NeilF
Prominent Member
So, got my Ring Security Camera (wired) running yesterday. Some thoughts so far:-
Software/Phone App
Thoughts:-
Thoughts:-
Hardware
Thoughts:-
Questions
Questions for other users:-
Note 1: My camera is measuring an RSSI of -32, which I suspect is about as good as it can get.
Note 2: Given Ring's Andriod version requirement seems to be the highest of most of these sort of companies, it's a bit of a shame their app isn't more functional (eg: animated thumbs etc).
Software/Phone App
Thoughts:-
- VERY URGENT: To review a motion clip means waiting minute(s) for it to be made available to you. So you're notified of motion and you click to Live View and see nothing taking place. So obviously want to review the motion clip, but it does not appear on your list of motion events for approaching 2 minutes... Is my house being broken into? Well, let's wait two minutes to just be able to look at the motion clip. This is unfriendly and frankly bad! The clip should be available (in some form) in seconds, not minutes! Even if they were available immediately, but you couldn't fast forward through them at that time, that would be very useful!
- URGENT: Motion clips should have a sped up small thumbnail animation against each one in the list, so you can simply decide if you even need to look at it. eg: The thumbnal in the list shows your partner's car arriving on the drive, so you know there's no need to even look at the full video. An alternative would be a small static thumbnail taken from X seconds into the clip (again this might be enough to let you know the cause of motion), and then when you put your finger somewhere on the motion line the thumbnail then animates as described above.
- MINOR: You should be able to specify where clicking a motion notification takes you. At the moment it always takes you to the camera's Live View. I'd prefer it to go to the the camera's dash so I can click Live View if I wish, or simply click the motion event clip to see the motion that set it off. This is particularly applicable if the above suggestion for animated thumbnails was added. Click the motion notification, go to the camera Dash Board (instead of Live View), and the animated thumbnail alone may be enough for you to realise the cause of the movement. Another option should be that clicking the motion notification takes you to immediately viewing the motion video itself. But as mentioned above there is the issue that these videos are seemingly not available for minute(s), let alone in some form immediately (even if you couldn't fast forward through them).
- MINOR: When in Live View you can turn the security light on, but not off! You have to exit the Live View and take another option to turn it off. Bizarre! EDIT: This is possible! You can reclick the option to turn off the light.
- MINOR: Motion Zone configuration creates a Live View clip. ie: When setting up your motion zones, the camera's footage is shown, and you actually end up with a pointess Live View event clip. This is daft. There should be no such clip created, or at least an option to turn it off creating one while definig motion zones. If you go in/out of your Motion Detection zone set up 6 times, you'll end up with 6 (pointless) Live View clips/events.
- MEDIUM: Having an easy way to turn off notifications (eg: I'm sitting at home) would be useful - An option is buried away per camera, but it would be far better to have a single top level option ("At Home") to do this (ie: turn off notifications for a specified list of cameras). Geo fencing of course would be even better.
Thoughts:-
- Even with motion set to its extreme of "People", my small little cat will at times set it off. We need AI type facial/person recognition on these things to cut down on the false alerts. I'm hoping Rings next gen (of Amazon backed) cameras have this!
- With the clips I was getting yesterday, most of them seem to miss the first few seconds of the motion that I assume set them off being recorded. ie: With someone walking across my drive the clip started with them already 10ft across the drive and almost exiting the field of view. Why does the clip not show the video footage from the true start of the motion, and/or a few seconds prior to it? Note: I specifically got the wired version to ensure more snappy performance. HOWEVER: Today's clips seem to not demonstrate this issue. Indeed the postman arriving was preceded by a good 2-3 seconds of footage. Hopefully this will prove the norm!
Hardware
Thoughts:-
- Making it wireless only seems a significant mistake. To get a good signal to it, I've had to put a dedicated Wireless Access point literally 1ft away from it on the other side of the garage wall it's mounted on. ie: There's an ethernet connection (via a homeplug) only 3ft away from it! It would have been far easier if I could simply have plugged the camera into an ethernet port (ie: the homeplug). Note: PoE (power of ethernet) wiring system surely would be a more logical approach offering then a wireless or wired solution? A single ethernet cable to either just power it, or power it and offer a wired network.
- Hardwired/moulded plug. This is utterly daft! It should be possible to unscrew/remove the cable so as to feed it through a 1cm hole, instead of 10cm hole! [Also see PoE above]
- The lens should be angled (more) down. I literally have to have the camera at its most extreme downwards facing angle to cover straight down, but even at this extreme angle I can still capture straight ahead across the road to my neighbours front door. The camera looks almost drunk at this ludicrously downward angle. If the lens had simply been pointing more down in the case, the outcome would be far better! I suspect no one has the camera at any angle other than a significantly downward facing angle.
Questions
Questions for other users:-
- If I add a Ring Doorbell overlooking the same area as my Ring Security Camera, will I then start getting two notifications (seconds apart)? Or will the software realise it's sent me one, so it won't send me yet another?
Note 1: My camera is measuring an RSSI of -32, which I suspect is about as good as it can get.
Note 2: Given Ring's Andriod version requirement seems to be the highest of most of these sort of companies, it's a bit of a shame their app isn't more functional (eg: animated thumbs etc).
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