I am based in the UK and I am hoping someone may be able to share their personal experience with me.
I am looking to take the plunge in to home automation, and my first step is going to be home security.
Initially I want a system that will incorporate multi sensors, movement sensors and also some form of outdoor CCTV.
When there is a breach in to the property, I would want the following:
outdoor alarm/siren to sound similar to traditional alarm systems
notifications on my wifes and my mobile device
going forward I would also want to turn on lights and a video feed to kick in - but I will add this in the future
When there is movement outside, I would want the video feed to recorded to a storage device in the property and not in the cloud.
From what I can see, there are only internal sirens and I can’t see of any on premises DVR systems that I can incorporate in to my set up.
At the moment, I don’t think I can accomplish this with ST so I am thinking I will need to buy a separate system for security.
I would really appreciate any input or feedback from the community.
To be honest when it comes to the video , you are far better off with a stand-alone CCTV with remote access running 24-7. There are apps to integrate dropcams and Foscam cameras and maybe a few others, but AFAIK they will only capture and send you a still, so unless your timing is 110% perfect the chances of getting what you want in the picture are pretty slim.
The push/SMS alerts are simple, and when you get one you can easily open your CCTV app and view the cameras yourself in real time.
" Fine" is a relative term. It will work as long as you don’t rely on it for 100% reliability. That is another reason to have a separate CCTV system so you can verify any alerts you might get. No reason to be calling the police if it was just a curious squirrel that set of the motion detectors, or an overzealous salesmen knocking on the door that set off the door sensors.
Of course with any system it still has its limitations. If you lose power or internet you won’t get any notifications. Unless you have a UPS for your modem and/or a back up cellular connection. .