- It was a sunny Saturday afternoon,
I was driving with a friend to grab lunch
when I got a call from a strange number.
Like anyone with a cell phone, I ignored it.
They could leave a voicemail
if it's that important ... but they did
- [Agent] Hello, this is SimpliSafe, an alarm was received.
We're calling to make sure everything is okay.
- That was SimpliSafe calling to tell me
that my alarm had gone off while I was away.
Thankfully, everything was okay
and it was just a false alarm,
and I was able to cancel
the emergency response really easily.
But now I had proof that the SimpliSafe system
I installed in my house only weeks ago
had been working exactly as it should have been.
Today, I'll be telling you more about my month
with SimpliSafe since I installed it in March.
How the sensors worked, what adjustments I made,
and whether or not having a used system
makes any difference. (gentle music)
If you haven't seen our video on setting up SimpliSafe,
you can find it up here.
Long story short,
I set up a used SimpliSafe Home Security System last month
and have been using it ever since.
In that system, I used the Interactive Plan
to monitor two-door and window sensors,
a motion sensor, a key fob, a keypad, and a base station.
I also tried setting up
SimpliSafe's outdoor camera without success,
I'll give you an update on that in just a second.
Set up was tricky thanks to issues
with the PIN code and the account information,
but thankfully, that was solved during installation.
So, I've been happily coexisting
with this security system in my home ever since.
I've found at least four ways to arm and disarm the system,
each easier than the next.
My personal favorite became the key fob
because it saved me a lot of time and stress
walking through the door with a beeping alarm system.
All I had to do was press a button.
Even if you don't choose SimpliSafe for your home security,
if there's a key fob option, take it.
So, now that you're up to speed,
here are a few notes and stories from the last month.
The two door and window sensors
went on my kitchen window and my front door.
The second one got a little more action over the last month
but it was on my screen door
rather than my actual front door.
The whole reason for this was because my door sits
so deeply into the frame and opens into the house,
so I couldn't fit the sensors on the door frame
without them knocking each other off.
And the screen door felt like a perfectly fine alternative.
I will say though, hats off to whatever adhesive
they use on these sensors because it's stuck
no matter where or how many times I replaced it.
With that sensor securely in place
I was satisfied to move on,
but that false alarm I mentioned earlier,
that was the screen door.
And there was another one in the middle of the night
shortly after I installed the system too.
So, maybe the screen door
wasn't the brilliant alternative I thought it was.
Unless you can keep your screen door locked and secured,
you should stick with the main door.
Like all DIY systems, SimpliSafe has a base station
that acts as the main hub
for all of the home security sensors.
And it was pretty easy to ignore
the whole month I had it at home.
It politely hung out in the background
pinging when the door or window opened
or when my system was armed.
There were a couple of moments though throughout the month
when I had to turn off my Wi-Fi or my power for a video,
and the base station was quick to respond.
It told me when the backup battery
or cellular backup kicked in
so I knew when something was wrong,
even if it was me doing it.
There was even a moment
when it detected wireless interference.
Hopefully, no one was trying to jam my system.
But all in all, the base station was pretty reliable
and generally easy to ignore that part of the system.
And as it should be,
a good security system will blend into your home
and work with your routine seamlessly.
So, well done on that one SimpliSafe.
SimpliSafe is compatible with Amazon
and Google smart speakers.
So, I had to do my due diligence and see
what that connection actually looks like.
Right off the bat, I was able to arm and disarm the system
with my voice commands and that was really convenient.
But set up with Alexa was odd because SimpliSafe
is considered a "skill" rather than a device,
so this limited how I was able to use Alexa in routines.
I could arm or disarm the system if something triggered it,
but it couldn't be the trigger itself.
That said, if you have Amazon
or Google smart speakers with screens,
you'll be able to do more than I did.
A Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show
can connect with your SimpliSafe camera
and show live feed on the panel.
But unfortunately... (gentle music)
I never did get the outdoor camera to work.
I know, I know, I'm just as disappointed as you are.
But despite multiple attempts, resets, and battery changes
I never could get it out of the loop it got into in the app.
After charging the battery,
the camera would happily go into Setup mode.
And this was a pleasant change
from my initial setup experience
and shined a little hope my way.
But after I paired it and named the camera,
it went right back to the Setup menu.
And this happened over and over again like some kind
of terrible, karmic merry-go-round where the camera dies
and comes back to life only to die again.
So, SimpliSafe, if you're watching this,
feel free to send us a new outdoor camera
and we would be happy to test it.
But unfortunately, this one never quite got off the ground.
So, what was it like to have SimpliSafe
in my home for a full month?
Honestly, pretty uneventful.
Other than two false alarms on my front door,
things ran pretty smoothly.
It didn't seem to matter
that this was a previously loved system
or that I had issues setting it up,
all of that was water under the bridge.
I consistently armed and disarmed my system without trouble.
And I will say, I wish that they had more choices
for different contact sensors,
and I would've liked to figure out the front door issue
without resorting to my screen door.
And I would have loved to get
the outdoor camera up and running.
But overall, having SimpliSafe
in my home was a pretty smooth experience,
90% of the time it worked exactly as it should
even if I put my sensors in a false alarm-prone area.
If you wanna learn more about SimpliSafe
and other DIY systems like it,
check the description below to see our full review, FAQs,
and comparisons to other popular systems.
As for me, I'm hoping to keep this system in my house
and try other SimpliSafe gear like the Smart Lock.
So, like, subscribe, and stay tuned to see more from us
on SimpliSafe and other home security systems.
Hey, if you are one of the 10 people
who made it this far, thanks for watching.
And if you want more safety, head over to safewise.com
and you can find reviews and our lineups
of best home security systems,
best wireless cameras, and more, stay safe!
(gentle music)