Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Intro (For the cliffnotes version, just scroll down to impressions). It was a while before the Piper NV arrived at Amazon.com, even while it remained available directly from its maker's website, and so my original review of the NV was posted with the classic Piper. I bought mine directly from its maker. NV is ostensibly a moniker for "night vision" or "new version." Having recently moved into a house, security was of paramount interest to me. I work 12-hour days, and at least once a year, I travel. I wanted a security system that could alert me of nefarious occurrences at the house in my absence. As far as a home is concerned, ignorance is not bliss; au contraire, I'd very much like to know. I compared many different DIY systems, from Smarthings to the Canary which I think might be ideal for a one bedroom apartment or a hotel. I ultimately opted for the Piper because it was the closest thing to a stand alone security system. I didn't just want automated products of which there are so many; if I had, I believe Smarthings would have been the better choice. I wanted automated products tailored specifically towards security, and the Piper won me over with not just its features, but with the fact that it can serve as a hub for Z-wave products that control door/window sensors and lighting as are necessary for security. The new Piper costs $67 more for the promise of a better camera with night vision and a faster processor. Since I was already going to need them anyways, I added two door/window sensors and one smart switch for controlling the living room lamp. It arrived reliably by Fed Ex 2 days after purchase. Packaging was minimalistic. The Piper - a chic, glossy-looking device - was already mounted on its stainless steel stand. Per the sparse instructions, I detached the stand, accessed the battery compartment, and inserted the included batteries. Knowing that I was going to be experimenting with the system, I declined to put the included screw in the battery compartment so that I could deactivate the alarm if needed as I toyed with it. I then plugged it into the wall with the included adapter. A button on my black Piper glowed blue, and then a computer voice informed me that Piper was ready. Then I was off to download the app from Google play. Everything about the Piper is controlled from the app. The app did not immediately connect as I was going through set up. I rebooted my phone. It then found my home network with ease. On prompt, I promptly named my Piper "The Sticky Web" for the traps I planned to use it to lay. While the smart switch connected to the Piper with singular ease - just access the "Settings > Add/Remove Z-Wave Accessories > Add > Start and then push the button on the device to be added - the two door/window sensors gave me a run for my money. I was ultimately able to connect to them about 20 minutes after the fact. I named one "front door" and the other "back door." My doors are antiquated, and they have decorative ridges running around them that prevent the sensors from aligning flush against each other as recommended. But I brought them as close together as could. After a few tries with the double sided adhesive tape, the app indicated that both the front door and back door were closed. And then we were off and running. Impressions The Good: Modes: Piper has 4 convenient modes; "away," "vacation," "stay" and "off." Each mode can be preconfigured with its own rules. For example, in "Stay" mode, I have mine configured to turn on the living room lamp if it detects movement, but not to sound the alarm unless any door is opened. If I meet that lovely mysterious stranger and - all hypothetically - we make it to my place, I won't wake up to find my wallet missing. And the stranger gone. Not without angry alarm bells, anyways. For my "away" mode, the alarm is set to go off if motion is detected, if a loud sound is heard, or if any of the doors are opened. Camera: This offers a 180 degree "fisheye" view, which can be sectioned off into 4 quadrants while viewing live video, with each quadrant capable of "pinch" zoom. It's a remarkable feature, although it detracts from the picture quality; see below. Form Factor: The form factor is sleek and toned down, although not exactly inconspicuous with the unblinking eye of the camera, and the warning glow of red. The Alarm: The alarm is loud enough to bring the walls of Jericho down and send an invading army running for the hills. It is beyond loud, particularly given its rather small form factor. Moreover, it cannot be easily snuffed out, given that if the Piper is unplugged while the alarm is going off, it switches to the battery mode automatically. And since the batteries are to be screwed in, it would take quite some time to find a screwdriver, unscrew the battery lid, and take out the batteries. Mic: The creepy ability to interact with anyone at my house is an added boon. One can imagine saying to an unwary intruder "I've got some nice surprises for you, and more on the way" for maximum freak out effect. Or just communicating with guests and visitors, though this is a feature that I would be wary of, since they would know that they are potentially being spied on and might seek hotel accommodation in lieu. The App: I have largely ignored the dashboard, but the app's notifications have been stellar. Notifications are pushed within seconds of my sensored doors opening, or the temperature changing in my house. I configured the app to trigger the alarm and send me both a text and an email if a loud sound occurred or motion was sensed while it was in the "away" mode. After placing sensors, I drove off to work. About 2 hours later, a text and email were pushed to my phone that a loud noise had been detected, and the motion sensor had been tripped. I watched the video of the event, but couldn't find any marauder in my living room where the Piper was placed. Nonetheless, I drove home at speed, sidearm in tow, only to find that the door sensor which I stuck to the door using the double-sided adhesive had come unglued and fallen to the ground. And that triggered the alarm, as the Piper thought that the door had been opened. After the sensor fell a second time, I was irate enough to use 3 drops of crazy glue on the adhesive tape to avert any such misadventures in the future. Problem solved. Z-Wave Hub: The ability to add such appliances is indispensable. And contrary to some reviews I read, one Piper can apparently be simultaneously connected to north of 200 such devices. I certainly cannot bolster this claim; I 'd have to live in a cathedral to need 200 Z-wave devices. But I do plan to have a sensor on every door and window on the first floor of my house. I'll acquire these sensors in a piecemeal fashion, as I will need about 10 of them and that will get expensive. The sensors have proved to be about 97% accurate. No sooner do doors open than I receive an alert on my phone via email and text as I configured it. This is invaluable. The Bad: Camera: I kind of already knew that the camera was rather less than crystal-clear, but I had hoped that night vision would alleviate the problem. It did not. The video quality is not good. I couldn't see my own facial features, sitting about 6 feet away and directly facing the camera. I alternated between night mode and regular and tinkered with the light settings. That did not fix the problem. Configuring the app to turn on the living room lamp when movement was detected did not solve the problem either. The picture remained blurry and unclear, with or without light. Very disappointing. I suppose window placement played a role, despite the fact that my blinds were drawn. Alarm: It is true that the alarm is incredibly loud and cannot be easily shut off. But that affects both the owner of the Piper and the intruder in adverse ways. And the owner should not be as inconvenienced as the intruder by the alarm. There is no quick and easy way to turn off the alarm once triggered. One has to unplug the adaptor, unscrew the battery compartment lid, and then take out the batteries; an eternity, given the ear-bursting intensity of the sound. It is almost an unforgivable oversight that owners are not given the ability to deactivate the alarm from the app itself. A false alarm, particularly at night, could earn petitions from neighbors to the City Council, to the U.S. Congress and indeed to the President of these United States. This issue really does need to be resolved. Update: This issue is now a nonissue, as the alarm can be deactivated with the "disarm" button in the app. The Mic: While I could hear myself clearly while testing the mic, it had quite a bit of interference and echoes. Stealth: Unlike the Canary for example, for those who know what to look for, the camera on the Piper is fairly obvious. As is the light that glows green or blue or white, the latter if the video feature is being viewed. A device such as this is for monitoring and detecting, and it is no good at either if the observed are aware that they are being observed. One might have wished for a device who's propensities was not quite so obvious. In other words "a spy cam." Recording: While one can set the unit to record if a designated event occurs, one cannot record at will. And there is total dependence on the cloud. Ideally the Piper would have supported onboard recording, such as on a mini SD card. Of course, if an intruder makes away with the unit, the cloud becomes optimal. But the complete inability to record at will is frustrating. Can't record that pet doing cartwheels in the living room. Or that treasured dog nibbling on its own feces. Bummer. Bottom Line: Since I couldn't give it a 3.5 rating, I gave the Piper a 4. It gets full marks for ingenuity. Full marks for its do-it-yourself credentials. Full marks for its ability to alert the owner of occurrences at home without the involvement of a third-party and fees. Full marks for its being the spidery hub in the center of a potentially expanding sticky web as other Z-Wave devices are added. It's biggest drawback is the video quality; I would not count on being able to pick an intruder out of a mug shot by using the video feature. I am more excited about its promise, and the promise of DIY and Z-Wave devices. There is so much room for growth and improvement. One could imagine a bigger, more upscale Piper, featuring a fingerprint scanner to trigger and deactivate the device, an even louder alarm system and a top-grade camera. One can imagine Z-Wave devices plugged into sockets all over the house and which - upon detecting the Piper's alarm going off - replicate the sound all over the house, such that the intruder would have no idea how to turn them off and would likely flee. Hopefully, both the Piper team and other manufacturers will continue to improve on these devices. Update: After 3 months of use, the Piper remains a good investment. Any homeowner or long-term renter knows the pain of recurring costs. This helps a homeowner neatly sidestep that, and yet maintain efficient security at home. One annoyance is that after I walked out of my rarely used back door, the app permanently reports it to be open, when it is in fact shut. I am not certain whether the problem is from Piper or the Z-wave sensor. Update: (12/6/15) There was major update of the app that improved its graphics in major ways. Recorded videos now show an arrow that can be clicked on for downloading to the device. Nifty. Update: (6/16): The software has been substantially changed from when I wrote my original review. There are now 3 modes, as opposed to 4: Armed away, Armed Stay and Disarmed.