This video doorbell has all the features I was looking for
in a doorbell camera. I had an existing
doorbell so wiring was not an issue. However,
note that unless your doorbell wire is a lot longer than mine you will need to add/splice
some wire onto it to reach the connections on the camera. Also use the smallest wire nuts you have as I
first used wire whose gauge was a little too big and wire nuts that were too
big to fit under the doorbell. After
replacing the wire and wire nuts I still struggled to get the door bell to
latch onto the wall bracket. My suggestion
to ALC is to improve the hanging bracket or method of hanging the camera. Also I would suggest making the screws for
the wire connection a little further apart an a little bigger. They work but for folks with bad eyes and big
fingers they can be challenging.
I thought the hard part was done after the physical
installation. I downloaded the software from
Playstore and booted it up. The camera would
not connect to my network. As I have
multiple routers, I tried them all to no success. Finally I called ALC for tech support. After 39 minutes on hold I got a very
pleasant young man who could not help me.
This is a new product which he hadn’t seen. We tried some generic things and finally gave
up. He said he would escalate it to a higher level. That was at 4:30 PM
yesterday. It is now 3:06PM the next day
and I have not heard back yet.
Not being particularly patient, I pondered the issue and
removed the doorbell camera and hit the reset button. That did not change a thing. I then deleted the application from my phone
and reinstalled it. Viola! Everything works. The picture is crystal clear.
I don’t know what the problem was but I am happy to have it
solved. Tenacity is grossly under estimated. Sometimes you just have to beat a problem
senseless to solve it. Overall impression
on the camera is positive. Installation
impression isn’t quite as positive.
From the vendor:
·
Immediately calls your
cell phone when doorbell button is pushed
·
Answer your door like
you are home from anywhere
·
Powered by your
existing doorbell wiring
·
Built-in memory for
recording with no monthly fees
·
Human motion detection
If reviewing a product, it may have been received free of charge. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.
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