WiFi Mesh Network Systems and Home Security Cameras

A good WiFi router is essential when using a wireless security camera.  Insufficient WiFi coverage will render a wireless camera useless.  Problems with wireless routers can stem from the technology being too old or your home being too large.  Most wireless routers are made to cover a small to medium size home.  Anything above a few thousand square feet is often too large for a regular router.  That’s where mesh network system come into the discussion. Mesh Basics We discussed how to handle a weak WiFi signal a few years ago but times have changed and a mesh system is … Read more

Review of the Wyze Plug

It’s interesting to see how Wyze Labs is evolving from a security camera company to one that has diversified across a wide array of home automation products.  The Wyze Plug is one of their latest entries into this product line. We have looked at several cameras from Wyze Labs including the Wyze Cam and Wyze Pan.  Very well priced, reliable and free cloud.  Their cameras are hard to beat in terms of what you get for the price.  Following in those footsteps, Wyze Plugs are also reasonably priced and come with some nice features. Smart plugs aren’t new.  They have … Read more

Wyze Sense Contact and Motion Sensor Review

Finally got around to checking out the new Wyze Sense components. Today, Wyze offers a bridge, door/window contact sensors and a motion sensor.  We will discuss setup, typical usage and integration with other devices. The Wyze Cam V2 1080P Indoor Smart Home Camera with Wyze Sense Starter Kit includes the basic camera with a bridge, motion sensor and two contact sensors. Wyze Sense Components It’s amazing how small all these parts are. The first component is the bridge.  This is a USB device that plugs into any Wyze Camera.  This is the hub used to communicate to the Wyze sensors.  … Read more

Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector Hands On Review

Faithful readers of our HomeCamCafe site know we like to stray from our traditional home security camera articles once in a while.  So today, we’ll talk about the Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector. Reasons for Having the Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector Why do you need one of these?  Those that have experienced a leaking hot water heater can appreciate the advantage of knowing there’s a leak as soon as it hits.  A delay can be very costly. How costly?  Going back 15 years ago, I owned a condo at the Jersey Shore.  On April … Read more

Home Security Company Video Surveillance Cameras

My home security system was installed roughly five years ago.  It’s from one of the largest home security cameras in the country.  The salesman sold me on one of their home security company video surveillance cameras.  Seemed like a good idea but that was five years ago.  Today, we’ll look at the advantages and disadvantages of home security company video surveillance cameras. What’s Being Offered Today Home security companies offer a wide array of cameras.  They have indoor and outdoor cameras.  They even sell and install cameras that a consumer can buy themselves.  In some cases, you will see re-branded … Read more

How and Why to Integrate Nest with Skybell

It’s always nice to see two competitors collaborate to improve their mutual customer’s experience.  That’s exactly what Nest and SkyBell have done.  Today, we’ll discuss how and why to integrate Nest with SkyBell. Some Background Are these two companies really competitors?  Kind of.  SkyBell makes a few different video doorbells.  Nest makes everything except a video doorbell.  At least that was the case until they recently announced the Nest Hello Video Doorbell which is due to be released sometime in 2018.  It’s unclear what capabilities they will have nor how much it will cost.  Until then, integration of Nest with … Read more