Home monitoring system?

I use a group of Blink cameras, a remotely controllable smart thermostat, a moisture detector (behind the washer), an alarm system, and a wifi connected weather station. All of this does require a reliable internet connection.

Sounds good doesn't it. Check on your house from anywhere. But I have found there is more to it. We have cameras thruout the house which work fine when they work. But if there is a power outage, or if the internet goes down, the cameras don't always come back up. Maybe it's because they are cheap; don't know.
But be aware that just plugging in a system (and going away for several months) will not guarantee that the system will stay operable for all the time you are away.
I am also nervous about a smart t/s that you can control from afar. If you can control it so can a hacker...

We use Ring. Always come back after an internet issue but daughter recharges them as necessary...every three weeks or so

We have a neighbor water the plants, she knows our phone number.

I use simpli-safe, not as much for the alarm or the door monitors as for the temp and water monitors. It does require WiFi. Also have a Sensi WiFi programmable thermostat that we can monitor and adjust.

steelhunter wrote:
I'm leaving North Dakota for warmer parts this coming winter.

I'm considering a remote monitoring system to keep an eye on heat, power and snow level at my house.

I see any number of these on Amazon.

Any recommendations or advice?
Do these gadgets truly work?

We use a combination of smart gadgets to keep an eye on our place when we're away.
- Several "Ring" wifi cameras, battery powered, solar panel charged, postione outside around the house and property. https://ring.com/
- A remote temperature monitor from RV Pet Safety, 4G cell connected, to keep and eye on the temperature in the house. https://rvpetsafety.com/
- Smart Propane Tank monitor, battery powered - 10 year life, 4G cell connected, to keep an eye on the level of propane in our tanks for the furnace.
All of the above have an app for your smart phone so you can recieve alerts and notifications and view the status at anytime from anywhere.
Works for us!

Don't be cheap. Look at part(s) that make an integrated system. Doesn't necessarily need to be from the same company, in fact sometimes the "mix" and "match" is ideal. It is for us.

nest thermostat or some similar ones will let you monitor temperatures remotely and control the thermostat if needed, along with warning you if temps are to high or low. Nest fire detectors will connect with it and warn you as well. Nest phone app lets you see inside temps as well as outside temp.

Ring/Nest cameras and alarm system will monitor inside and outside for safety. They also have water sensors to warn you of a leak.

Ring is easy to set up and the alarm system lets you give individuals a unique acess code and access ability so you know who and when someone is checking on the house.

Ring system and Nest thermostat has worked well for us.

In addition Leviton makes switches and outlets that are compatible with Nest and Ring and google home/alexa will randomly turn on lights etc. when it detects or you set to "away" in the evening from dusk till about 11pm to give the house a lived in look.

And when home the leviton app also will turn on lights when you come home, off when you leave. Nice at night to come home open the garage door, have garage lights come on and dining/living lights on when we walk in. Couple that with google/alexa and you can turn them on/off by voice or the app.

Downside is they quite while power is out, but our pieces have always come back up in sync when power/internet returns.

Don't be cheap..get good cameras like Nest. Leave internet on. View your house from anywhere. Aim one at an indoor thermometer.

All this sounds good if you live in the city. With spotty cell service and unreliable internet it might work some of the time.

It's nice to (maybe, if everything works correctly) be able to see a problem while snowbirding, but then what? You're 1000 miles away. You still need someone there with access to fix the problem. Nothing beats a neighbor or friend regularly checking on the place, even if you have to pay them.