Very old house needs modernising. What would you do with £2000?

hooblah

I have a semi detached Georgian house. It is well overdue renovation, and I want to get things up to date. I'm looking for suggestions on what to do. My budget isn't infinite, but I don't mind spending a bit to do things properly. I will however, be doing it in stages. I've set £2000 as a guideline figure. Cheaper is obviously better, but I want bang for buck. I am not interested in subscription based systems. The double glazing has just been replaced with modern stuff, so the next thing to do is to get a new door bell and home security system, then slowly expand from there with heating system, new electrics etc. I'm quite capable when it comes to installation, so the cost of labour doesn't need to be factored in.

Door bell -
A friend has a Ring door bell, but it's too bulky for my liking and I think it looks cheap and nasty. It does nothing for aesthetics. I like the idea that you can see and talk to whoever's at your door using a phone app. I hear it has the ability to record a few days worth of footage. I wont have much need for recording if I go with a cctv system. Wireless would be best, but i'm concerned about battery life.
What are my options?

Alarm system -
I would also like to install an alarm system.
What i'd like from an alarm system is to be able to control it via mobile phone. Wireless would be preferred, but again i'm concerned about battery life. Also, the walls are solid brick - would that pose a massive problem for a wireless system?
Is it possible to integrate the alarm system with an outdoor cctv system?
I don't have a need for many different sensors, just a few PIR's. A visible external bell is a must.

Smart door locks -
Smart door locks interest me. I hate carrying around a bunch of keys. I'd like the option of having a mobile phone to lock/unlock remotely. I'd need two types - one with a handle for the porch door, and one to replace the cylinder lock for the main door. What are my options?

CCTV system -
This needs to be an outdoor type of system. Is it worth having night vision, or just go with flood lights?
I'd need 2 cameras, one for the front of the house, and the other for the back. I may require a third but not sure yet. Obviously, picture quality is important.

Thanks!

mushii

My first spend would be structured cabling and Wi-fi. Cat 6 to where TVs and AV equipment live. Cat 5e where you want CCTV. Ubiquiti Wireless Access Point(s), cloud key controller, USG and a decent unmanaged gigabit switch. All coming back to one place, Node 0. That would form the backbone of my home for everything else to hang off. Start with a robust foundation and it will make everything else so much easier.

hooblah

Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely look into all that. I agree that you need a robust foundation, but it's going to have to wait. Number one priority is a door bell as I haven't got one!

hooblah

On further research, Nest Hello doorbell will be £150 during black Friday. This is tempting.
I've also found Yale Conexis L1 door lock to be around the same price.

Can I integrate the two products with the z-wave module 2 and smart things?
The idea being that it 'sees' who is at the door and automatically unlocks it.

Would the Ring security system also integrate with this setup?

John7

I know very little about smart door locks (nothing actually ) but I'd be very careful.

Check if you can fit these with your property insurer, as most if not all (AFAIK), will require BS key operated dead locks on all external doors for the insurance to be valid. Just a thought!

Found this on Direct Line webpage.....

"As it stands, smart locks don’t currently affect your home insurance as long as they work in conjunction with a mortice deadlock, your front door will be considered just as secure as a standard key-operated lock." (my bold).

So, you still need a key apparently...…..

This from Swinton

"Could the locks I choose affect my Home Insurance?
Some insurers have minimum requirements to be aware of, which differ depending on the type of lock you choose. For instance, your main external door should feature either a mortice deadlock with at least 5-levers, or a lock conforming to a British Standard of at least BS3621.
BS3621 means that the lock has to have the ability to be deadlocked and the key taken away from both sides, so no one can gain access or exit the door without a key. Look out for the British Standard kitemark too, which should be clearly visible on the packaging. Locks bearing this kitemark are often recommended for all exit doors.
Meanwhile, a sliding patio door should be fitted with an anti-lift device to prevent the doors being removed from their running tracks, together with a multi-point locking system, and windows should be fitted with at least one key-operated lock.
Be sure to check with your insurer to ensure you’re compliant with their terms before fitting any locks in your home, including smart locks."

hooblah

That's fine, thanks or your concern. The smart lock would just be for the porch. The main door will retain a key lock.

27neth

Try Ultion Security. For the door. You can also just use the key with it.

hooblah

Ultion. Good suggestion! I much prefer that to the Yale.
But which version do I go for; z-wave or zigbee?

xxGBHxx

Where to start

@mushii  and I usually tag team these threads and I just want to echo his advice with one caveat. I wouldn't differentiate between CAT6 or 5e these days, I'd just put 6 everywhere. The cost difference is minimal if anything so it's likely cheaper just going with a single cable type as they usually come in 305m boxes. That said doing as he said is perfectly fine too.

I've looked long and hard at smart door locks and they are a bit of a nightmare. They are mostly unreliable (it seems many people have many problems with them) and as @John7 said almost none are certified/tested secure. As far as I'm aware, the only tested/certified lock at the moment is the Yale Connexis L1 which meets the new BS Smart lock standard TS621:2018. It's not the prettiest lock around and the feature set isn't fantastic but at least it is likely to be approved by insurers. That said there are design flaws. If the electronics fail you cannot get into the house using mechanical means. So if you only have one way into/out of your property (or one easy way) then if it fails you're in real trouble. Secondly the whole thing relies on online cloud services for some of its features. I *HATE* any security or HA that relies on an internet or cloud server to work. You have zero idea what's going to happen in the future and as most locks stay on doors for years you might be left having to replace it if Yale decide to yank the cloud server down and you lose half the functionality. The best looking lock functionally I found was the U-Tec Ultraloq range (especially the UL300). Has a great set of features and functionality but absolutely no certifications and is still very US focussed. If they ever go and get BS certification for it I'd be all over that like a rash (despite the cost).

Door bell I don't know. There's the commercial "popular" ones like Ring and Nest but I have a massive dislike of those types of systems partly due to ongoing charges, partly due to their popularity (making them a huge focus of compromise) and I simply don't trust them.

Alarm systems are tricky things to get right and you need to be careful of how you control and integrate them. I'm a great fan of integrating alarms with HA and remote access but you need to ensure it works completely independently of any other system and shouldn't rely on HA/Remote for them to work. How well that integrates with a CCTV system will depends on the cost and the time. Professional integrated (read secure) systems that integrate are usually reserved for professional install and expensive hardware. You can "homebrew" it as much as you like but then you're spending a lot of time doing that and getting it right. Personally I would steer away from integrating them to the extent that a CCTV event triggers an alarm. Perfectly possible but is hugely prone to false alarms except in specific scenarios. The reverse is covered anyway (as you CCTV should already record any event that might trigger your alarm)

CCTV systems require careful planning and depend on what you want to achieve. One camera back and front might not get you any usable footage at all and may provide nothing more than a visible deterrent. On my house I have 6 external and one internal. They're designed to give me an almost 270 degree view around the house (detatched house and I don't need to cover the front) and I can watch someone walk around the entire perimeter from camera to camera with very little interruption. I have a much closer one on the front door in my poorch so I can clearly see someones face at the door that tracks every front door visit. The one on the front part of my drive was good enough to pick out the numberplate of the Amazon driver who hit my entrance pillar and drove off. So before you decide on you CCTV carefully think about what you want to capture, how you want to store it, where you want to store it, how long for etc. That will help drive the solution before you actually go and buy something you're disappointed with.

Incidentally, you'll struggle to get all that done for £2k if you get someone else to fit it dpending on what you're intending to do.

G

mushii

Let me clarify on the Cat5e Cat6 issue. Cat 5e is very flexible Cat6 has a rigid wave guide in its centre. For all other applications I always use Cat6. For CCTV I use Cat5e because it’s flexible and I like to flush mount cameras without using extender bases, which on domestic installs are IMHO as ugly as sin. It’s almost impossible to tuck Cat6 into the base without exceeding its bend radius and damaging the wave guide hence requiring an extender base. That is my only reason for using Cat5e for CCTV over Cat6.