Questions regarding standalone email, website etc...

[JDW]

Hello

Ok... I really REALLY want/ed to give you 120 bucks, but double checking a few things.

1) Email alerts are not standalone within the unit, and it requires you guys to actually send me alerts through your site?

2) You essentially have all access to my system, and basically ride shotgun over it (other than my controls with local keypads etc), with me having you do changes (when I want to use controls via IP) for me via your website?

I assume that if your site is down or experiencing difficulties, then there is no access, control or alerts? Just seems like another potential failure point.

I read here you don't have room on board for the code used to originate emails? I hate to ask, but how do my cheaper IP cams all have this ability? They work flawlessly, standalone and require no external company to relay information to me.

Just trying to iron out these queries. Thanks!!

[GrandWizard]

Hi,

1) Yes, if you use the Envisalerts service all emails originate from the alerting servers

2) No, we neither capture nor store account PINs so we have no control over user functions including disarming of the panel

The alerting servers have recorded only 35 minutes of outages in the last 4 years. That is 99.99% uptime, take that BlackBerry!

If you don't want to use the Envisalerts service then don't. Like a lot of our customers they just use the Third-Party-Interface (TPI) and disable communications with our servers. There are many open-source apps and programs available as well as HA systems that integrate directly with the Envisalink.

Either way you will love you Envisalink.

[JDW]

Thank you for the response

Use a third party's TPI... Is that like using an alarm service monitoring? (this is what I'm trying not to do). Or is this direct communication with the unit that is in my home with an app? (this is what I'm trying to do, lol).

Commendable downtime, yes. Seems like it would eventually be an issue for you to provide such a outstanding free service over the years. Or, if you decide to leave the business. Seems like this could be more trouble for you guys than it's worth actually, unless you received a benefit. Why would you do this for essentially free?

As well, I guess I just don't understand why it (or many other systems) don't communicate directly with me. My cheapie 60 buck IP cams email me, and do it extremely well.

I do however imagine the email I would get from you mentioning loss of communication to my home is nice though! Just realized that.

I must say, it's awesome you make such a product and are generous enough to offer free web based interfacing... Just trying to figure the situation and make a decision. Next step up is going with an ELK system and having extreme control at an extreme price. If this thing emailed me directly, I'd have bought it twice now haha.

[billyrusa]

The board is designed that it must communicate with something to keep it alive. Otherwise, it will reboot itself every 20 minutes. That means you at least need a local app to poll the board in certain time interval.