DIY Home Security System

[BoomerD]

Considering a DIY home security system. Looking seriously ar the Ring stuff, but also considering Simplisafe.

Both seem to have decent hardware, prices are pretty comparable, but the biggest price difference is in the monitoring costs. Ring is a flat $10 mo or $100/year for monitoring and app access/control, while Simplisafe is $14.99/mo for monitoring, $24.99 for the app use.

Both have keypads, base station, window/door sensors, motion sensors, and video doorbells, plus Ring also has cameras/floodlights for outside use, while Simplisafe’s cameras are for interior use only.

Anyone have any experience, good or bad with either system?

 

[highland145]

Put ring pro doorbell at Mom's because reasons...hardwired. $30/year per camera to save the recordings, she has a front and side door. Pretty happy even though I did have to get a wal-mart smart phone....can also watch it on the PC/phone, live view and get notifications on both.

She already has another home security system.

I'll PM you a current live view.

 

[BoomerD]

Yeah, I like the Ring video quality...looking for info on their home security/alarm systems.

 

[BoomerD]

Nothing? No one has the Ring Alarm system?

 

[highland145]

Potential respondents got robbed and murdered...kind of like this place, dead.

 

[stargazr]

Damn I thought I'd be able to find a thread on Ring. BoomerD, did you get one? Costco has Ring 2 on sale.

 

[highland145]

Damn I thought I'd be able to find a thread on Ring. BoomerD, did you get one? Costco has Ring 2 on sale.

Link on the 2.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-smart-doorbell-camera/

 

[stargazr]

Link on the 2.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-smart-doorbell-camera/

Thank you!

 

[stargazr]

There is a basic plan for $3/mo. Not bad if you only have one camera. The $10 plan covers all cameras.

https://shop.ring.com/pages/protect-plans

Also you get the first year free with the one at Costco.

 

[highland145]

Thank you!

I'll PM you a screenshot from my desktop. Real happy with the live view and recordings from there. The phone doesn't connect all of the time but I still do get the notifications. I blame the Rig app because we have other perimeter cameras set up and that app connects every time.

 

[highland145]

There was a complaint that the the rechargeable ones couldn't do live view...YMMV.

 

[stargazr]

I'll PM you a screenshot from my desktop. Real happy with the live view and recordings from there. The phone doesn't connect all of the time but I still do get the notifications. I blame the Rig app because we have other perimeter cameras set up and that app connects every time.

Damn that looks great.

 

[BoomerD]

I went with the Ring Pro doorbell and the 14pc alarm system from Amazon. Signed up for their monitoring. ($100/year)

I received one keypad that isn't connecting...still waiting for Ring to get back to me about a replacement...otherwise, the install has been simple. Of course, I don't know how well it actually works...yet, but the system chirps everytime a door or window is opened...so........

 

[stargazr]

I picked up the Ring 2 yesterday. Got it all set up, works nice but it said weak wifi signal. I have a router from Spectrum, so the wifi is probably not that great.

 

[highland145]

Mom's router might be 20' from the camera.

I didn't set it up but they said you could block part of the viewing field to prevent false alarms like cars going town the street.

 

[BoomerD]

Mom's router might be 20' from the camera.

I didn't set it up but they said you could block part of the viewing field to prevent false alarms like cars going town the street.

Yep...sort of. The motion sensing field has some limited adjustments...even with mine adjusted so it doesn't cat h traffic...it still sends an occasional alert when someone drives by, especially trucks.

However, we had a new mattress delivered on Saturday...didn't even register when they backed their box truck in the driveway. Not until they rang the doorbell. (But it DID show a video of them backing in, just no alert)

 

[highland145]

Yep...sort of. The motion sensing field has some limited adjustments...even with mine adjusted so it doesn't cat h traffic...it still sends an occasional alert when someone drives by, especially trucks.

However, we had a new mattress delivered on Saturday...didn't even register when they backed their box truck in the driveway. Not until they rang the doorbell. (But it DID show a video of them backing in, just no alert)

Have had some glitches like that too. The desktop seems to run fine but I have it open all of the time. The phone app seems to be spotty sometimes.

 

[Sharry87]

I use Home8, it's like ring and simplisafe, but cheap