Home security

[HitterD]

After my latest issues with Telus/Vivint, I’m officially done with these guys. I’m curious if anyone has any recommendations for home security? I’m not sure if I’m looking for a monitored solution at this point, but I’m looking for cameras and have really gotten used to the wifi/app for setting the house alarm and locking/unlocking doors etc, so I’d still be looking for something that has those features if possible.

Any recommendations are welcome though and appreciated.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by HitterD

After my latest issues with Telus/Vivint, I’m officially done with these guys. I’m curious if anyone has any recommendations for home security? I’m not sure if I’m looking for a monitored solution at this point, but I’m looking for cameras and have really gotten used to the wifi/app for setting the house alarm and locking/unlocking doors etc, so I’d still be looking for something that has those features if possible.

Any recommendations are welcome though and appreciated.

I have some Wyze outdoor cameras for my house plus the doorbell, I find they work well enough and you can't beat the price. They also have smart deadbolts and the full house alarm system if you want to go that route, all controlled with their app

[TorqueDog]

If you're the type to tinker, Home Assistant is very powerful home automation software that you can use to control Z-wave, Zigbee, and WiFi-enabled smart home products. You just install it onto a Raspberry Pi and add the requisite Z-wave / Zigbee radio USB adapters depending what protocol(s) you need to interact with, and away you go.

If you're looking for something a bit easier but still quite powerful, a Hubitat smart hub will do much of the same with less of a learning curve.

Or if you want the easiest possible solution, the Samsung SmartThings hub will make everything braindead simple at the cost of some customization and flexibility that Hubitat and Home Assistant offer.


I started my smart home deployment with SmartThings and planned on migrating to Hubitat but paused that when I realized SmartThings still did everything I needed it to right until I sold my house. I think for your needs, SmartThings is the way to go with some good Z-wave locks (I loved my Schlage Connect code locks) and some WiFi cameras. If you have a larger house, add a Z-wave smart-switch or two as these will act as signal repeaters so you have more flexibility in where you put your hub. I used a smart-switch and a door open sensor (reed sensor) to automatically turn the light in the pantry on when the door was opened, and turn it off once it was closed. Very handy.

[DoubleF]

The answer I guess depends. How much do you want to spend? and how capable are you (DIY vs will need to hire someone to install)?$500 is barely entry level for 3-4 items of decent stuff and you can easily do $1K++. Do you have stuff from previous that you can still use? Or are you doing everything from scratch?

What Torquedog recommended I believe is around the $500-800 range all in, but I don't know what your total needs are so I don't know if for certain things you want 1 or 4 (for instance).

Easiest entry level without binding eco-systems together, I'd probably say August lock for wifi unlocking or Schlage for pinpad + bluetooth unlocking. You're looking at probably $150-250 each. I'd probably suggest at least the front door and perhaps a garage door if you have it for the autolocking feature.

Wyze, Ring etc. smart doorbells are around $100-200 each I think. Might also have to add extra if you need someone to install for you vs DIY (recommended).

Cameras, $30-80 each if indoors and with/without ability to pan. Mounting options (ie: 3M strips) perhaps $1-2 per camera. Cable extenders/extension cords/management $5-10 per camera if bulk, could be double if less than bulk. Outdoor cameras $80-120 each. Again doesn't include wiring if it is required. Floating shelves can make the whole thing look even nicer, but that could cost $10-30 per camera. But I mention this only because it increases the chances of the item blending in/spousal approval.

Time: Probably 6-16 hours total depending on complexity assuming 1 smart deadbolt, 1 door camera, 1 outdoor camera and 1 indoor camera with little issues on the lower end and extra items to install plus unforeseen difficulties. Includes removal of old, prep/mounting, installing new, testing, configuration, debugging etc. The nice thing is that you can compartmentalize and just focus on each individual item independently. Smart locks might be a pain, or dead easy. Same as cameras for positions, spouse saying it looks ugly, please remove/re-order etc. Mounting can also not be underestimated in the types of annoyances and challenges it produces.

[undercoverbrother]

Bear Spray

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

What Torquedog recommended I believe is around the $500-800 range all in, but I don't know what your total needs are so I don't know if for certain things you want 1 or 4 (for instance).

Pretty accurate, for a basic foray into a SmartThings setup:
SmartThings hub: $170 off Amazon
Schlage Connect Smart-Deadbolt: $210-$250 each from Home Depot (I assume two)
Ring Doorbell Pro 2: $199 from Home Depot

I would budget at least one Z-wave smart switch as well to act as a repeater in case the house is big enough to need one, those are $60 for the Leviton switches.

A Hubitat is ~$100 USD so that's a bit cheaper than SmartThings but at the cost of some extra time spent setting things up (with the reward of more flexibility).

[Erick Estrada]

Is a SmartThings much different than Homekit where you can add cameras, doorbells, locks, lights, thermostats, etc and automate them?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Bear Spray

Nah. Then your house would have bear spray that you'd inhale. You might screw yourself more than the other person.

Weapon wise, I was thinking more like a $100-200 plasticky airsoft shotgun or rifle that is capable of FPS between 200-300 fps makes more sense. I'd yell, "I have called the cops and I have a fire arm. Get out!" Better than bats and knives or hand guns.

You want a deterrent, not something that can incapacitates. Incapacitation stuffs you're more likely to regret or accidentally self injure than successfully utilize in the right situation IMO. If there's an intruder, call the cops. Don't confront if possible unless you're the type to want to rush around the home to ensure everyone else is safe.

I'd personally also choose a tennis racquet or squash racquet over a bat too. Better defense against hitting the weapon away against someone with a knife if they're being bold. Faster swings/recoveries and larger coverage than a bat. Also more plausible deniability.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Is a SmartThings much different than Homekit where you can add cameras, doorbells, locks, lights, thermostats, etc and automate them?

EDIT: Oops, got it wrong/reversed.

Apple Homekit is the more restricted one vs Smart things.

In smart things, you can get your "smart items" to communicate with a physical hub and you can do more complex automations. But certain devices can function via wifi and don't need the hub.

Homekit doesn't use a hub and thus I think it's basically like allowing an app to communicate with other apps.

http://www.differencebetween.net/tec...s-and-homekit/

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Is a SmartThings much different than Homekit where you can add cameras, doorbells, locks, lights, thermostats, etc and automate them?

Yes, it is different in that the SmartThings Hub supports Zwave, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Matter, and Wifi devices. It allows developers to write drivers for all kinds of things that aren't technically supported so much more can be added and automated.

[Bill Bumface]

I use Homekit and extend it with Homebridge running on a Pi. My plan has been to go with Homebridge until I run into a brick wall and need to go with Home Assistant. So far, there has been no need for my use cases, so I'll stay with the lighter/simpler system.

Of note, the Eve app allows you to use a bunch of features of the HomeKit API that are not available in the Apple Home App. You don't need any Eve devices to make use of this, and it's free.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

EDIT: Oops, got it wrong/reversed.

Apple Homekit is the more restricted one vs Smart things.

In smart things, you can get your "smart items" to communicate with a physical hub and you can do more complex automations. But certain devices can function via wifi and don't need the hub.

Homekit doesn't use a hub and thus I think it's basically like allowing an app to communicate with other apps.

http://www.differencebetween.net/tec...s-and-homekit/

Homekit uses a Hub as it's either an Apple TV, or HomePod. I don't doubt that it's more restrictive though although the automation is perfectly fine for my needs. The biggest issue to me is that you are restricted to Homekit enabled devices and some of the better stuff like doorbells don't have Homekit compatibility. I use the Netatmo Smart doorbell and while it may be the best looking doorbell out there it's thoroughly mediocre.

[DoubleF]

There's a bunch of stuff on heavy discount in anticipation of Prime day. Lots of blink units are 50% off and I was pleasantly surprised to discover some of those outdoor units are now wireless with expected 2 years of battery life from AA batteries.

https://www.amazon.ca/Blink-Doorbell..._D_6f1dd35b_12

$170 for 2 outdoor cameras and 1 doorbell camera ain't bad at all for entry level. No idea on the compatibility with automation software (and I wouldn't hold my breath because it's an Amazon device) and depending on your needs, spending a bit more for better quality stuff is worth considering. Something I wouldn't consider for myself, but inexpensive enough that if I wanted to set up something basic and dead easy for my parents place, I would consider it.

[EldrickOnIce]

We are all in on Wyze. Early adopter on alarm system, so get monitoring at $49/year, which includes 1 cam plus license (and like all these kinds of cams, are pretty much worthless without the subscription). We have locks, cams, outdoor plugs, light strings, vacuum, sprinkler controller, thermostats and door/window monitors as well as motion and moisture sensors.

If I started all over again, I would probably go this route again. It's pretty much the definition of adequate. Which is not a ringing endorsement, but I'm pretty happy with it.

[indes]

Currently we have ring alarm with a ring doorbell but are moving over to the unifi stuff - I have a UDM SE so I just needed a hard drive and some cameras to get going.

Really impressed with the cameras so far, but I haven't been able to get the unifi Poe doorbell cam yet as they're always out of stock.

The biggest thing for me was local storage so my footage isn't on the cloud and I'm not paying subscription fees.

[PsYcNeT]

Been using Ring for a couple years. Best thing I can say is that it's cheap and it works, and it's really easy to spin up new add-ons.

[rotten42]

I use Arlo for my camera system. Use my dog for an alarm.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by rotten42

I use Arlo for my camera system. Use my dog for an alarm.

My dog alerts us to deers, cats, and seniors walking by, along with wind blowing leaves through the yard.

We have ReoLink wifi cameras. They let me know when my wife and kids come and go, when we get the mail or deliveries, even when the mother-in-law was watering the flowers while we were out camping in the summer. We did have prowlers on a couple of occasions which the barking dog scared off and then I put up cameras and there as been no prowlers since. I bought them in 2020.

ReoLink works well enough. You don't need a subscription, just buy an SD card to put in. Supposedly works down to -20 celcius but I've connected and viewed at lower temperatures. The batteries die quicker in cold weather and you have to take them down to charge the batteries ever so many months. I wish I had bought the solar chargers so I could just leave them alone.

[Hanni]

Whatever you do try and get a system that has water sensors. My Ring system just saved me a whole lot of cabinet damage this weekend when the dishwasher decided to start leaking. I put water/temperature sensors under the dishwasher, fridge, washing machine and by the sump a few years ago.

A $40 sensor saved me a pile of hassle and money.