SimpliSafe - Home Security Kit 7 Pieces

I bought this for a flip home we are renovating because it works off cellular so no internet needed unless you want cameras. Love being able to turn off and on from my cell phone. The customer service has been excellent whenever I call them!

I am extremely happy with this system so far. I did a review on my YouTube channel describing the set up process and some of the features. Installation was a breeze, never had to talk to anybody over the phone. The equipment functions and looks very good with other smart devices I have at home. It works with Alexa. In regards to the monthly subscription, I find the $24.99 a month to use the app and other functions very reasonable. It is even better value than what other companies offer. By the way no contracts required! After being under a contract with Protect America for a few years paying a lot of money for old equipment I do appreciate the package that SimpliSafe offers. The app works extremely well, no lag or glitches so far. I was lucky to get the camera for free with a sale Best Buy had going. The camera video functions on the app make the subscription well worth it too.

The ease at which it takes to set up the simplisafe system is on the level of Apple products, anybody and I mean anybody can set this system up! So many companies make claims about how easy pairing or setting up components of their system are, simplisafe says it and means it! The versatility of this system is second to none, it has so much versatility with where you can put components and what you can do with it. They have keyfobs, freeze detectors,water sensors, smoke alarms, CO alrams,panic button, siren for out or inside, video camera with privacy shade for when your home and soon they will have a video doorbell. These are some of the things you can add to your system at very reasonable prices. The monthly monitoring (which can be month to month) starts at $14.95 and $24.95. The system has cellular built in which simplisafe does not charge extra for like most other systems. This system is hands down the best, easiest, and most versatile alarm system out right now in my opinion. The only negatives for me would be better range for the motion sensors. But, with the fact you can add extra motion sensors for like an extra $30 a piece, it’s really not that big of a deal. And the fact you can only use the app to control the system with the $24.95 a month plan is the other. Piece of mind, upgradeability, versatility, just a few of the reasons I absolutely love this system. And with the simplisafe guarantee of 60 days to try it, test it, love it or return it, I don’t think you can go wrong.

Good price! Good product! Easy to use! I had it up and installed ASAP.

This was a replacement for a five year old system that needed a new base station. It is easy to set up with the verbal step by step instructions. I ended up using the included screws instead of the 3M adhesive pads. The app helps.

There’s a nice feeling about knowing you have your home secured from break-ins while you are at work, or on vacation, or even asleep in your home. I’ll go one step further and say that I also like the idea of having control over the system. I like being able to add devices, add or delete features, and not be dependent on another service guy or locked into contracts because I changed something. SimpiSafe has an array of available sensors (entry, motion, glass break, camera, panic buttons) and extra keypads, key fobs, sirens and yard signs. You own and manage the system. If you want the monitoring, it’s there, but with no contracts, no penalties. and no pressure to extend. Monitoring alone is $15/month (3/2018) which uses the internal SIM card and the Cellular call system. There is also a Wi-Fi connection enabled under System Settings. With Wi-Fi you can add cameras for live viewing. Other plans have costs associated with live viewing via an App or recording. Monitoring by SimpliSafe and the details around an actual alarm situation are fairly standard. The Keyboard begins a countdown beep, giving you time to enter your PIN code. If time runs out, a siren sounds and a silent Cell or Internet call to SimpliSafe is initiated. SimpliSafe calls back to either cancel the alarm (IF you provide security word) or else they send police. SETUP: The “PROTECT” system includes 4 ENTRY SENSORS, a MOTION DETECTOR, a KEYPAD, and the BASE STATION. Other pre-packaged systems have more or less components and some additional types of sensors. The process begins by plugging in your BASE STATION. Location does not seem to be especially critical, but somewhere central seemed reasonable. Distribute your SENSORS to your preferred locations, remembering to yank the battery protection sleeves out. All sensors have adhesive pads, so think first, then attach. Same for the KEYPAD. I chose NOT to adhere it permanently, because I wanted it with me for setup, and I really wasn’t sure where to place it. The KEYPAD is very easy to use. That black screen at the top is actually a large 4-way rocker pad. Your selection choices are always at one of the 4 edges where you press to make a selection. Accessing anything on the keypad requires you to first enter a PIN you have created. Changing the status of your system always required that PIN. (several additional PIN CODES can be created) Now comes the “discovery” process. Each sensor has a slightly recessed button which I depressed. The KEYPAD, which I was carrying around with me lit up with a notification that the SENSOR and its type was recognized as soon as I pressed it’s little button. The KEYPAD was requesting me to name it. There was a lengthy list of useful names I could scroll through and then select. Done. Move on to the next SENSOR, no matter the type. The KEYPAD again recognized the SENSOR and its type. A list pops up, I selected a name, and moved on. I was done in minutes. It took longer for me to decide where to put the various sensors. SimpliSafe has thought through this technology pretty completely. At no point did a sensor fail to register. My home is all on one floor and extends 2800 square feet with a decorative brick archway which somewhat divides the home. No problem for me, although those of you with rambling mansions might have issues I didn’t see. At this point you can conclude your setup. I went back into the keypad to add my Wi-Fi as a link for monitoring, The system offers a phone number for setting up monitoring . . . but you can choose to bypass that offer . . . without badgering. I’m still testing my system, but it’s hard to fault the device performance. COMPLAINTS: I wish the SimpliSite site navigation was friendlier for owners. Getting places at their site the first time was easy. Getting back or getting around to those extras an owner might want was trickier. The BASE STATION siren seemed too tame for me; although if I wasn’t paying for monitoring, I’d certainly acquire another siren anyway. SUMMARY: I have the impression that SimpliSafe has been steadily evolving this product to incorporate emerging technologies and take advantage of lowering component costs. This very new (3/2018) iteration of the SimpliSafe product sure offers enough flexibility for my purposes. I don’t always need monitoring even if I always want an alarm to set. I may want to reconsider locations or types of sensors. I like the idea that I might take advantage of newer components as they become available. I guess I like the idea of being in charge. And, it’s not as if there is a price penalty; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

I’ve had xfinity home security for the last 2 years and when my contract finally ended, I knew I wanted a security system that didn’t have a contact and required special technicians to come out to install equipment. After seeing some Simplisafe advertisements, I knew this could be the system to replace xfinity. What drew me to Simplisafe is the ease of install, no contracts, simple and affordable pricing, and feature rich with room for expansion. I will go into each of these in a bit more detail and how it compares to xfinity. Installation out of the box was a breeze for simplisafe. Instructions were well written and it was practically self-guided on pairing and installing each sensor. Door sensors, motion detectors, and keypads were all peel-and-stick with no drilling required. They all come with month(s) long batteries too. Xfinity would have required you to be home and send a technician out to install the same type of sensors. The pricing packages is straight forward and much lower than xfinity. Xfinity requires a 2 year contract too. The three plans for simplisafe at the time of this review was $14.99 for standard monitoring, $24.99 for app support, and $5 more for camera support. All plans includes police or emergency dispatch. The $14.99 plan is for folks who just wants to set the alarm and forget it. The $24.99 is what I opted for and that plan was for app support. The app for my iphone is very similar to the xfinity app. It allows me to arm and disarm my system with my phone. I like having the phone app support because it allows me to check if I armed the system when im not at home. The app also sends push notifications to me if the alarm has been triggered or disarmed by another household member. I do find it silly that its an additional $10 over the standard coverage for app support. Is it worth it? Yes for me because app support is important to me. I have forgetful family members and will occasionally need to check via app if the system is armed. Simplisafe would really dominate the market if their $14.99 plan included it all. The $5 additional camera coverage just allows cloud storage of your recordings. Most other places like Arlos offers free cloud coverage. These simplisafe plans are still very much cheaper than an out of contact xfinity home plan and that ranges from $40+ a month. The features of the simplisafe is similar to Xfinity. The 3rd generation keypad has a nice monochrome dot matrix display. The keypad also lights up at night when you need it and blends in well with your décor. The keyboard does nothing else but arm and disarm, unlike Xfinity’s screen monitor that shows your camera feed, weather information, etc. The door sensors are similar between both companies but the motion detector for simplisafe is a bit friendlier for large pet owners. Simplisafe’s motion detector aims straight out and also down. The installation guide will suggest that if you have bigger dogs to install the motion sensor 4 feet off the ground and upside down. This will allow dogs to walk around under 4ft without tripping the alarm since the upside down motion sensor now aims straight out at 4 feet and to the ceiling. The app for xfinity has a bit more advanced features like: push notifications if the alarm hasn’t been set during a specified timeframe, very detailed activity tracker that shows time stamps of all opened and closed doors, and a bit more automation with supported smart home vendors like automatic door deadbolts, thermostats, garage doors, etc. I don’t see why simplisafe’s app can’t be just as robust with just an app update. Perhaps in the near future. Simplisafe is overall a great system and directly competes with all the other big named security systems. The flexibility to go on their website to buy more door sensors, key fobs, etc and install yourself is what makes this system unique that youre not handcuffed to their technicians. I may get another system for my camper/rv as Simplisafe doesn’t require WiFi to work. It has it’s own cellular service so I can still arm, disarm, and get notified if my camper/rv was broken into.

For a basic self-install starter home security system, with no contracts, this one isn’t bad. It is super simple to set up as the keypad is wireless and walks you through the setup and the sensors all have sticky tape pre-installed. It has replacement sticky pieces and also comes with screws if you decide you want a more permanent installation for each piece, though the screws are really small. All of the pieces have a base that they can slide off of so that you can screw them in place or when you may need to replace the batteries. This package comes with 4 entry sensors, one motion sensor, the main speaker and wireless keypad as well as a yard sign and some stickers. Once installed you have to go to the website to activate with the serial number. There are 2 basic plans with a monthly rate that can be cancelled at any time. One is only 24/7 monitoring and the other includes interactive options, such as mobile app, SMS/Email alerts and website control. Both options include cellular connection, however, that connection can take up to 72 hours to activate. Even still, if you connect it to your WiFi, there is a 72 hour “test” period where emergency services will not be called if your alarm is tripped. With the interactive options you get immediate notification when sensors are tripped and the alarm is activated/deactivated while the monitoring service will take time after the alarm has been tripped to notify you, get your security word and then notify the authorities. You can also set secondary contacts through the website, though they will need to know the security word as well. As for the device the speaker is soft and talks to you during setup, however from that point on it only makes tones for when sensors are opened and closed. It is odd since when you identify the sensors it speaks the name, “Front Door”, but not when they are opened. However, the application and notifications do show that name. Compared to other security systems, the speakers really is not that loud, loud enough to let you know it is going off, but not as ear piercing as other systems. During entry and exit, when the alarm is set, the keypad makes a tone that is extremely low, even set to max volume, if the keypad is not by the door, you might not even realize it is counting down as you left, leaving the alarm to go off as you walk away from your house. However, the main device does have a light to it so that if it is in the open it is easy to see the glowing red ring to let you know it is armed. You can also arm the device while sensors are open without even noticing. The keypad and application will give the notification, but continue to activate without any confirmation. The keypad also has a panic button, should you want to trip the alarm for sound, however this does not notify the monitoring service. Compared to other professional systems that usually have a long term contract and higher fees, this is an easy system that you can use without service if you just want a local alarm or activate whenever you need someone to remotely monitor.