Simplisafe alarm system--any experience

[Ed L]

I am considering buying Simplisafe Alarm system https://simplisafe.com/.

It is a wireless system that is modular, with a do it yourself installation that looks simple. You can build it to be what you want with door & window sensors, motion sensors, cameras, fire and smoke detectors, carbon monoxide sensors. The basic level of monitoring is $15.00 a month and meets all of my needs. The company doesn't have any long term contracts and you are free to cancel at any time.

I would be interested in hearing any experience or thoughts.

thanks,

Ed

Edited to add (In Pat Rogers' voice (RIP) "I must be a baaad poster because I did not use the search function and find this: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ght=simplisafe

[TGS]

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-Alarm-Systems

I didn't update the thread, but the CS manager I was dealing with at SimpliSafe was great and gave me 3 free months of service for our trouble. Other than the setup problems I had, the system has been fine and I'm satisfied thus far.

[SiriusBlunder]

Please disregard

[2xAGM114]

- A couple of false alarms triggered at inopportune times, like while on a business trip across the country. The alarm worked as advertised but the level of expertise from the monitoring company (not Simplisafe) can be frustrating. They won't do anything except tell you it's been triggered. They also can't re-arm the system once it's falsely triggered.

- At one point our base station had no cell connectivity to Simplisafe for over a week. No explanation given and no credit offered.

- Sensors, keypad and base station have a cheap, plastic feel to the design. Reminds me of Radio Shack stuff from the 80s.

- If your city has a False Alarm Reduction program, Simplisafe won't notify the police of an alarm until you get the permit from the city and send them a copy. They also won't tell you this until you ask.

For the price, it's ok. It's not ADT and it's better than nothing.

[S Jenks]

My little department also handles police/fire/EMS dispatching with a solo dispatcher/911 call-taker on duty at any given time. Things can get pretty exciting, pretty fast, with multiple EMS runs coming in, officers radioing in traffic stops and the business line ringing from the public.

A few weeks ago, about 3 AM, we had a small business in town with a malfunctioning smoke sensor. Whoever SimpliSafe contracts with notifies us, FD gets there, but they can’t get inside and there’s no keyholder responding. There’s no smoke condition and everything appears to be in order so they clear.

The alarm comes in again, same sensor, everyone responds and it’s the same deal. Malfunctioning sensor, everyone clears. I went to the business owner’s house to see if I could wake him up so he could let FD in to disable the alarm but no luck, he’s out of town and wherever he is has no cell service. There’s no way for us to disable the system short of breaking out a window.

Dispatch gets the alarm call again.

“Yeah we know about it, there’s literally nothing we can do and there’s no danger per the FD chief, so you can suspend the alarm notifications until the owner can get the system fixed in the morning.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but our contract with SimpliSafe requires us to notify you of the alarm.”

“I get that, but it’s just a sensor malfunction. The fire chief told us to tell you that everything’s ok, we won’t be responding and you can stop tying up our emergency phone lines.”

“I am contractually obligated by SimpliSafe to call you for every alarm activation.”

These morons, who are absolutely incapable of making any sort of common-sense judgement call, called us in excess of 45 times over the next four hours. Being the shift supervisor, I grabbed the phone on call #38 and went through two levels of their management on the phone - I begged, pleaded, demanded and threatened them to stop as they were tying up our one dispatcher.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, sir, but we are contracted through SimpliSafe and are required to notify you of the alarm. SimpliSafe will come online at 9:30 AM, you can speak with them then.”

Over 45 times.