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Hubert (Ga)engine7 
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Jackson Cnty,GA
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 Topic: Door bell cameras.
Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 8:40pm |
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My old door bell unit quit and before I spend money on another one I was thinking about trying one of those door bell cameras that I can watch from my cell phone. I am not that tech savvy but I could get my granddaughter to set it up for me. Anybody use one of these? Likes and dislikes? Thanks in advance.
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Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.
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omahagreg
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
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Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 9:24pm |
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Our house is old (1926) and we had long abandoned the low voltage wiring for the doorbell-we had gone wireless. I decided to try the 'ring' door bell. IF you have to run it on battery all the time, like I did, save your money! I am too close to the street so, even when its sensitivity was turned all the way down, it would capture everyone driving and walking by. The battery would quickly run out with only sometimes it sending me a warning, on my phone, that the battery was dead. It was the first style, so the ENTIRE unit had to be removed to charge the battery. Also, you have to pay to have your videos after the trial period-something I had no idea about! I gave it to someone at church and last I heard they were happy with it-probably had low voltage wiring for it! I went with a 3 camera system with a motion activated DVR. Not as instant, but comes in handy at times.
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Greg Kroeker
1950 WD with wide front and Freeman trip loader
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Grayray
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Location: Ambridge PA
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Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 9:28pm |
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We've had a Ring doorbell for a couple of years. We like it. Easy to set up and easy to use. There is an optional $3 per month subscription fee if you want to be able to save videos and a few other features. Well worth the 36 per year.
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jaybmiller
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 9:29pm |
If you do get one, be sure YOU buy it and install it !! There's a HUGE SCAM up here where 'tech guys' sell and install the camera for you. 'Marketplace' did the report 2-3 years ago. The deal is since you haven't 'paid in full' they put a LIEN on YOUR house, for 10s of 1,000s of dollars !!! All 'legal'. One guy found this out when he tried to sell his house....lawyer found out a lien was 'attached' to the house, could NOT sell until lien was 'removed' .That cost him 1,000s as the 'installer ' had him over a barrel.
Big 'must do', Change ALL the passwords before you install on the wall ! ALL of them, usually 2 or 3. Also be sure you do NOT have to have a 'cloud' account or other 'pay to use website' BS.
If you don't change the passwords, anyone can locate and see what your doorbell sees. The doorbell should transmit directly to your phone for free.....
I've got a couple Chinese RF wireless doorbells here, no battery in 'doorbell', different rings for each door, maybe $15 each few years ago.
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WF owner
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Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 5:46am |
We've had the Ring system for a couple years and we really like it.
Like omahagreg, we are very close to the street. The bottom of our steps is about 6' from the curb. The directions on our system allows us to set up zones where the camera (and alerts) will work. Our is set up so that someone walking by on the sidewalk shows up, but a car parking on the side of the road doesn't trigger it.
We have three bells on our system (three entry doors). The one on the front door is a wireless (more expensive) because I didn't want to get involved in running wiring out there. Setup was basically setting it up on the internet (sitting at the kitchen table), then a couple small screws to mount the button beside the door. We charge this one about twice a year. Charging is simple. Remove two (special) screws from the bottom, bring it inside and plug it in like you would charge a cell phone. When the "ring" on the doorbell is lit all the way around, it is fully charged.
Last year, we removed our deck and replaced it with a sunroom. Since we were building, I set up a circuit for a hard wired Ring button at the new door and one on the garage door where it was as simple as running a wire through the wall. These bells are powered by a transformer like a regular doorbell system.
We monitor it with our phones and with an "Alexa Show" we have in the kitchen, instead of a chime. If someone pushes the doorbell, it announces, "someone is at the sunroom door" or which ever door they are at . We can also see who is there and can talk to them without going to the door. We can hear and see the same things from our smartphones.
I would tell you that spending a little more time with your original system setup and following the directions makes a much more enjoyable system. (After doing it myself and it not working right, I enlisted our grandkids help!)
We pay about $40 per year for a our monitoring plan.
I love our system. We went south (Florida) for a month last winter. I could monitor people that came to the door and could see my nephew snow blowing the driveway (which is in my zones). I would definitely buy it again!!!
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DaveKamp
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Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Location: LeClaire, Ia
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Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 7:20am |
 jaybmiller wrote:
If you don't change the passwords, anyone can locate and see what your doorbell sees. |
Passwords or not, anyone can still locate and see what your doorbell sees, hear what your 'alex' and 'Hey Goober' hear... it just takes a little extra time... meaning... 15 minutes or so.
If you wan't closed-circuit privacy, you gotta go closed-circuit.
Edited by DaveKamp - 06 Jul 2022 at 7:21am
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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DMiller
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Location: Hermann, Mo
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Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 7:27am |
Precisely, and NOT Wireless as that is still Hackable.
Sis In Law brought a ALEXA unit here, went right back home with her, I will NOT have a potential home listening device or hackable control device inside my home, bad enough being tracked on Cell Phones and these modern convenience PCs.
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WF owner
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Location: Bombay NY
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Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 7:34am |
My feeling is that they can listen to me if they want to. They are going to be incredibly bored!
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DMiller
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Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 7:40am |
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Have no Mic or camera systems on my PC, Iphone is bad enough, I leave it where cannot be a nuisance much of the times.
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jaybmiller
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Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 8:04am |
learned a real SCARY thing the other day..concerning those Apple 'airtags'. The 'fobs' you put on stuff you lose and need to find... When your Apple device(iphone,ipad,Mac) loses communications (too far away), you can press a 'findit' button which then asks EVERY Apple device Worldwide 'have you seen me' ! So...100+MILLION other 'computers ' now have access to YOUR Apple device. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside ,don't it. !!
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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HudCo
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Location: Plymouth Utah
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Posted: 07 Jul 2022 at 1:20pm |
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i do not even take cell phone with me anymore let alone a camera that everyone can hack and i keep a peice of tape over the cameras on the computers , but thats just me
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LouSWPA
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Location: Clinton, Pa
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Posted: 07 Jul 2022 at 2:34pm |
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If anyone doubts the security risk with wireless stuff, I have news for you. I have a antivirus program running on my computer. At least two or three times a week I get a notice that the AVprogram denied access to the computer camera! No matter, I have a piece of aluminum foil taped over the camera with electrical tape, but just the idea that someone is trying to access it is an eye opener!
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I am still confident of this;
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Ps 27
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Ray54
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Posted: 07 Jul 2022 at 2:48pm |
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To much I don't understand about tech, but can be fun sometimes. Daughter runs a preschool at church a lot of homeless people in town and have been know to sleep in a garden shed in the yard. So there are door bell cameras on all doors of school. Daughter gets notification on her phone. She has the option of talking to them and keeping the recording of their reaction, which can be very interesting. As they look for who is talking to them and from where.
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ac fleet
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Posted: 08 Jul 2022 at 9:04am |
dont have any trouble with visitors here any more since I been answering the door with a 12 ga in my hands. Ya word got out and now I have peace and quiet. only Fed-Ex and UPS come in.
ANY electronic device that you have to pay a use charge on is a crock and to be avoided!
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DMiller
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Posted: 08 Jul 2022 at 10:18am |
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Buddy of mine is Ornery, he has a side window can see who is on his porch without being seen where either LDS or Jehovah's were ringing his bell, opened the door in his Birthday Suit, they have NOT been back for over two years.
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DaveKamp
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Posted: 10 Jul 2022 at 10:50pm |
DMiller wrote:
Buddy of mine is Ornery, he has a side window can see who is on his porch without being seen where either LDS or Jehovah's were ringing his bell, opened the door in his Birthday Suit, they have NOT been back for over two years. |
I did that... opened the door full monte, with a short-barreled shotgun in one hand, and a beer in the other... 
The really funny thing is... I don't drink beer...  it was my wife's...
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Ten Amendments, Ten Commandments, and one Golden Rule solve most every problem. Citrus hand-cleaner with Pumice does the rest.
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DMiller
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Posted: 11 Jul 2022 at 5:25am |
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This from another friend of mine, his son HAD a Alexa unit, he and his missus were playing around in the Living Room near the device, evidently being a little TOO vocal, within a hour had ads for sex toys and lubricants on his iphone and pc, Alexa was sent packing.
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Hubert (Ga)engine7
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Posted: 11 Jul 2022 at 6:59pm |
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Many thanks for all of the replies. I won't have Alexa or anything like that in the house. I'm leaning towards going with a Ring or similar camera when I change cell phones in the near future. I already have a camera watching the driveway so my wife can monitor the driveway when she is working in her craft room in the basement. We just want to monitor things remotely when we are not home.
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Just an old country boy saved by the grace of God.
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shameless dude
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Posted: 14 Jul 2022 at 6:24pm |
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guess i'd hafta wear a mask huh?
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Ray54
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Posted: 15 Jul 2022 at 11:29am |
Well if you got the mix just right on the "machine" and you covered it in "pretty".
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fixer1958
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Posted: 16 Jul 2022 at 8:57am |
Been wanting to get a security camera system of some kind for a while now. We live back in there a ways so no neighbors within sight. I can get someone back here and not always know it because you can't always hear when someone pulls in. Biggest problem I have now is a squirrel chews on the front porch railing for some reason. On the underside of the railing at that. Pisses the dogs off.
Anyway..Hard wiring one would be a nightmare but don't know if a wireless battery type would be just as bad. PITA type of thing plus the walls don't transmit a wifi signal all that well. I know that from the wifi on my phone. I don't want to dump a bunch of money into something that's useless.
I tried it about 20 years ago with some 9 volt operated cameras and lasted about a week with a sketchy reception. Screw it. I left the camera's up just for a visual impact.
I have seen the solar operated one's and was wondering about those. At least a 4 camera system.
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WF owner
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Posted: 16 Jul 2022 at 11:36am |
fixer, Harbor Freight has a driveway alert system that actually works pretty good. My cousin has one and he really likes it. It requires no internet. No camera, but sounds an alarm when someone walks or drives by it. Very inexpensive, too.
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fixer1958
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Posted: 17 Jul 2022 at 6:59am |
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Good idea. I'm looking into it.
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DMiller
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Posted: 17 Jul 2022 at 7:16am |
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We have something similar requires no batteries, called our Dog!!! ANY machine comes up the drive he is ALERT and Barking LOL!!
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fixer1958
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Posted: 17 Jul 2022 at 7:32am |
I found a different one. 3 sensors solar powered. Driveway is really long. I figured if we hear the signal in succession it is a vehicle and not a deer or a turkey. SOB's are everywhere. That met with the wife's approval. I'll give it a shot anyway. 1500 ft range. If I go any farther than that it's out of the line of sight and probably won't work.
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fixer1958
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Posted: 23 Jul 2022 at 7:33am |
Got this setup put in. Works slick. Different tone for each sensor so I know where they are in the driveway. Amazon delivered something yesterday and it worked great. Dogs go ape chit too when it goes off so you sure ain't going to nap through it.
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WF owner
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Posted: 23 Jul 2022 at 8:27pm |
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It amazes me how quickly dogs learn what devices like this mean!
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DMiller
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Posted: 24 Aug 2024 at 8:24am |
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Added a Wireless Repeats to my phone Game Cam at the Barn, Nothing of much importance has shown save a coyote or two avoiding the Neighbor's Sheep Guard Dogs and the renter here.
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