Don't Make Me Buy Another Nest Hello

clawmd

I just bought a Nest Hello for my daughter for an emergency type situation. It works okay but the monthly pricing is nuts. Keeping a 30 day history of video is $300/yr and $150/yr for additional cameras.
Is there a working doorbell camera solution currently that uses SS? It isn't clear if Hikvision does.

As a workaround, I have considered an outdoor IP camera with audio. The advantage is that I can use POE for better network speed/reliability and I already have SS implemented. Notifications and video could be triggered using a zwave low voltage relay that is wired to the doorbell circuit. I have used many Hikvision cameras with SS but none with microphone/speaker. Are there any models with audio features similar to doorbell cams? Is there an easier solution?

Ben

I agree - the subscription services can be quite pricey and don't offer good value. As you probably know, our software SecuritySpy is purchased for a one-off license fee, rather than a subscription, which offers far better value in our opinion.

There are a few doorbell cameras already on your list of compatible cameras, including the Hikvision DS-KB6003-WIP.

Unfortunately, SecuritySpy currently does not support two-way audio for Hikvision cameras (we are looking into this, but it isn't as easy to implement this as it is for other manufacturers). The solution could be to use an Axis, Dahua or Amcrest camera that has a built-in speaker, as SecuritySpy does support two-way audio for these cameras.

clawmd

With a little investigating, it looks like a Ring/Nest substitute using SS may be a challenge:( You need duplex audio, built in phone app, speaker, and doorbell chime integration. However, using a product like Nest Hello, without subscription, and supplementing with a basic camera through SS would provide far greater storage and functionality at less cost.

Ben

Sorry I was incorrect in my above message: SecuritySpy does actually support two-way audio for Hikvision devices. The above Hikvision doorbell has a built-in microphone and speaker, so will work in SecuritySpy (including the SecuritySpy iOS app) for duplex audio.

You can set up notifications in SecuritySpy to iOS, so that you will get a notification when someone approaches the door.

I think this will be a very good solution.

Spiv

If you don't mind having your Nest camera available on the Internet (accessible, but 'unpublished' id), there is a hack that lets you pull the video stream into SecuritySpy.

You'll get a low frame rate (around 5 fps or less), but it does give a way to permanently record the Nest camera to your own storage.

I have it running with a Nest Hello but don't rely on it for anything important.

iMac5K

I'm planning to get Hikvision's latest and greatest DS-KD8003-IME1 video intercom door station ( https://www.hikvision.com/europe/Products/Video-Intercom/Door-Station/DS-KD8003-IME ) - along with a couple of dedicated DS-KH8520-WTE1 monitors ( https://www.hikvision.com/europe/Products/Video-Intercom/Indoor-Station-/DS-KH8520-WTE1 ). It would be comforting to know that these are SecuritySpy-compatible.

Although the initial connection is over POE, the monitors are also wifi enabled and I know that when using an iPhone/iPad to access this system, they connect to a monitor,, not the gate station and the mobile devices allegedly get full functionality via local wi-fi. Does SecuritySpy do the same or can it be configured to connect to either the monitor or the gate station?

Ben

Hi @iMac5K while this device looks a bit unusual and doesn't have quite the same capabilities as other Hikvision cameras (e.g. the spec sheet doesn't list ONVIF support, which all other Hikvision cameras do), I'm hopeful that it will work with SecuritySpy. I can't say for sure though, so if you do go for this device, make sure to buy from a place with a good returns policy.

SecuritySpy would connect directly to the "door station" camera, not to the monitors. I'm hoping that it will just work, using the "Hikvision" device profile already built into SecuritySpy.

If you do decide to go for this, please report back.

iMac5K

Thanks @Ben. I don't think any of the current Hikvision intercom cameras is ONVIF-rated…at least I couldn't find one. But assuming the best-case scenario what is the most I could hope for from SecuritySpy? Two-way audio? Door opener?

Ben

With Hikvision cameras, SecuritySpy doesn't have to rely on ONVIF as it has its own Hikvision profile that supports video, audio (including two-way audio), on-camera motion detection and events, and PTZ. So even if it doesn't support ONVIF, it's highly likely to work in SecuritySpy. There is currently no support in SecuritySpy for a door opener however.

iMac5K

Thanks again. Support for the door opener would be a great new feature! AIUI, Hikvision's 2nd generation system only requires POE to the first (master) indoor station. Thereafter, all additional indoor stations and mobile devices can relay telemetry commands wirelessly to the master monitor, not the door station.