Putting the All-in-One Piper Security System to the Test
Back in June, I mentioned that my family and I were trying out the all-in-one Piper security system. Now that we’ve had some time to try it out, it was high…
Back in June, I mentioned that my family and I were trying out the all-in-one Piper security system. Now that we’ve had some time to try it out, it was high time I shared our findings with you 🙂
What makes Piper different than other systems is that it is not just for video of your home while away. It also has a built-in siren, a speaker and microphone, can track temperature changes, can send alerts to family and friends, and can connect to Z-Wave accessories such as a door sensor and remote controlled switches. It really is like an electronic house sitter!
All-in-One Piper Security System Review
Here’s a run-down on some of these features:
- Piper offers a 180 degree view of your home. Though a fisheye lens us used, a stretched version of one portion is shown on your screen. From there, you can pan around the room or assign different views to a 4-way split screen.
- The siren is a great theft deterrent. It’s super loud and will definitely get the attention of neighbors to notify them that something is wrong.
- We’ve used the speaker to get our dog’s attention when we’re coming home. We can also tell our daughter to stop watching videos and get back to her homework!
- Frans has set a rule up so that he’s notified by text when the temperature hits a certain point. This has been great for when we’re out and about but heat is building up in the apartment. Then we know to head home and open a window or turn on a fan for poor Speckles (our dog) at home.
- As for the accessories, some pair more quickly than others. The outlet switch paired immediately but the door sensor only paired after the first accessory was picked up. As for the door sensor, it was super easy to install and Frans loves that such a little device is so responsive! Since Piper uses Z-Wave technology, other branded items can be paired as well (check the support thread for a few examples).
Piper Camera Surveillance
Two areas that I would like to see improvement in is the webcam itself. The quality of video is okay. It’s clear enough to get the job done but it has lower resolution than other cameras we’ve reviewed. The night vision is triggered fairly easily and if you’re about 1-2 feet away from the camera, the light washes your face out completely. Also, ambient sound is picked up right away so we always hear a clicking white noise during footage.
When you set Piper to vacation or away mode, 30-45 seconds of video is recorded and can be downloaded. Every time movement is detected, video recording will begin. Free cloud video is included. However, it would be nice to be able to record at will though.
Everything with Piper works though an iOS/Android app. The app responds well most of the time but some of the functions feel like “fluff” if you don’t have some Piper accessories hooked up as well. It’s unfortunate that you can’t control the system via a web page as well but maybe that will happen in the future.
Using the Piper Security System
It’s great to be able to have a house sitter, kid sitter, and dog sitter all rolled into one. The Piper security system is about a year old and still has a lot of room to grow. Still, users are plenty happy with the functionality and I have to admit that I have great peace of mind every time I get a text about changes or movements in my home when I’m away.
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