worth looking into to see about the discount. Instead of door sensors, motions light + cameras looking at all the windows/doors probably makes more sense.

If I were to do mine, what I'd probably do is go with the Unifi security system monitoring stuff that can be done on an intranet with easy on site storage/access. If no budget, It'd also be nice to be able to install a key fob or app system to get into the house. Use a physical key if all power and internet goes down (basically August, but pardon the pun, more Unified). Just Unifi stuff instead of security cam + August for door + Ring for door bell etc.

Garage doors, thermostats, smart plugs and other monitoring stuff, that's your choice and not really tethered into a specific brand. Personally I'd like to pay a little more so that the monitoring options go down to like 1-2 apps at most vs currently like 4-6. Even with attempts to reduce the headache with home assistance/Apple home etc. It's still kind of a royal PITA to have so many different brands trying to do their own thing and market their other stuff.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Arsenal14

I also use Blink cameras - the batteries are an issue, but compared to the price of most systems I'm willing to live with it. I haven't had any issues with them connecting to my wifi. The only real issue I have with them is that they only record up to one minute clips with a minimum 10 seconds before retriggering. So when somebody broke into our garage we were missing chunks of time that would have been useful to have. There's probably better options out there but it serves my needs - mostly just notifying me that a package has been delivered and occasionally showing what wildlife is walking through our yard at night.

My problems could be router location, strength of signal related too I guess.
Hard to know without testing signal strength.
Our house isn't too large, but I imagine house size effects wireless security as well.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

My problems could be router location, strength of signal related too I guess.
Hard to know without testing signal strength.
Our house isn't too large, but I imagine house size effects wireless security as well.

Are you using lithium batteries? That's what they recommend.

[indes]

I use the unifi protect system and its pretty good for cameras but they don't have an alarm or anything. Only phone notifications - Our house came with a Ring Alarm so we use that for the doors. If Unifi comes out with an alarm I'll probably switch over to that.

I like the unifi protect cameras as there's no outside connection so everything is stored locally and the app works great.

[Old Yeller]

Does Reolink (or another brand) have any external security cameras you can hardwire in? I'm looking at replacing an outdoor light at the side of the garage that I'd like to swap to a security cam of some sort.

I could change the light to a plug-in if need be I guess, but I'd rather just hardwire something if possible.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

Does Reolink (or another brand) have any external security cameras you can hardwire in? I'm looking at replacing an outdoor light at the side of the garage that I'd like to swap to a security cam of some sort.

I could change the light to a plug-in if need be I guess, but I'd rather just hardwire something if possible.

For almost all of their cameras they offer 2 versions, PoE and WiFi with wired power