I’ve had all the major alarm companies for securing my home. They protected me from burglars, but no one protected me from their contracts. For usually $100 down; they will install a new system in your home. However, unless you’re an attorney and understand contract law and all that fine print, they still own that equipment, and it’s hard to get out of their contracts. Since I went with SimpliSafe, I had to purchase the system outright. The good thing was that I owned the system and you don’t even need to pay anyone if money gets tight. It’ll be a great noise maker to scare away the burglars. Yet, I always pay the monitoring and interactive fees to protect my home and to be able to turn my system on or off with my phone while I’m away from home. You know, sometimes you forget to turn the system on before you leave. No problem, just turn on my smart phone, hit my app and hit the on button, and it’s on. There are zero contracts as SimpliSafe does not use contracts. It’s just month to month and you can turn it off anytime you want. If you move, it’s your system and you just pull the detectors and control off the walls of your old home and tape them up at your new home. You can customize every detector to do different things. They really stand by their product. I hate all the other alarm systems, and I love SimpliSafe and won’t even consider leaving them.
I’m an Engineer, so I was a little concerned that it might be overly simplified in order to keep setup straight forward, when In fact, it’s just the opposite. The basic configuration allows for a very simple setup that will satisfy 95% of the users. For those that want to fiddle with it, you have the option to modify operational parameters on a sensor by sensor basis. For example, The non monitored wired alarm I also have had problems in my garage, forcing me to purchase a sophisticated PIR/radar detector. I installed the SimpliSafe motion detector in that location and set it up to only send alerts to me instead of alarming the system. That allows me to gain confidence with the location before taking it live. That’s just one example of the flexibility you’re afforded. I’m also impressed with the monitoring speed. I moved one of my motion detectors, and wanted to verify it’s performance so I put the system in test mode. My phone rang almost instantly, couldn’t have been more than 2 seconds, and to my surprise it was the monitoring company informing me that they received a test signal. They stayed on the line explaining test mode options, and thanked me. Customer support has always been easy to reach, and extremely helpful as I delved into some of the features that very few people will ever get into.
Read my success story below, but why only 4 stars? After each power outage both cameras would be inactive. My house watcher had to go and cycle power to get them to work again. This needs to be fixed. I had one camera viewing the central area inside, and another set on a window sill watching the three feet of snow in the yard! Last year we bought a winter home in the desert. I was very concerned about leaving our northern home totally unprotected. I had a company install a system in another home seven years ago, and it worked perfectly, but it was all hard-wired and expensive. Searched this time for wireless systems, and found SimpliSafe. Having experience with the other system, I realized SimpliSafe checked all the important boxes like dual WiFi/cellular, safe from physical destruction, etc. Look at all those features carefully. And the sensors! Just what I needed to leave a house in very cold winter conditions. Water leak sensors for broken pipes. Temperature sensor to confirm the heating was working. Glass break sensors. Perfect! I installed it and had great peace of mind from 800 miles away for the seven months we were gone. Only one alarm, when a double-hung window popped open on it's own. They called me, the house was checked. Easily installed and set up. What a great system. We are now moving to the desert. I can easily remove the system and take it with us!
I installed the system last week. It was very easy to install if you follow the instructions. I did call customer support for a couple of questions to help finish the installation and make sure I had it correct. I was VERY impress with the willingness and knowledge she had. What great customer service! I have had no issues with the APP so far. We use the IPhone X and it works fine. I see in other post people have issues with the APP. We have door and window sensors, 2 motion detectors, 3 smoke alarms, the Base, two keypads (up and down), and two panic alarms. All working good and all verified by customer service. We are using the deluxe call back service for $25/ month and we entered the SimpliSafe phone number into each phone so we can tell it is SimpliSafe that is calling, Because it is an 800#. The only negative feedback I can give is the Doorbell alarm has such a delay with video and voice communication that it is not very useful in real time. If I say “who is at the door” it takes 10-20 seconds to see or here on your phone. My WiFi is 100 mps. It is not the WiFi at issue. So this needs improvement and is why I give 4 Stars and not 5 stars. I say to SimpliSafe, if you do fix this one issue, I will give you 5 Stars. I will report back later if I have any issue, but as of today All is good with the entire system. (Except the doorbell communication delay)
I do not recommend SimpliSafe. I have just had 1 problem after another with them, and only had them for 5 months! I’ve had to manually reset my whole system (each part of the system) multiple times, and I’ve had to mail them back my Base Unit once for a replacement. Then worst of all, I had a false alarm that triggered at 3:30am in the morning while I was an hour away visiting my Mother’s house. It claimed my hallway motion sensor was triggered, then my front door 7 minutes later. They sent the cops who checked my perimeter and said everything looked okay. My inside camera was only pointed at front door, but while it didn’t capture any images, it did seem to pick up weird noises that sounded like a door clicking shut and a loud crashing sound. So I drove home at 4am when I wasn’t planning to leave my Mom’s house yet, to go make sure everything was in fact okay. It was. But now I’m upset that I seem to have malfunctioning system that just decided to trigger at 3:30am & 3:36am on 2 sensors?!?!! So I’m all worried and having to drive home in the middle of the night messing up my plans? I have to say I have hated my SimpliSafe experience, and don’t recommend them. I never had any problems in FOUR YEARS with ADT! The only reason I didn’t sign with ADT again is because they require a 3-year commitment and I knew I probably wouldn’t be in my current rental for more than 1 year. Buyer beware of SimpliSafe problems!
Great replacement system, but a few additions would make it awesome
I replaced a 20 yr old wired system with SimpliSafe. The old one was facing replacement, and I preferred the ability to personally customize the system instead of having to have a tech out to replace a sensor, etc. I do see a few areas for improvement that would probably be simple to implement and would greatly improve the user experience. I have the base station in a secure server closet. Signal is fine, but you can’t hear the voice prompts. The ability to wire in an external speaker would be nice. Just add a port. Even better would be the option of allowing the voice prompts to be heard through the keypads or an external siren. I have 2 additional sirens - 1 inside, 1 outside. If I could allow the internal to broadcast the base station voice prompts, it would be perfect. Same would apply to the keypads. Also, being able to create custom zones would be a welcome addition. In my old system, I could bypass sensors from the keypad. If I wanted to go into the garage, just bypass the door. Once you turned the system off and back on, the sensor was automatically back in the original state. Although you can go into the app and do in with SimpliSafe, it’s more complicated. And you run the risk of forgetting to “un-bypass” a sensor after you’re done, effectively removing the security from the door.
I installed a Simplisafe system over one year ago and couldn’t be happier. Not one false alarm. Testing the system generates a fast phone call from the monitoring center confirming the test signal. I feel safer at night and when away comfortable knowing that my home is protected. The system has been trouble free and interactive monitoring is very reasonably priced. The app has been flawless. Initial installation went well with 2 exceptions. The base station had intermittent connection using T Mobile sim card. I was sent a Verizon sim card/circuit board which took just a few minutes to install...and that solved that issue. I also was advised to relocate the base station as it was not consistently receiving signals from all modules...and that solved that problem. Tech support, once you get a person, has been very helpful. Update: Just upgraded to the new system and couldn’t be happier. Setup and sensor installation was simple, activating and switching to new from old was seamless and a test signal was responded to immediately with both a text message and a call from monitoring. I appreciate having both cell and WiFi connections. Great job Simplisafe! Additionally i find the app to be very useful, responsive and stable.
After my late mother’s house out in the country was burglarized I searched for a cellular based system and decided on yours. I originally thought (or hoped) the camera’s would work over cellular like Skype or WhatsApp but that sadly is not the case. Since separate internet service is very expensive in the country we will have to defer video for now. I tried doing a cellular hotspot to no avail. The camera connection would fail and I had to go through the rather cumbersome process to reconnect it. Not something that is viable where power outages occur frequently. The sensors seem fine with only a couple of scares, one during testing and one going offline for a few hours but ok the next morning. Power outage recovery of the main system has been good. On customer support, some reps are excellent and some.... need help. Also the work from home thing is understandable but I’ve had several dropped calls and several where we could not understand each other. Not just from the country, some from my home in a major suburb. Some reps called me back. Some didn’t and I’d have to start over. But so far I think this will work. I need to understand what my level of control and monitoring will be like with the basic package since I can’t have video confirmation.
Whoever finally figured out how to fix the manual lock issue with the latest update, thank you so much!!! I’ve been having issues manually locking and unlocking my smart lock for over a year. I called the IT department and they just sent me a whole new lock system but it didn’t resolve the issue I was having. Never had any issues when it auto locked and unlocked using the system but when manually trying to lock or unlock it seemed like the auto motor was locked into position and wouldn’t allow for a smooth lock or unlock by hand. I would ended up having to jiggle it quite a few times to allow me to finally unlock. And with manually hand locking once I entered my house, well I just gave up and allowed the 5 minute auto lock motor to do its thing. It was getting very annoying that this week I was going to call again about it. But when I received an email notice today that my smart lock has a new update I was hopefully it would fix this manual lock issue. And it did! So THANK YOU for finally figuring out the issue and being able to fix it with an update instead of trying to send me another lock system.
I am a retired individual well into my 70’s. I’ve had one of their older systems for at least 5 years, and decided to upgrade to their latest system. The original one I had served my needs perfectly, and at an affordable price during that entire time. They offered me a one time 50% discount on their latest system for the same security devices I previously purchased, or wanted to add, do I decided to move forward with it. The new system is remarkably simple to install and use. The new keypad is well layed out and intuitive, making installation and use relatively simple. I installed the system myself following the included instructions. It was up and running in a matter of a few short hours. Zero complications. I did call customer service with a few questions after the installation. The agent I spoke with was very friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable. Wait time was only a few short minutes, and the few questions I did have were answered professionally, and to my satisfaction on my first call. Nice to know you have these professionals there to help you with your system issues if needed. I highly recommend SimplySafe for your home security.
After hours of research on security systems I found that SimpliSafe came out on top with many reviewers. They were right. We purchased a custom system that is perfect for our home. Motion detectors, door sensors, a key fob, an indoor camera, extra signs and the new outdoor camera. It was super easy to install and set up the devices. All of the devices work beautifully. The app is the best for customizing the settings for each device and for controlling pretty much everything remotely. We love to check in on the dogs when we’re away and talk to them. We hardly notice the devices around the house, they’re so well done, but I bet Mr Burglar will see them. The key fob is a great tool also. It has a panic button on top, perfect for keeping by your bed at night. The outdoor camera is terrific also, the picture is excellent, both day and night, with or without the optional floodlight. We love knowing that our home is protected and monitored. The price is very reasonable and no contracts. Love that too! We are very happy with our purchase. Wonderful system. Thank you SimpliSafe! Almost forgot to mention, I’ve called several times, excellent customer service too!
if you want to feel safe at home, get something else.
So i’m a first time home owner and i’m so paranoid being home alone or even with my husband at night. at first the alarm system worked great and i felt very safe and secure THEN around 1 am a couple nights ago i was in bed and my husband was asleep and i get a text saying my alarm system had been unarmed then a minute later saying it was re armed. i was freaking out thinking someone broke in. we checked the house and no one was here and all the doors were still locked. assuming it was a system malfunction which shouldn’t be happening regarding its price. NOW the app won’t send notifications when i arm it which ik the setting for notifications are on. and now it won’t let me turn off or on the alarm through my app. it wouldn’t load even tho all my other apps work perfectly fine. i’ve tried re downloading it 3 times. and re setting my password all which haven’t worked which concerns me because i like it see what is going on. i find this kind of ridiculous especially since it’s such a high price you’d figure this kind of stuff wouldn’t be happening. also i wish there was a way you can get notifications of the door being opened rather than just a little ding. ik you can do that but it takes away the ding. there needs to be a option for both.
I have two systems and it is by far they best system I’ve used. I used to install systems and this system is a threat to the market. Security companies design their systems so you can’t fix or replace anything on them. They relay on sending a service tech and they hardly ever offer you simple upgrades. SimpliSafe’s business model is a customer first framework. Everything in the system can be installed and modified by the user. You can monitor or not, your choice. The initial cost is way less than other systems if you buy when they have their 40% or 45% sales on new systems. Replacement cost are nominal and you can reprogram the system at any time to add or remove components. The monitoring is, on average, half of what the other companies, with no contract. I just got out of a four year contract with another company and was paying $50 a month. With SimpliSafe I have two systems now for the same monthly price. When I cancelled my other service they offered me a $17 monthly monitoring fee. I laughed and told them, if you cared about me as a customer, you would have offered me that price years ago. SimpliSafe is just a great system.
System works very well. Everything it does, it does it well, reliably and easy. There is a very short delay in arming and disarming the system from the phone, never have issues changing device settings and works fast. One big improvement for me would be an improved camera viewing system. The timeline is nice, but it would be nice to be able to search for specific events and days. It would also be good to be able to view the camera footage from multiple events at the same time, so if I am skimming through looking for something in particular, but wasn’t necessarily an alarm trigger, I can go through and find it. I would also like to have a “Night” mode for arming. Currently, I actually use my “Home” mode when I am away, because we have a big dog and I have certain motion sensors turn off when she is home alone. It just so happens that the same sensors are active when we sleep as when we are gone and our dog is with us. It does get a bit confusing though arming “home” when nobody is there. So adding more modes, or even customized modes, would be a useful ability. Overall, 4 stars, but improve the camera viewing and add in a Night mode and I’d be happy with that as is, and 5 stars be coming from me! :)
I have nothing but great things to say about SimpliSafe. I have recommend the system to several of my friends and family members over the years! I want to thank William for taking very good care of us when I called about upgrading my original system to the latest generation. My family and I are very impressed with the latest generation and feel that SimpliSafe is doing a great job staying ahead of it’s competition in several ways. The latest generation of SS is very intuitive, secure and advanced. We’ve always subscribed to the $24/month plan which I highly recommend because it gives you complete control of your system remotely. The latest generation uses WiFi/cellular. Which provides great redundancy. Our system has 10 smoke alarms, 4 water sensors and a freeze sensor which I am able to label their locations what ever I choose. Also, another great thing about SimpliSafe is that you can add additional sensors that are very reasonably priced. Finally the monitoring service is very fast and will call you within seconds of an alarm activation. I highly recommend SimpliSafe!
App is difficult to use if you have it on more than one device
I love SimpliSafe, had it for years. I recently got the camera doorbell and indoor security camera. It’s pretty good, but could be better. It is especially frustrating that you can’t stay logged in on multiple devices to view the live video stream. I have two devices I use it on and my mom has one, so that is 3 total and we’re continually kicking each other off. How it seems to work is when you log on on one device it logs off the previous device. I’m not sure if this is a glitch or supposed to work like that because there does seem to be some variation.... but whatever it is it’s very frustrating. So say, I’m using my phone and someone rings the doorbell, but I was last logged in on my iPad, it sends the notification to my phone (which is good) but when I open the app I have to type the email and password in before I can see who’s at the door. I’d like to add the app can be quite slow while doing this so the person at the door may have given up and walked away before I even get logged on to see who it is. I hope someone reads this and can fix this. Other than that I love SimpliSafe in general, just the app could be a bit better (and faster).
We spent over an hour on the phone on November 1st ~ 6 pm - 7pm with Luse. We hit blocks in trying to set up the phone app and pair the cameras and sensors on the in house keypad. She said there was a problem because when Simplisafe mailed our equipment they assigned the base to our address. It kept saying the base was already assigned. After almost an hour of a trying variety of ways to solve this she then said we had 2 accounts. I repeatedly told her the instructions on the keypad and the app. on my phone said contact Simplisafe. I explained I was very frustrated a couple of times. She said she was trying to fix it on her end. Eventually she put me on hold without telling me she was putting me on hold. I was hearing music. After about 5 minutes I hung up and called back. Kayla was very helpful and had a supervisor merge the 2 accounts. When I tried to order the equipment I wasn’t able to place the order I called and spoke with Joan. I explained I wasn’t able to put the order through. Evidently there were 2 orders and or accounts. Kayla hooked me up with Joel who was very helpful. Ultimately we determined the Simplicam was not working and he is sending us a new one. We spent over 3 1/2 hours on the phone with support and I still do not have the app on my phone.
I switched my outdated equipment and overpriced monitoring from a competitor recently after I discovered that I was not actually being monitored by accident. Thankfully it was not a true emergency. My system had been down for at least two months and when I tried to resolve the issue it was like dealing with the cable and cell phone companies. I was a super platinum customer so they wanted to rebuild the entire system and upgrade my bill in order to make me happy. I had heard SimpliSafe commercials and thought it was time to check on the new guy in the market. The equipment prices were super, customer service was friendly and knowledgeable, set up was easier than removing the competitors system, and I have more features at a lower price. I now have the most advanced monitoring capabilities and features like a doorbell camera for $11 less than the competition monthly. The back-up and redundancy systems used by SimpliSafe assure users that the system is working properly at all times. In the event of failure I will be notified immediately. Also, SimpliSafe runs system analysis once a week to assure that the individual sensors are working properly.
We were able to set the system up ourselves, which I was skeptical about. The video pro doorbell did not work , so they are sending us a new one. I noticed after we had set it up that our name was spelled incorrectly and they had the wrong address on our account, which was alarming, since we had set up for the interactive monitoring. Thankfully that was noticed before we had an emergency that would send the police to the wrong address. Also, 4 days after the monitoring was set up, we received a message from Dave asking us to set up our monitoring. I called SimpliSafe and they assured us that monitoring was already set up, so I’m not sure what that was about. We had an alarm go off this morning when we opened a door before turning off the alarm and we were called, so that was reassuring . We have vinyl windows so we are not able to screw all of the entry sensors in and three of them have popped off. Luckily it did not happen at night when the system was armed. Finally, the free video camera is not wireless. It has to be plugged in so it is not really good for outdoors. We bought the outdoor kit which we will be returning. I am not ready to return the system at this time , and hopefully will not have anymore problems. I do like it and it is easy to use.
The installation pictures in the manual portray an outside the doors/windows installation which isn’t correct and very confusing. The home base I received wasn’t initially working and after about 1.5 hrs with customer service trying to figure it out, they finally said “I’m stumped, let’s just completely reset your entire unit.” After that, it worked. Sadly, I bought the doorbell camera only for it to not work upon installation. It would continuously ring non-stop until we would take it off of our existing doorbell. When I called customer service, they said “well that’s because it’s not compatible with your existing doorbell. The salesperson didn’t tell you that?” Well, no they didn’t, that’s why I bought the stupid thing in the first place. I find it strange that the SimpliSafe doorbell isn’t compatible with my home’s doorbell that is only a few years old. Now I need to take time out of my day to bring it to the post office to be sent back....I’ve got two kids doing virtual learning. Not the easiest to find the time for that and it’s a pain. I also don’t like that there isn’t an “instant” alarm setting which would immediately trigger the alarm if someone was breaking in. I kind of wish I would have researched other companies before settling with SimpliSafe.
We had SimpliSafe for three years; I even got several members of my family connected. We moved halfway across the world and onto base and could not use it for two years. Once we moved back to the states, we decided to reconnect, but wanted the updated system. It took 2 hours on the phone to upgrade, and then two weeks later I found out the order didn’t even ship. Finally got my order a couple days later, and the re-shipment created a second account. Five representatives (one who was completely inappropriate over the phone) and 12 total hours on the phone over 3 days, my system was finally setup. The quality of the system is high. Prices are unbeatable. The company has gotten too large; customer service has gotten much worse. I will keep my system, but I will no longer recommend to friends and family. (Update) The response to this review SimpliSafe sent me said, “Thank you for reaching out...I am sorry to hear about your experience. If you do have anymore questions or concerns, please contact Customer Support...”. Seriously, that’s it? Your response is that I can call the same people that overall failed me over the last 2(+) weeks. Just another example of SimpliSafe’s increasingly cookie cutter approach to customer service; go back to you small company customer service.
Just installed this week. System seems easy enough to use and was quite easy to install. I’d say I had everything in place and done in about an hour (unpacking & naming devices took the longest; putting on the walls was the quickest). App suggestions: 1. Allow controlling entry chimes at the sensor level. If someone has a door that goes to a pool area, might want a chime on that door but not want chimes on the other doors. Currently, chimes are on or off for all entry devices. 2. Allow no-entry delay. When I’m away for a vacation or other reason, nobody is in the house. Entering the house for any reason should trigger the alarm. I can use the app to disarm before I enter after my extended absence, so I don’t trigger. And even if I do trigger the alarm, I still have a few seconds to disarm before it calls monitoring team. This helps significantly reduce amount of time a burglar has before authorities are sent. We all know burglars are gone before police arrive. Let’s help cut that delay down and give burglars less time to get the goods they want. Cutting out 45 seconds is a big, no it’s a huge difference.
In the past, I’ve had a wired system which was fine for that time. But remodeling issues, overly sensitive sensors which couldn’t tolerate the expansion & contraction of the seasons, or tasty wires that critters love to chew through in the middle of the night are no longer fine. And that’s not touching on the high-cost of those wired systems! I’ve had the SimpliSafe system for 1.5-years. My concern was for battery life, but that has proven to be a non-issue. (Additionally, a concern was having a secure attachment of the casing side (beveled trim) of a door sensor. SimpliSafe could offer a mounting tab of flexible material provide more surface connection rather than just the ridges of the molding...(?) I’ve got motion and breaking glass detectors, the Smart Lock, and Door Bell Camera, plus two additional cameras, etc. It gives great peace of mind to have the main entry door set to lock automatically when the system is armed in Home or Away. It’s nice to know when someone stops by or something is delivered. And it’s often convenient to view the Garage camera to confirm the door is down or who’s home.
I tried talking to someone in sales because no one is picking up the phone in customer service/tech support. The second time I called, the tech went silent and didnt come back on the line. We just got our new system and set it up but we are not able to log in to our account on either the app or the website. We keep getting "Unexpected Error." We already tried using different browsers, clearing the cache, and resetting the base station. I turned the wifi off on the base station and now it is not connected to the monitoring station. This tells me something is wrong with the cellular network. The tech support agent said the sim card was not fully activated but it still didn't fix the issue. This all occurred last Friday. After numerous emails, I was finally contacted by tech support around noon in which I advised them to call me at 5pm due to being at work. They didn’t call me back at 5, they called at 4 and left no call back number. I was still working. I called support again (6th time since getting my system) waited for 45 mins and was told that the issue is with the app and that their engineers are working on it. Why not provide an announcement regarding the app and website issues if it’s know. Why do I have to call 6 times. This is ridiculous. This has been the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
Headed into my 3rd year as a Simplisafe customer. Service is great and I love that the base station has the ability to operate off battery and cell service in the event of a disruption. I have plans for my home and RV. , but I’m thinking about leaving. I’ll get into that in a moment. What I like: - Setup is a breeze. - Dispatch is efficient. - Devices blend blend in. Why I’m leaving: - Add on devices are outrageous $. - The tech is dated. - You can’t view cameras on Google devices. - You can’t do much without a Premium plan. - No discounts for multiple locations. Bottom line, it’s too expensive for sub par tech, so I’m looking at other services. If I’m going to invest in other devices, I want tech that fully integrates with my home devices. I can buy that tech from competitors for 1/2 the price. Once you buy into the Simplisafe ecosystem, you can expect to pay full price for everything. That would be fine if they offered best in class tech, but it’s just average or below. Simplisafe isn’t focused on retention and that’s short sighted. I pay $50+/mo for 2 systems. Do you really want to see me leave? Is the premium you’re charging for devices really worth the $600 I pay in service fees annually?
On the positive. Ordering this product is a great process. There are standard packages, but the best part is being able to build your own design for exactly what you want to cover. The product is shipped and you get exactly as advertised. Easy to setup, easy to operate, works great. I had a camera that wouldn’t activate and a quick call to support had them shipping another right away. All in all, system works great! The downside, in order to have even a basic functional app and/or integration, you’re forced in to a $24 a month support package. While that’s not overly expensive for monitoring, having the ability to use an app control or record locally camera activity without it is pretty standard on most smart home systems I have. Even the Alexa integration requires you to have monitoring. That’s not a typical plan for today, and is really the worst thing I have to say about this system. Had I known prior to ordering, I probably wouldn’t have gone this route. But it really does work well, so for now we will give it a shot.
We bought our system years ago and it has always worked as described. Even though there is a new update, the original works incredibly well. When our first child was born, we relocated out of state taking our system and adding any additional components to adjust to our new home. It’s was so easy to expand and setup. I was surprised at how quickly the SimpliSafe staff responded to test signals and false alarms. They were always courteous and professional confirming that our system was monitoring and working well. The cameras are inexpensive and feature high DEF qualities so we can always see what’s going on at home or away. Before hooking our system up, we had some shady characters knocking on our door. When they saw me at the window I felt obligated to open the door. With our cameras up, I no longer need to open the door or look out the window. We feel extra safe being closer to a busier street. But with all the monitoring and sensors we know that we will be alerted if anything happens whether it be flooding, glass breaking, gas leaks or anything breaching our safety.
When ordering a large amount of products I was happy to find out there was ability to have it all installed and the installation price was shown as $79, payable at time of installation. Knowing I didn’t have the time or knowledge to do it myself I thought this was great. I was disappointed when I called to find out the $79 wasn’t accurate and was told it would actually be $178. The installation company said it was due to the contract with SimpliSafe and if it was misrepresented they should subsidize the difference. I called SimpliSafe and the customer service rep and their manager didn’t even know about the contract charges so if employees don’t even know a customer definitely wouldn’t. This left a bad taste in my mouth about the company. The customer service rep sent my info to a manager to see what they could do and I was told I’d get a call back by the next day…no one ever called. I then replied back to an email that specifically was asking for honest feedback and provided the situation and indicated I’m happy to pay the $79 but if they are not willing to cover the difference I’d prefer to return the products and go elsewhere. No one replied to that either. At this point I’m just looking to get a refund as I don’t feel comfortable doing business with a company that Mis-advertises rates then leaves you high and dry.
After researching a handful of the top security players, I opted for SimpliSafe very quickly. I am pleased to say that their promise of easy set up is perfectly accurate. I am not a tech guru by any means. The process was easy to follow. The base unit and the key pad, plus the written guide walk you right through the process. I even had to add two more sensors a couple of weeks later. I decided I needed two more entry sensors. My biggest concern was wether or not the single base unit would reach to our detached garage. I worry no more. The test phase proved that it reached without an issue. I am beyond please. The only unfortunately thing for us was that the doorbell cam is not actually wireless. It has to be connected to “your existing wires”. Our house is old and has no existing door bell wires, so ... didn’t work for us. Small issue considering the five entry sensors, two motion detectors, base unit, keypad, glass break sensor and siren all work exceptionally well. Glad this company came to fruition! Thanks, SimpliSafe! Oh! The communication and staff has been good too. Even sending the doorbell cam back was easy.
I ordered a custom Simplisafe system when it was on sale and got a great price. I installed the system myself, rather quickly. I had one issue during install and called the 800 number for assistance. I had a short wait time and the customer service rep talked me through my set up issue and got it resolved quickly. During our 3 day test cycle, we did have to move our motion detector three times due to alarming on Away mode. We have 2 small dogs, 11 and 13 pounds, and they set it off. We had to use the advice for 30 pound dogs and above and it resolved the motion sensor alarm issue. We got a free indoor camera during the sale period and it’s picture/video is crystal clear. We have it in an inconspicuous space and it will take video inside the house when alarm is set or if it alarms. I can also check on the house when we are away through the phone app! So easy to use. My only wish would be to have the ability to erase the videos from the phone app myself and not have to wait 30 days. Maybe that will be added at a later date. We are very happy with our system.
It's hard to summarize just how good this system is. I was initially attracted to the low cost / no contact model, but I've learned to appreciate that this is a very sophisticated system with multiple layers of protection. If you have even the slightest amount of energy and aptitude, you can install even the largest system in under a half day. Based on a very positive experience in my vacation home, I installed this in my primary residence. The app is designed so that you can see and monitor multiple properties using the same login ID. Not every vendor has the vision to design their app this way! My only quibble has been with the doorbell. It's not bad, but it's not especially good either. Nighttime vision isn't very good in my application (landscape lighting seems to mess it up), and while a wedge is included to adjust the up/down angle, there isn't any way to adjust side to side angle. As a result, my camera catches a brick wall to the side of the camera so that a third of the frame is useless. But this is the only device I've been disappointed in, and I believe I own every device they make!
The system used to be great but we have a lot of problems in the last four months. Replaced the main unit three times and on the fourth one. All three doo sencers been replaced after changing all the batteries. For the last month the carbon monoxide has had many problems after replacing battery several times and taking it off the system then adding again works a day or so the crashing again I talked to the tech,s many times and still messed up. I have sent a couple of messages through your system online and got no response. This in our travel trailer and would like to have a working system. When it worked it was great. Now not so much. Trying to get help takes an hour or longer waiting I guess when it works it is great. But then it goes to heck and just gets worse. I have talked a few people into these systems especially at state parks and other #RV parks. Noe I have to go out of my way to talk them and others do not buy. And that works when I tell them and show how bad it is. I know that this will go further than here but I once again I tried and at least when I posts this o FB author sites at least they know what a piece this system and unless you have an hour or longer to get ahold of someone there. Don,t waste your time
We are still in the process of deciding if we want to leave CPI and switch over. So far the setup for SimpliSafe was a breeze. It is annoying that you can’t have multiple users on one account, and that you get kicked off of being logged in, if another user logs in. I do understand the security aspect of allowing multiple users per account, however that is one option we do enjoy with CPI. My wife can access with her login and info and I can have my own. I was mislead regarding the monthly pricing when I signed up. The promo was 1 month free trial and $14/month after. That does NOT include access on the app, it does NOT include 30 day recording for the “free” camera that was included in the package we purchased, and it would NOT include the 1 month free trial. If we want key fobs, those have to be purchased separately, along with the smoke detector and carbon monoxide monitoring devices (which I was told today are on back order) Overall I am a little disappointed but am still giving SimpliSafe a Chance. There is a 60 day money back guarantee, or a 120 day but that money is refunded to you via a paper check once they received all material back.
We purchased SinpliSafe home security several years ago. When we ordered it, it came in several different boxes with LOTS of instructions! The thought of installing it was daunting! However, there was an option to call SimpliSafe and have them talk us through set up! The rep was so helpful and installation was SO easy! We received a camera and a heat and water sensor for Christmas because we travel a lot. Installation was again a breeze! We have had several calls from representatives saying a door was open, or a smoke alarm was going off. Each time there was never a break in or fire, just a door to the kitchen that had blown open or workers sanding causing the smoke alarm to trigger. SimpliSafe called us instantly and would have dispatched rescue immediately! We LOVE that the system was a breeze to install, is ours if we choose to move, and there’s a affordable monthly fee, no burdensome contract! But the BEST feature of all is that if anything is amiss, you are called immediately! Best purchase we ever made!
I am a 65 year old female who lives alone except for my dog. She only weighs 12 pounds so I couldn’t put much stock in her ability to stop a break in. I ordered the SimpliSafe system with 4 entry sensors, 2 motion sensors, and added the camera. Installation was not difficult and I was able to have the entire system installed and up and running in a relatively short period of time. I had a minor amount of difficulty getting the camera online but the support staff were exceptionally helpful. This system has given me a tremendous feeling of security. I can easily set it to on/home at night and rest easy knowing that my home is secure. When I am away I can fully arm the system and be confident that my small dog is not going to trigger the system. If you are looking for an affordable and easy to install system, look no further. With the 24/7 monitoring I know that I am much safer. I particularly like the ability to arm, disarm, or get a live camera view of my living room by using the SimpliSafe app on my phone.
I recently purchased the outdoor cameras that Simplisafe now offers and I was extremely disappointed with the functionality of them. I’ll explain, the cameras are recording any movement 24 hrs a day regardless of whether the alarm system is on or off. So when you are shoveling snow off your driveway, cutting the grass, washing your car or any other outdoor activity you may be doing you are being recorded. The question that needs to be asked why?? Your home and the alarm system is off so why does the cameras record you doing the activities of life and by the way you will get a message every time you walk pass it cutting the grass because you activated the camera. The only resolution the SimpliSafe guys gave me was to turn off the notifications so I didn’t get all the alert messages on my phone. The issue I have with this is, it places the burden on you to remember to turn it back on when you turn you your system back on. They should simply have the cameras monitor your property when the alarm is on in the home or the away position, when you actually need the monitoring. Come on SimpliSafe this is just a programming issue please update your system to monitor your customers property when the alarm system is armed.
Pros: setup was simple and instructions were easy to follow. Customer service is great and helpful. Each device you install can be customized to your specific needs and I truly feel that this makes my home much more secure. My complaints are not on the security aspects of this system which is why I gave it three stars. Cons: The biggest drawback to this system are the cameras and how they function within the app. I previously had nest cameras and the video was excellent and I could download video clips with ease. The SimpliSafe cameras are not the same quality. All cameras that I have installed have this weird clicking noise in the background. I searched google and other users have experienced the same problems. Also, when I try to download a video clip in the app it says that there was a problem and the video couldn’t be downloaded. Sometimes the app will also tell me that I need to upgrade my plan to view the history when I’m paying for the highest plan already. Summary: Easy to use with quick setup and loads of customizations. Cameras and app functionality are the biggest drawback.
I’ve had SIMPLYSAFE for about two years. The plan that I have is the $50 a month which allows you to arm and disarm and also allows you to check your pulse in your pets through your camera. I have one issue with this App and it’s a big issue to me because I should be able to just open the app with my fingerprint knowing that it’s me and be able to look at my camera but no it’s been happening every so often were able asked me to login with my email and password. Now me being a person that has so many passwords it gets annoying. If they could fix this one issue where I don’t have to login just to be able to view my cameras that would be awesome and it would make the system perfect, I’m giving it a three star because that is that important to me that it takes away two stars. I’m hoping the developers would work on this and make it to where I don’t have to keep logging in to view my cameras or even set up the system through the app. Other than the app having this issue it’s a great system and I would recommend it to anyone especially if you’re renting.
Bought the system and it took way too long to arrive. Part of it was on backorder as well. Set the system up spending about 3 hours as I had 20 contact sensors so it took a while. Directions were pretty straight forward. However upon completion I installed the app and was immediately shut out of my account. I could not sign in online or on the app. I could not monitor anything. I called SimpliSafe and spent 1:45 on one call. The next day I spent 1:30 with a supervisor. She said she would get back with me in 2 days with a solution. 3 days passed and they did not call me back (as was the plan). I called them, held for 22 minutes and was told “they were working on it”. They had no idea how long it would take to fix the issue as they had yet to determine what was causing the problem. At that point I decided a security company that was the inept had no business monitoring my belongings. Therefore I had to spend another hour removing and repackaging all the equipment and returned the entire system to Simplisafe. Now a week later the back ordered item showed up so now I have to call them again (and wait on hold) to return the back ordered item that should have never been shipped. I estimate I have over 10 hours invested in this and have zero to show for it. Buyer Beware!
This app isn’t really easy to get around. Where you think things will be- they are not there! Also the number listed for tech support doesn’t work! Even this is confusing. I emailed them and told them that the number for tech-support as listed on the app is incorrect and doesn’t work. They disregarded what I was telling them and said that the number was different on the app. Per their direction, I made sure that my app was updated and I logged in and logged out, made sure that my app was updated again a second time, and logged in and log back out again. Nope. Still not the right number to contact them. The only other number offered in the app is the number to call monitoring. On a sidenote, I emailed them and told them I was moving and they said that they would send me more Command strips for my system and they sent me six! LOL that doesn’t quite cut it, but thanks. They also don’t have an outdoor camera but I offered to send me a weatherproof case for $100 in addition to the $100 camera cost. Also I moved from Arizona to Northern California and my base station wouldn’t work here. They are going to send me a work around. We’ll see what happens with that.
The app is as simple to use as the system is to set up. Some clear thought has gone into the user experience design. One point of annoyance is the difficulty of locating how to remove unnecessary recordings (the system records all cameras during certain events). The point of annoyance (and the developer is aware of it so this review shouldn’t be a surprise): if you accidentally add a camera without selecting the profile you are adding it to, you can move the camera to the correct profile, but you can never remove the automatically generated profile. I’m reminded of The Eagles’ “Hotel California” whenever I end up accidentally switching to that useless profile — you know, “You can check out any time, but you can never leave.” (Credit to songwriters.) Team, make it possible to remove inane auto-generated location profiles, please, pretty please, with a cherry on top. Better yet, don’t auto-generate a location profile when adding cameras. Thank you for all you do and wish you continued good health!
Fairly easy install…ran into some glitches but tech support stayed on line until up and running. Have had for three years now with only a handful of battery replacements, a couple of window sensors getting pulled off by closing plantation blinds over them (blind caught sensor and put enough tension on it that sensor pulled off during night activating alarm). User issue! My biggest complaint regards the app. Frequently will not connect for various reasons. It always opens then goes dark then reopens to show alarm status. Because it at times “cannot connect to server” you can’t arm or disarm remotely. Sometimes you tap, get the spinner as if nothing happens only to then get notification system is now armed or disarmed. I’ve spoken to SimpliSafe. Re this but only response was to remove app and reinstall…which did not help. I’ve also suggested twice that they add a GeoFence feature to remind you to arm. Their only option is to set a schedule which doesn’t work if your schedule isn’t routine day after day.
I love the products and the system—this is my review of the app. First, the iOS app and the Apple Watch app often seem to have trouble communicating with one another. I love the idea of being able to check my system status from my watch, but most of the time it just buffers endlessly until I pick up my phone and refresh the iOS app. I also find that if my Apple Watch is out of range of my phone, I can’t use the Watch app to view or change my system status, even though my watch has cellular and can function independently of my phone. Second, I’m sure I’m not the only one to say this, but in 2022, I really wish Simplisafe’s gadgets and the app were compatible with Apple Homekit. I’m really not sure why this hasn’t happened yet. I would love to be able to use automations to arm my system in Home or Away mode at particular times or under certain conditions, or make other appliances turn on or off in response to changes in the system status, but without the Homekit compatibility, the best I can do for now is use the reminder that I can set up in the app.
After using simplisafe for three years and buying many extra sensors and utilizing their live services I can say that they have several flaws. First one is after our first year or so of no problems and great service it changed to something less than that. First we started getting targeted through their aggressive marketing campaign for a whole new system. Short time after marketing began problems started to arise with base station. I would play that troubleshoot game with a tech person over the phone and all of a sudden it would be working fine again. Not as big a deal as the more bigger issue I now have been experiencing since they updated the apps interface a few months ago. Several times I have not been able to use the app to arm or disarm the system. It gets going on this endless loop of c gecko g system for errors and never solves its own problem. Unfortunately Apple is not the only company that continues to try and get you to upgrade through a host of tactics. What is wrong with the system I just bought theee years ago. My mom had an alarm system with a reputable company and her system lasted well over ten years. The kicker is we pay a monthly service fee. That SHOULD be enough😕
I love Simplysafe I’ve had it for almost 3 years now started when I bought a cabin in the Georgia Mountains and wasn’t living there yet it’s been wonderful and the improvements have been great the only thing I wish that they would have two things they would be able for me to activate the alarm when I’m away if I see something that’s happening before the alarm went off I’d like to actually trigger it also I wish the main station had a louder speaker I don’t have a very big cabin and I can’t hear it from other rooms I wish they would either put an air phone jack or Bluetooth out so you can put an external speaker other than that I think the system is wonderful the monitoring company is wonderful personality and they work very hard and gave me free senses when they actually went bad after the warranty can’t say enough good for them thank you keep it up please look at my suggestions and maybe Adam in the future
I love the simplicity of the system and easy to set up. We accidentally triggered the alarm and they called both phones as intended which is great. The app on my phone and through the website has not worked yet. At all. Can’t even login. I can’t set up security camera or camera on doorbell. I’ve spoken with customer service on several occasions. Takes anywhere from 15-40 minutes to get someone on the phone. They’re friendly and I think mean well but can’t really answer the question when it will work. Keep telling me they’ve upgraded software and are a growing company and are working on it. It’s doesn’t make you feel good about a security system when it’s having this much software issues. I also had to buy anew doorbell, apparently mine wasnt analogue. I bought several additional items when they matched prior sale which was great and they’ve given me a couple months free monitoring for the hassle. They forgot one of the items though so I again had to call to get the missing item sent. I want to love it but jury still out with the issues we’ve had in t he first couple weeks. I have it 1 star since review is regarding the “app” which doesn’t work...
13 entry sensors, 1 glass breaking sensor, 2 motions detectors, 1 panic button, 1 audio alarm, 1 video camera and 1 control pad. All installed in about 2 hours. The tricky part for me was trying to find to little button to activate the sensor. It’s was hard to see as it blends in so well. After a couple weeks of usage, I decided to buy a second control pad and a new video door bell. I love this product. From the packaging to the customer service and tech support. They are always so helpful and personable on the phone. The tech support crew is very helpful and knowledgeable. The non long term contract is a great feature. We had a potential faulty panic button which one night started the process of sending the cops. The SimpliSafe monitoring staff contacted us, and quickly we (they) informed the cops of a possible false alarm. I spoke with their tech support, and they sent me a new panic button and an RGA to send back the faulty one at no change. I am so pleased and satisfied with this company and product. It’s simple and your safe.
We have only had the system for about 5 months...but so far we are very happy with the system. Very easy to install, delivery was quick and tech support was awesome. **this is an update-we have now had our system for 2 years. All of a sudden different parts of the system were not working. We spoke with Joe, from SimpliSafe he worked with us on each each piece with no results. Finally came to the conclusion it was the base. Once we received the new base we called and Renee was the one we had. She walked us through disconnecting the base- setting up the new base-each piece has to be reconnected to the new base. We now had to reconnect the lock system. Renee sent us to Calvin- poor Calvin- couldn’t get the lock to connect after many tries- finally, what he had to do was walk through disconnecting the new base, reconnect the old base- sure enough we had to remove the lock from of old base and then put the new base back together and then we were able to add the lock!! We speak to many of our friends and clients about your system. It is wonderful- I do have one wish, the camera system was better- once that’s perfected we will buy those also!! Sorry I was so long winded but it was important for everyone to know how dedicated the technicians are in helping the customer. True customer service which you don’t see so much any more. Thank you, thank you, thank you Joe, Renee and Calvin!!** Christine
Replaced an old SimpliSafe system with a new upgrade. New smoke and CO monitors clipped into old mount. Great. Motion detectors and keypads although being virtually same size DON’T clip into old mounts. Would have been so easy to have designed to do so and would have made a great advertising campaign that upgrades would be a breeze to do. Instead I have to find paint to touch up. The 3M tape mounts took the paint off the walls as most of the strips had hardened with age and just snapped. Would not have had an issue if the new equipment had clipped in the old mounts. Then asked for shipping label to send back the old equipment and still waiting. Customer service said they couldn’t help as their computers would not work and a supervisor would call back. Funny, they never did call back and equipment still sitting in my entrance hall. Door entry sensors came up with low battery alarm which I was instructed to remove and replace. Still had alarm and they said they would send out new batteries. Still waiting for those too. Despite this I like the concept of SimpliSafe and still recommended to a friend last week to buy a system as he didn’t have to worry about an upgrade. App and web portal work pretty well so no complaints there.
The system was easy enough to set up. Here are my problems with Simplisafe. First, I want to self-monitor but activating the system without selecting a paid monitoring plan is a real hassle. They try everything they can to make it difficult so you have to pick a paid plan. I did finally get it done with a phone call. Second, on the iPhone the notification sound is the default iPhone “tri-tone” notification sound because the app developers did not bother to create a LOUD custom notification sound for alarms. The standard notification sound cannot be heard in noisy environments if my phone is at my side or in my pocket. This makes the alarm notification sound useless. If I had known this before purchase I probably would not have made the purchase. Finally, the monitoring plans are outrageously expensive. The least expensive plan is $10 per month or $120 per year and it still does not include monitoring and phone calls. I prefer to self-monitor but I would pay something like $30 annual subscription for an automated phone call whenever the alarm is activated.
The SimpliSafe Home Security iPhone and iPad app lets you control your SimpliSafe security system from anywhere in the world. Arm and disarm the system, set instant notifications and keep track of everything in an up to the minute timeline. You can even watch and capture live video if you have a SimpliSafe camera.