Ring vs Skybell vs Kuna vs?

Several community members have already gone the chime sensor route. It’s not difficult. But that doesn’t give you video of who’s ringing the bell.

See option 6) and follow on discussion in the doorbell FAQ:

“We”, being EcoNetControls.com. Sorry for the confusion. I am founder of EcoNet Controls. We have introduced one Z-Wave device, our EV100 HVAC vent. We several other new devices in the works.

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I’ll chime in (heyyooooo!) here too in support of Ring. I love mine. I had the original DoorBot and the difference is night and day. Video is much better. It actually works, whereas DoorBot was REAL flaky. I get the occasional stuttering video with my Ring, but when it does, it’s brief and I can still tell who is at the door and hasn’t affected the audio.

The motion detection is pretty good. You can tweak the distance but I still get the occasional hit from a passing car. Also, in the late afternoon in the warmer months (now), the motion sensing craps out a bit, but I don’t think it’s necessarily the fault of Ring. My Ring faces directly west so it gets blasted by that afternoon sun and I’ve read that PIR motion sensors in general don’t do so great in direct sunlight and that type of placement should generally be avoided. I couldn’t avoid it given where my doorbell wires are. So I’m generally OK with that as the motion works well at all other times.

FWIW, my brother-in-law loves his too.

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Has anyone tried a two part system? i.e.:

  1. A Foscam or DropCam (probably Fos because of Outdoor) - using “camio” for free cloud storage
  2. A self-made Z-Wave Doorbell (no video) – see the forum link below. Or potentially modifying a SadoTech doorbell with a Z-Wave sensor that triggers when it sends a signal.

http://amzn.to/1JBmNco (FOSCAM)
Z-Wave Doorbell from a Wireless Doorbell + Door/Window Sensor (DIY Z-Bell)
h-t-t-p://community.smartthings.com/t/new-aeon-labs-doorbell/14924/8 (NEW AEON Z-Bell - coming soon)

Seems like Ring and Skybell aren’t really there yet, at least in terms of being a reliable (Extreme Weather Proof) system that combines video and doorbell features. I live in Minnesota (for now) and can’t bring myself to put a $200 Ring or Skybell outside (when it clearly states it’s rated for only down to 24 F).

The more research I’ve done (and after reading this forum), I’m thinking a two part system would be best. It could probably be done for ~$140 total … = $80 (Fos) + $50 (DIY Z-Bell or Aeon) + $10 for RBoy’s code to integrate Foscam to ST. Seems it would be easy to setup event based triggers when the D-Bell is pushed to also “capture a picture” and send it with a push notification to you. Someday when STV2 comes out and video streaming is available, you’d have it all within the ST’s App.

Any thoughts on the feasibility of this type of solution?

I’m leaning towards getting a Foscam now and waiting for the Aeon Doorbell.

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John, I’m a founder of SkyBell. What other devices would you like to see integrated with SkyBell?

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Other options:

Peeple is a crowdfunded device that replaces the peephole. No audio I think though.

Vivint recently came out with a great looking video doorbell. It looks like a normal sized doorbell (yes, I know its not SmartThings, but the “look” needs to be emulated by say, Ring version 3 or maybe Samsung for SmartThings.)

Vs Kuna in july/august period…I personally don’t care about ST integration here…- little out of category but makes more sense.

It’s the other way - I want to integrate Skybell with My ST house. I’d also like to be able to answer the door via a web client, and/or take/see photos

REST api:

  • register webhook callback on event (motion and/or ring)
  • take photo
  • get history
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I would recommend Skybell because it has better working quality and since the release of the newest software, Skybell works much much better with very few glitches and now has a (activity history button) which allows you to watch videos of previous activities on the cloud (for fee) and the ability to upload the videos to your smart phone, that may be used for text, email or social media.

Ring charges $3 per month or $30 per year for the previous activity videos on the cloud.
Skybell charges $0 per month or year for the previous activity videos on the cloud.

One thing I will warn about, is that if you have DSL or slow bandwidth none of the video doorbells will work well, you need decent bandwidth for any video doorbell product to work properly.

Yup skybell has great features when its working. I had mine for 5 weeks before it stopped ringing and now I have a $200 doorstop. Trying to deal with customer service was a disaster to, they asked me to send in a video showing the door bell feature didn’t work, which i did. Then they acknowledge there is an issue with the button but still can’t get a replacement because its after the 30 day warranty.

I’m waiting for this https://gigaom.com/2015/01/03/chamberlain-goes-from-the-garage-to-the-front-door-with-notifi/

At least you know chamberlain backs up there products

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You might think of offering three recording options: 1 snapshot, a series of stills (1/3s), or video.
It is important for many reasons to have a record, but the nature of the record may vary based on circumstances.

You may also think of having local storage available via HD attached to router under conditions when internet is down (i.e., if you are a comcast customer).

Now, what functionality is maintained when the internet connections is down?

Hey Blake-any updates? I need to extend a doorbell and would love to do it via Smart Things.

Thanks,
Rick

I’ve had a Skybell for about two months now and I’m pretty happy with it. As long as I have a strong wifi signal, I have no problem connecting to the video stream. My workplace heavily throttles video on the network, so I have trouble accessing it when at my desk, but that is no fault of the Skybell. Installation was easy, features are great. Would recommend.

Sorry for the delay in responding. The EDB100 prototype is complete and working. This device will install inside your existing door bell and is powered from the 12V door bell AC power. No need to change your door bell button or door bell chime. It will act just like a door/window sensor. Production is scheduled for October.(sorry about the delay on this device) It is behind other projects such as the EV200,(vent) EBV200 (valve control) and our new ESL100 (softlock). updates and more details to be posted on our EcoNet web site.

Cheers!

I tried the Ring Doorbell and was not happy with it, infact the first one I bought had to be return (their help desk said to return it because it was defective) the second one just doesn’t feel ready for prime so I returned it as well…

CONS:

  • The motion sensor is NOT as accurate as they claim, In one day I received over 30 notifications at the lowest sensitivity setting.
  • When the sensor did detect motion, the person entering the home was already inside before it started recording.
  • The image quality is about the same quality as the Nest Drop Cam. The difference is the rang is like looking through a peephole in a door.
  • By the time i received the notification from a delivery drop off they had already left before it connected.

PRO:

  • Easy setup
  • wireless operation available
  • The two way audio is pretty clear

This was just my experience, I am not a very patient person though :wink:

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Don’t bother with skybell. Skybell support is incompetent and inept in my experience. $200+ green ones down the drain for us. Guess there is a reason that 45% of amazon users have only rated skybell 1*. Read the reviews, its telling and mirrors our experience with them. You WILL be yanked around and asked to redo things randomly. Nice idea, terrible (at best) execution.

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Rob, Our experience is the same. Worked briefly and intermittantly. support is non existent. You have to constantly revisit and resend them info you have sent in previous emails for example as they ‘cannot see them’. They also ask for your credentials to test. How laughable is that. If my support staff acted like they did, they would have been out the door in a heartbeat :smile:

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i am joyce van from zilink. you can check Cobell wifi doorbell before you ready to buy. www. zilink.cn

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Rob, maybe you can check this one, doorbell with waterproof. :smile:www.zilink.cn

I am really happy with the kuna lantern. It replaces a porch light. $199 at Amazon. Combines a porch light with a motion sensor camera, two way intercom, and a panic button Siren. Live feeds whenever you want through the app ( you don’t have to wait for a motion sensor activation) Which is nice to check for packages. I had mine for over a month, not one false alarm. I also like the angle, which is higher then the doorbell would be. Wi-Fi, so the usual caveats on checking for signal strength.

You can put the light itself on a schedule, turn on on demand from the app, or let the motion sensor turn it on. Since the light comes on when the camera does, night pictures are good.

No direct integration with smartthings yet, but then neither do most of the other devices in this category.

Detailed discussion in the following topic:

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