SimpliSafe - 8pc Outdoor Home Security System - White

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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Easy Setup, Solid Protection with some Drawbacks

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  • Top 250 Contributor

  This SimpliSafe alarm system is an excellent DIY home security solution that's extremely easy to install and set up. Right out of the box, it instructs you to download the SimpliSafe app, available on both major app stores. The app plays a central role in the setup process, guiding you through everything with ease. After downloading it, you’ll create a free account, then follow the prompts to begin setting up the devices. This bundle includes four entry sensors, one motion sensor, a keypad, and an outdoor camera series 2. The base station is the first component to install and connect all devices. Each entry sensor comes with pre-applied 3M adhesive, making installation on doors and windows quick and straightforward. Before mounting, it's a good idea to test them by placing the sensor halves together and then separating them to simulate an open door, this triggers an audible alert from the base station. Once installed, you can label each sensor in the app, front door, back door, etc. The motion sensor is also equipped with 3M tape and can be angled to cover high-traffic areas like living rooms and hallways. I found the response time of the entry sensors to be very quick, with virtually no delay. The motion sensor also performed well. After installation, I activated the system using the app, which I prefer for everyday use. You can easily toggle between “Home” and “Away” modes depending on your needs. Alternatively, you can use the included keypad, which is solidly built, has a black and white LCD display, and runs on four AA batteries that are claimed to last several months. The base station includes a backup battery that provides up to 24 hours of power during outages. I was surprised to find that it came with rechargeable Duracell batteries. I also tested the alarm volume and it is very loud. Loud enough to deter any intruder. The app itself is simple and intuitive, though it lacks more advanced customization options unless you pay for a subscription. Smart home integration with systems like Alexa or Google Assistant requires at least the $9.99/month plan. Without a subscription, you're limited to basic functionality with no local video recording. The system includes a free month of professional monitoring, but you can opt for self-monitoring instead. Keep in mind, however, that self-monitoring without a subscription strips away features like video storage. The included outdoor camera delivers excellent video quality, even at night. It has a strong magnetic mount, supports wired or wireless use, and features two-way audio with clear sound. The only real downside of this system is the lack of smart home integration without a paid plan. That limitation may be a dealbreaker for users wanting more automation. Overall this is a well-designed, high-quality DIY home security system that’s easy to set up and use. It’s a strong choice for anyone looking to secure their home without the complexity of a professional installation. This particular bundle includes everything you need to get started. In the box you get the base station, four entry sensors, one motion sensor, a keypad, a 1080p outdoor camera, a yard sign, and user manuals.

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  Posted 3 days ago by Wishkid

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Very Good Home System, Camera needs improvement.

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  I was excited to set up this SimpliSafe 8pc Outdoor Home Security System for our home. I have heard of this brand before, and wanted to move away from some of the other more popular DIY camera systems. I was really impressed with how this box was shipped, with each of the devices nicely packaged inside for easier identification for your home. Downloading the app and setting it up was very easy and effortless. There was a firmware update that was needed immediately after connecting the basestation to my home WiFi. The app easily walks you down the steps for installing the other security devices. This comes with door/window sensors (4), motion sensor, keypad, outdoor camera, and display merch (2 stickers and yard sign). It also came with additional doublestick tape should you need to move and keep the system. Every device can either be attached to the wall via doublestick tape or screws (for more permanent setup). The doublestick tape works amazingly, no device falling off the wall. I found the camera to be the most disappointing of the set up. From where I wanted to install on the outside to the basestation is about 30 feet. The WiFi range was adequate but it failed twice on installation before it was able to be set up. The camera can be powered by either plug or battery. It also is set up on the wall by a magnetic knob, where you can adjust it in directions of about 30-degrees. The camera quality is decent, but no night vision and no way of rotating it from the app. I noticed in the morning that the camera had dipped facing down. The 30-degree down angle will make it fall forward so I had to have it look more ‘straight’ ahead. It does cover a decent area which is adequate for me. It also does pick up everyone walking down the street or even vehicles driving past the home. The app is simple to navigate as well, making it easy to toggle the system ‘OFF’, ‘HOME’, or ‘AWAY’. When you click on the live view of the camera automatically turns on the speaker so it was rather annoying. You can also change the times of when arm/disarm occurs when you are leaving or returning (I like doing it for about 45 seconds to a minute which is enough time for us to get out of the home). For the past week I have been happy with this security system. I am just annoyed with the camera falling forward. I am curious to getting the video doorbell and the smoke/CO2 detectors for the future. There is a free 30-day trial that allows you to have 24-hour surveillance. After that it costs $31 which is not too bad compared to the home system we already subscribed with.

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  Posted 4 days ago by APFLORES413

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Simply, with a fee

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  • Top 25 Contributor

  I have had a couple SimpliSafe systems over the past years and not a whole lot has changed about them. I have always liked the fact that you can pull it all out of the box, set it up and instantly have a home security system. By default, you don’t have to pay for their monthly protection plan, which provides a level of live protection and cell backup service. However, with the addition of the camera, it is nearly useless unless you pay for a plan. You still get a battery backup base station that helps keep everything connected. It provides a light hue of visual confirmation the system is armed as well as being the siren for the whole system. You still get the wireless keypad which I have always found useful for a security system because you can keep it central in the house, or take it to bed with you at night. You get 4 door sensors which have included sticky pads or you can screw into place. The sticky pads are amazing for people that rent and don’t want to worry about repairs when they leave. You also get a motion sensor that can be mounted with the sticky tape or screws as well. Some wall textures might not hold up well with the sticky tape though. But, all of this is simple to connect with the app or the touchpad and will all trigger the local alarm system depending on your setting. You can get push notifications from the app, provided your system is connected to an active Wi-Fi signal as well. However, should the power go out, the main hub has a battery backup and you will still get a local siren from the device, but no push notifications unless you subscribe because it won’t have the Wi-Fi/Internet connection. Now, the camera that comes with it can work wired or wireless. Depending on that connection also depends on what it is capable of, but it really just becomes a 2 way webcam with motion notifications unless you pay for a subscription. There is no local recording, it is only based on your subscription level with up to 30 days of storage. You can however, record with your phone, should you be watching the camera at the time of the notification. Like most wireless cameras, they are slow to react. They stay in a low power state to conserve battery, so they only cut on after they detect motion, which could be seconds to late for whatever the incident that occured. If you aren’t paying for a subscription and don’t open the push notification the moment you receive it, you may never know what happened other than “Motion detected”. Now, if you are close enough to an outlet, you can use the included USB power cable and adapter which improves its reaction time. Plus, you can take advantage of their AI detection and zone assignments to prevent unwanted motion detection. However, you still won’t have any recordings unless you subscribe. With all that said though, they do offer 1 free month of their professional services and then depending on the services you want, will range from $9.99 to $49.99 a month at the time of this review. You can cancel any time, there are no long term contracts, and you can change your level of plan right through the app. Oddly enough, I declined the 1 month and now they offer me 3 months free to upgrade my plan from self monitoring to anything else, but that might be a limited and personal offer. Overall, SimpliSafe is still a good self-installation and self monitoring system. The camera can be good for live monitoring, but if you want to see any missed footage, you have to have at least the minimum subscription to store recordings for up to 30 days. It’s a quick, simple and great option for some piece of mind security.

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  Posted 1 day ago by DavidJr