SimpliSafe’s first Video Doorbell Pro offers a great picture and doesn’t require an entire
SimpliSafe alarm system, but it also won’t integrate with your smart home.
SimplSafe made a big impact on the home security market when in 2009 it launched a DIY, no-contract
alarm system.
Its new video doorbell probably won’t do the same for the smart home security market,
but it is a well-made product that’s worth consideration from anyone contemplating buying
one.
The picture from the doorbell is good.
In fact, it’s better than most.
It shoots in 1080p high definition and the camera’s support for HDR (high dynamic range)
is immediately obvious.
You can see how it’s evened out the dark area under my porch overhang with the bright
sky in the background.
The field of view is 162 degrees, so you get a nice, wide view of what’s happening in
front of your house.
For detecting motion, it uses an infrared sensor with four settings: off, low, medium
and high.
Infrared means it’s looking for heat sources like people, animals or car engines and won’t
be fooled by the swaying branches of a tree.
Right now the detection is pretty limited but I found the low setting worked well, keeping
alerts to just about only people walking to my front door.
Any higher and passing vehicles triggered the detector.
There is no ability to add detection zones: The camera monitors the entire image or none
of it.
One of the selling points of this video doorbell is that you don’t need a subscription for
basic functions to work, and that’s good news.
Without paying the $4.99-per-month fee, the doorbell’s app will pop up an alert on your
phone when it senses movement or when someone presses the button.
You can pull up a live video view and talk remotely to the person in front of your door.
If you do subscribe, you’ll also get video storage, which means you can review video
of people coming to your door that you missed at the time.
If you’re going to subscribe, remember to work in the cost of the monthly subscription
when evaluating competitors, or choose one with recording and no monthly fee.
On compatibility, the video doorbell integrates with SimpliSafe’s second- or third-generation
home security systems and they can trigger camera recording should a security sensor
be triggered.
But as a stand-alone unit, it isn’t compatible with other security systems or with smart
speakers, such as Google Home or Amazon Echo and that’s a bit disappointing.
Installation was pretty easy.
It’s a wired doorbell so requires a 8- to 24-volt power supply, there is no battery
option.
One of the best parts of the install process was way it connects to WiFi.
Usually this involves your phone, switching from WiFi to a connection to the doorbell
to set access details and then switching back.
It’s a hassle that sometimes doesn’t work.
SimpliSafe takes your home WiFi access information, creates a QR code and the camera on the doorbell
reads it to grab the network name and password.
It’s a pretty neat idea and one other manufacturers should consider.
It makes setup much easier.
The doorbell comes with a white faceplate that is removable.
If you buy from Best Buy you’ll get white, jade and black face plates in the box.
The units from SimpliSafe come with just white, for some reason.
I found a bug when testing.
The alerts come in based on Eastern time, even though I’m in the west.
SimpliSafe says it’s working on that.
So, overall I think the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is a quality entry into a competitive
field.
The picture is top-notch, the design is pleasing, and the app is stable.
A few minor concerns—such as the notification time zone problem—are promised to be fixed
soon.
The absence of wider smart home support, on the other hand, is a significant downside.
TechHive rated it 4 out of 5.
Ultimately, this is a product that will be most appreciated by people who either currently
have a SimpliSafe system, are planning to buy one, or people who want to operate it
as a stand-alone unit without further smart home integration.