Got told conflicting answers by both ADT personnel on the phone today. Guy tells me probably Honeywell but once my service is over the keypad is shut off and I can’t use it ever again (he got super defensive and offended I was cancelling with them and hung up after reading me the cancellation prompt). First representative told me I can still access the panel even after my service is over, I just can’t use the mobile app. Can anyone confirm? Tying to see if this other security company can utilize this ADT stuff so I don’t have to pay for new equipment. Thanks!

I just got a brand new Honeywell 5816WMWH, and I am having trouble getting it programmed with my Vista 20P. It doesn't seem to be transmitting anything. I checked the battery, magnet, tried manually typing the serial number and loop, and it's not any of that. I know it's not a problem with my panel as it has many other wireless sensors working just fine. Are there any troubleshooting steps I may have missed, or should I just return it?

EDIT: Not even 15 minutes after making this, I decided to try it again, and it worked. I guess I was just being stupid (I still don't know what was happening the first time tho)

Is there any way to hardwire the new generation keypad so I don't have to stretch a power cord from an outlet? There's a light switch where I want to put the keypad so it could get power but I am needing to find a 110 to 9v 1.5 amp converter to stick behind the receptacle

For a little background, we have a ~2,000sqft house on around a 0.25 acre lot. We currently have a ring security system with a doorbell camera, a few outdoor cameras, and one indoor camera. We mainly have it for the entry sensors which are on all the windows and doors (single story house). I am looking to up our security at the house and I’m not sure what will be the best bang for My Buck.

The two main options I have been looking at are:

A reolink system to cover the gaps in my ring system being 24/7 recording all kept offline on my personal computer. The main camera I like is the one that autopans/tracks. Their cameras also seem a little more of a deterrent than the ring cameras. This would also allow me to have indoor cameras in bedrooms that could be used if there was a break-in. I don’t want cameras that someone could potentially access in bedrooms.

The other option would be some higher quality outdoor lighting, low volt landscaping lights or some of the permanent outdoor lights, just something to light up the house more. We currently have a porch light and two mounted by the driveway. They stay on all night but the sides of the house are a little dark especially the side without the garage. I know I’ve heard that having a brighter house can keep people from even considering getting into your house.

My budget is around $400 but I can go up more if that is unrealistic. We are having our first kid next year and I want to make sure our house is as safe as it can be for our family.

If there are other options that might be better I am open to other ideas!

Thanks in advance everyone!

I am looking for

1. Easy to install (public library in small town, old building, drop ceilings, wifi or ethernet)

2. Outdoor camera x 1

3. Indoor Camera x 2-4

4. Safety "button" for front counter

5. NO subscription. We are currently paying 40$ a month for a monitored system and would like to move away from that.

6. Canadian links to purchase

If possible, something I could purchase in the 2024 budget because I realized I had some wiggle room.

I spent an hour this morning looking at options and just feel VERY overwhelmed! Was leaning towards Reolink but not sure which of the 20 different camera options I need.

Don't need: a lot of storage, a week at most.

I had a old 8 channel security system. It was a xvim 1080p. I now bought a annke 3k lite system can I just replace the dvr and cameras and keep the previous wiring?

I'm in the market for a video surveillance system. Looking to add 2-3 outdoor cameras to cover the front and rear entrances to my home. Here are few things I'm looking for:

• System should be wired (no more batteries)
• Video should be real-time accessible from a phone app
• Video quality is very important to me (4K+)
• Night vision is very important to me

I'm not cheap; I'm willing to pay more for high quality. I'm looking for something that is reliable and superior quality. I had a terrible experience with Arlo--the batteries die after ~2 days and I gave up on it. What do you guys recommend? Lorex looks interesting, but maybe there are better options out there?

Earlier this year I bought my first security cam. It was a Reolink Duo 2

Now, the bug has bitten and I want to buy more cameras. At this point would it be wise to stick to the Reolink ecosystem for all of my cameras, or is it okay to look at other brands? I'm not sure what trade offs or features I might lose by mixing

The Duo 2 is currently a standalone cam with an SD card, but in the near future I'd probably move to an NVR. Not sure if I'd use a software or hardware nvr. I kinda like the idea of a hardware one - would that mean it's best to stick to 1 brand? And also, could I use another brands nvr for my reolink cam, or would that be a bad idea?

In any case, is there any other cams that are better than reolink for the price anyway? It's quite overwhelming looking at all of the options. I'm budget conscious so I'm looking for a couple of 2K/4K turret cameras that are PoE. So the Reolink Cx410 or 510A, or another brands equivalent

Simplisafe offers a video verification option that advertises as an option that prioritize and expedite alarm triggers by accessing the camera.

I can't seem to find any real life advice about whether or not this is a good idea. For example, if a system is opted in and doesn't catch an intruder on camera, could this actually have an adverse effect?

I was hoping to find some informed opinions here.

Previous owners left the Ring Floodlights in the driveway and backyard. Are they worth keeping to save costs or should we replace them?

I am looking for a security system for my office. I will be getting PoE cameras from another company (Unifi or Reolink) but need everything else.

I need a self-monitored (no subscription) security system with the following:

• Door sensor
• Audible siren
• App notification
• Keypad and App activation/deactivation
• +/- Motion sensor (thermal triggered, not triggered by car headlights)
• +/- Doorbell camera (not for security but in case office gets a package after hours so I can tell mailman to leave it in the back).

Seems like Ring and Simplisafe for the bill. Which would you recommend and why? Any huge dealbreakers for you?

I’m upgrading my system and the new panel is rated at 700mA continuous, 2A peak. 11.3 to 12.5 VDC out. I’d like to reuse my existing 30W, 12V, 1.1 Amp bell wired to the Warbler. I’m thinking wire a standard automotive style relay to the 12V 5Ah back up battery to drive the bell. What is typically done in these situations? Is my approach ok? Should I just wire it to the output since it’s the warbler and probably not 1.1 A draw anyways?

Thanks!

I need a security system for a medical office. Want it to last 10+ years.

• 8-10 PoE indoor cameras that are subtle (ie. won’t scare patients). They will monitor lobby, front desk, work areas, and hallways up to 20-30 feet. The lobby faces a parking lot so need to be able to adjust activity zones or else headlights will trigger it nonstop.
• NVR that can record for months.
• Door sensors (can be wired or wireless, need it to chime loudly or remotely to a speaker so we can hear it in back office).
• Network switch for all cameras (note: we will also have 15-20 computer work stations that need to connect to the network).
• An app that allows me to view all this remotely and be notified of camera/door activity.
• No monthly subscription.

I am unfamiliar with security system pricing but was hoping to spend <$4,000 (or hopefully even less) on all this. My apologies if that is absurdly low but here to learn. Let me know estimated costs.

Is there any system with decent image quality, dependability over many years, integrated system, and relatively easy to use?

TIA!

I have a 15 year old DSC PC1619 with 13 zones. Suddenly Zone 3 became Open and I changed the battery on the module but it still will not clear. I'm able to bypass the zone on the keypad with *1 03 * #. The installer has passed away so I cannot contact him for the master password.

Is there any way to totally remove Zone 3 from the system? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

https://i.postimg.cc/GmvTbBHL/2024-12-30-11-24-17-920-112946.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/hPk7F84Z/2024-12-30-11-26-40-644-112758.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/3J4DbfhD/2024-12-29-17-06-06-481-113250.jpg

I foolishly assumed I could easily find IR bulbs to put in the floodlight fixture above my garage so that I could disable the IR on my cameras at night to prevent bugs from swarming.

Turns out all I can find are heat lamp bulbs. Am I searching for the wrong keywords?

I'm looking at upgrading my existing wifi camera set-up to PoE since I'm also setting up a wired network. I'd like some advice on maximizing coverage without intruding on my neighbor's privacy. I've been looking at different Reolink systems but I'm open to other NVR systems. Our house is about 2200 sq ft (not including garage).

House Diagram

I understand that the Honeywell Vista 20p has 48 available user codes. 1-32 are factory default assigned to partition 1 while 33-44 are default assigned to partition 2.

I want to make available 33-42 to partition 1 leaving only 43-48 in partition 2. I can't find the programming instructions anywhere. The manual on page 19 state "The master user can change the user number distributions." There are no further instructions on how to do that.

I would appreciate some help here. Thank you.

I've been using tapo c520ws from around 3 months and its been working great until last 1 month, the camera always shows a little tilted from the viewpoint i've set, everyday i press the pan & tilt correction button three to four times a day, it is very inconvenient and irritating. Please somebody help, I've tried removing the camera and adding it. And its very difficult for me to press the reset button as it is clamped to high point. Please somebody help!

Hello.

Back in 2022 a truck was stolen from our driveway. We did not have cameras, but the neighbors across the street did. That footage showed a man - entirely covered - riding a bike down the sidewalk slowly checking all of the cars for unlocked doors. He got to my brother's truck and realized that not only was the door unlocked, the keys were left in the ignition too! He left and then returned 4 minutes later, stashed his bike to the side of a neighbor's house, and then took the truck and drove off.

I installed POE cameras and we haven't had an issue since. This morning I was taking down our garbage can just past 3 in the morning when I saw a person on a bike - a very particular bike with a powered headlight - riding down the street, and turn onto another street that I know the thief lives on because of the footage that I collected back in 2022.

I wanted to know whether or not the cameras caught this guy doing anything else, so I reviewed them. To my surprise the camera that is angled to have the best line of site across the street hardly caught anything at all. He's essentially just a floating light. You can't make out a person or a bike at all. I didn't buy these cameras - which were advertised as 4K with great night vision - just to have them reduce an entire person and a bike to a few blurry pixels.

I need something much better, and it needs to work very well at night.

I am about to have some Ubiqiti networking gear, so bonus points for anything that works really well with the Unifi protect ecosystem.

I have a Lorex POE NVR with 7 cameras. I believe I have CAT 6 cable running to the cameras (though I'm not certain).

The Lorex NVR is very loud (always has been) and the software is far from user friendly.

I'd like to replace the cameras and the NVR with something newer and better (and quieter) but I'm not interested in a Wifi system or battery operated cameras. I'd like to simply reuse the CAT 6 cables that are already in place.

Are there any newer/better POE systems that are more feature rich and user friendly? Anything that would support sound? Is it possible to power panning cameras with the power available through a CAT 6 cable?

Basically , I want to reuse the CAT 6 cables and replace the rest.

During the recent cold bouts, 2 of my door plunger reports being open which I suspect is due to the wood shrinking.

Anything I can do to prevent false alarm moving forward ?

I’m a new homeowner looking to get security cameras set up and I just wanted to ask and see if people thought it was valuable to get floodlights put up on every camera I plan on placing around the perimeter of my home but would it make sense?

A person drove up to our house at 9pm wearing an orange and yellow reflective vest, walked up the driveway and paused at the front window to take a picture of it (the house number was there too, so maybe that’s what he took a picture of?), then just left. He wasn’t a delivery driver, so I don’t know what purpose he had being on our property.

Any idea what this person might’ve been doing? We live at the end of a cul-de-sac, so it seemed intentional.

For some security reasons, we need to retain the NVR footages for 6-8 years. Currently I am using Hikvision NVR with 6TB disk attached. 6TB disk can record around 6 months of footage.

1. Should I just install new 6TB disk in NVR every 6 months when old one is full? and store old disk somewhere safely? If my current NVR gets replaced with another one in few years, will new NVR read old hard disks when needed, or are they encrypted for original NVR itself?
2. Any other recommended solution?

Note: I wish to keep solution cost effective, but reliable.

Hi all!

I’m looking to try and put together a Fully Wireless Security system for the new building my workplace has built. I’m having trouble finding anything wireless that will work in 10k square feet.

Anybody have any recommendations?

Helping a friend who lives in an apartment. He’s been given a garage door opener to park in a subterranean parking lot. Looking for smart device to control the garage door so he can let family and friends in without walking quite far. There is free WiFi in the lot. I’m aware of myQ and products like that. Looking for a solution that doesn’t require programming access to the existing equipment, just access to his remote.

Please help.

I am closing on a house soon and was going to just have the existing locks rekeyed. Then I started researching deadbolts and got thinking about all the different ways thieves enter homes like bump keys. From what I have read, the Medeco 4 is about as good as it gets. No idea how much they cost. Their website doesn't give prices and I don't want to get marketing calls from them right now if I fill out their quote request. In all reality, if someone wants into your home bad enough they will just break a window. Is the security of Medeco worth it or just having new high quality deadbolts like Schlage is good enough? I have 3 doors that would need to be done.

I'd like opening a door to trigger a dry contact on a Network Video Recorder. Is there a wireless product that would mount on the door and have a receiver that would close contacts when the door opens? Or is there a wireless door transmitter that could broadcast to a Raspberry PI?

I’m looking for a reliable doorbell camera recommendation for a friend who is moving to a new area and wants added assurance. What doorbell camera would be the best deal for the money? I need one that meets the following criteria:

1. Maintains a consistent Wi-Fi connection
2. Durable and built to last
3. Uses standard batteries, like AA or 18650s, so replacements are easy to source, and a spare set can be kept on hand for convenience
4. Able to keep a video record of the past 24 hours of motion detected activity which can be exported in case something bad occurs like a break in
5. Turns off or goes into a low power consumption mode when it doesn't detect motion to increase its battery life
6. A model with an SD card slot would be a bonus, but cloud storage is more important– preferably with at least 24 hours of free backup
7. A model with an affordable monthly cloud subscription if no free option is available
8. A HD camera with clear night video recording. The main priority is ensuring the camera provides sharp, detailed footage to identify individuals at the door, day or night

Thanks, any feedback would be appreciated!