Onvif Compatible Doorbell Cam

It amazes me how many people seem to struggle with this problem

I have been installing "video doorbells" since several years before video doorbells were on the market. All you do is get a standard POE IP camera that has an alarm input, and if you want audio then audio in/out too

Add a little bit of creative thinking with a low voltage relay to allow it to work with the existing doorbell, or failing that put a PIR sensor above the door looking straight down so its only triggered when someone is right on the doorstep and connect that to the alarm input on the camera and voila

You have either a video doorbell or an automatic variant for MUCH less than the cost of an actual video doorbell and one that will interface with your DVR/NVR

With AC door bells if you cant find a low enough voltage AC relay you can always knock up your own rectifier/voltage regulator circuit to power a low voltage relay then just connect the alarm input to the relevant terminals so that when the relay powers down as the voltage across the doorbell drops to zero when its pushed the camera is triggered or you can just feed it straight to the DVR/NVR input directly if that is easier

Either way it can be done just with ordinary equipment, and since the video doorbells like the RING have come out I've been able to charge more for this than I could before video doorbells were even a thing
 
tangent said:
Certainly possible. An obvious solution would involve something that has to be installed at the chime. The latest ring models actually do this. I'm amazed they didn't do this with their earlier models.
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You just use the other contacts on a relay

In the normal state the voltage from the transformer keeps a relay energised and the alarm look is closed circuit, when you press the bell push the voltage across the bell drops to zero, so the relay loses power and the contacts cycle and voila, you have your alarm condition to do with as you wish, either feed it into the DVR/NVR directly or into your IPC with an alarm input

Digital doorbells are a different kettle of fish as they have no voltage across their terminals and the doorbell itself just sees the momentary contact when the button is pushed. With those theres is a pot luck element, some have no issue with voltage being on the bell push buttons, some it just kills outright if you try to go the relay method, but most I have come across can have wires connected to the alarm input on the DVR, or even on a modern alarm panel like the Pyronix Euro46 you can connect it to the alarm as a normally open input, then get it to trigger one of its relay outputs when the button is pushed which is then fed to the DVR/NVR or IPC

Worst case is the person just needs to change their type of normal doorbell

There is ALWAYS a way to accomplish this without spending a fortune, it just requires a bit of imagination
 
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Mike Mckay said:
You just use the other contacts on a relay

In the normal state the voltage from the transformer keeps a relay energised and the alarm look is closed circuit, when you press the bell push the voltage across the bell drops to zero, so the relay loses power and the contacts cycle and voila, you have your alarm condition to do with as you wish, either feed it into the DVR/NVR directly or into your IPC with an alarm input

Digital doorbells are a different kettle of fish as they have no voltage across their terminals and the doorbell itself just sees the momentary contact when the button is pushed. With those theres is a pot luck element, some have no issue with voltage being on the bell push buttons, some it just kills outright if you try to go the relay method, but most I have come across can have wires connected to the alarm input on the DVR, or even on a modern alarm panel like the Pyronix Euro46 you can connect it to the alarm as a normally open input, then get it to trigger one of its relay outputs when the button is pushed which is then fed to the DVR/NVR or IPC

Worst case is the person just needs to change their type of normal doorbell

There is ALWAYS a way to accomplish this without spending a fortune, it just requires a bit of imagination
Click to expand...
I feel the same way. Add a front door cam, set line crossing, set the sound to a doorbell sound if your running BI and be done. I feel the video door bell craze is for those who just want a video doorbell and nothing else. If you have security cams, just figure one dedicated to the entry door.
 
Here's the newest firmware for Nelly's NSC-DB1 doorbell. I can't guarantee it will work on the other OEM models but it probably will. In any case, upgrade at your own risk: Box
 
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Not that I've found yet. Here's the change log for the previous version which should carry over to the one I linked: Changelog
 
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New version posted by RyanoDan seems more reliable... Thanks Ryan!

Each of the last 3 or so firmware versions seems like the WIFI is more and more stable (I doubt it will ever be 'great' due to the hardware/antenna HK used on this) and UniFi SDN shows the WIFI access point retry rate has lowered by about 50% with this firmware (I have 3 of these doorbells).

The app seems to work as designed and now the doorbell presses and alarm notifications are instant and none are lost any longer.

The intercom works way better, the volume is now acceptable and it is probably as clear as it is going to get (with the low end hardware on the device)

Basic/HD resolution switching is now fast and reliable.

I think it is finally at a stage where I can trust these to work as the primary doorbell.

Overall a good upgrade.
 
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Mike Mckay said:
It amazes me how many people seem to struggle with this problem

I have been installing "video doorbells" since several years before video doorbells were on the market. All you do is get a standard POE IP camera that has an alarm input, and if you want audio then audio in/out too

Add a little bit of creative thinking with a low voltage relay to allow it to work with the existing doorbell, or failing that put a PIR sensor above the door looking straight down so its only triggered when someone is right on the doorstep and connect that to the alarm input on the camera and voila

You have either a video doorbell or an automatic variant for MUCH less than the cost of an actual video doorbell and one that will interface with your DVR/NVR

With AC door bells if you cant find a low enough voltage AC relay you can always knock up your own rectifier/voltage regulator circuit to power a low voltage relay then just connect the alarm input to the relevant terminals so that when the relay powers down as the voltage across the doorbell drops to zero when its pushed the camera is triggered or you can just feed it straight to the DVR/NVR input directly if that is easier

Either way it can be done just with ordinary equipment, and since the video doorbells like the RING have come out I've been able to charge more for this than I could before video doorbells were even a thing
Click to expand...
Same could be said about making your own furniture, or doing maintenance on your own vehicles. Or just every type of DIY.

Sure I can do it, just like I originally sourced parts to do this with an RPi3. But in the end, I live in Canada, so it needs to handle hot summers *and* cold wet winters. The cold winters is the real challenge.

Plus, I don't like being my own tech support anymore, consuming all my spare time.

I just want a polished product using established/open protocols, and not be sold a proprietary solution with recurring annual fees.
 
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mat200 said:
FYI - today newegg has a deal on the LaView version (3/1/2018)

LaView Wi-Fi 1080P Video Doorbell Camera - $99.99 + Extra $10 Newegg Gift Card
Newegg [newegg.com] now has the LaView Wi-Fi 1080P Video Doorbell Camera with On-Board Storage with Pre-Installed 16GB Micro SD on sale for $99.99 after promo code and with extra $10 Newegg Gift Card.

Code: NENLV2

3/01 ONLY

Store: Newegg

LaView Wi-Fi 1080P Video Doorbell Camera - $99.99 + Extra $10 Newegg Gift Card 03-01-2018
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Just found the Uniden DB1 version on sale today at BrandsMart USA for $49.88. I am going to give it a try at that price.
 
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Why do you say that? As far as I can tell, the Uniden is the same hardware as the Nelly, RCA, and Hik units...
Seems like a low risk $50 purchase to me.
 
Ford said:
You would be further ahead taking a $50.00 bill and lighting it on fire. These are being liquidated at a loss.
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Your previous post indicated you were happy. What changed?

Any one have a link for the US hikvision firmware and how to install it? I tried putting it on a sdcard but it didn't seem to actually update with a reboot, or a reset, or a full power off.
 
Rattletrap said:
Why do you say that? As far as I can tell, the Uniden is the same hardware as the Nelly, RCA, and Hik units...
Seems like a low risk $50 purchase to me.
Click to expand...

That's the way I am looking at it. I have a brick exterior with no easy way to get a cable drop to the front door area. Is it impossible, no, but for $50 I'll try this before I start opening holes in the interior wall to pull cable. My WLAN router is only 12 feet away through the opposite exterior wall so the signal is strong.
 
basalt said:
Your previous post indicated you were happy. What changed?

Any one have a link for the US hikvision firmware and how to install it? I tried putting it on a sdcard but it didn't seem to actually update with a reboot, or a reset, or a full power off.
Click to expand...

Even with enterprise grade wi fi the doorbells would barely keep a connection that would transmit more than 1 fps. They will also drop from the app after a day or two (even though they have a continuous connection to Blue Iris) and only a reboot would restore connectivity to the app.

The doorbell chiming is also super slow through the app, while the 3mp is instant.

Then there is the defective night vision. I have seen 5 different samples and the night picture quality ranges from bad to unusable.
 
Ford said:
Even with enterprise grade wi fi the doorbells would barely keep a connection that would transmit more than 1 fps. They will also drop from the app after a day or two (even though they have a continuous connection to Blue Iris) and only a reboot would restore connectivity to the app.

The doorbell chiming is also super slow through the app, while the 3mp is instant.

Then there is the defective night vision. I have seen 5 different samples and the night picture quality ranges from bad to unusable.
Click to expand...

Well that's not encouraging :). Hopefully I get a better outcome, but if not I'll return it. My plan B is a 3MP PoE dome camera, but as I indicated above, I am trying to avoid a difficult install. I have good PoE camera coverage on all other exterior areas of my home. Are there any other products in the sub $125 range that would work any better on doorbell transformer voltage, and not require cloud connectivity, or other subscription service?
 
MultiSync said:
That's the way I am looking at it. I have a brick exterior with no easy way to get a cable drop to the front door area. Is it impossible, no, but for $50 I'll try this before I start opening holes in the interior wall to pull cable. My WLAN router is only 12 feet away through the opposite exterior wall so the signal is strong.
Click to expand...
I already have a 4mp dome over the door, but would like a better front view. I think this should work great and look pretty clean using the existing doorbell wiring. I don't expect to use the intercom feature at all and really like that it retains the vintage ding-dong chime function.
 
MultiSync said:
Well that's not encouraging :). Hopefully I get a better outcome, but if not I'll return it. My plan B is a 3MP PoE dome camera, but as I indicated above, I am trying to avoid a difficult install. I have good PoE camera coverage on all other exterior areas of my home. Are there any other products in the sub $125 range that would work any better on doorbell transformer voltage, and not require cloud connectivity, or other subscription service?
Click to expand...

The Wifi is very weak, to get a stable usable connection either have a extender/AP right next to the door, or run an antenna cable + antenna from your router to somewhere near the bell
 
RadioDJ105 said:
I have checked on Alibaba and I found this with ONVIF.

China Supplier Manufacturer Electronics Wireless Addams Family Doorbell Onvif H.264 Ip Ring Doorbell - Buy Wireless Addams Family Doorbell,Wireless Video Doorbell,Video Doorbell Wireless Product on Alibaba.com

The seller (as you will see) insists that it's Onvif. I am thinking of buying one piece to check...
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I wonder what the 'Addams Family" thing all about? LOL
It could be interesting but the battery power is a deal breaker for me.
 
The batteries aren't a problem for me, I'm a vaper and have lots of high capacity 18650s, and chargers, hanging around, 4000mah sized. The ONVIF thing and BI compatibility are big concerns, not to mention real world performance. I also wonder about firmware upgrades and such. If you order one @RadioDJ105 let us know how it works out. I may spring for one just for ha-ha's in the mean time though. $40 bucks isn't too bad. I just asked if frame and bit rates are adjustable and will post the answer here if/when I get one.
 
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