Solved! How Does SimpliSafe Work?
SimpliSafe is a combination home security system that allows customers to choose and install their own equipment, then opt for professional monitoring without long-term contracts.
Photo: simplisafe.com
Q: I’d really like to get a home security system, but I don’t like the idea of people all over my home installing equipment that I don’t know about. I’ve heard SimpliSafe is a DIY option, but how does it work? Is it as good as a traditional system?
A: DIY is an acronym that gets tossed around a lot, and it’s easy to forget that it can actually have different meanings. In the case of SimpliSafe (which made our list of the best home security systems), DIY refers to the method of equipment installation. You’ll select the types of equipment you prefer (either preassembled packages or a la carte, and with the assistance of a SimpliSafe customer service agent if you’d like) and install it yourself. Then you’ll choose the type of monitoring you’re comfortable with—either 24/7 Professional Monitoring, where cameras and sensors are monitored by professionals who will dispatch first responders immediately if there’s a problem, or Camera Recordings Only, which provides alerts to your system and smartphone and saves videos for you to review. Both incur a monthly fee, but there is no contract, so you can change your mind about the level of monitoring you’d like at any time and cancel without a penalty if you decide that you no longer need the service.
You’ll use a combination of the Entry Keypad and an easy-to-use mobile smartphone app to control the system, arm and disarm, allow entry, and keep track of alerts and video notifications, so even while it’s being monitored by professionals, you’re still in complete control. SimpliSafe also works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to make controlling the system even easier.
Need a home security system? SimpliSafe can help. With a comprehensive whole-house solution, you can be prepared for the unexpected. View SimpliSafe systems and prices.
SimpliSafe is a contract-free DIY alarm system.
Photo: simplisafe.com
Traditional home security systems often spread the cost of the equipment over a period of 36 months (some include financing of up to 60 months). As a result, you’re locked into a contract for monthly monitoring plus the installment payments on the equipment for that period of time. While for some people the hassle-free professional installation of the equipment is worth the contract, others find the contracts too expensive and unnecessarily binding—because in general, if you try to cancel the contract, you’ll have to pay up for the remainder of the equipment costs in addition to a hefty cancellation fee.
Because SimpliSafe equipment is installed by the customer, there’s no installation fee and the equipment is paid for up front. Also, there’s no lengthy contract associated with paying off the startup costs, and SimpliSafe is happy to have you as a monitoring customer for as long as you wish to remain with the company—and they work hard to make the service worth keeping.
SimpliSafe offers relatively affordable professional monitoring plans.
Understanding that different customers have different monitoring needs (and budgets), SimpliSafe offers three straightforward monitoring options. The most comprehensive is their 24/7 Professional Monitoring, which includes full-time police, fire, and ambulance dispatch; live view on all cameras and unlimited camera recording; visual alarm verification; and water damage and temperature monitoring. In addition, this level of monitoring includes a built-in cellular connection, so even if your Wi-Fi is down, you’ll still be protected. Ringing up at $24.99 per month, 24/7 Professional Monitoring (also called the Interactive Monitoring Plan) includes some hardware discounts and will usually open up discounts on homeowners insurance policies.
Need a home security system? SimpliSafe can help. With a comprehensive whole-house solution, you can be prepared for the unexpected. View SimpliSafe systems and prices.
For those who want full professional monitoring but are uncomfortable with camera monitoring or camera data being stored, SimpliSafe offers Limited Pro Monitoring (also called the Standard Monitoring Plan), which includes first-responder dispatch and live view of HD cameras, but it doesn’t record the cameras or use video verification of alarms, and it doesn’t include the hardware discount. This program price is $14.99 per month; while not as complete as the full monitoring plan, it covers the basics, will get you help quickly in the event of an emergency, and it will provide peace of mind for those who prefer not to have recordings stored.
Finally, the basic Self-Monitoring with Camera Recording plan allows users to monitor themselves, with unlimited camera recordings from up to five cameras available to the customer at a cost of $9.99 per month. There’s no event monitoring in this plan and no first-responder dispatch; the plan provides you with alerts from each sensor you’ve installed and stores the video recordings from your cameras so you can look back through them or check the cameras when you receive an alert and contact the police independently.
Photo: simplisafe.com
SimpliSafe does not necessarily require a Wi-Fi system to work, as it works on a cellular connection.
Many traditional home security systems use hardwired landlines to monitor the home. With the decrease in landlines in favor of cellular phone service, others have shifted to using the home’s Wi-Fi system to monitor, with upgradable equipment to use cellular monitoring if you so desire. SimpliSafe’s program uses cellular monitoring by default, with no landline or Wi-Fi required. The cellular connection is built into the system, meaning it’s not using your cellular minutes or data plan. So even when the power goes out, you’re still protected by the cellular monitoring and the battery backup that’s included in the system.
Need a home security system? SimpliSafe can help. With a comprehensive whole-house solution, you can be prepared for the unexpected. View SimpliSafe systems and prices.
You can build your own package of SimpliSafe equipment or choose a preassembled package.
Each SimpliSafe system includes a base station to which all the other sensors connect wirelessly and a wireless keypad that you’ll use to arm and disarm the system. Beyond that, the system is yours to customize. There are starter packages available to help you choose, or you can build a fully custom system from the ground up. The simplest package is called The Foundation, and it’s ideal for small homes and apartments; it includes an entry sensor and a motion sensor, and it provides a base layer of protection. The Essentials is a step up and is the most popular package SimpliSafe offers. It includes door and window sensors for main entry points and a motion sensor for main passages.
The Hearth adds smoke detection and an extra siren to alert you (and your neighbors) to sensors that are tripped, and The Knox includes everything in The Hearth, plus extra sensors and motion detectors, and is suitable for homes with four or more bedrooms. Finally, The Haven is the largest package offered, which includes everything in The Knox plus water damage sensors and additional smoke detectors. These are the base packages; you can add other equipment on to them or start from scratch and build an entire system of exactly what you need.
Photo: simplisafe.com
SimpliSafe offers multiple sensors, including sensors for glass breaking, smoke, water, forced entry, carbon monoxide, and freezing temperatures.
SimpliSafe’s monitoring, like all home security systems, begins with door and window entry sensors and motion detectors to alert the monitors to doors opening and closing and people moving through the home. Beyond that, however, SimpliSafe offers glass break sensors to provide notice if a burglar tries to avoid entry sensors by simply breaking the glass. Sensors are available that will notify the monitors and you of smoke or carbon monoxide buildup, floods or dripping water, and sudden extremes of temperature, so if you’re away and the heat stops working, you’ll get a notification if it gets below 41 degrees—so cold that your pipes are in danger of freezing—and you can set a custom high temperature alert in case your air conditioning fails during the summer and it gets dangerously warm for pets. Several security cameras and video doorbells are also available, along with panic buttons and key fobs and a smart door lock. The sensors available from SimpliSafe cover your home as completely as you choose for it to be covered.
Need a home security system? SimpliSafe can help. With a comprehensive whole-house solution, you can be prepared for the unexpected. View SimpliSafe systems and prices.
SimpliSafe does not offer a trial period, but it has a 60-day money-back policy.
There’s no trial period for SimpliSafe, but there’s also no contract, so you’re not locked in if you’re unhappy. Recognizing that some customers may decide they don’t want a security system at all after they’ve tried it (and confident, perhaps, that you will be satisfied), SimpliSafe offers a 60-day money-back guarantee instead of a trial. Once you’ve received your package, you’ll have 60 days to plug it in and get started, and if you’re unhappy, you’ll have 60 days to uninstall the system and package it back up to return in a postage-paid mailer. Because there’s no long-term contract, you’re not obligated to continue paying beyond the 60 days, as long as you return the equipment in a timely fashion.
