Curious which app you use and why

Covert One

Covert One

Getting the hang of it
Mar 1, 2019
28
41
IL
I've got a Nellys DB1 style doorbell and I am using the Guarding Vision app. It is functioning properly and is integrated with BI5. I'm just wondering what others use and if I'm missing any nice features if I were to go with another app. Appreciate your thoughts.
 
If you're in the MacOS ecosystem, SecuritySpy has its own iOS app that integrates quite well with the iPhone and the Apple Watch.

It's pricier than Blue Iris, but it works very well. I like having the convenience of an image of my front or back porch popping up on my watch face. I can tell at a glance if it is something I can ignore or need to deal with.
 
I don't use any doorbell app that the manufactures offer with their hardware. They all have to use an outside server to work and I simply don't want to be "married" to any of them - for cost, privacy and security reasons.

I do have BI set up to automatically text me a snapshot from the doorbell whenever it is triggered (as defined in BI, not the doorbell, so it can be tweaked to be more reliable). I can also pull up the doorbell cameras using the BI app and my mobile devices through a VPN server set up on my own networking equipment. I won't have two way audio doing this (only one way - I can hear, but not speak), but I personally think answering a doorbell via software is a horrible idea because it pretty much tells the person that you are not at home. If I simply don't answer it, they might assume I'm not home, but can't be 100% sure - maybe I'm taking a nap, etc.
 
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wtimothyholman said:
If you're in the MacOS ecosystem, SecuritySpy has its own iOS app that integrates quite well with the iPhone and the Apple Watch.

It's pricier than Blue Iris, but it works very well. I like having the convenience of an image of my front or back porch popping up on my watch face. I can tell at a glance if it is something I can ignore or need to deal with.
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i tried security spy yeaaaaars ago, and thought it was pretty jenky.

I have been using Sighthound for ever now, and its not great, but works well.

How easy to set up IVS rules, and trip wires. Also, how are your notification speeds after and event occurs.
 
I'd love to find an alternative, but everything I've looked has serious issues, e.g. temperature limitations, poor performance, etc. Next summer I want to install one of those corner cameras.
 
bethzur said:
I'd love to find an alternative, but everything I've looked has serious issues, e.g. temperature limitations, poor performance, etc. Next summer I want to install one of those corner cameras.
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yea, those wedges are good for the front door.

ive been rockin the db1C forever now.. and its been flawless.

before that, had the DB1 RCA variant, and that shit would maybe ring my phone every 25 button presses. didnt work well at all.
 
flynreelow said:
i tried security spy yeaaaaars ago, and thought it was pretty jenky.

I have been using Sighthound for ever now, and its not great, but works well.

How easy to set up IVS rules, and trip wires. Also, how are your notification speeds after and event occurs.
Click to expand...
My own experience is that SecuritySpy is a rock-solid application. It runs for weeks at a time without any issues with 20 cameras on my 2019-era iMac. CPU usage from SS averages about 10%; small enough to ignore while doing other work on the iMac. It is of course pricier compared to Blue Iris, which is typical of the MacOS ecosystem.

Actions are easy to set up, and you can integrate it with IFTTT and web hooks. The human / vehicle AI is comparable to what you'll find in other security cameras; not perfect, but fairly accurate. I get notifications on my iPhone and Apple Watch within a couple of seconds of an event.

For my own home system, I configured SecuritySpy to activate a couple of interior lights if a human figure is detected near my car between midnight and 5 a.m., with the idea of making the person think that someone in the house is awake. Of course, this type of stuff can also be done by the camera, but I prefer to just let SecuritySpy handle everything.

You can use it in trial mode. I would certainly advise a Mac owner to at least give it a try.
 
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