We have a setup of Arlo cameras and two doorbells. They work so-so, but the two main issues we’re facing are:
Latency. From the time the doorbell is pressed until we can connect audio or video just takes way too long. Same if we just want to quickly connect to any of the other cameras. I somehow suspect that our local access is still routed via cloud servers.
Connection. The Arlo system needs a hub and is using some proprieatary networking, not standard wifi. Range is a constant problem in this old house so I have plenty of wifi access points that the cameras ignore.
The feature set of Arlo’s system is basically just what we need, but the performance issues have become unacceptable. HomeKit integration is nice, but not a dealbreaker if the companion app is fast and reliable.
Question
Does anyone have experience with a good system that addresses these issues? I’d like to be able to keep recordings locally on a NAS.
Looking into UniFi / Ubiquity gear is always fun, but it seems a bit overkill with the facial recognition, license plate scanning and whatnot
Really hard to recommend anything that will solve latency. Dirty little secret is that over cellular, they all have noticeable latency and even over Wifi, many brands are not that fast.
If you do go for UniFi, the integration of their doorbell into the overall sytem is very nice and the UniFi doorbell is up their on my list of good/best, but I can’t recommend any specific product because they all have tradeoffs.
I got started with a Ring doorbell and have added other cameras over time. No local recording capability but they do have end to end encryption for video stored in their cloud. No Home Kit.
Ring products are an excellent solution for non-power users, or anyone that wants a high quality, “set it and forget it” solution and not worried about HomeKit support.
Biggest limitation is lack of 24x7 recording and trusting video clip storage in their cloud, but if your cameras are out outward-facing, its a tradeoff many are willing to make.
Aqara smart video doorbell G4 is very good. I run mine on batteries and they last a surprisingly long time. You might be able to power it via an old doorbell cable if you have one. Having a HomeKit doorbell means you can preview the video right in the Lock Screen.
For cameras I go Reolink using PoE and wifi if I have to. They are great value for money but are not HomeKit compatible.
Another Aqara smart video doorbell G4 vote here. It’s worked really well for us. No subscription and HomeKit was the main draw, plus we get a lot of comments about how nice it looks.
With Ring and other cloud services make sure you know, whether or not they turn over camera footage to law enforcement. Some companies don’t require a warrant.
Caveat, I’m not saying what anyone should do. I’m just suggesting you know how the footage can be used.
That is the reason I have end to end encryption enabled. Even if they turn the footage over it won’t do much good.
There was a case where the police wanted a man’s Ring footage from a crime in the neighborhood. They then wanted footage from his indoor cameras and from his business a few miles away. Way too much over reach. That made me enable E2E encryption.
