Todd VaziriDOORBELLS!
Now that I have your attention, does anyone love their new, modern doorbell? One that perhaps integrates with a camera/smart system that doesn't have a monthly service fee?
Brian Warren@tvaziri Yep! We got the Eufy. It stores the video in its little base station. No monthly fee. Ours is battery powered, so every few months I gotta recharge it. https://us.eufy.com/pages/video-doorbell?ref=homepage_category3
chris overcash@bw @tvaziri they had a pretty big security issue recently where they were sending unencrypted images to their servers even when cloud storage was not enabled. And denied it for a long time. They eventually admitted it: https://www.theverge.com/23573362/anker-eufy-security-camera-answers-encryption
Brian Walsh@tvaziri Logitech has been mostly good for us and uses Secure Video.
Kyle Bradbury@tvaziri if you are an iCloud user the Logitech Circle View camera uses iCloud for secure video without an additional fee. It’s also controlled through HomeKit so no 3rd party service to sign up for.
Dale Price@tvaziri I’ve been happy with the logitech circle view. It only works with Apple Homekit, which is both a pro and a con (it's private and the integration with apple devices is fantastic, but there's no android support). I think it requires a paid iCloud tier if you want to store the recordings.
Best Wishes, TheJesusFish@tvaziri if you are a HomeKit home, go with the Logitech.
It’s like 80% there, but it’s HomeKit secure video (this should be table stakes for any HomeKit cameras) and you get video notifications on your Apple TV like it’s the future.
Vicente Perez@tvaziri I know Ring gets a bad rap but almost 8 years in, I never had any issues.
Jason Rimmer@tvaziri I’m happy with my Ubiquiti Protect system. Not only because it’s detached from the cloud and has no monthly fee but it’s easy to manage for me and for my family to use (I’m bridging it to HomeKit).
@jrimmer @tvaziri this is going to probably be a pretty expensive investment on the hardware side but one that’s worth making. He’ll need at least Cloud Key gen 2 Plus in addition to doorbell and chime, so minimum $600, will probably also want to upgrade the hard drive for longer retention. On the plus side, he’ll have the option to add additional cams.
@covercash @tvaziri One can start with the UDR and a microSD card with a G4 Doorbell. Still a ~$500 investment, though. I suggest it’s worth it if one really wants purely local storage & management. Also a great foundation for a more sophisticated security platform.
Steve Mintsioulis
Joaquín@joaquin_win @tvaziri I use HomeAssistant but I’ve heard wonderful things about Scrypted.
@jrimmer thanks!
Devon Dundee@tvaziri I use the Logitech Circle View with HomeKit Secure Video, and it’s great. Ties into my iCloud account, so no additional monthly fee necessary.
Louie Mantia, Jr.@tvaziri I love mine. It has an audio and video feed, but doesn’t integrate “smartly” with any service. No fees, it’s just a closed circuit. But… probably just a Japan thing.
Kenny Barnt@tvaziri I’ve been pretty happy with the Logitech Circle View. Only works with HomeKit, so good on privacy and it’s been solid for the 6 months or so we’ve had it.
Denton Jacobs@tvaziri Another vote for the Eufy doorbell. Easy to use, secure local storage. Nice combo in my book.
Julian Fong@tvaziri We had a Logitech Circle View for a while. Easy to install in old house and as other repliers have said, it works well enough with Apple HomeKit. It's nice to have someone ring the doorbell and have their picture show up on your TV if you're using AppleTV.
However, the video processing part of HomeKit is the main problem IMO, Apple lags behind the competition. Notifications are often late, motion & human detection isn't always reliable.
DoRe@tvaziri If you're in the Ubiquiti ecosystem, you can give their Doorbell Pro a try. Everything is recorded locally on the unifi protect, or dream machine pro. No cloud storage.
https://ca.store.ui.com/ca/en/products/uvc-g4-doorbell-pro%7D
malducin
Kelly Guimont@tvaziri love is a strong word for a doorbell but I don't hate my Logitech Circle. I will not have a Ring because im not comfortable handing my neighborhood's activity to the cops. I will not have a Eufy because i'm not comfortable handing my neighborhood's activity over to everybody else: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/02/ankers-eufy-admits-problems-with-unencrypted-video-access-pledges-overhaul/
@tvaziri part two: I used to have a SkyBell, which I liked just fine (no sub, decent video quality, etc). I think it was my network infrastructure that did it in, when I gave up on it I got the Logitech. Now that my network is all Ubiquiti, I would probably get their doorbell. We've installed a couple through my day job and they also seem solid (good video no sub etc).
Ryan Williamson@tvaziri The Wemo doorbell works with HomeKit, and seems to work as advertised with no fees. Can’t compare to any others.
Jared White@tvaziri Logitech Circle View works well and integrates with HomeKit Secure Video. Only downside is it can go offline when in direct sunlight on very hot days.
Paul Sprangers@tvaziri if possible, try to get a model that is hard wired. They’re quicker to respond to activity and take away the nuisance of regularly charger your doorbell.
Making sure it also has a 5Ghz WiFi connection is a bonus (2.4Ghz only has been a pain in the butt for me).
And anything supporting HomeKit Secure Video is amazing if you’re in Apple’s ecosystem (getting notified on your TV with a live view of your front door is awesome).
Andrew Kerr@tvaziri Aqara Doorbell G4 works well with HomeKit Secure Video and has the option of batteries (which makes it a little chunky) or wired. Much cheaper than other HomeKit options and it’s been very reliable for us.
Camron Flanders@tvaziri Ubiquiti G4 pro, but this requires more than just the doorbell to work. Homebridge adds HomeKit integration that’s pretty awesome