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Thread: security system

  1. #11
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    I have the Ring Alarm in my RV and I also have a SimpliSafe at my farm in NY.

    The farm doesn't have an internet connection, so the SimpliSafe allowed me to use the cellular connection full time to monitor and control the system. However, with just the cellular connection I can't monitor any cameras. Over the past year I have received several false alarm signals from the motion detectors and had to make a judgement call on whether or not I had an issue based on other sensors (contact and glass break). The cost for SimpliSafe is $26.99 per month if you want the cellular service capability.

    For the RV, I have all the doors, windows, and panels monitored and cameras and motion detectors inside. I also replaced the smoke detectors with ones that integrate with Ring. Ring can also use cellular when needed, but only if you pay for their monitoring and also not on a full-time basis. As a result, I have a router connected to a mobile hotspot that I leave in the RV to provide me a dedicated internet connection. This gives me access to all the cameras and full control of the system and status. I also have the hotspot and router connected to a UPS so if someone pulls the RV power I still can see the system status. The Ring internal battery backup will provide short term coverage, but not for multiple days without power. That works for me since I store the RV at my house.

    Many people have questioned the need for an RV security system, but I sleep better at night knowing I have a system monitoring what happens while I sleep. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.
    Last edited by BobKilmer; 04-17-2021 at 12:44 PM.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobKilmer View Post
    I have the Ring Alarm in my RV and I also have a SimpliSafe at my farm in NY.

    The farm doesn't have an internet connection, so the SimpliSafe allowed me to use the cellular connection full time to monitor and control the system. However, with just the cellular connection I can't monitor any cameras. Over the past year I have received several false alarm signals from the motion detectors and had to make a judgement call on whether or not I had an issue based on other sensors (contact and glass break). The cost for SimpliSafe is $26.99 per month if you want the cellular service capability.

    For the RV, I have all the doors, windows, and panels monitored and cameras and motion detectors inside. I also replaced the smoke detectors with ones that integrate with Ring. Ring can also use cellular when needed, but only if you pay for their monitoring and also not on a full-time basis. As a result, I have a router connected to a mobile hotspot that I leave in the RV to provide me a dedicated internet connection. This gives me access to all the cameras and full control of the system and status. I also have the hotspot and router connected to a UPS so if someone pulls the RV power I still can see the system status. The Ring internal battery backup will provide short term coverage, but not for multiple days without power. That works for me since I store the RV at my house.

    Many people have questioned the need for an RV security system, but I sleep better at night knowing I have a system monitoring what happens while I sleep. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.
    Thanks I have Ring Camera's at home and that is the one i will go with in the Trailer . Can you tell me what router and hot spot you are using ? Thanks Milo in Georgia

  3. #13
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    I have been using a GL.iNet GL-AR750 Travel VPN Router I purchased on Amazon. For the hotspot, I am using a dedicated iPhone 6 that I leave in the RV. I went with the iPhone as the hotspot because I already had it when I upgraded my wife's iPhone and it allowed me to have a spare phone in case we need one. I also leave the GPS tracking on in case the RV is stolen. The iPhone sits in a cabinet so it would not be easily noticed for a while.

    This weekend I actually stopped using the router and connected all my RV devices directly to the iPhone. This gave me a simpler setup that seems to be working just as well as when I had the router connected.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobKilmer View Post
    I have been using a GL.iNet GL-AR750 Travel VPN Router I purchased on Amazon. For the hotspot, I am using a dedicated iPhone 6 that I leave in the RV. I went with the iPhone as the hotspot because I already had it when I upgraded my wife's iPhone and it allowed me to have a spare phone in case we need one. I also leave the GPS tracking on in case the RV is stolen. The iPhone sits in a cabinet so it would not be easily noticed for a while.

    This weekend I actually stopped using the router and connected all my RV devices directly to the iPhone. This gave me a simpler setup that seems to be working just as well as when I had the router connected.



    What’s the data usage on the plan when you’re constantly using the iPhone as a hotspot? Thanks

  5. #15
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    It varies quite a bit depending on how much we are traveling. When it is just the Ring alarm the usage is minimal. We have been traveling the last week and used 11.5 GB over the week. Most of that was when I streamed a 4 hour live motorcycle program. I have an unlimited data plan from Verizon, but they will start to limit my data rates at 15 GB.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheGould View Post
    We use an LTE router to remotely access our rig. Data usage is minimal for checking cameras and receiving alerts. You will need to work through the dynamic IP address challenge however - the public address used by the router will randomly change so you need a way to keep the domain used by the router consistent. There are services that will automatically register the IP every few minutes but then you’ll need a device to run the agent. For this I use a raspberry Pi.

    Once you get this figured out it doesn’t matter what security system you use. I use Wyze.
    This is overkill as the Ring security system can be accessed through a mobile app or website even if the RV internet connection IP address changes. Same goes for Wyze.

  7. #17
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    I don't use a security system yet. The Ring + an extra iphone with the Visible unlimited data plan is an idea I've be thinking about.
    - Gene

    Kim & Gene
    2015 Reflection 317RST
    2017 Ram 3500 CC LB 4x2 6.7 CTD AISIN 3.73 DRW Auto Level Rear Air, BD3, Prodigy P3, Aux Tank

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobKilmer View Post
    It varies quite a bit depending on how much we are traveling. When it is just the Ring alarm the usage is minimal. We have been traveling the last week and used 11.5 GB over the week. Most of that was when I streamed a 4 hour live motorcycle program. I have an unlimited data plan from Verizon, but they will start to limit my data rates at 15 GB.
    Thanks. I’m on an unlimited plan as well. I should be getting my 367BHs in a couple of weeks. I’m pretty excited.

  9. #19
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    Visible was horrible, Wyze camera & Ubifi with Mofi work well

    Quote Originally Posted by gbkims View Post
    I don't use a security system yet. The Ring + an extra iphone with the Visible unlimited data plan is an idea I've be thinking about.
    In a nutshell, I found Visible to be a flop and Wyze to be a success.

    Visible for data plan didn't work for me
    I tried a similar setup using Visible and it was a disaster. A friend we met at a campground who had Visible and was happy with it. So I thought unlimited data hotspot for $40 (or down as low as $25) would be awesome for travel in the RV. And the Visible cap at 5mb download would be fine, most everything runs well enough with that speed (Netflix, etc).

    I had troubles for months trying to get good data. In talking with my friend, she really just uses her phone for talk, very seldom for data. I played around with it for about 3 or 4 months. Tech support was crappy - no human to speak to, just chat or tweets (twitter is better than chat, btw). Not even email. So you always get a different person with classic canned answers. I am a very tech-savvy person and found their tech support to be the worst I've ever dealt with. For an open case, if they send you a message saying "we fixed it, can you try again", they close the case immediately before you even respond, so if it doesn't work, you have to start a new case all over again and wait for it to get escalated. At one point my account was down for over two weeks with no talk or data (something had to be "released" on their server was the eventual response) and they said I wasn't eligible for a refund for the downtime.

    It wasn't a hardware issue: I tried several iPhones (6, 7, and new SE), about 12 different camping locations, and two SIM cards. Sometimes I couldn't get any data plan, or I could get data for a few minutes then it would drop. 90% of the time it was useless. 90% of the time the speed was closer to 1mb if I got any data. The only place I got good data for a couple days was when I first tried a new SIM card in a location that got 5 bars of coverage. After that, it was back to crap-o-la service, for data.

    On a positive note, they say it is limited to one hotspot device, but I read that they can't enforce that on an iPhone, and sure enough, I could connect multiple devices to my phone. I did get it connected to a wi-fi extender (which also had an ethernet port for my Wyze camera system) which then connected all the devices to the hotspot which would get around the one-device restriction if Visible ever found a way to enforce it. I tried a couple wi-fi extenders until I found one that really worked well.

    Ubifi cell/data service with Mofi Wi-Fi Router is working well
    In the end, I went with the Ubifi service which is an AT&T MVNO offering unlimited data for $99 a month - truly unlimited, no throttling. It runs on the LTE bands. I have been SO HAPPY with their service and support. I think their sim might work on various hardware, but I went with their setup of a Mofi router (MOFI4500-4GXeLEW V3) (~$315), which was recommended by another camper who was happy with the service and hardware. The Mofi antenna is much better at picking up signal than our phones - it has two omnidirectional paddle antennas on it. We camp in a lot of state parks and national parks which tend to be in weak cell coverage areas. It gets best coverage if it is sitting in front of a window, of course. Sometimes I can leave it mounted behind the TV with good coverage; other times I have to set it in front of the window. But that is no different than finding a cell tower with your phone.

    It also has 4 ethernet ports and the wi-fi signal reaches very far, much farther than the hotspot on the phone. And it lets me control what cell tower band I want to connect to, which I couldn't do on the phone. Sometimes the strongest band isn't the one with the fastest data. Its interface has a LOT of information and controls. As for Verizon vs AT&T coverage, I thought Visible, since it is a Verizon service, would have better coverage than AT&T but I haven't seen that to be the case in any locations where the signal is LTE (Visible only runs on LTE bands), so the AT&T LTE Ubifi service has been good. When the AT&T LTE coverage is weak, I compared it to the Visible coverage (the sim still connects) and Visible was not better.

    My Roku TV also uses the Mofi wifi, along with the computers, phones, cameras and temp sensors.

    Weboost for the very remote areas
    I do have a Weboost with a directional antenna for locations that are No Service or barely one bar of service. That in combo with either the Mofi or my phone (if 3G or Edge area - yes, there are still spots with those!) have gotten me some connectivity (enough to text and maybe talk at every location), even boon docking in Valley of the Gods. Sometimes it has gotten me decent enough data coverage, too. But if the cell signal is 3 bars or more, the Weboost hasn't added any value. It has not improved the data speeds as some of the advertising suggests. At $650, it is an expensive product for its limited performance. But if you really want to get at least some coverage, it does do that. In the 3G zones, I have to use my phone only since the Mofi is 4G/LTE. I think it is the Yagi directional antenna that is the most important part of this setup. I do not like the Weboost device in terms of being able to monitor it's performance (for example, it says if all lights are green, it is working, but all lights are green even if the antenna isn't connected...).

    Wyze Outdoor Cam
    I use a Wyze camera for security, with a base station, and it works well. I can pull it up on my phone wherever we are to see what is going on at the RV. I can setup a camera inside (to check on the dog) and outside, both connected to the same base station (which is using one of the ethernet ports on the router). The outdoor has worked for motion, but not for sound - perhaps the outdoor cam doesn't have sound detection, even though it does have a microphone and speaker on it and I can listen to sound on it. Looks like the indoor Cam has sound alerts, but not the outdoor Cam. I might add an indoor cam to my setup to get alerted if the smoke alarm goes off or fridge is beeping.

    I like that there is no required plan for it to work and record videos, but not that the free plan has a 5 minute cool down between the 12 second recordings. I would consider switching over to Ring (which I have at home) but was hoping to keep the cost down. The battery charge has lasted almost 4 months, we don't get a lot of detection triggers.

    One reason for selecting Wyze Outdoor Cam was the ability for it to record to a local storage SD card, without internet. I planned to use it to record video when we are completely off internet and away from the RV, but haven't had that situation yet.

    SensorPush thermometers
    I also have a series of remote monitoring thermometers (with humidity) from SensorPush setup to monitor the underbelly storage by the pipes (to alert me if they get near freezing), to monitor the interior (to alert me if it is getting too warm for the pooch), and in the fridge. The one it the fridge actually alerted me this week to a failure in the cooling of it before it became a big issue. And I'm able to monitor the precise temps to the tenth of a degree in the fridge and freezer as we are testing out fixes to the cooling unit. Better than the "beer feels cold, must be working" test system :}. These sensors have bluetooth reporting but I added a gateway that is wi-fi connected to my Mofi router to be able to monitor these when away from the RV. We can monitor these sensors thru the phone app or browser from anywhere.


    In the end, the Ubifi Mofi and Wyze were an easy setup, and I was able to connect additional gadgets to the network.

    Karen
    2020 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali
    2021 Reflection 260RD Fifth wheel
    Solar 800 watt 400 ah

  10. #20
    Site Sponsor gbkims's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AmeliaKD View Post
    In a nutshell, I found Visible to be a flop and Wyze to be a success.
    ...
    The Mofi antenna is much better at picking up signal than our phones - it has two omnidirectional paddle antennas on it.
    ...
    In the end, the Ubifi Mofi and Wyze were an easy setup, and I was able to connect additional gadgets to the network.

    Karen
    Thanks for the feedback on Visible and the Mofi router info.

    I just dabble in the wireless & remote monitoring right now for my RV.
    I do have the old ATT Mobley unlimited mifi plan in a Netgear Nighthawk M1 wireless router and use a small Raspberry Pi based HomeSeer connected to it via ethernet.
    I just started looking into using Apple's Home App via a plugin to join the HomeSeer & Home App functions together.

    I like to monitor my humidity & temperatures, even while in storage.
    Today's readings.
    44 % Humidity Node 7 Humidity - ST814-2 D70A2116-007-Q16 Z-Wave Relative Humidity 4/29/2021 11:31:05 AM
    82.2 F Temperature Node 7 Temperature - ST814-2 D70A2116-007-Q15 Z-Wave Temperature 4/29/2021 11:31:04 AM
    --
    2.709 Amperes Energy Amps Node 4 Amperes - Kitchen ZEN15 D70A2116-004-Q4 Z-Wave Amperes 4/29/2021 11:37:45 AM
    119.321 Volts Energy Volts Node 4 Volts - Kitchen ZEN15 D70A2116-004-Q3 Z-Wave Volts 4/29/2021 11:37:15 AM
    324.572 Watts Energy Watts Node 4 Watts - Kitchen ZEN15 D70A2116-004-Q2 Z-Wave Watts 4/29/2021 11:37:45 AM
    - Gene

    Kim & Gene
    2015 Reflection 317RST
    2017 Ram 3500 CC LB 4x2 6.7 CTD AISIN 3.73 DRW Auto Level Rear Air, BD3, Prodigy P3, Aux Tank

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