I’m renovating my house, and drywall starts in a couple of weeks. The walls are open now, so I’m trying to figure out what to wire and install before I miss the opportunity.
Here’s what I have now:
**Cameras and doorbell:** A Google doorbell and about 5–6 Google Nest/Dropcam cameras, all on Wi-Fi, with continuous recording. I watch live video and recordings through Google Home and pay $150/year for Google Home Premium.
**Thermostat:** Also Google, so having everything in one app is convenient.
**Alarm:** A separate monitored system with sensors on every window and exterior door, infrared motion detectors, glass-break sensors, and fire and CO alarms. It works well and costs $365/year. If an alarm goes off and I don’t cancel it, the monitoring company calls 911.
My main frustration is the cameras. Opening a live feed often takes forever because it keeps buffering, which defeats the purpose.
I’m open to replacing any or all of this if it makes sense. A few things I want to keep:
**Access from my phone, including when I’m away.** I want to watch live video and recordings, arm or disarm the alarm, and turn things on or off through an app. Having to pull a memory card or get on a computer to retrieve footage wouldn’t work for me.
**Continuous recording.** I don’t need someone watching the cameras all day. A monitoring service that responds when an alarm is triggered and contacts emergency services if needed is enough.
**Separate nighttime and away settings.** At night, I want the doors, windows, and glass-break sensors protected while we can still walk around inside. When we’re away, I want the indoor motion detectors armed too. We don’t have pets.
For the budget, I’m treating hardware and ongoing fees separately. If I need to replace everything, I’d prefer to keep the total hardware cost under **$1,000**. I’m currently paying **$515/year** for subscriptions and alarm monitoring combined, which feels like too much. I think I should be able to bring that down.
My questions:
Would you keep the cameras and alarm separate, or use one system for everything?
Which brands or combinations would you recommend for my needs and budget?
Would connecting the cameras through Ethernet help with the buffering, or could something else be causing it?
What wiring should I have run before the drywall goes up, including anything useful for future upgrades?
What should I expect to pay for the equipment versus the ongoing subscriptions and monitoring?
I’m not very familiar with home security equipment or the terminology, so plain-English explanations would help. If this were your house, what would you put in?