Great overview, looking to upgrade from Nest as well here very soon since the end is near. Appreciate your insight and glad we came to the same conclusion after a ton of research. Consider posting a 3 or 6 month follow up, and any automations related to security you find helpful (We had an auto arm every night to ensure the alarm was set, etc). I wish there was a work around for the missing button on the door sensors... wonder if there is a way to use a FLIC button or something to temporarily deactivate the alarm sensor or some similar process to achieve that functionality going forward).
How big is your home? I am considering switching from Ring - but I worry about connections dropping off between the hub and door/window sensors. Abode doesn’t have Range extenders, and I wanna make sure there would be no connection issues. My hub would be in the far upstairs corner of a two story 2500sq home
Matthew - two more questions: your decision to plug the Iota into your battery back up. I understand the Iota has a 4 hour life; how much do you have in your system battery backup? And what product do you use? One more: have you tested the response time of the central station monitoring service? Thank you again for your review. The Abode system reviews do not inspire confidence so hearing from users - especially in your line of work - is very helpful.
I haven't tested the response time for Central Station. I have a few battery backups for various devices, but they are just to keep key elements going as the all-house generator kicks in. The APC Smart UPS-C is a solid device for this. That device can last up to four hours, which means that the Abode base station's battery time is double in case I'm not home and the all-house generator fails. I have UPS on my wireless devices, and everything in my studio so that if I'm doing a virtual class or meeting and the power goes out. The APC Smart UPS-c 1500VA have served me well.
I think the big difference is that the pro plan adds monitoring from a call center. My wife and I get the alerts and we're never without our phones. I use the Apple Focus mode for certain projects and when at church and I just allowed the Adobe alerts to come through even when in focus mode. We also have plenty of cameras, so if the alert goes off I can check on the house and if something was up, I can call the police department on my own. So in my situation, I don't feel like I need call-center monitoring.
I, like you, have a Nest Secure that I need to replace because they are ending support. One feature I really like about Nest Secure is that it could be setup to play a chime sound whenever a door with a sensor on it is opened. This is really useful to me because I have little kids in the house and I want to be able to hear if they have opened an external door. Does the Abode system have the ability to play a sound every time a sensor is triggered? Thanks!
Hi @danomanx21 Yep, you can set the chimes for anytime the doors/windows open. You can also customize it so that it's conditional on the state of the alarm. The chiime comes from the alarm HUB and not the sensor itself. The only thing that I miss by cutting over is that the Nest Secure sensors allowed you to deactivate them at the sensor and the light at the bottom of the sensor. So far, with the Apple Home integration I actually like Adobe better than Nest Secure.
Thanks for the video. Even without the HomeKit component, would you still recommend this setup. I am using HomeKit currently and have a starling hub for all my nest cams. I don’t consider myself completely locked into Apple but finding myself more and more involved lol just curious in the absence of HK, do you find this system still a good replacement for nest secure?
I have the Starling Hub as well. It's a solid product and really connected the devices well. I was hoping for more from the meta protocols, but it hasn't delivered yet. Your core question is about HomeKit. HomeKit was a big reason why I went with Abode and it delivered. Would I buy it again if it wasn't for the Apple Homekit? It likely wouldn't be my first choice, but it would be close to it. Simplisafe was the runner-up and would have been my first choice if not for the HomeKit integration.
@@MatthewRathbun thanks! Why Simplisafe? That was the other one I was considering. Reason I leaned away from that one is more expensive monthly monitoring plans. No geofencing. And it seems overall less customizable. Additionally from what I have read, you really can’t use it without paying a monthly fee for most ideal alert notifications.
Not random at all! It's a Tidbyt series 1. Its programmable from your iPhone. It's more novalty than practical, but it makes me smile. There are a bunch of random 8-bit Nintendo animations that I like to run in addition to the retro clock and Matrix screens. tidbyt.com/
Great overview, looking to upgrade from Nest as well here very soon since the end is near. Appreciate your insight and glad we came to the same conclusion after a ton of research. Consider posting a 3 or 6 month follow up, and any automations related to security you find helpful (We had an auto arm every night to ensure the alarm was set, etc). I wish there was a work around for the missing button on the door sensors... wonder if there is a way to use a FLIC button or something to temporarily deactivate the alarm sensor or some similar process to achieve that functionality going forward).
How big is your home? I am considering switching from Ring - but I worry about connections dropping off between the hub and door/window sensors. Abode doesn’t have Range extenders, and I wanna make sure there would be no connection issues. My hub would be in the far upstairs corner of a two story 2500sq home
Matthew - two more questions: your decision to plug the Iota into your battery back up. I understand the Iota has a 4 hour life; how much do you have in your system battery backup? And what product do you use?
One more: have you tested the response time of the central station monitoring service?
Thank you again for your review. The Abode system reviews do not inspire confidence so hearing from users - especially in your line of work - is very helpful.
I haven't tested the response time for Central Station. I have a few battery backups for various devices, but they are just to keep key elements going as the all-house generator kicks in. The APC Smart UPS-C is a solid device for this. That device can last up to four hours, which means that the Abode base station's battery time is double in case I'm not home and the all-house generator fails.
I have UPS on my wireless devices, and everything in my studio so that if I'm doing a virtual class or meeting and the power goes out. The APC Smart UPS-c 1500VA have served me well.
@@MatthewRathbun thank you!
Thanks for the overview, it seems there are 2 plans (Standard and Pro). Are you using any of these plans? what do we lose with no monthly plans?
I think the big difference is that the pro plan adds monitoring from a call center. My wife and I get the alerts and we're never without our phones. I use the Apple Focus mode for certain projects and when at church and I just allowed the Adobe alerts to come through even when in focus mode. We also have plenty of cameras, so if the alert goes off I can check on the house and if something was up, I can call the police department on my own. So in my situation, I don't feel like I need call-center monitoring.
I, like you, have a Nest Secure that I need to replace because they are ending support. One feature I really like about Nest Secure is that it could be setup to play a chime sound whenever a door with a sensor on it is opened. This is really useful to me because I have little kids in the house and I want to be able to hear if they have opened an external door. Does the Abode system have the ability to play a sound every time a sensor is triggered? Thanks!
Hi @danomanx21 Yep, you can set the chimes for anytime the doors/windows open. You can also customize it so that it's conditional on the state of the alarm. The chiime comes from the alarm HUB and not the sensor itself. The only thing that I miss by cutting over is that the Nest Secure sensors allowed you to deactivate them at the sensor and the light at the bottom of the sensor. So far, with the Apple Home integration I actually like Adobe better than Nest Secure.
The sound is really nice. What mic do you use?
I"m using the Rode Go II setup amzn.to/3OfmpIG
How long do the coin batteries in the remote window/door censors last?
I'm not sure how long they'll last, but it's been over three months and I haven't had to replace one yet.
Thanks for the video. Even without the HomeKit component, would you still recommend this setup. I am using HomeKit currently and have a starling hub for all my nest cams. I don’t consider myself completely locked into Apple but finding myself more and more involved lol just curious in the absence of HK, do you find this system still a good replacement for nest secure?
I have the Starling Hub as well. It's a solid product and really connected the devices well. I was hoping for more from the meta protocols, but it hasn't delivered yet. Your core question is about HomeKit. HomeKit was a big reason why I went with Abode and it delivered. Would I buy it again if it wasn't for the Apple Homekit? It likely wouldn't be my first choice, but it would be close to it. Simplisafe was the runner-up and would have been my first choice if not for the HomeKit integration.
@@MatthewRathbun thanks! Why Simplisafe? That was the other one I was considering. Reason I leaned away from that one is more expensive monthly monitoring plans. No geofencing. And it seems overall less customizable. Additionally from what I have read, you really can’t use it without paying a monthly fee for most ideal alert notifications.
You are about a month into abode - how has it performed for you?
It's done everything that they promised and has been integrated seamlessly into my setup. I'm still really happy with it.
@@MatthewRathbunThank you!
I know it’s random, but what clock/alarm clock is that in the background?
Not random at all! It's a Tidbyt series 1. Its programmable from your iPhone. It's more novalty than practical, but it makes me smile. There are a bunch of random 8-bit Nintendo animations that I like to run in addition to the retro clock and Matrix screens. tidbyt.com/
This abode company whole bunch of thieves, been asking about my refund for their crap that I returned 3 months, they keep giving me the run around