Doorbird
I wondering if anyone has any experience with the Doorbird camera. I have it partially working via the ONVIF profile. On my Mac I can view it in SS just like my other cameras however I cant get it to do motion recording and it also is not viewable on iOS in either the official SS app or Spyglass. Ive tried setting it up via the doorbird profile in SS but then I cant even get video
Comments
- Make sure some recording options are enabled under Preferences -> Cameras -> Motion Capture (e.g. turn on the Movie Capture option).
- Make sure the camera's motion-capture mode is Armed. You can do this by right-clicking on the camera in any video window and selecting the "Arm Motion Capture" option.
- For remote viewing, make sure that the account you are using for viewing has permission to access the camera. This can be set in Preferences -> Web -> Account.
Well I shouldn't say that, The camera only works if I set it up as ONVIF, for whatever reason when I try to use the Doorbird profile it won't connect
The only limitation is that DoorBird didn't think anyone would want to use nightvision/IR continuously, so when the IR leds turn on, they automatically turn off after three minutes.
I reported this to DoorBird as a feature request and they said they would consider it.
In the meantime I found a workaround - I use DoorBird with Indigo Home Automation server so I configured a scheduled task that runs at night every two minutes. The task executes a small Python script that uses the DoorBird REST API to turn on the IR leds (it's a "one-liner" http command.)
Are you all happy with DoorBird? There's so many options out there now for a video doorbell, but few with the ability to record via ONVIF on your own server that we can integrate into SS. That rules out many of them. One of my hesitations with Doorbird is that it's significantly more expensive than the competitors. Just wanted to see if you all have some feedback.
Unlike the standard stuff out there (Ring, etc.), DoorBird has several unique features which make it more industrial strength and worth the extra cost.
The ability to run wired and without a battery. This, of course, is necessary for full video streaming and the lack of this is why most other products are only video-on-demand when the doorbell is rung.
Equally important, DoorBird has several power options. You can run power down the existing "bell wire" that many doorbell buttons already have installed, or you can run power down a Cat5 cable using Power Over Ethernet (PoE), which is how most professional IP Cameras are installed.
With or without PoE, if you can get a cat5 Ethernet cable to the DoorBird, you can run it on hardwired Ethernet - that is the most reliable way to do it. Most of the competing products do not have any hardwired network option. (If you just can't get Ethernet, then using a newer Mesh Wi-Fi like Eero will give you close-to-wired reliability.)
Because of the high quality video and streaming, the higher-price of the DoorBird is easier to justify to customers because if they wanted an IP Camera also, this saves the cost of a separate camera so you can honesty tell them it is saving them $100 to $150.
DoorBird has a flush mount version and they also have both metal and plastic housings. Most of the competitors only have plastic. Some people think the DoorBird is uglier, but if you see them in person they actually look ok and most people like them.
In addition to ONVIF, DoorBird will work from a regular web browser page. All the other products require their own app and do not have a simple web page interface. (I'm not saying customers would prefer the web interface, but it gives you a simple way to interface to it from desktops and other systems besides smartphones.)
DoorBird also have a simple REST API (I used it to force the IR LEDs to stay on continuously), so it is the most flexible if you want to "wrap" it with your own software or interfacing.
Most important - because of the ONVIF and using it with SecuritySpy, you can have unlimited recording without any monthly fees for a cloud service. When looking at the purchase price, if you subtract $10 to $30/month "cloud fees" of the competition, it starts to look not only affordable, but much cheaper over the span of 2 to 5 years or more.
Any ideas?