3 ms·

I like the idea, nice implementation, but I was hoping to be able to answer the door remotely. One alternative I've been looking at is the ubiquiti doorbell, i

by sliken 5y ago

I like the idea, nice implementation, but I was hoping to be able to answer the door remotely. One alternative I've been looking at is the ubiquiti doorbell, it allows answering the door with 1 way video and 2 way audio, without involving any cloud services.

biktor_gj 5y ago
Given there's an electronic lock on the other side with a keypad, it makes me think that thing has its own actuator and didn't want to mess with it. Otherwise it would just be a matter of adding an "Electric strike?" (https://www.tesa.es/en/site/tesa/products/electromechanical-devices/electric-strikes/mortise-electric-strike/ https://www.tesa.es/en/site/tesa/products/electromechanical-...), feed it 12/24v through a relay connected to the pi zero, and add another api endpoint
moepstar 5y ago
I'd hold off buying anything Ubiquiti in the near term and wait for them to decide if they totally turn hostile their consumers (well, prosumers in that case) or not. Just search the recent (3 to 6 months ago) news for them...
- colordrops 5y ago
  I think that's already been decided.
- slantyyz 5y ago
  If you're not into walled gardens, don't bother waiting. You'll likely be unhappy with the outcome.
TheHypnotist 5y ago
I'm in a situation where there was no wire at my front door so I'm limited in the type of doorbell cam. The one I settled on is Eufy who at least stores the information locally on the home base and doesn't charge for access. That said, I don't really know what's happening with my data, but from what I understand, it's not going to at third party (at least for the doorbell). This seemed like my best option.
slantyyz 5y ago
I have the Unifi Doorbell, and I like it a lot. My use case is mainly for 24/7 recording and less so for interactive communication with people at the door, so take my preference with a grain of salt. Heck, I have never even used the two-way communication function since buying the doorbell earlier this year. While I generally like the Unifi Protect walled garden (because of usability compared to other non-cloud options), it's not all sunshine and rainbows either. If your doorbell rings and you launch the app, you're going to be waiting several seconds for the app to reinitialize, etc. By the time you answer, a significant amount of time will have passed. There's also latency between the two-way comms. In my particular case, the tradeoffs of going with the Protect walled garden were worth it. The cameras are decent (yes, you can get cheaper and better), it is super easy to set up, and I didn't need to train my wife on how to use the mobile app at all. If you're not into walled gardens, however, the Unifi Protect ecosystem probably isn't for you. As most surveillance cam peeps online will tell you, you can do a lot better for less money.

by sliken 5y ago

biktor_gj 5y ago

Given there's an electronic lock on the other side with a keypad, it makes me think that thing has its own actuator and didn't want to mess with it. Otherwise it would just be a matter of adding an "Electric strike?" (https://www.tesa.es/en/site/tesa/products/electromechanical-devices/electric-strikes/mortise-electric-strike/ https://www.tesa.es/en/site/tesa/products/electromechanical-...), feed it 12/24v through a relay connected to the pi zero, and add another api endpoint

moepstar 5y ago

I'd hold off buying anything Ubiquiti in the near term and wait for them to decide if they totally turn hostile their consumers (well, prosumers in that case) or not. Just search the recent (3 to 6 months ago) news for them...

colordrops 5y ago
I think that's already been decided.
slantyyz 5y ago
If you're not into walled gardens, don't bother waiting. You'll likely be unhappy with the outcome.

TheHypnotist 5y ago

I'm in a situation where there was no wire at my front door so I'm limited in the type of doorbell cam. The one I settled on is Eufy who at least stores the information locally on the home base and doesn't charge for access. That said, I don't really know what's happening with my data, but from what I understand, it's not going to at third party (at least for the doorbell). This seemed like my best option.

slantyyz 5y ago

I have the Unifi Doorbell, and I like it a lot. My use case is mainly for 24/7 recording and less so for interactive communication with people at the door, so take my preference with a grain of salt. Heck, I have never even used the two-way communication function since buying the doorbell earlier this year. While I generally like the Unifi Protect walled garden (because of usability compared to other non-cloud options), it's not all sunshine and rainbows either. If your doorbell rings and you launch the app, you're going to be waiting several seconds for the app to reinitialize, etc. By the time you answer, a significant amount of time will have passed. There's also latency between the two-way comms. In my particular case, the tradeoffs of going with the Protect walled garden were worth it. The cameras are decent (yes, you can get cheaper and better), it is super easy to set up, and I didn't need to train my wife on how to use the mobile app at all. If you're not into walled gardens, however, the Unifi Protect ecosystem probably isn't for you. As most surveillance cam peeps online will tell you, you can do a lot better for less money.