SimpliSafe - Pro Video Doorbell - Wired - White

Installation was very easy, and only took a few minutes. The hardest part was how brittle my wiring was, so I had to pull it from the wall a bit and cut/strip a little. Other than that, it's just attach the base, connect the wires, and slide on the doorbell. There's a "security screw" that prevents easy removal. Once installed, I noticed a hum coming from the existing indoor chime. This worried me a little, but I thought maybe the doorbell was drawing extra current from the transformer causing it to hum. Since it stopped later in the day, I'm assuming it had fully charged it's internal battery and was then drawing less current. Also, initially, it would only do a single "ding" for the bell, instead of the normal "ding-dong". But that went away as well and it now does the normal front door bell "ding-dong". It only supports the 2.4Ghz WiFi band, but seemed to have a little difficulty connecting directly to my router. I already had a WiFi range extender that I didn't use very much, so that is now positioned right by the exterior door so that it has the strongest possible signal and it connected to that with ease. The device itself is a good size, obviously bigger than a standard button, but not so large that it looks out of place on the door moulding. The video quality is very good and has a nice, wide range of view. At night, it automatically switches to a night vision mode, which is black & white only, but has a good picture quality. At the medium level, the motion detection sometimes picks up cars on the street, but for me, the low setting isn't sensitive enough. Sometimes it randomly loses the WiFi signal but that seems to be fairly intermittent. Notifications are virtually instantaneous, both from motion sensing and when the button is pressed. You can talk to whomever is at the door with a slight lag (nothing unexpected). As you walk up to the door, the button lights up (indicating that motion was detected) which seems to welcome people to the door. You can also disable motion or button pressed notifications within the app if you want. I initially had some issues with notifications displaying at all on my phone. I had installed the app on my phone, installed the doorbell, used my phone to do all of the configuration, and then installed the app on my wife's phone and signed in to my account. Her phone immediately displayed the notifications, but mine did not. Only after I went to the settings for the device in the app and toggled the notifications off, saved settings, back on, and saved settings did mine start working. The app is clearly geared towards their security products since when I go in, it prompts me to enter the base station id to activate it. I don't have any other SimpliSafe products, so this is annoying, but not game changing. My biggest complaint is the total lack of any sort of free features with the app, except a live view. No snapshots of who's at the door, no storage of any videos at all. In fact, it doesn't even record anything at all unless you pay their $5/month subscription fee. It would be nice to include some limited free storage option, 1 day or something, and then the premium storage option for users who need that. Without the videos, it's really not nearly as useful as it could be. However, if you've already got other SimpliSafe security products and already pay the fee for those, then this is a great add on.

The SimpliSafe Pro Smart Video Doorbell was smaller than expected, I have seen other video doorbell solutions and they often are larger. The SimpliSafe unit is more compact, basically about the size of the top half of a credit card at about an inch and a half thick, quite compact. This unit replaces your existing wired door bell, you have to uninstall your current doorbell and replace with the SimpliSafe door bell. Hardware installation took about 10 minutes, downloading their app and setting up via the app took about another 20 minutes. After you complete the hardware installation, turn power to the circuit back on. After you download the mobile app and create an account, you utilize the mobile app to setup your door bell. The setup process was fairly easy, scanning for WiFi access and displaying available networks, all pretty standard. Once I entered my WiFi password the mobile app generated a QR code on my phone which you display in front of the camera to complete what essentially is paring your door bell with your account. The app interface is pretty standard, with the basic features including viewing live video and access to an activity log, also you can setup notifications on your mobile device for motion or door ring events. The only real issue I had is you have no way of saving video generated by any events, no pictures or video of people that rang the bell or were picked up by the motion sensor. Those functions are only available with their paid subscription cloud service ($4.99 a month). I am not interested in another monthly fee to add to my long list of ongoing subscriptions, would be nice if an SD card or some type of FTP function were available to save or send what the door bell captures. In any case the video quality is clear and the night vision function works well. However depending on the placement of your door bell in relation to your door (for example off frame, as pictured) standing real close to the door will leave the person out of full view of the camera. In additional there is half duplex audio (meaning you have to press a button on your mobile device to talk out of the speaker built into the door bell, releasing to hear the person talk) this functions OK, but my wife said the audio often cuts out. Overall this is a pretty decent solution, which provides basic functionality with enhanced services (cloud recording and indexing) offered as part of a monthly subscription. Pros: - Easy to install - Camera and night vision video is very clear - wide field of view with a slight fisheye effect - compact Cons: - specs say state this only is 2.4ghz Wifi compatible (although I swear this is attaching to my 5ghz mesh network) - only logs events, recording is only available with a SimpliSafe cloud subscription - no variable horizontal camera angle adjustment, vertical adjustment mount provided - QR code read during setup was problematic, suspect the minor fish eye distortion of the lens trips this process up

Starting off this is my first video doorbell I have ever seen in person or installed. With the growing concerns over security I felt this would be a good opportunity to try a video doorbell. Installation would be easy on most houses however I had some space constraints to deal with. I had a plan and it worked… somewhat. Anyways I ended up using the supplied angled bracket as it faced a little too far up in my situation. A side angled bracket would have been very nice to see in the box also. One problem I had that I have seen in at least one other review was the supplied screws are AWFUL! As stated I needed to adjust during install and one of the two mounting screws literally stripped so it was stuck in the house. I had to cut it in the end just to mount the doorbell over top of it. Everything else was pretty straightforward but depending on your house it could take a little brainstorming. The white works well on my house but the unit states it comes with 3 faceplates however I did not get any others in the box. After the physical install, the next part was setting things up in the app. The app is very basic and feels a little cheap/unfinished. It never crashed on my LG G6 but did take a while to load at times. The app guides you pretty well assuming your doorbell is setup correctly. It'll show you a QR Code and you let your doorbell see it and you're all linked up. After all this is done your doorbell is ready to go. The app has three main screens which are the Welcome/Dashboard, Cameras, and Timeline. The dashboard is for setting up cameras or buying others so basically useless. The next screen is a list of your cameras with the ability to add a new one. This screen is fine but it would be nice if it was a nice large preview image of the camera instead of a tiny thumbnail with "Front Door" occupying the rest of the space. The timeline screen is where you see your “incidents” whether this be motion or ring detection. The worse part about this timeline screen is it is next to useless unless you are paying the $4.99/month or have this integrated with an existing security system. It tells you the time and what occurred however you cannot act on these with video again unless you have the premium features. I would have liked to see more in the free experience because aside from wanting to test out the features that came with the $4.99/month plan just for this review, it is nice to have however I could see myself discontinuing service for the lack of features and the fact it isn’t vital to me right now. I think a lot can be done to improve the user experience, especially for free users. Overall, I am not overly disappointed in the camera/app but it feels a little incomplete to me. This isn’t that far apart from other doorbells in terms of cost so I would think these would be a little more refined and advanced for both free/premium users. I'd say if you already have a Simplisafe system and want to add this then it would be an easy addition but for others I might be more compelled to start elsewhere. The only reason I do like the camera it for the very small size and ease of install. Pros: - Small - Easy to install (Even in tighter spaces) - Wide field of view with night vision - Two-way audio - Quick Notifications Neutral: - Camera Quality Cons: - Required monthly subscription to record video - No side angled baseplate

I was excited to try this Simplisafe product because it's described as a 'standalone' product, and I wanted to compare it to other cameras I've tested. My initial impression of the doorbell was very favorable; it has a very simplistic, yet stylish appearance, so it's not going to appear as some larger than necessary, 'out of place' camera sitting next to your door. Installation was pretty straight forward. My installation took a bit longer because I have an older house and I wound up extending the wiring because I didn't want to take the chance of the existing wiring breaking while I was hooking everything up. I also wound up not using the screws that came with the product since both of the Phillips heads started to strip out with a simple low speed power driver. I decided to use the 40 yr old screws since they are evidently made of stronger metal. Once the doorbell was installed and the power was back on, I installed the app on my phone and activated the camera using the OCR code from the app. The app appears well designed and it's fairly intuitive. The live feed from the camera is very good, and even at night, the camera can easily capture images from 10+ft from the door with good clarity and a wide field of view. I tested motion detection, and the blue light around the button lit up each time when I got within about 6ft or so of the door. However here's where I began to question the product's 'standalone' claims. Although I had push notifications turned on in the app, I received none. I could see all of the events in the 'Timeline' screen of the app, but I got no real-time notifications. I called Simplisafe customer support and was initially told that the the push notifications should work without a monthly monitoring or recording package. The girl I spoke with was supposed to call back, but after two days I called back and talked to someone else who told me that I had to have a paid monitoring package to get instant notifications. I was repeatedly told that I could still view the live feed from the camera, but I couldn't make this person understand that that was only useful if I was at the house and heard the doorbell, or if I kept the 'Timeline' up on the app and watched it 24/7. I've tested several other products that allow push notifications/texts without a monthly fee, so I decided to call back and talk to someone else. Once again I was told I needed to have a monitoring package to get real-time feedback. To me, this is disappointing on several levels. First, this IS a standalone product, but it's basically useless unless you give Simplisafe some amount of money each month. If you're going to do that, why wouldn't you have their whole system? Second, the app is actually able to see the motion/doorbell notifications in the Timeline, so why not at least allow those events to be real-time alerts thru the app? Overall, I was disappointed with this product. It looks great and functions as it should, with great video and motion detection, but all of the functionality is basically useless without a monitoring package, which I won't have unless I wind up getting an entire Simplisafe system. I would not recommend this product as a standalone doorbell camera.

I wanted a video doorbell but models like Ring were too large for the limited space I had to work with. SimpliSafe fits the space perfectly. I included a photo showing my installation. You can see in the photo that the space to the left of the doorbell is recessed and the space to the right is raised. I didn't want to be forced to drill holes in my stucco and fill gaps after installation. I needed something sized just right to fit in the middle. This doorbell works. Technically, the actual installation steps took me about 15-20 minutes but the overall job took about 30 minutes due to one of the soft zinc screws stripping during installation. After removing the stripped screw, I used one of the screws from the previous doorbell. The next issue was with the app. App setup was easy but the doorbell's camera had trouble scanning the QR code to set up the wifi inside the doorbell. I had to keep adjusting my angle until the doorbell was finally able to scan the code after a few minutes. Once setup was completed, the doorbell worked great. I have no issues with the app or device and the doorbell works nicely with my existing chime. I love that this doorbell also works entirely off of the existing wiring. The video quality is decent enough and I can hear sounds as well. The two-way intercom works well and anyone standing near the doorbell can hear the speaker's voice loud and clear. The doorbell has never lost wifi connectivity to date. I really like this doorbell but discovered it's pretty limited without a subscription. There are no recordings, snapshots or other useful captures without a subscription. The only feature other than being notified of motion and doorbell rings is viewing live footage. I was hoping for at very least a motion-triggered snapshot like my other security cameras offer. That feature makes them useful without a subscription. If neighborhood kids decide to play doorbell ditch, you'd better be fast on the draw with this app if you want any hope of catching them in the act. There isn't even a snapshot feature during active monitoring. If you want to take a snapshot while actively viewing live footage, you'll have to take a screenshot with your phone. This is a great video doorbell option that's easy to install and is working well so far. I wish it had a few more useful monitoring features right out of the box without requiring a subscription but that isn't a deal-breaker for me. It fits and works well, two things I was hard-pressed to find for my situation previously.

I have been in the market for a good doorbell camera and decided to try out SimpliSafe Video doorbell since I already have their security system for my house. I was impressed at the ease of install and range of the camera however the 3 second delay along with continual disconnects are a problem. Pros- Ease of Install Camera Radius Camera Quality Speaker Quality Mic Quality Cons- Only works on 2.4 GHz WiFi Video / Audio Delays Night Vision Quality WiFi Disconnections as there is no "Always On" setting ***Major issue was discovered that after 5 minutes of idle / non usage it completely shuts off; Meaning that the "live video feed" stops. Only way to turn device back on is through the app, motion sensor, or hitting the button for doorbell. *** :: Install / Setup :: The install was very easy and the brackets fits perfectly for the mounting onto the wall. It was a snug fit without any movement and includes a secure pin to prevent anyone from running off with it. Once connected, you install the app that was very easy to install / sign up and link to WiFi Network. :: Video Camera :: The picture quality is 1080p and looks great at all levels of light (except dark). The range of the camera was very impressive and able to view my entire walkway. I was concerned at first since the position of my doorbell is facing the other wall and not out to the street. However with the wide angle of the lenses it was not an issue and looks great. Unfortunately the night vision mode is not as impressive with difficulty at making out faces. Video quality is also affected at night however looks great during the day. ::Application:: The application itself provides a lot of settings you can modify for the video door camera. However there is no "Always On" which in turns once it turns off it disconnects from WiFi. The application is easy to navigate through to quickly get to your camera for "live feed" and "Mic". The only concerns is the 3 second delay for video and mic that can be irritating at times. You are limited to only "Live Feed" or "Mic" when not having a subscription. If you wish to view the video records you will need to have a monthly sub. Overall I am impressed with the video quality however falls short with the Audio/Video delays and night vision. I understand they are a subscription service so will not doc them a star for the video recording. I am removing one star for not having an "Always On" feature and the Audio/Video delays. I do not see the value of paying for a subscription if the Simplisafe Video Doorbell turns itself off and looses it connection to WiFi without a persons intervention.

I bought this camera yesterday from Best Buy and installed it the same day. Installation was very easy requiring only removal of the existing doorbell button, screwing the new camera/button onto the house, connecting the two wires, and connecting to Wifi. This camera doesn’t require the use of another component that connect to either your doorbell transformer or chime box like some other video doorbells do, which speeds and simplifies installation. Longest part of the entire install was drilling the two new holes for the doorbell. The doorbell looks very much like another doorbell that is on the market, which I have no experience with. It does include three faceplates in the box (white, light green, and black). The doorbell does include a “security screw” and the special screwdriver to help prevent someone from walking away with your doorbell. Video looks clear both day and night. The angle/ coverage of the camera seems to cover pretty much the entire area surrounding the front door area. Motion detection works well as I have not had any false alerts so far. Now for the things that I wish were better to improve this doorbell to five stars. I wish there was an included horizontal angled baseplate to angle it to the left or right. The doorbell does come with a baseplate angle adapter that allows you to angle it up or down, but not to either side. Most of the other wishes I have for this item could hopefully be added in a firmware update. I wish the doorbell and app would allow you to reply to someone at your door with either standard or prerecorded messages so that if you are in a meeting or theater you can “answer the door” without speaking. Also I wish there was a setting or way to Minimize the motion alerts you receive when you leave or return home. I find it kinda annoying that I get alert every time I leave or return. I know another doorbell has facial recognition, so maybe that’s a possibility? My last observation so far, which is not really a negative thing, but after installing my video doorbell the mechanical chime box in my house went from a “ding dong” sound to a single “ding” sound. I have been looking at video doorbells for a few months now and have had a simplisafe alarm system for several years. When I saw that simplisafe was coming out with a video doorbell that looked a lot like another video doorbell, that could tie into my existing alarm system, and perhaps most importantly works with my current interactive monitoring plan. One of the things that kept me from purchasing other video doorbells was after spending so much money on the unit, to then have to pay a monthly yearly fee to use it fully. I’ve had a camera system from a big box store for many years now and have free access to remote viewing so I cannot see myself paying for that capability for a doorbell. Overall I am satisfied with this video doorbell. I hope that simplisafe can address some of the shortcomings of this doorbell with firmware updates that will bring functionality either equal to or perhaps better than the other doorbells on the market. For customers who already have a simplisafe system with monitoring and in the market for a video doorbell it’s a no-brainer. If simplisafe can make this unit meet or surpass the other units on the market they may end up selling some additional alarm systems and monitoring plans as well.

I have a SimpliSafe system and I installed and added this to it as well to my Echo Dot. I can decide where or not I need to get the door or just allow the delivery person to leave items by the door which I can request using the voice on the SimpliSafe App.