If we can, many cool possibilities!
I wonder how the Doorbot compares to the iDoorcam (http://www.idoorcam.com/product/idoorcam-device/). I’d be interested in a review of each. Unfortunately, neither are out yet. Major differences I can see are the iDoorcam is a much nicer size but can only run off of direct power where as the Doorbot can either run off of direct power or batteries. The iDoorcam is also $30 cheaper.
I’m definitely interested to see impressions as these start to make it into people’s hands.
I ordered the doorbot in mid august. They’ve pushed the shipping date back 4 times thus far. Got an email from them saying that the units will now ship out mid October. The product looks promising so I’m sticking with my order for now. I’ll be sure to post a full review whenever it arrives (if it really exists, lol).
I might bite on the iDoorCam. I just hope there’s a way we could incorporate it in Vera.
Let us know if you do. I would bite if we were an iPhone or Android family.
I ordered the Idoorcam as it has on demand viewing rather then only when the door bell button is pushed, I too am hoping I can some how add it to my Vera
The iDoorCam/Skybell appears to me for my needs to be a more complete overall package than the Doorbot - but a foscam-compatible API would tilt the balance in either device’s favor for me. Both devices appear to have a through-the-internet access model and there is no clarity on direct-to-device-from-home-network APIs. If I knew right now that neither would ever be Vera-interfaceable, I would go with the Skybell right now. As it stands I am going to wait for a bit longer until I see some clarity either way.
My notes so far are as follows, please feel free to correct, they are very general and not everything that’s a pro/con for me may be a pro/con for everyone else:
idoorcam/skybell
pros
can monitor camera at any time, not just when bell is rung
smaller footprint
can charge from doorbell wire
motion detector
night vision
records video
cons
smaller field of view
battery does not last that long in event of power loss
no lock integration
doorbot
pros
larger field of view
does not require wire as much as Skybell or at all (due to claimed 1 year battery life), but can use wire to charge
lock integration
cons
can only monitor camera when bell is rung
bigger footprint
no motion detector
no night vision
no recording (yet)
[quote=“bobk, post:7, topic:177138”]My notes so far are as follows, please feel free to correct, they are very general and not everything that’s a pro/con for me may be a pro/con for everyone else:
[…][/quote]
well, after watching this short review of DoorBot: - YouTube , I prefer waiting for version 2. :-\
I’m hoping the Skycam is a better product than the Doorbot. The issues shown in that video are pretty horrible. I’ve got one ordered and it’s supposed to arrive by the end of this month. I’ll be sure to post my thoughts after I get it installed.
Interesting side note. The Doorbot guy was on Shark Tank this last Friday. Nobody bit.
I am about to order a skybell, I think overall it will be a better product. Definitely hoping they do some kind of integration.
I really like the look of the Skybell, I’d love to hear how it works out for people and how it can be made to work with Vera.
I too would like to see if anyone could integrate any of these devices.
We need a good doorbell option for Vera integration.
Front area lighting on as a result of door bell press? Heck yes!
If you just want a doorbell and when it’s pressed the lights turn on . That’s very easy., there are at least 2 topics describing this. With universal sensor or 3in1 sensor from fibaro , that’s all you need.
I am looking forward to a chitchat opion with video. Thinking about getting an android miniPC with skype … IP camera is allready installed.
Cor
[quote=“capjay”][quote=“bobk, post:7, topic:177138”]My notes so far are as follows, please feel free to correct, they are very general and not everything that’s a pro/con for me may be a pro/con for everyone else:
[…][/quote]
well, after watching this short review of DoorBot: - YouTube , I prefer waiting for version 2. :-[/quote]
Have you seen his follow up review? It seems all his issues were resolved by the owner of the company himself
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I have owned a Doorbot for about 2 months now. It has never worked properly from day 1.
The video is terrible and sometimes has long delays in it. It also has a whining sound on the clients. I have tested on 5 different Android types of hardware and it is all the same on all of them.
The owner of the company called me at least 3 weeks ago after several support requests and told me they were working on the issues I was having.
Now, the unit is having the same problems and I am no longer getting any response over a week now via email or phone.
I really wanted this product to work. I have a lot of time invested on flush mount hardware for it.
I would have to say if you are looking for this kind of product to look elsewhere until they get the bugs worked out.
[quote=“Jamr, post:15, topic:177138”]I have owned a Doorbot for about 2 months now. It has never worked properly from day 1.
The video is terrible and sometimes has long delays in it. It also has a whining sound on the clients. I have tested on 5 different Android types of hardware and it is all the same on all of them.
The owner of the company called me at least 3 weeks ago after several support requests and told me they were working on the issues I was having.
Now, the unit is having the same problems and I am no longer getting any response over a week now via email or phone.
I really wanted this product to work. I have a lot of time invested on flush mount hardware for it.
I would have to say if you are looking for this kind of product to look elsewhere until they get the bugs worked out.[/quote]
Consider in the past week there has been two major holidays. I would say that would cause for a delay in support.
- Garrett
From their FAQ it doesn’t look like the Skybell (iDoorbot)/Vera support will be quick to develop:
Are there APIs or IP addresses for integration with apps, other devices or desktop clients?At the time of launch, SkyBell will not have any open source, API or IP integration capabilities. We are focusing on designing the very best WiFi doorbell and will focus on opening up the device in the future once we accomplish this. There is so much opportunity out there and we look forward to considering all options.
I guess that will give us time to figure out if the Skybell well live up to its hype.