Nest/SimpliSafe
We currently don’t have a security system in our Park Slope brownstone. We are planning to get a video doorbell, and are thinking about whether to install one of the new connected security systems (Nest or SimpliSafe) along with it. Have people had good experiences with them? Both in terms of ease of set-up/use and whether it works as intended. My main hesitation is that someone told me the false alarms make them mostly a headache and not worth it, but I wanted to hear if others have had better experiences. Thanks!

Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
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Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "198551"
We’ve recently switched from ADT to Ring and have really liked it. Simple to set up, easy to use, prompt alerts. All good so far!

Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "201209"
Hey, I’ve used Simplisafe. Wouldn’t recommend as it can go offline for no reason and require a hard reboot (batteries out). Others have liked it but I wouldn’t use it again.

dorkofwindsor | 5 years and 8 months ago
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Cate: “they rely on wifi and anyone can easily snip the wifi cable as it enters our house on the ground level”.
wifi = wireless. Not sure what cable you’re referring to – a power cable? Having said that security companies tackled that problem a long time ago with a wall mount / shroud where wires go into the wall. Any outdoor camera with an exposed wire is amateur AF. But can still troll package thieves and act as a deterrent. Deterrents are good. If you’re just an average criminal, last time I checked masks still work against cameras so…
Wifi: Consumer reports: “it’s easy for an attacker with a laptop to disable your security cameras from outside your house, as long as they work through Wi-Fi.” I heard Simplisafe can’t be jammed and sends you a text warning. However I have not heard of anyone actually doing this – maybe if pro thieves who know you have a $5 million masterpiece on the wall…..
Having said that they still need to gain entrance to the premise somehow. That’s why door and window locks etc are essential and from my observation most people fail.
In summary as a deterrent I don’t think it really matters which one you get.

SoSlope | 5 years and 8 months ago
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Even more important than burglar alarm is fire with 24/7 professional monitoring. We all live in attached houses where fire can spread easily. Fire, unlike theft, is a direct threat to life. If you are not home–and even if you are–a monitored alarm will mean that the fire department will arrive faster.
@cate: I like our nest cameras, but don’t love that Google ended their “works with nest” system, so they no longer work with other produces. Regarding your fear of someone cutting the cable: 1) that is why our alarm has a cellular backup; 2) Nest tries to solve this by notifying you when a camera goes off line and sending you the last image the camera captured (this is mostly to deal with someone ripping your camera off the wall). Also, since Nest cameras send their image to the cloud in real-time, you will still have the historical images (if you pay the monthly fee, which you should). Thus, just point a camera at your cable.
@booisgolden: +1 on monitoring

Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "199384"
Workisfun, that is a genius idea!!! Going to do that myself.

workisfun | 5 years and 8 months ago
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And if you have tenants, install the smoke detectors from your service in their unit.

whalien | 5 years and 8 months ago
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We have RING, which is Amazon owned. Cheap to setup, cheap to run, not the smoothest playback when reviewing camera’s online. Happy to dig deeper if you’re curious.

greenworks | 5 years and 8 months ago
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Whichever one you go with make sure you get a 24/7 monitoring plan.

Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "199384"
Shameless plug here, but if you use this link I get a free month of monitoring, and you get a free camera ($99 value)…

Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "199384"
Also, SimpliSafe has a built in cell connection which makes it safe in the event of your internet going out/being cut.

Guest User | 5 years and 8 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "199384"
We too have had a good experience with Simplisafe, albeit very early going. I installed the doorbell camera, a full suite of sensors (motion, entry, freeze, water, glass break, smoke) and two cameras internally. It took a little time, but I was able to do it all on my own. We were fortunate to avoid the chime issue WorkIsFun experienced because we had an intact line and a 16V transformer already installed. We have had no false alarms so far, but I doubt that will always be the case. Our Nest thermostats no longer fully integrate, but that’s thanks to Google’s rejiggering of their “Works With Nest” program. All in all, so far, we’re pleased and it’s by far the cheapest fully monitored solution out there. Expecting to integrate a Wifi enabled deadbolt eventually.

cate | 5 years and 8 months ago
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I have been ogling the Google Nest cameras after seeing the good looking one my neighbor has (Google has certified installers) but I am hesitating because they rely on wifi and anyone can easily snip the wifi cable as it enters our house on the ground level. I would imagine many others in Brooklyn have a similar setup.

nednedx
in General Discussion 5 years and 8 months ago
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Ring is another option. Its an Amazon owned company now…and lots of good innovation and integration with Alexa. Ring doesnt have glassbreak detector though

workisfun | 5 years and 8 months ago
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I’ve had a positive experience with SimpliSafe. The video doorbell is decent resolution, but we’ve been unable to hook it up because we have to figure out the chime dilemma. We don’t have a working wire from bell to chime inside. So, their answer is to have our phones notify us when someone buzzes. I’m not wild about that idea and the complications it causes. The only false alarms we’ve had were when we were trying to figure it out in the beginning. And there’s also the blowing curtains in front of the motion detector thing…