Skybell 2.0?
http://www.skybell.com/ (What’s New with Version 2)
Interesting. I’ll wait to see how easy it is to integrate with the Vera and how good the camera and camera angle is before I drop $200 on it.
I do like that it will work with my existing Door bell chime and transformer.
sounds like it’s getting better
This is on “the list”. Probably 6 months out so hopefully we’ll see some development.
Can you clarify what you mean Rhinesel?
Thanks
I was an early backer, could never get v1 working their tech support was horrible, I’d never give them another dime
I have three of the 1.0 Skybells, and for a person like me who is often not at home, but receives multiple deliveries during the week, they are invaluable. I’ll probably get one of the 2.0 units soon to evaluate.
Completely agree that they really didn’t seem to “get” the need for good solid tech support, but they are getting better. They finally set up telephone support for the first time. Seems to me that they should open up a proper forum for their community as well, but one step at a time I suppose.
[quote=“bobk, post:5, topic:184738”]Can you clarify what you mean Rhinesel?
Thanks[/quote]
Sorry, I should clarify. A doorbell like this is on the list of things I want to install. I will watch to see if there is development on getting it included with Vera.
I like the concept, but now that I have cameras all around the house, Blueiris and VERA. I’m not so sure I need this. And for the 200.00 you can get a camera for half that. BI plugin have motion sensors built in. So all 3 of my front yard cameras plus my front porch cameras with PLEG involved know if we are away and send notifications if anyone is walking across the lawn driveway or front porch. They are also record and and can be viewed live or the playback with the BI app.
Now I don’t recommend foscams but they are 100.00 with speaker and mic built in.
Better cameras like Hikvision still only 120-150.00 (which I have moved to)
You get up to 3MP picture of your whole porch which is way better then the small fisheye door bell.
The tech in me wants to buy one one but my wallet says I already have a better solution for less cost.
I have a number of cameras set up as well as the BlueIris plugin. I wound up using a dakota doorbell modeled after the vehicle sensor found here [url=http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,9737.0.html]http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,9737.0.html[/url] BTW, the vehicle sensor is AWESOME
it does most of what I want: I know when the door bell is rung and I get a picture of who was there – sure enough no two-way audio but I can watch through my cams.
Companies like SkyBell and the MyQ garage door openers that don’t have an open API I refuse to buy their products anymore. But I’m probably in a minority with this viewpoint
I was a Skybell 1.0 owner and now upgraded to 2.0 so I can speak a little about the experience.
First, from the technology advancement standpoint, the new wide angle lens allows me to see more, regardless of where the visitor stands and how tall/short the visitor is - it’s all being captured. Of course, the image will be a little bit distorted, but that’s expected when using a wide angle lens, I don’t need precision of the image for this reason, I need to be able to capture as much as possible.
The other major improvement is the 2-way audio. With 1.0, the sound quality is not that good as it contained a lot of echo. But with 2.0 you can carry a decent conversation.
Next, from an aesthetic standpoint, the face plate does not look very “plastic-ky” anymore and with its new bronze option, its color tone matches perfectly with my Z-wave Schlage door lock.
From a home automation standpoint, I have to say without an API or exposing the camera as a generic IP camera, it really decreases the interest. Afterall, we are choosing Z-wave because we want to adhere to standard right? I really wish Skybell will listen to us and offer an API or IP cam soon.
But, aside from that, with a combination of the Skybell and my Schlage Z-wave door lock, I think I got the front door well covered. Someone arrives and I get a push no matter where I am (at home or at work), I can conduct a verbal conversation with the visitor and bounce him/her off without the need to open up my front door (MAJOR SECURITY FEATURE in today’s society). And if I’m away from home, say if my relatives arrive early or something, I can remotely unlock my Schlage and let them in…
With 1.0, it was a $200 “toy”. With 2.0, it is now a $200 security product.
Honestly though… what’s the percentage of people that knock vs ring doorbells? For me, it’s about 99% knock and 1% ring.
So I’d rather have something like this (if it were zwave) http://www.brinno.com/html/PHV1330.html
Doorbell activation is cool, but really kind of an edge case, at least for me.
Maybe you haven’t read but it has a motion sensor and you don’t have to ring it to activate it. That was a feature added since version 1.5 and even got improved on version 1.9 (aka version 2.0) which is the current version as of today.
I have cameras, which have speaker and mic, and 3mp camera for half the price of this door bell. Blue iris can send me notifications and so can vera if motion is detected and I’m not home. (both blue iris and vera have geofence and alerts) so for me even tho I bought one to test it (which I returned) I think its neat for someone who doesn’t have cameras and doesn’t want to wire stuff in. But the 200.00 price tag when cameras provide a way better picture (3mp) with a wider placement showing the whole front porch not just some fish eye and IP camera are 100.00 or less. Some Even POE.
http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-DS-2CD2432F-IW-Indoor-Camera-2-8mm/dp/B00JWCV9CU
This camera can be found for 100.00 from
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original-Hikvision-WIFI-ip-camera-DS-2CD2432F-IW-3MP-Cube-mini-ip-camera-POE-HD-1080P/32278494382.html
Provides the same features (alot better) without the push button.
I just finished upgrading my three 1.0 Skybells to the new 2.0 version. Here are my thoughts…
-Video quality is better, but still not “HD”.
-Wide angle lens is wonderful. Just what was needed. No more cutting the heads off when a visitor is at the door.
-The initial pairing process (connecting to WiFi) is much easier. Makes initial setup more foolproof for the average end user.
-Physical look of the device itself is almost identical. They added “Skybell” branding on the bell’s push button (which I personally dislike), but aside from that, it looks the same. I re-used the mounting brackets from the 1.0 bells. They fit the 2.0 bells without issue.
-The interior circuit board is no longer exposed from the back (covered by a plastic panel). This is strictly done for aesthetic reasons because the plastic cover does not protect the board against the elements. They coat the board in waterproofing, so technically it “shouldn’t” matter.
-The latest app allows you to adjust the brightness of the camera image to help alleviate backlighting situations
-You can also tilt your phone sideways for a full screen view of the caller
All in all, I think the Skybell 2.0 is a very good improvement over the original. It works perfectly for me, and has never let me down. Pretty cool being able to answer the door from another state! 
I’d love to see a real HD camera at some point, along with emailed video clips based on button presses and/or motion detection, but I don’t think the lack of those features detract from the bell’s usefulness.
One last thing: For the people who say that their security cameras eliminate the need for a video door bell… I think the two are not competing products, but can be complementary to each other. The purpose of a security camera is to record and observe your property. The purpose of a “video door bell” is to notify you that someone is at your door, and to greet and speak with the caller without physically walking to the door. And yes, I also have a rather sophisticated camera system at my home.
Problem is the camera system is not sophisticated. It’s an ip camera, wireless is an option just like the skybell. Has speaker and mic and notifications just like skybell. So I agree they might be different but they do the same thing. Only difference is no push button. Also has the HD that your looking for and a wide field of view.
I just purchased one of the 2.0s and a couple of points I would like to add.
This is only a doorbell button (with a camera and speaker phone) that ONLY works with a wired doorbell system.
They claim that a wireless system made by some of their competitors will not have as good as a audio/video quality without it being wired.
You might want to think of the extra costs If you don’t already have a wired system in place.
I found out after the fact that it only works with mechanical doorbell chimes and some electronic chimes unless you purchase a Digital Doorbell Adapter for $12.95 off their website.
The price does include tax and shipping.
Without it, the chime will ring forever when pushed. I need to keep a stepladder by the chime so my wife can stop the ringing until the adapter arrives later this week.
Digital Adapter $12.95
Chime ~$20-$60 The more expensive ones looks nicer and gives you more choice of rings
Transformer ~$12.00
Bell Wire 100ft ~$11.00
The big cost was that it was a job to drill into the stucco next to my front door, thread the bell wire through all the cross studs, patch and run the bell wire to the middle of my home. Too much for me to do. $170 Labor
So in total, I spent $466 on a effing doorbell.
Set up was easy, similar but easier than the NEST Thermostats and smoke alarms.
Once you set up on one device, all you need to do is log in to the same account on as many devices as you like to access the doorbell.
The proximity sensor works great, but I notice that around the same time each afternoon my doorbell goes off, and for now when it goes off, it keeps going.
I think a shadow from a tree is passing by my doorbell and setting it off.
The speaker phone is a little fuzzy and cuts off words at the beginning and end of sentences.
Or maybe it was just my wife not pressing down the talk button during the whole time she spoke.
Either way, it is good enough to figure out who is at the door and what they want if you don’t know them.
The video is a little hard to see if there is a very bright light behind them.
I think that has more to do with optics than the quality of the device.
There isn’t a web interface as of yet, so the only way to access the video speakerphone is through a smartphone or tablet, but they say they are open to putting one out in the future.
It would be nice to be able to answer the door when you are on the computer while you are on your cell phone.
They said they are open to putting out an API in the future too, which could mean a Vera app in our future I hope.