"I would have provided 5 stars if my Z…"

I would have provided 5 stars if my Z wave Schlage connect Deadbolt would work on my system. It once did work but an apparent upgrade disconnected it and I cannot reconnect it. Also my GE z wave thermostat will not connect to your system. Another issue is your light bulbs. Once power is lost they do not reconnect to the system. This is inconvenient for a vacation home since no one is there to manually reconnect them. Other than those three items everything else works fine including your cameras.

"A confusing issue with some cameras"

James and the Abode team worked steadily to resolve a confusing issue with several cameras. We did a homeowner level amount of testing ourselves, but James had us try several additional things, which ultimately led to discovering the issue with the cameras. They are now back up and operating as expected. James will be continuing to research the root cause for the issue, which is also good to know.

"The quality isn’t there"

The quality isn’t there. The image isn’t clear enough. You cannot zoom in on the footage. The system goes offline more than I think is acceptable and the interface is clunky and could use some additional refinement. I wish I never purchased the system. I would warn future buyer to do your homework and get them to follow through on their word to send samples/live link before buying. I asked and they never sent it. Their 50% off sale is bait tactic. Take your time in reviewing.

"Compatibility awareness"

The products are good, but here is my negative experience. Compatibility shortcomings with Homekit should have been mentioned before purchase. Only after purchasing we found out that the cameras are not compatible with Homekit.
The other negative (which I think is big) is the kit did not contain any decals or a sign for the front yard. You have to pay to get these, after spending more than $600.
The customer service is excellent.

"Reliability"

Reliability, ease of installation, good responsive customer service.

"Prompt shipping"

Prompt shipping.
Knowledgeable associates .
spoke clear English, was able to understand what my problem was .
Polite.

"I've been with Abode for about five…"

I've been with Abode for about five years now (i.e. both the security system and monitoring), and overall they have been a great company. I choose Abode for their capacity to interface with IFTTT protocol, which has worked out OK. Lately they have lauched their own brand of a automated products. As long as you have a rock solid network, they work well. The camera system is truly a bargain but they are NOT 100% effective, meaning they are NOT part of a true security system. Also, Abode should be selling a system where videos are saved locally, instread of on their server. I'd happily pay for this capability. They have given me no reason to replace my base station. And finally, they force you to accept their new application when they upgrade, whether or not all the functions actually work during the time of release (i.e. the ability to take a picture with my motion detector/ camera during the last app release; now fixed).

"Ok for DIY folks"

Prices are great, but reliability of some components is low. The Abode Cam 2 is still working out issues. I’m very pleased with the performance of the system getting me notified about events near and in the house.

"Did not want to subscribe to a plan"

Did not want to subscribe to a plan. I returned the products. The activation of a sensor does not let you know which sensor was activated without a subscription like it used to. Ended up buying YOLINK products and they work perfectly for free !!!

"Hard to get a good response by email…"

Hard to get a good response by email takes multiple attempts
Sometimes alarm goes off no one calls is there a time indicator before you call ?
I bought what I thought was a camera so I could monitor but probably my mistake it’s a motion detector