SimpliSafe Home Security System Review

SimpliSafe Video Review

Sometimes, seeing is believing, especially when it comes to home security systems. So we filmed our experience testing SimpliSafe’s equipment so that you can see it in action for yourself. We even show you how easy it is to set it up.
We should point out that there have been a few changes since we published the video review. However, all the latest information is listed throughout this written review. Here’s a summary of the changes.

• SimpliSafe increased its Standard plan pricing a couple of times from $14.99 to $21.99 per month and Core Fast Protect (formerly Interactive) from $24.99 to $31.99 per month.
• New features have been added to the Fast Protect plan, such as Live Guard Protection that gives monitoring center agents video and audio access to cameras in emergencies.
• A new indoor camera was released called the Smart Alarm. It’s the only camera fully compatible with Live Guard Protection for now.
• Current users can now also integrate the outdoor cameras with Active Guard Outdoor Protection – a feature similar to Live Guard but for outdoor cameras. It costs $49.99 or $79.99 per month depending on if you want overnight monitoring or 24/7 monitoring.

What You Get / Unboxing

SimpliSafe has gone through three generations of products so far, with the latest one being the Gen 3 SimpliSafe system we tested. Each version is an improvement over the last. For example, the Gen 3 system improved the wireless range of the second generation base station, as well as updated the design and aesthetics of the sensors.

Perhaps the best thing about the Gen 3 is its modularity. It has been five years since it was released, but rather than replacing the system entirely like it did with Gen 1 and Gen 2, SimpliSafe has opted to upgrade it by launching new components. They started with an indoor camera, then an outdoor camera, and then a video doorbell. Most recently, SimpliSafe launched an upgraded and smarter indoor camera called the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera.

Another aspect we like about SimpliSafe is the price. The equipment is high-quality, yet cheaper than premium options like Vivint. The Vivint security system we reviewed set us back over $1,200. With SimpliSafe, you can get started with the four-piece The Foundation package for only $250. Even the 14-piece bundle costs only $530 and the most expensive one with security cameras costs $730. Take a look at our home security pricing guide; you’ll see that those prices are below industry average.

Once you’ve built your home security system, you need to decide how to pay for it. SimpliSafe lets you pay the total price upfront or apply for financing through Affirm. We had the option to pay off the balance over 3, 12, or 24 months. Payments over 12 months can start as low as $12.50 per month for a basic security system. This figure drops to $6.25 on a 24-month payment plan. In the end, we decided to pay for everything upfront.

SimpliSafe Equipment Overview

While some home security systems are positioned as a comprehensive service, SimpliSafe has its roots in a more DIY approach. The company started by focusing on DIY apartment security, and even though it has expanded its ranges of products and services, SimpliSafe is still a go-to choice for people who want to handle some aspects themselves.

If you aren’t sure how many devices you need to cover your home, we recommend starting with the most essential equipment you need for your home. At the very least, you’ll want an entryway sensor for all of the doors to your home. You can easily add cameras and additional sensors because of the piecemeal, DIY nature of the SimpliSafe System.

Overall, we’re happy with what we got from SimpliSafe. Those eight motion sensors covered all our first-floor doors and windows. The motion sensors are out there monitoring our first-floor and second-floor hallways. The glass break sensor is keeping a close eye (or rather, ear) on our glass door leading to the patio. And our security cameras are surveilling our living room, back yard, and front porch all at the same time.

That’s how our SimpliSafe system looked at a high level. Now let’s zoom in on every component we got.

Base station

At the center of every SimpliSafe system is the base station, which serves as the brains of the system.

In a nutshell, it connected all of the components to the SimpliSafe app so we were notified of any activity. In addition, it connected to the professional monitoring center and played a 100-decibel siren if any alarms went off, which meant it was almost equal to a loud, high-pitched blender in terms of volume.

If you live in a multi-storey house, however, note that the siren is hardly audible on different floors. We recommend buying auxiliary sirens like we did, and placing them on different floors and even outside. Fortunately, the auxiliary sirens can reach up to 105 dB, so they are a bit louder than the siren on the base station.

Design-wise, the base station is one of the prettier alarm hubs we’ve laid our eyes on. It’s about eight inches tall with a four-inch rounded base. The tower-like design is a space-saver, especially compared to the Frontpoint Hub (you can see it in our Frontpoint review) that looks more like a router. Plus, it gives a blue underglow at night, which can be a soothing reminder to users that SimpliSafe is protecting their homes. We even use it as a night light, since we placed our base station in the living room.

Keypad

We have a love-hate relationship with our SimpliSafe keypad. On one hand, it’s convenient to use. We mounted it on a wall close to the front door, and it’s where we arm and disarm our system when leaving or entering the house. It has a touch-sensitive screen (note: not touch screen) for somewhat easier navigation.

Now for the things we didn’t love, the overall design was top of the list. It’s bulky like an overblown remote control. Perhaps that’s because it’s built to be rugged and tamper-proof. It supposedly triggers an alarm when someone smashes it, though we didn’t get to test that. But still, we’re not big fans of the design.

That issue we have with the keypad is amplified by the fact that most security systems today include a touchscreen keypad. You can see one in our ADT review, but our gold standard is the Vivint Smart Hub from our Vivint review. We liked it because it can control smart home devices and stream security camera live footage. SimpliSafe’s keypad can do neither of those.

Despite all that, the keypad isn’t a deal-breaker. At worst, it’s a piece of equipment you’ll find limited use for, but still handy at times. And besides, the features missing from the keypad (like security camera streaming) can be accessed via the SimpliSafe app, so it doesn’t limit what you can do with your security system. We’ll also discuss the app further down in this review.

Entry sensors

Entry sensors are staples of home security systems. They tell you when a door or window has been opened, letting you know that a potential break-in may be in progress.

There’s really nothing that’s noteworthy about SimpliSafe’s entry sensors, except that they are small and inconspicuous. Their mostly inconspicuous design won’t detract from your door and window aesthetics.

After a bit of touring our apartment for vulnerable entry points, we determined that the ground level of our home was the best place for our entry sensors, as that was where intruders were more likely to enter. Of course, we tried out the entry sensors too and discovered that they notified us when they moved about two inches apart from one another. Could an intruder slither into a two-inch crack to enter our apartment? We don’t think so, so our verdict: The door sensor works.

Motion Sensors

Our SimpliSafe motion sensors did exactly what they were intended to. They detected motion.

Starting on a positive note, the motion sensor left our pets well enough alone. It didn’t notify us even when our cats moved, sprinted, and hopped around our living room furniture. That’s great if you’re a pet-owner like us, as pet-triggered false alarms can be pretty frustrating.

On the other hand, though, we found the motion sensor’s 90-degree field of view a bit limited. You have to be very specific in where you place the sensor to get the most value out of it. In our experience, the best placement for the sensor is in the far-side corner of a room so it can quickly catch when someone walks in and to eliminate large blind spots.

On the bright side, the motion sensor has a 35-foot range, meaning it can monitor long hallways and large rooms. We placed one of the sensors at the far-end of the second-floor hallway leading to our bedrooms, and as soon as anyone reached the top of the stairs, we got notified.

Expert Take

From Gene Petrino, Retired SWAT Commander and Law Enforcement

“I recall one homeowner who installed the system themselves to save money. The sensors were not properly affixed, and so they continuously activated the system. The homeowner became accustomed to the false alarms, and became complacent with reviewing the activity (like the boy who cried wolf). Sadly, his home was burglarized and he didn’t notify law enforcement for over an hour after the event.”

Glass Break Sensors

Largely self-explanatory, the glass break sensors would have been very useful if an intruder decided to break a window instead of open it.

They worked on sliding glass doors, as well, but don’t worry, these large-ish sensors don’t need to be placed on the glass door itself. Just place it near glass doors and windows, and it will pick up the sound of breaking glass. We didn’t actually break any glass windows to test the sensor out, but we did play a sound of glass breaking and found that the glass break sensor responded as we expected.

We recommend getting glass break sensors if you have rooms with multiple glass windows. That way, the glass sensor can monitor an entire room without much help from other sensors. It also makes sense to get the glass break sensor if you have large glass doors, because again, some burglars might find it easier to break a glass door to gain entry than tamper with a door lock.

Indoor Cameras

SimpliSafe offers two indoor camera options, the simpler SimpliCam and the newer and more advanced Smart Alarm.

It’s worth noting that both cameras work as standalone equipment. You don’t need a SimpliSafe security system to use them. In fact, we named the SimpliCam the best security camera of 2024. That said, the newer camera works best as a part of a SimpliSafe system because of the Live Guard Protection feature we’ll discuss below. We don’t particularly recommend it as a standalone camera. Go with the SimpliCam if that’s what you’re looking for; here’s our SimpliCam review for more information.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about Smart Alarm. The Smart Alarm camera is impressive (especially for a plugged-in cam). It has a 1536p resolution (near-2K quality) and a built-in siren. That made the video crystal clear and when we saw suspicious activity, we could scare people away with the siren. We’re not thrilled about the camera’s design though. We find it bulky and boxy, and not discreet. But perhaps that’s by design.

You see, the Smart Alarm’s best feature works in conjunction with a SimpliSafe Fast Protect plan. First, it uses A.I. to detect human-triggered motion events. When it detects a person in the vicinity, it alerts SimpliSafe’s monitoring center. From there, a live agent accesses your live feed temporarily, and if there is an intruder, they’ll use two-way talk to tell the intruder to scram.

We tested the feature with a break-in simulation and the response was swift. The camera sits about 10 feet from our front door. About five seconds after we entered without disarming SimpliSafe, an agent was already on the line (via the camera’s speakers) telling us we’re being recorded and that they’d call the police if we didn’t leave. We apologized and explained what we were doing, and after giving them our SimpliSafe secret code, they dropped the line.

Of course, an indoor camera that can be accessed remotely by live agents is a cause for privacy concerns. For your protection, the camera has a physical privacy shutter much like the SimpliCam. Additionally, you can edit the settings to customize when you want it to send alert signals and live feeds to the monitoring center.

Still not comfortable even with those privacy measures? We understand. We shouldn’t take privacy lightly, especially when video and audio is involved. But if you think Live Guard Protection is a good idea, just not for indoor cameras, check out the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera next. It’s only available on the outdoor camera for select users though.

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera

The outdoor camera from SimpliSafe is actually a battery-powered camera similar to the Arlo Pro 3 we tested. It doesn’t work without a SimpliSafe system, so if you’re looking for just an outdoor camera and nothing else, see our list of the best outdoor cameras. The SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Pro is reserved for those who want a SimpliSafe system in their home with an outdoor camera they can integrate.

Feature-wise, the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Pro features just enough specs and functions to be called a decent camera. It has a 1080p resolution with a 140-degree viewing angle, color night vision, and a motion-activated spotlight, plus at $199, it’s a well-priced, good value find.

• Video Monitoring: The Outdoor Camera Pro didn’t originally work with Live Guard Protection, but the feature rolled out three years after the camera first hit the shelf. It works exactly like the Smart Alarm’s Live Guard feature, but with one difference – instead of detecting just human activity, it can also recognize household members via facial recognition. That way, the Live Guard Protection triggers only when the camera spots a stranger approaching the house. It’s only available for current users and costs $49.99 per month or $79.99 per month depending on if you want overnight or 24/7 Live Guard Protection.
• Video: At 1080p HD, the video quality on the SimpliSafe outdoor camera was decent, but it had the added bonus of 10x digital zoom. 1080p is the current industry standard, and for outdoor video recording, it helps with capturing finer details like an intruder’s face or a critter in your garden. We were able to watch our backyard throughout the day without any problem, so although it wasn’t the best video on the market, it got the job done.

• Audio:  We loved using the camera’s speaker and microphone to talk to people remotely. We pulled out our SimpliSafe app and spoke to them directly. The sound was loud and clear, even for an outdoor camera. That’s a good thing if you’re planning to use the Live Guard Protection feature.
• Night vision: We also liked that the outdoor camera has built-in spotlights. That means it can see in full color at night when the light is on. By the way, the spotlight is motion-activated. We’d say it’s similar to the Ring Spotlight Cam Battery, which is one of our favorite outdoor cameras.

• Storage: We prefer to back our footage up in two ways: locally, on a micro-SD card or hard drive, and through cloud storage, as a secondary backup. While none of the SimpliSafe cameras currently include local storage, cloud storage was available on its own or lumped with professional monitoring.

Panic Button

SimpliSafe’s panic button enabled us to contact emergency services with just the click of a button. If we couldn’t reach our alarm or call 911, we weren’t left to deal with a tricky or dangerous situation on our own. Instead, we could simply reach for our panic button.

Once we pressed the button, the system alerted SimpliSafe’s monitoring center, and the center turned our alarm on. In the end, the panic button had the potential to get us help just as quickly, if not sooner, than calling 911.

Key fobs

Another backup option was the key fobs, which combined the panic button and the keypad. The panic button and keypad allowed us to arm and disarm our system, minus the passcode, of course. We found that the fob came in handy particularly when we were on a different floor of our home from the keypad.

The key fobs are slim and easy to carry around. We attached one to our car keys, and we found it great for arming and disarming the system as we enter or leave the house. It may also work as a necklace pendant, especially if you’re living with an aging loved one who might someday need convenient access to emergency help. It works anywhere within 30 feet of the base station.

Siren

The SimpliSafe siren made it a great security system for larger homes.

The auxiliary siren was a good way to make sure we heard our alarm if it went off. In terms of decibels, it sat at 105, meaning it was as loud as a table saw. Its water resistance meant we could use it outside. When it went off, the entire neighborhood could hear!

We used the siren upstairs and found that it was a great way to stay connected to the base station and main parts of the larger security system while we were a floor away.

SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro

A front door find, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro sent us notifications about visitors, let us view them over live stream, and allowed us to speak to them through two-way audio.

To use SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell camera, we needed to have an existing doorbell setup, so it was fortunate that we did. After hardwiring it into our home, we took a closer look at its performance.

• Video:  We were very impressed with the Doorbell Pro’s video. Not only did it have a 1080p HD display with a 162-degree field of view, but it also had HDR, which helped limit distortion from outdoor light. You can see below that even though it was bright outside when we took the photo, even the shadowy areas remained clear.

• Audio: A standard feature of all video doorbells, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro had two-way audio, so we got to have conversations with our guests remotely. This really came in handy in preventing package theft when we needed to give instructions to delivery people.
• Night vision: We appreciated the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro’s infrared night vision, which allowed us to see clearly at night. It used infrared night vision, and although it turned the videos into black-and-white, it resulted in clearer imagery that allowed us to see fine details like the plate numbers of cars passing by.
• Storage: Storage options with the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro were essentially the same as they were for other SimpliSafe cameras: $9.99 a month for 30 days of recording on up to 10 cameras. This cloud storage is also included in the $31.99 per month Fast Protect plan.
• Artificial intelligence: Like the SimpliCam, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro had person detection, which was really helpful for a camera facing the street. We weren’t notified about every car that passed, just human visitors. We had fewer false notifications with the Video Doorbell Pro than with the SimpliCam, too, which made staying on top of our visitors much easier.

All in all, we were very pleased with the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro, and it was very reasonably priced at $169.

Environmental Sensors

Simplisafe also offered environmental monitoring, such as smoke detectors and CO detectors, freeze and water sensors, and a smart lock. We controlled all of these items remotely through the SimpliSafe app. When we used the Standard Plan or Fast Protect Plan, our system notified us of any activity.

How Well It Worked

SimpliSafe was one of the easiest systems for us to get up and running for daily use, even as we added various new components like the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro. Nearly everything was wireless and connected with the base station, which conveyed information by speaking out loud, sending notifications to our app, and even changing the color of the LED strip at its base.

Once we’d installed the system, the firmware updates were automatic, so it didn’t require any maintenance post-installation. We were so impressed with SimpliSafe, we added it to our best home security system roundup.

One thing that really impressed us was the overall user experience. We recommend SimpliSafe if you want a straightforward system with an almost non-existent learning curve. It’s also perfect if you’re living with seniors who may not be comfortable with touchscreen control panels or overly advanced home security technology.

Just take the arming and disarming process, for instance. You can arm the system with just a couple of button presses on the keypad, and then disarm it by entering a passcode through the physical number pad. So really, one just has to remember the passcode to use SimpliSafe. Using the smartphone app is completely optional.

And then, there are the remote control devices like the panic button and key fob. With one press of a button, you can call for help, arm the sensors, or turn off the system. Overall, the name SimpliSafe aptly describes the security system.

Smart Home Features

Although it’s simple, SimpliSafe was no old-school alarm system. It was smart and connected to both the internet and voice assistants, such as Alexa and Google Assistant.

We enjoyed using the voice assistants to control SimpliSafe. We were impressed that we could use just a brief statement to Alexa and set our system in the home or away mode. Likewise, we used our voices to check the system’s status and to arm it. SimpliSafe didn’t allow us to disarm our system with our voice due to security concerns.

As far as smart home compatibility goes, however, SimpliSafe is a long shot away from Vivint, one of the best smart home security systems. Vivint can integrate with dozens of other brands from Nest thermostats to Philips Hue smart lights. It can even pair with Zigbee and Z-Wave. SimpliSafe offers none of that, but it is compatible with August (smart locks), so that’s something.

Still, you can make a lot of smart home integrations using Alexa or Google Assistant. SimpliSafe won’t be at the center, but it will at least work with third-party devices. For example, you can set up an Alexa routine that arms your system at a certain time at night, or disarm the system and turn off your smart lights when you say “Good morning” to Alexa.

Monthly Costs

When we purchased our SimpliSafe system, we wanted to see what it was like to use it without paying any additional monthly fees. We found that it was pretty robust. Comparing SimpliSafe with Ring Alarm, for instance, we found the two were quite similar. Like Ring Alarm’s free plan, we were able to control our system remotely and receive notifications. We also got full smart platform integration plus a seven day history timeline.

With SimpliSafe, we splurged for the Fast Protect Plan, which was the “whole enchilada”: 24/7 professional monitoring, Smart Alarm camera live guard, video verification, cellular backup, remote control, notifications, smart platform integrations, and more.

We thought the Fast Protect Plan was well worth its $31.99 per month price. Plus, we could pay for a single month, so we didn’t have to make any long-term commitment, which was great for renters like us (or commitment-phobes).

Find more pricing details on the SimpliSafe price overview page.

Fast Protect™ Technology

In line with SimpliSafe’s monitoring plans, here’s one feature that SimpliSafe is focusing on developing right now and is a feature exclusively available to Fast Protect plan users.

Fast Protect™ aims to speed up and streamline SimpliSafe’s process of responding to alarms, while also keeping false alarms to a minimum. To do that, it incorporates several features, including video verification, alert texts, and critical alarms.

• Video verification: If you have security cameras, SimpliSafe’s monitoring agent will access its livestream briefly after an alarm is received to verify the incident. This process also helps speed up police response, as verified alarms are prioritized over tripped systems that could turn out to be false alarms.
• Live Guard: As discussed above, SimpliSafe can monitor live feeds from the Smart Alarm indoor cameras, and outdoor cameras for current users, when they detect human-triggered motion events. To unlock Live Guard protection on SimpliSafe’s Outdoor Camera Pro, current users need to upgrade to a Pro or Pro Plus monitoring plan that costs $49.99 or $79.99 per month respectively. The Pro plan limits Live Guard protection to only at night when it’s most needed while the Pro Plus plan provides it 24/7.
• Alert texts: In addition to calling the homeowner, SimpliSafe will notify them through an instant text. The homeowner can then respond to the text to confirm or cancel the alarm. This feature is dual-purpose. In case of real security incidents, alert texts give users a more efficient way to confirm alarms than through a phone call. In case of false alarms, it lets users quickly cancel the alarm without having to talk to a monitoring agent.
• Critical alarms: This feature is optional, but when turned on, this lets the SimpliSafe app bypass silent and Do Not Disturb modes so critical alerts can still go through. This ensures that the homeowner never misses an alarm. This is one of many reasons why we deemed SimpliSafe as one of the best home security systems for the deaf.

Again, Fast Protect™ is an exclusive feature of the Fast Protect plan, so a $31.99 monthly payment is necessary to enjoy its benefits.

Expert Take

From Gene Petrino, Retired SWAT Commander and Law Enforcement

“I have seen self monitored systems be effective and ineffective. Self monitoring has the benefit of eliminating the middleman. When the alarm is activated, the homeowner is notified directly, and they can confirm the validity of the activation to notify law enforcement if needed. This can save upwards of 10 minutes. The downside is that you need to be available to accept the notification and determine if it is a crime or false alarm.”

System Installation

SimpliSafe is perhaps best known for its DIY qualities. You can get it up and running yourself, without help from professionals. As a matter of fact, it’s one of our favorite DIY security systems. So how hard was it to install?

Installing SimpliSafe wasn’t difficult at all. We started with the base station. We plugged it in, turned on the wireless keypad, and waited for the two to connect. We also downloaded the SimpliSafe app to create an account with a Master PIN. The rest of the process – connecting the sensors, activating the monitoring service, testing and naming our devices – was guided by the same app. All in all, it took us less than an hour to set up everything, including the wired SimpliSafe video doorbell mentioned earlier.

That said, if you’re not up to install SimpliSafe on your own, you could get professional installation services for a fee starting at $125 per month. The price scales with the number of devices in your home.

>> Also See: The Best Professionally Installed Systems

The SimpliSafe App

The SimpliSafe app, which worked with every plan including the free plan, was where we armed and disarmed the system, live-streamed footage, and got alerts. The self-monitored camera plan and the Fast Protect plan also let us view our recordings and set up smart platform integrations.

The app had awesome ratings, a 4.8 for iOS1 and a 4.5 for Android2, and we definitely agreed with the ratings. It was easy to stay on top of our home using SimpliSafe’s app.

Customer Service

SimpliSafe had a few options for reaching customer support, including a phone line, user forum, email address, and a new live chat. A few user manuals were available online, as well. Support was available via phone and email every day from 9 AM until midnight, EST. The live chat is available 24/7.

We reached out to customer support via live chat, phone, and email. For the most part, we felt SimpiSafe’s email customer support was timely in response. Once, they responded within the same day. Another time, it took a day to respond, and once it took five days, so the average stood at two days, which was not bad.

However, for the fastest support, we had to call SimpliSafe directly or use their live chat. That considered, the email responses we received were very friendly and thorough, so, overall, we had a good experience with SimpliSafe’s customer support team.