Wait. People pay to use that?
this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2024
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On a yearly basis?!
What is the subscription for? Are they hosting your security footage?
Yes, it hosts all the videos & screenshots.
I know we're supposed to hate subscriptions, but until I get more cameras and self host, paying for the 1 doorbell was rather quick and simple, and temporarily worth it.
No judgement, you get to decide what's worth it to you!
I just assumed there would be a way to use these without using storage you'd have to pay for.
you get to decide what’s worth it to you!
You also typically agree that you have the permission to use the likeness of anyone that walks in front of their cameras for their commercial purposes. The liabilty is shifted onto the user, just like when you share your contacts with WhatsApp.
Meanwhile they still sell the data of you and anyone unfortunate enough to walk in front of it.
All in the name of security and "legitimate interest".
Subscriptions are cancer, don’t be a mug and cancel if you’re unhappy with the price increase. People aren’t made of money and EVERYTHING is turning into a subscription nowadays.
The only problem with subscriptions is the idiots that buy them. If everyone said "Fuck you" they'd disappear overnight
I cancelled my subscription, I only really need to use the live view anyway which you get for free.
You get live view for free, they get information about your comings and going, and your face, and your gait. All valuable information that you aren't being fairly compensated for.
What would be a good alternative? I don't trust Google.
A doorbell
And a peephole
A glory hole for your visitors.
Aqara G4 just cut out the middle man send it stright to the CCP :D Jokes aside it allows easy backups to NAS and SD they have a 2 week retention without subscription. I'm not sure how it would behave if you sanboxed it. EDIT looking at the other suggestions Reolink is just better all round.
Homeassisant with pi-zero with pi cam would be my GOTO if I wanted a more DIY open-source approach.
I use the Reolink PoE (they also do a wifi version). Cost about £70, and works well.
All communication can stay inside your LAN if you want it to.
I have a backlog task to integrate it into homeassistant.
You can roll your own, using raspberry pi’s and usb cameras, and home assistant if you want a fully automated house. This solution is not for the average consumer, so you would have to read a lot and be comfortable installing Linux.
The Evening Standard has done an overview.
Things to bear in mind are that you are paying for convenience, so expect to do more fiddling about to get it done.what you want, especially if want remote access without paying for cloud features. However, if you are setting up a smart home and so are already down for some fiddling you are good.
One thing: unless you are diligent at changing batteries, wire it in. So many smart doorbells don't work because people seem to forget about them.
A butler
If you are part of the Apple ecosystem, look at Homekit Video devices. All the recognition processing is done locally (on your Homepod or Apple TV, if you want remote access and recording and you have existing iCloud storage, you can use that.
I use Arlo doorbell and the floodlight, both battery operated and only need to connect to WiFi. Pretty good products although the smart notifications can get buggy from time to time.
Battery life on the doorbell is around 5 weeks, floodlight about 8 weeks.
Costs could be cheaper or more expensive than the ring.
If you just have a doorbell it should be cheaper over the year. Gets expensive when you add more cameras.
Serves people right for subscribing to a fucking doorbell.
I remember when you could buy something and own it. Not everything needed a subscription!
If you don't use the cloud storage, and just use the 'fucking doorbell' live, then there's no need to pay a subscription.
The subscription is for cloud video storage and access which have an ongoing cost. It's not that different to buying a router or modem and having to pay a monthly subscription for your internet use.
I understand the business model