Remote Home Temperature Monitoring, & External Camera View

[wmc1000]

We're going to be gone for 3 weeks starting next week and I am going to use the Ivideon app and an old smartphone with the camera facing the thermostat. It's a free app and I can open the app on my phone and turn the home smartphone camera on and off remotely whenever I need to check the temperature. Have set it up for a dry run test all this week without issues.

This way we only use the wifi connection when checking the feed rather than have it streaming live around the clock.

 

[Ronstar]

I have 3 Honeywell wifi thermostats, a half dozen wifi video cameras, and a couple of wifi water sensors. This set up gives me great control and information. Except we lost internet connectivity a week ago. So it's all worthless right now.

After my neighbors get back home from visiting family over the holidays I'll get them to go in and reboot the router. All will be good again, but I need to figure out how to be able to remotely get past this single point of failure.

I have had the same failure twice in the past. Had to have people come over to reset the router. I’m looking for a remote solution to this as well.

 

[street]

thank you for the response. Thermostat adjustment is not really an issue, because the house has 8 different zones, all controlled with separate thermostats, and unfortunately, all electric.

My real need is to know if the power has, for any reason, kicked off, and not restarted, and if the temp is dropping to a level where my pipes might start freezing.

If the adjustment capability raises the cost substantially, it would not be a feature worth paying much for, in my application. What does the system cost?

One thing you may ask your power supplier about if they have AMR (Automated Meter Reading) system. This is a system that reads their meters each month with out a man going and reading meters physically. If so the system I worked for had a AMR that if a customer wanted an alert on their phone when the power was out for a certain meter number the consumer got an alert when the power was out. Ask your power company if you can get an alert on cell phone when power is out. This was AMR that we had at the Power Company I worked for.

 

[folivier]

I'm on Cox internet and have the capability to remotely reboot my router. Check into your provider.

 

[Jerry1]

I don't have a second home, but my friend (ex-boss) does. He got fed up with dealing with keeping his northern home maintained in the winter and ended up completely shutting it down. It requires getting rid of any liquid and prepping the pipes, but he's very satisfied with it. Doesn't have to worry about pipes, heat, etc. and he saves money. Of course, this is probably only practical if you know you're going to be gone for a few to several months, but it's an option.

 

[marko]

We're away all winter.
We have an Accurite set of weather monitors. I put one in the hot tub (in a plastic bag), one over the furnace and one in the living room.

Then I back it up with 5 night vision video cameras from DLink.

Plus a Schlage basement door lock which I can remotely unlock in the event I need a repair person to get in.

I also have a set of remotely controlled on/off plugs connected to the remote cameras in case one of them needs to be rebooted.

Everything is able to be monitored via internet.

Then a neighbor who checks in regularly.

 

[Sunset]

We use homesitter.

It will phone 3 numbers if you get power failure, low temp, high temp, flooding.
We plug ours into the landline, as we still have it.

I bought mine for $60 from Menards about 6 years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Control-Products-FreezeAlarm-Temperature-HS-700/dp/B002MUAIP8

Now that we have SimpliSafe alarm system, I just ordered a temperature and flood module to add to our alarm system. (although I have idea what they will do if the temp alarm says it's cold inside?)
It has backup batteries, and uses cell phone tech to call, so a few hours of power failure won't be an issue.

 

[harley]

I'm on Cox internet and have the capability to remotely reboot my router. Check into your provider.

I've got Mediacom (groan!). They can reboot your router remotely if it shows as being up, but they can't detect mine on the network. No idea why. I'm hoping a manual reboot will work, when the neighbor's get home.

 

[pb4uski]

I have had the same failure twice in the past. Had to have people come over to reset the router. I’m looking for a remote solution to this as well.

+2 My system went down a couple months ago... the guy who waters the plants and looks in on the place stopped by to reboot the modem and all was well.

Now, one of my thermostats shows "offline"... still working but I just can't adjust it remotely which is fine. DD and DSIL will be using the place in February and can reconfigure it.

 

[audreyh1]

thank you for the response. Thermostat adjustment is not really an issue, because the house has 8 different zones, all controlled with separate thermostats, and unfortunately, all electric.

My real need is to know if the power has, for any reason, kicked off, and not restarted, and if the temp is dropping to a level where my pipes might start freezing.

If the adjustment capability raises the cost substantially, it would not be a feature worth paying much for, in my application. What does the system cost?

I get an email from the electric company if there is power loss in my immediate area plus status updates which include estimates of when power will be restored. And notification when it is.

They installed a smart meter on our house a few years ago so I think it’s even possible to see the meter numbers which would let you know if it’s runnung.

 

[braumeister]

I have 3 Honeywell wifi thermostats, a half dozen wifi video cameras, and a couple of wifi water sensors. This set up gives me great control and information. Except we lost internet connectivity a week ago. So it's all worthless right now.

After my neighbors get back home from visiting family over the holidays I'll get them to go in and reboot the router. All will be good again, but I need to figure out how to be able to remotely get past this single point of failure.

Could you plug your router into a remotely controlled outlet like THIS?
Then you could just turn it off and on to reboot it?

 

[MichaelB]

I have 3 Honeywell wifi thermostats, a half dozen wifi video cameras, and a couple of wifi water sensors. This set up gives me great control and information. Except we lost internet connectivity a week ago. So it's all worthless right now.

After my neighbors get back home from visiting family over the holidays I'll get them to go in and reboot the router. All will be good again, but I need to figure out how to be able to remotely get past this single point of failure.

I have the same problem, and am very frustrated with the poor system availability we’ve had due to ISP and internet hw issues. My technical advisor told me there are 2 options. One is to plug in a switch with an outlet that automatically cycles off/on on a regular schedule- say once per week, and power the router with that outlet. The other is to install a switch that has a cellular operated circuit, so you can call it and switch it off and on.

 

[CaptTom]

I just installed a Honeywell WiFi thermostat yesterday. $99 at Lowe's or Amazon.

I looked at Nest. Way overkill, and way overpriced, for what I wanted. I don't really need something to learn my habits (and report them back to some MegaCorp.) I'm retired, and don't have a fixed schedule anyway.

I settled on the Honeywell because of price, excellent reviews and large installed base. Overall I'm satisfied that it does what I wanted it to. I can see and control the thermostat from my laptop or cell phone. The interface is very simple and clean - maybe too clean. I'd like to have some historical data. For example, how many hours a day the thermostat calls for heat, but that wasn't a requirement.

Before I retired and went cruising, I installed an 8-camera security system ($600 on Amazon), which is also way overkill for the OP. But an inexpensive IP camera (or two) pointing at some important part of the house (the boiler or furnace, for example) with a thermometer in the background would probably do the trick.

 

[Senator]

Could you plug your router into a remotely controlled outlet like THIS?
Then you could just turn it off and on to reboot it?

How do you remotely control the Wemo outlet if the WiFi is not working?

 

[joeea]

Who out there in FIRE World is using such products, and what are your opinions and reviews of what you use?

I use a Nest thermostat in my weekend/vacation/eventual retirement home. It lets me see the temperature from my computer or phone. More importantly, it lets me set the temperature remotely. I set it before we leave from home and when we arrive the home is toasty warm.

Nest cameras could take care of your need for viewing.

Nest products are very easy to use and extremely easy to install. For me, it was important to be able to use a 2-wire remote thermostat rather than rewiring to handle the 3-wire setup that most smart thermostats require. Nest made that installation trivial.

 

[braumeister]

How do you remotely control the Wemo outlet if the WiFi is not working?

See MichaelB's post above. You can set a schedule.

 

[folivier]

Fortress Security system has a remote outlet that would work. I have their Total Security system and can communicate with it using a cell SIM card. They now have a newer version of it that also adds wifi.
They also have a camera for their system.
I'm using a T-mobile plan and just add a few $ every couple months when needed.

 

[misanman]

reboot the router

Doesn't the need to reboot the router indicate an underlying problem? I can't remember the last time I rebooted either of our routers.

 

[Livefree]

I installed a Sensi Thermostat for my upstairs Heating. Paid $100 from Amazon and got a $50 rebate back.

I did have to install a $15 Transformer because my system was only 2 wires and the thermostat needs a common wire to operate the Wireless Remote

https://www.amazon.com/Emerson-Sens...d=1514647557&sr=8-4&keywords=sensi+thermostat

 

[jollystomper]

Doesn't the need to reboot the router indicate an underlying problem? I can't remember the last time I rebooted either of our routers.

Unfortunately some devices are designed so that if power is lost, even for a few seconds, they require a manual reboot. One reason I use UPS units is because I have still have some devices like this. With the UPS a temporary power glitch will not cause them to shut down.

 

[Music Lover]

I just installed a Honeywell WiFi thermostat yesterday. $99 at Lowe's or Amazon.

I looked at Nest. Way overkill, and way overpriced, for what I wanted. I don't really need something to learn my habits (and report them back to some MegaCorp.) I'm retired, and don't have a fixed schedule anyway.

I have the same thoughts regarding the Nest...my schedule is far too erratic to be learned. I have an Emerson Wi-Fi thermostat and am very happy with it.

 

[harley]

I hadn't heard of the options for a timed weekly reboot, or the cell signal controlled outlet. I'll look into those, and between that and a UPS (which I meant to do this year before we left, but forgot) I should hopefully be able to reach five nines reliability. Or close enough. Thanks.

 

[marko]

I have the same problem, and am very frustrated with the poor system availability we’ve had due to ISP and internet hw issues. My technical advisor told me there are 2 options. One is to plug in a switch with an outlet that automatically cycles off/on on a regular schedule- say once per week, and power the router with that outlet. The other is to install a switch that has a cellular operated circuit, so you can call it and switch it off and on.

Back in the old days, I just connected the router to a lamp timer and had it go off every night at 1AM and back on asap, like 1:30AM. At that hour I didn't care.
Overkill, as it wasn't necessary except maybe once every few months, but I knew I was always getting a fresh start with the router and couldn't afford a down router.

 

[harley]

Back in the old days, I just connected the router to a lamp timer and had it go off every night at 1AM and back on asap, like 1:30AM. At that hour I didn't care.
Overkill, as it wasn't necessary except maybe once every few months, but I knew I was always getting a fresh start with the router and couldn't afford a down router.

Actually, that's what I've been thinking about since I read Michael's post. If I can find a timer that can be scheduled weekly, I could leave it up all week then go off for a half hour. That's probably going to be the cheapest solution. But I'll still look into the more high tech options, see if there's anything worth paying the extra money for.

 

[MichaelB]

Here’s a cell controlled switch on Amazon. Not a recommendation, just an example https://www.amazon.com/Aenmil®-Wire...rd_wg=q7md2&psc=1&refRID=TF1YARMP4MQF6KEMDEGZ

The description coves this need

Use mobile phone making call or sending message to this GSM socket to switch on/off the power socket so that to control the electrical appliances

If it works, I’d say $38 is not a bad price to pay. I don’t think an UPS will offer much benefit, as it would need to power the modem, router, and devices. If the power outage is outside the house, it probably affects the internet signal as well.

No doubt a switch with a timer is more cost effective. Daily sounds pretty often - I would think weekly would be enough. Just my WAG, though.