August Wi-Fi Smart Video Doorbell: Keep an eye on approaching visitors to your home with this video doorbell, which features a 1-way wide-angle camera and 2-way communication so you can speak with visitors. Built-in Wi-Fi lets you monitor video and chat using your compatible Apple® or Android device.
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I looked around quite a bit before pulling the trigger and purchasing this camera. I spent a lot of time comparing the Ring brand and August, and decided August would be the way to go. At first I was disappointed that the directions that came in the box were extremely simple and did not go into detail about each step of the install, but it directed me to August's website for further instructions. The website guided me through some questions to determine the best installation method. The "dolphin" wiring connectors the camera came with were terrible, the opening on the connectors would never have fit my two wires, so I ended up using my own wire connectors. The $150 installation recommendation seems extremely too high for such a simple install. It might look like a lot when you get everything out of the box, but you only use about a third of the items, so attempt this install yourself before calling someone, it really is not that bad. Very simple tools are required and the built in leveler on the camera's module was one of the coolest things I've ever seen on a device, very clever! Online it said I'd have to wait 30 minutes for the camera's built in battery to charge up, but my camera was ready to go immediately after it was hooked up. The app was simple to use and get going. There are constant messages popping up letting me know I have a 30 day free trial, and when I attempt to find out exactly what is included in the trial they really beat around the bush with the details. This is the reason I went with August over Ring was because of the yearly subscription fees. It's my camera, my WiFi, and my house, why do I need to pay you to access it? I suppose I'll see what features get turned off at the end of the trial and see if it's worth paying for and continuing with. The camera quality and WiFi connection have been great. For those reviewing this item and telling you it doesn't get good connection I can almost guarantee it's their home network setup. I have a descent router and modem and a 50 Mbps package with my ISP, and my camera is clear across the house and yet I'm still able to stream and use the audio feature with no issues. I'm getting a signal strength of -48 dBm, download speed of 27.39 Mbps, and upload speed of 5.40 Mbps. Quality is great, response time is awesome, and so far the motion detection hasn't bothered me. August please don't require subscription fees for using all the features!