Customer Ratings & Reviews

OVERVIEW: I really love the whole concept of the SimpliSafe home alarm systems. From selecting and adding your individual home components, to being able to choose the required level of monitoring, or even self-monitoring. This “simple” concept has tremendous merit. Buy a base system, then add the other options you require. INSTALLATION: The system is truly “simple” to setup by most anyone, (with basic technology / PC skills) following the supplied or online instructions, without the direct need for an outsourced installation team. Plug in the base unit and with the keypad add the individual alarm components one at a time. Downloading and using the SimpliSafe Application does make the installation process go a bit smoother, but not necessary. KEYPAD: Fairly simple to use and somewhat intuitive. I like the fact that it will “light up” just by touching it. Buttons are self-explanatory with the menu being logically arranged, at least for my use. I elected not to wall mount the keypad, since we move it around as needed. In lieu of using the keypad, the majority of the time both my wife and I use the Android app (with widgets) to arm and control the system. Therefore, the keypad can be placed wherever. APPLICATION: I strongly recommend installing and using the SimpliSafe App. Definity a major plus when not at home. Plus, we use two Android “widgets”. One that mirrors the Keypad “Off / Home / Away” buttons with similar icons that can be selected without requiring entering a password (note, your phone should be password or fingerprint protected). The other widget we use is for quicker access for activating and viewing the two outside cameras. ENTRY SENSORS: I had a concern with my ornate front door molding not being an ideal flat surface match for the door sensor with its magnet not seating exactly next to its sending unit. (I did not want to route the molding.) But since the magnets can be placed up to 2 inches from the sensor, I was able to make it work just fine. Two other doors (rear garage and attached shed) had flat molding, so those installed much easier. MOTION SENSOR: This sensor I tried in a few different locations with mixed results. In the first location, our kitchen, I had it sitting on a shelf facing somewhat towards the base unit, and I was able to successfully pair with the base unit. But over the next three days, it appeared to fail repeatedly with the base unit stating “Device not responding”. I would then try testing the system, pressing the motion sensor button, but the base could not re-establish communications, no matter where I had moved the sensor. To resolve, I would have to remove the motion sensor battery, then re-setup by adding it back to the base unit by way of the keypad. Next day, same failure. I finally moved the motion sensor to our family room, again on a shelf, removed the battery, then re-setup with the base unit. So far it has not failed a fourth time. Bottom line: I’m not certain what is happening, and if it fails losing communications with the base unit again, I will contact SimpliSafe support for a replacement. CAMERAS: Very easy to install and configure through the app or keypad with a decent assortment of camera options to configure for you specific requirements. Be aware their simplistic magnet mount, could be way too easy to pilfer. Just jump, grab, and run. Also, these “outside” cameras may be OK if you intend to pay for one of SimpliSafe contract monitoring services. If you choose to “self-monitor” like we do, then any outside motion that triggers the camera’s will be unavailable for your viewing. Now I must mention I am somewhat spoiled by a competitor’s Door-Cam we are using that provides free access to a 3hr viewing window to review what activity triggered the camera alert. But with SimpliSafe, I would need to purchase their basic $9.99 monthly charge just to see what triggers their camera notifications. Not an asset, unless you are willing to pay SimpliSafe for some level of monitoring. Being wireless, there is a 30 second to 2-minute delay to view either of the camera’s live video images. The system camera activation routine goes like this: Select the camera you wish to “Live View” through the application or widget. The app then displays “Waking up the camera…”, then “Connecting…”, then “Launching live view…”, then eventually, wait for it, you will see a live video. Time to activate and actually see something varies between 30 seconds to over 2 minutes when it fails any of the connectivity handshaking and you are forced to start over again. By that time, if there was an intruder, they would be long gone. The next concern I have with the outdoor camera is the embedded siren that does not seem anywhere near sufficiently loud enough to scare off an intruder. Also, you have to be right up next to the camera to hear what someone in the house is saying when using the application (tried with 2 different phones). Again, I will compare to our competitor’s Door-Cam that is loud and clear when talking to outsiders. And yeah, I understand having our rear camera installed in a 180 degrees position places the mic/speaker facing up and therefore will have weaker volume. But our front camera that has its mic/speaker facing down may be a tad louder, but still not sufficiently audible to carry on a conversation with someone outside without yelling at each other. The picture quality in daylight is good when set to 1080p, and OK at the other lower settings (720p & 480p) if you wish to save some battery life at the expense of video quality. At night, the IR is basic, and for a 3rd time does not compare to our Door Cam when in IR mode. Using the night spot light helps, but it’s still not acceptable video quality, while burning through the battery much quicker. One possible plus, these wireless outdoor cameras could be re-purposed as indoor cameras and that may well be a better use for them. I realize that is not their specified intention, and SimpliSafe does have indoor wired cameras for that purpose. Nevertheless, I will probably move to other outdoor cameras to compliment my existing Door-Cam that exceeds our requirements, and use these two cameras indoors. All is not lost… Bottom line: These outdoor cameras are useful for alerting users there is something happening (think glorified outdoor motion sensor), but actually seeing the triggering event requires a paid monitoring service. I am hoping the cameras will assist with scaring away an intruder with its blue flashing LEDs, the spot light, and low volume siren. Note that if you are looking for self-monitoring cameras, I know there are much better system solutions out there. SYSTEM RESET: Over a 6-day period, I had to twice “reset” the SimpliSafe base station due to dropping internet connectivity. Once on its own for no apparent reason, the other was when I had an AT&T router error. In both instances, the base unit would not self-restore once our internet connectivity was restored. To restore operation, one must reset the base. To reset, one must remove the power, remove a screw in the bottom of the base unit, remove the base unit cover, then remove one of the backup rechargeable batteries. Wait 15 to 30 seconds, then reverse the steps. Then I had to re-add the SSID password. Not what I can’t determine is why the base station would not reconnect to the internet when none of my other devices were down after internet was restored. I am running three high-end mesh WiFi-6 system access points, one on each floor, with the one connected to the SimpliSafe base unit only 25 feet away. My mesh system application showed the SimpliSafe_Basestation connected at 2.4GHz with a current IP address and reflecting its MAC. No matter, I still had to perform the reset ritual. Disassembly this base to reset is real pain and a function I cannot performed when I am out of town. From online research, SimpliSafe can not remotely reset, even with a monitoring plan. Bottom line, once the base station drops internet connectivity, it does not appear to reconnect on its own and requires a somewhat convoluted reset procedure. Maybe a system update is in order for a seamless reconnection process? RATING: Any of the SimpliSafe basic home systems (without outdoor cameras) are one of the better rated, easy to setup, easy to use, easy to monitor, alarm systems available. I believe those systems earn a solid 4-Start rating and I would recommend those to others. Adding these mediocre outdoor cameras, while doubling the system price, then labeling it an “Outdoor Security System” leaves a lot to be desired. Therefore, I believe this specific “SimpliSafe - Outdoor Security System” only earned a 3-Star rating, and I would not recommend to others. Stick with their basic indoor component systems, while finding other camera alternatives, and I believe you’ll be much more satisfied. .

The outdoor cameras have to be recharged every two weeks which is a pain. I should've looked for solar powered cams.

Over all the set up and functionality of the system are OK - I didn't encounter anything that was a show stopper however on the other hand nothing really stood out as cutting edge or better than anything else on the market Let's start with set - most to the stuff setup was fairly easy however the cameras were a bit of a pain - for some reason I and to wait 10 -15 mins for the system to allow me to add then next camera - I did try to install them into the system before mounting but this seemed a bit excessive - all of the out sensor and stuff install and then mounted and was ready of the next item by the time i was ready. During the software set up they do push the paid monitoring service quite heavily to the [point that the first time I saw it it took a bit of looking around to opt out Mounting - everything was fairly easy and straingth forward - the camera mounts seemed a bit light for there size however I haven't had any issues with them - I pulled them off and buck on several times Operation - no real issues here it works as advertised - as with all systems the wireless cameras are sensitive to how often they are triggered - this greatly affects the battery life before taking them down to recharge. You can adjust this in the software however just something to be aware. I was able to integrate it into google home and preform basic functionality that been said I found use the app to be the easiest. I will say the the app is very user friendly and fairly intuitive on operation. Overall my impression is that the system will do it's job once set up is complete - just nothing that really seem to set it part form others in the market space - so the two stars down are really for the pain in the set up

I was excited to try out the SimpliSafe system. This particular bundle included nine pieces: the base unit, a motion detector, 4 door sensors, a key pad, and 2 outdoor cameras. Setting up the system was pretty straight forward and easy. One major complication in set up was that my wifi is dual band which auto switches. SImpliSafe systems WILL NOT WORK on this type of wifi system. After a bit of searching online I found that a solution was to connect the unit to our guest wifi which only broadcasts the 2.4 band. Once I got that figured out activation the system and connected the various parts to the base station was relatively simple. You will have to download the SimpliSafe app before set up. The cameras are 2 way and contain a pretty loud siren that blares when the alarm does sound. In the week we have been using the system the cameras have disconnected or malfunctioned numerous times. They are both very close to wifi router but there are a couple of walls (including an exterior wall) which is evidently creating some interference. SimpliSafe offers support via chat or phone. It took a while to get them on the line, but they were helpful once I got them. There are additional add on products that you can easily add to the system. (I purchased the external siren and a FOB.) There are a couple of monitoring options. The self-monitoring one is about $11 and the one where SimpliSafe monitors your system is about $37 every month. There is no long term commitment though they do make it difficult to cancel you have to call the 800 number and talk with an agent. You can upgrade the plan online but not cancel it online. One major consideration to keep in mind when considering this system is the reliability of your internet service. It is 100% dependent upon a strong 2.4 network wifi connection.

First and foremost, the setup process is a breeze. No complicated wiring or professional installation required. Simply follow the intuitive instructions after downloading the app, and you'll have your system up and running in no time. I can see how this can be of extreme usefulness if one isn’t savvy with tools. Keep in mind that there are more addons to this system but this is a wonderful start. The included sensors are incredibly responsive, detecting even the slightest motion or intrusion with precision. You can rest assured knowing that your home is being thoroughly monitored and protected. The four entry sensors really make this a whole house package. front doors, garages, and even a few windows can be monitored and can ultimately trigger an event in the case that it was a true event. There was one catch and that was the fact that the system costs money to buy and money to record. Its expected in todays day and age given as the CCTV systems are more expensive depending on certain features and the fact that your footage is secure in a cloud based system gives you some sort of peace of mind that if they take your DVR, you're not completely out of luck. Cloud based systems are basically the safest thing in terms of storing data securely. I just didn't like having to pay record something in case there's an event. Simplisafe offers different pricing tiers to match your needs, ranging from the Fast Protect to the more comprehensive options. You can select the plan that suits your budget and desired level of protection. The Fast Protect plan covers the essentials, providing 24/7 monitoring and access to the mobile app. There are lower tiers and their unmonitored option which just lets you disarm and check your feed. You can't use their advanced features which include 24/7 dispatch, unlimited camera recording, and ability to download footage. The camera quality left a lot to be desired but it got the job done. It also lacked in the night vision department. I wasn't too pleased with the fact that I'm limited to what I can do with the system that I'd purchase to secure my home. It does well as expected. My only two complaints are the need for a plan and the camera quality. Sure they're HD but it sort of is useless in terms of using the video for evidence etc.