Do you monitor your home remotely why traveling?

[jymbee]

We'd like to set up some kind of home monitoring system that we can access while away. Ideally a system where we could access a couple of cameras (indoor/outdoor) and equally important monitor indoor/outdoor temperatures. Gets quite cold here in upstate NY and our home is in a pretty remote location. Anyone here use or recommend a system we might want to look at?

 

[Chakara]

So I've built a system based on tech from 10 years ago so can't really recommend it - - but one thing I've done that is current is Arlo's wireless camera's.  Not what I'd do if you can hardwire - but if wiring isn't possible our outdoor Arlo's work well.  The challenge there is always battery life and we get 3 months or so on the high use camera's (IE: front door and we are home) and 6-7 months on the others.

If you can run wires there are a lot of less expensive options....

-Chak

 

[camperAL]

Hello,

I'm curious about this also. We have wired cameras in place but older system now. We have an alarm system that will get a call to us, trying to see if we set it off. If they can't call us then authorities are notified. Don't want false alarms. I'd be curious what other folks are using.

 

[TLRam1]

I installed this system not long ago, few months so I don't know a lot about it, Inexpensive systems but works for my needs and budget. You can check it from your phone anywhere.

I have some photos but this site says it is too large to upload.

https://www.swann.com/us/swdvk-849804

 

[TLRam1]

I tried to link photos and it did not work, these are from the phone.

Daytime

https://i.imgur.com/N2IbCE1.png


Night time

https://i.imgur.com/VDUv3qX.png

 

[Daffy]

I do,
I use Hikvision Cameras and NVR, all wired cameras as I'm not a fan of wifi if I can go wired. Everything is on a UPS.
For temp control I use a Honeywell wifi thermostat, you can set alerts for high and low temps as well as make changes from your smart phone.

No close by neighbors so being able to check on things and be alerted if motion is detected is good for me.

http://www.ipcamtalk.com   

A wealth of knowledge on cameras and associated gear.

 

[SpencerPJ]

equally important monitor indoor/outdoor temperatures. Gets quite cold here in upstate NY and our home is in a pretty remote location.

No idea about a system, but you could point a camera at an indoor / outdoor weather station and monitor readings.
https://www.amazon.com/ThermoPro-TP63-Indoor-Outdoor-Thermometer/dp/B07CSV14Y2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1538654598&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=indoor+outdoor+thermometer+wireless&psc=1

 

[NY_Dutch]

The only thing we monitor at our upstate NY cottage is the temperature since we leave the furnace on a low setting through the winter. We use an Acu-rite hub and sensor system with two inside sensors for redundancy, and one outside sensor so we'll appreciate Florida more. The settable alerts will text and/or email us for high or low temps, low sensor batteries, and loss of signal. There is no charge for the Acu-rite website that does the monitoring and sends the alerts.

 

[Bobtop46]

I am not interested in cameras or temp monitoring so I use Simplisafe.  It uses cell phone system and the base station has a battery backup in case of power outage.  This also means I don't need to keep internet service while gone for 6+ months at a time.  I get text alerts whenever the power goes out and is restored, and of course any alarms I get called or police sent to the house.  While away we set the A/C to 80 and the heat to 50.  Has worked great for 4 years and I had to recently change out all the batteries in all the sensors.

 

[lavarock1210]

I use Ring Doorbell cameras for Video.  I also use AcuRite Access system for temperatures.  The only problem it requires 24/7 WIFI at the location being monitored.

I use Verizon home connect that has both WIFI and telephone for about $20 a month and shares your cell phone data plan.

 

[NY_Dutch]

The Spectrum Internet data plan we have at the cottage is only $15/mo, and we also use it to stream programming from the Dish Hopper we keep there using the DishAnywhere app on our FireTVstick. That lets us record programs while underway for later viewing, and my wife has even used it to watch her favorite soap opera while underway. Sometimes on overnight stops, we don't bother to set up our dish at all.

 

[Alfa38User]

These high tech monitoring systems seems to work fine but... What does your insurance company say about these systems??  My insurance company requires a visit every so often which a neighbour has done for us for the last 10 years. Don't know what we will do next year as she is moving away next summer.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I recently upgraded to a wifi thermostat for the heat pump (and that includes outdoor temperature sensing).  I'm just beginning to look at cameras and sensors and thinking that a SmartThing (ZigBee) hub will enable me to use a variety on inexpensive sensors and monitors. The cost of this tech is coming way down and set-up in increasingly simple.

 

[8Muddypaws]

We use an ADT system that texts our phones, sends an alert, and they call if it was a sensor trip.  I also installed a Wyze cam that sends an alert when motion is detected.  I can watch it live on my phone/iPad, download recorded videos etc.  it also has a memory card slot that is used if the wireless connection goes down.  For a $20 camera it's amazing and there is no charge for cloud storage.  They also make a $35 cam that does pan & scan.

 

[SeilerBird]

Yes I do monitor my home with this awesome inexpensive security

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,116929.msg1058973.html#msg1058973

 

[Memtb]

    Yes!!  Several years ago, on our first ?real? vacation (in many years), one full day of travel away from home, at about 04:00 hours....our home alarm (motion detector) went off. Battery died in the motion detector.... a  bad way to start a vacation!

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Back in the old days before cell phones we'd go away for a week in our RV and not call home.

Told our relatives we were on vacation and didn't want to know if our house burned down. Wasn't anything we could do about it  other than have it wreck our vacation. 

No news is good news.

Now nobody can go on vacation and truly get away. 

 

[Bobtop46]

I will add, make sure the system that you are looking at provides a certificate that your insurance company will accept that will get you a discount on your home insurance.  I don't think a do it yourself home wifi cam will get you the discount.  No big deal if you are not interested in the discount.

 

[jymbee]

I do,
I use Hikvision Cameras and NVR, all wired cameras as I'm not a fan of wifi if I can go wired. Everything is on a UPS.
For temp control I use a Honeywell wifi thermostat, you can set alerts for high and low temps as well as make changes from your smart phone.

No close by neighbors so being able to check on things and be alerted if motion is detected is good for me.

Sounds very similar to my situation. I would also prefer a wired system but can't figure out exactly what would work best here.

I see some systems that require what appears to be some kind of data wire to be connected to the DVR. Not really practical with our setting. But when I built the house I put in network & coax cable runs everywhere. Of course now most everything is wireless  but perhaps all these wires could be used effectively in a CCTV system? In your Hikvision system do you use PoE to connect everything, or... ? Not sure if all our coax wire would be useful as another option either. Still researching...

 

[blw2]

I recently upgraded my thermostats with ones form EcoBee.  Works well with Alexa.  She can make it colder downstairs, or set upstairs to 76 degrees.  Silly but nice.

I had been considering cameras form Arlo a while back but hesitated to make the investment.  Recently I looked at options again, and just this weekend installed a Nest Hello doorbell.  now I wish that I'd used Nest thermostats instead, only so everything would be on the same 'ecoystem'.
we use google for a lot of stuff since phones are android
but we have alexa to do a few things.
Nest doorbell, being a google company, doesn't play well with Alexa.  I just didn't like the specs of the ring doorbell (amazon's) as well as the Nest one.
Anyway, I still think it's maybe a little silly and necessary, but I like the idea of at least having a picture of the bad guy...or being able to verify that i don't have any unknown packages on the stoop announcing that nobody is home...  a little piece of mind.  Will probably eventually get a few more nest cameras for other areas around the house.