I would like to get door sensors and a motion sensor but there seem to be lots of problems with them. BUT perhaps I am only reading about problems because people only post on the forums when there is a problem??
I NEED to know which products WORK. I am thinking about the Aeon [glow=red,2,300]door sensors[/glow] and am not sure at all which [glow=red,2,300]motion sensor [/glow]to buy. (I have a 65 pound dog and a cat)
I see that Insteon has [glow=red,2,300]something where you can tell your garage door is open, and then shut it,[/glow] from anywhere in the world with your smartphone. But I have been told that since everything I have on my system is Z wave, I am better off not adding Insteon into the mix. Does anyone know if there is a purely Zwave product that will do the same thing? I have a Broten garage door opener that has a battery back up (which I need due to hurricanes) and it was not cheap so I don’t want to replace the entire garage door opener, I just want to add something on to it. I am willing to spend up to around $150 if I have to.
I have the Vistacam, which is great, but I would like an additional [glow=red,2,300]camera[/glow], one that pans and tilts. Smarthome has one for $99. It is their brand. I was actually in their store and saw it work and it looked great. But my Vistacam stores the photos off site. I love the offsite storage because a thief cannot come in and steal the DVR that is holding the evidence. Does anyone know if Micasaverde stores photos/video off site for cameras that are not their brand? Does anyone have a camera that they love? Do most of you have a DVR at home where you store the photos and video?
I have the Vera3. I do not have an alarm panel. That was one of the reasons I thought the Aeon door sensors would be good, because you don’t need an alarm panel, at least that is the impression I am under. I just figured I would have the cameras start rolling once the door sensor and/or motion detector is tripped, and I get a text message so I can see what is going on. I am thinking about getting a local siren, but I have a big dog with a big mouth. ;D
Oh I see. Well I don’t know about the motion sensors but I found a post in here somewhere about controlling a garage door. Basically what I did was install a GE Z-Wave outlet where my door opener was and went to radio shack and bought a $10 110VAC relay. I wired the coil of the relay to an old extension cord that I cut one end off of and then wired the contacts in parallel with the door opener switch. I then created a scene that triggers the relay for 5 sec and then shuts it off, which causes the door to open/close. I then bought SQ Remote and created a template with buttons that let me trigger the door from my iphone/ipad. It rocks! I also tied in my alarm door sensor so I can tell when the door is open or closed.
CAMERAS:
I have both Panasonic and Foscams. I recommend the Foscams: http://foscam.us/foscam-fi8910w-wireless-ip-camera.html
Foscams can pan and tilt more than the Panasonics and they have infra-red.
You can set any camera to archive still shots to MCV and view them remotely.