Simplisafe review- Alarm System
I don't know if I'm allowed to post this type stuff so feel free to delete it. I do not work for nor get any $$ from simplisafe.
I've been mentioned that I thought about using simplisafe alarm system so i thought I'd pull the trigger. For those that don't know it is an alarm system you can install yourself. It is wireless and has a cellular uplink to a monitoring service.
I ordered a refurbished model which has been problematic initially. The website says you can have it up and running in minutes. My keypad wasn't properly linked to my cell base station. Their customer service was able to fix that but it took a few hours.
The devices definitely seem more cheaply made than the alarm I have at home, but it does work. My goal is 2 fold. One, obviously have an alarm. The door sensors work without issue. the motion detector is definitely less sensitive than my home alarm. Second, keep track of my workers coming and going. Simplisafe has an option where you can get a page or email when the system is alarmed and disarmed, therefore letting you know when they come and go. For example, I know today at 3:58pm the workers showed up because the code I gave them was inputted. I know they are still there at 8:38pm because system is disarmed. I also have a seperate one for the bank and another one I will give realtors. that theory only works if your workers etc are good about rearming it. This level of service is approx $15 month which is right in line with what I pay for home.
Another option I chose to pay a little extra for was remote management. From my iphone or internet I can change the configs of the alarm (add a code, change entry and exit delays) and I can also turn on or off the system. I think that is a pretty cool feature. With this add on it bumps up price to $25 month.
My goal was to exclude this system from the home sale and move it to the next job. I THOUGHT the kind of tape you stick these things to the wall was the kind that lets you remove it easily.... Well one torn hole in the sheetrock later I found out that was not the case. I installed this one on the tail end of the project. On future jobs, I plan on just getting a 5 gallon bucket, filling it with some cement, putting a 2X4 in it and mounting a motion sensor or 2, the keypad and having the base unit somewhere in the house. That way it is easy to get out the way when they are working, and easy to put back. I haven't tested that theory, so it may work out as well as removing the sticky tape from the wall. :(
You can add all sorts of stuff to it like glass breakage, motion sensors, H20 sensors, CO2 sensors, smoke detectors etc.
I bought the complete system for approx $190. It came with cell base station, keypad, 1 motion, 2 door entry. I am kind of paranoid security nut so the cost was worth me being able to worry less.
I have never researched home security systems but just in the last weeks have had 2 customers inquire about installing them. It sounds like this would could be a considerable option.. thanks for the unexpected info
I just purchased a system I custom built on their site. Having issues with crack heads stealing the most random stuff from a job I have going. Hoping this is the answer to solve this ongoing issue. I did notice they said my system needs to be registered with the police in the city I am installing it for the monitoring to work. I paid $408 for the total package and if it prevents one more theft, it will pay for itself.
How long have you had the system operational? Is it functioning OK so far?
We just got broken into a 2nd time on our current flip. I wish I would have ordered this system sooner as it is less than the chop saw they stole, not to mention time wasted with police reports, a trip to the hardware store to replace tools, and the general frustration.
If you're looking for something more portable this is also a good option. (no kick backs)
https://www.tattletale.com/personal-device.php
It has a tamper proof sensor where if its picked up it triggers an alarm. So a "smash" n grab wouldn't work. Just put it/your tools in a room with high value equipment. If a thief breaks in they're going to walk around looking for the good stuff.
Originally posted by @Ryan Dossey:
If you're looking for something more portable this is also a good option. (no kick backs)
https://www.tattletale.com/personal-device.php
It has a tamper proof sensor where if its picked up it triggers an alarm. So a "smash" n grab wouldn't work. Just put it/your tools in a room with high value equipment. If a thief breaks in they're going to walk around looking for the good stuff.
That thing is $400. For the same price, I got 3 door/window entry sensors, 2 motion sensors, a glass break sensor, an extra wireless siren, the keypad, base station, wireless remote and 2 large signs to put up at the property. Plus, for $15/month I get monitoring. You can spend less on their smaller package. I just have a house with 3 doors and an alley out back so I bought extra items to cover the whole property. And, you can move it before escrow closes.
@Hugh Ayles i've had the system for almost one year and in 3 houses. The only issue that I have is when I move to a new house the cellular base initially has a problem detecting the new location. That is easily solved by removing the batteries and plugging it and then plug it back in.
The only other issue is The door sensors sometimes do not stick well depending on what kind of molding have around your door. If the molding has a lot of curves on it it is hard to get it to stick well. I reused one from a prior house and it actually fell off of the door in the middle the night. The trigger an alarm about 3 AM. Now I pretty much just rely on the motion sensor or if I have a flatter doorjamb molding I will go ahead and use the door sensor. I also replace all of the sticky tape that's on the door sensor and the magnet. That makes it stick better.
All in all I'm very impressed with the system and will continue using it and continue to suggest it to other people.
Just bought a refurb model for the BRRRR I will close on next week. We'll see how it goes. I got the additional, extra loud siren so It will wake up the entire neighborhood if the thieves come a calling. This, and with some door reinforcement, it should make it a hardened target, not fool proof, but maybe too much effort. Not a war zone either, but better safe than sorry.
I have the Simplisafe system and think it works very well. I like that you can cancel the monitoring service as needed in between projects. It's also nice to be able to arm and disarm the system remotely when notified of an impending showing but this requires the full service monitoring plan which is $24.mo.
I have one door sensor for front and back and one for the crawlspace door. I also have several motion sensors strategically placed. And I have the extra loud alarm horn which I think is worth purchasing.
I don't use the tape. I set the motion sensors on countertops and on floors. If I put one on the floor, I place it upside down because One of the beams angles downward in normal position. For the door sensors, I use the mounting brackets and screws. The screws are very small and leave only tiny holes to fill when I remove them before closing. A little spackle and touch-up paint and it's good.
I bought simplisafe because of this post and a few others on bigger pockets and after a month I figured I'd add my review.
TLDR: Not great, may get a refund
Installation (5 stars):
Easy to do! Peel and stick the items. 5 stars!
Setup (4 stars):
Took about 30 minutes to setup following the instructions.
Uptime / Connection (1 star):
I'm in Atlanta and my signal SUCKS! I have the system tuned to alert me every time someone arms or disarms the system. Those alerts come to me MAYBE 50% of the time. I'm betting if someone breaks in there's a 50% change I won't know till the next day. Makes the entire system pretty much useless.
When I use the app I cannot communicate to the base station most times. Every time I'm in the house the system is complaining about not being able to connect to different sensors in the house. This seems like a pretty big flaw in an alarm system.
I've contacted simplisafe and they are going to send me a Verizon module instead of a T-Mobile module it comes with. I'm hopeful that fixes the problem. They also told me the base station should be at least 3 feet off the ground and next to a window for the system to work properly. Sounds like they skimped on quality parts. My cell phone works perfectly even when I'm sitting in a chair away from a window.
Customer Support (2 stars):
When you call in there is no system in place to tell you how long the wait is or how many people are in front. You get music and you wait. May be 10 minutes, may be an hour.
I called in on New Years weekend when I was setting up my alarm. It's reasonable to expect tech support is not working on weekends, especially new years weekend. However, there was no message saying "call back later" it just transferred me straight to hold music. I gave it about an hour before I hung up. Sure enough they were closed and never bothered to update their phone system to go to voicemail or add some kind of notification for those calling in.
Honesty in their Advertising (1 star):
Go to their website and you'll see they're advertising a 4.5 star amazon rating and a 5 star google rating. On amazon they're rated 3.5 stars and on google best I could find was 3.5 stars as well.
I have a Simplisafe system at a student rental (my son and buddies), and there haven't been the kinds of problems @Frank Z. had -- maybe the base station and the cell towers match up better in my location. I purchased a "refurbished" system, and did have all kinds of trouble with two of the (I assume) refurbished smoke detectors. Two different times, one would go off w/o any identifiable cause, multiple times in one evening/night. Maybe a boy was smoking in the room, but there were no indications of smoking, and surely he wouldn't be that stupid 5 times over one night! The Fire Department ended up getting summoned each time. They were nice about it -- it's a small Southern city.
To Simplisafe's credit, when I called to ask for a replacement for the defective unit, they sent one out right away, along with a postage-paid label for returning the old one.
I used Simplisafe in a rental I was rehabing. After some initial setup challenges (I had to do some troubleshooting with Simplisafe support to get the system to report) the system worked great and I am very happy with the service. I am going to turn the service off now that the house has been rented, and then turn it on again when I buy a new rental.
Funny story, I was irate with their customer service because I transposed the last two numbers of their phone number when trying to call and cancel the service, and the other number is an infinite loop of paid advertisements. I emailed them, they called me back when I wasn't available and left the correct number for me to call back, but I called them back at the wrong number again, and again, and kept getting the advertisements. I was certain this was a deliberate process to keep people from cancelling their service. I blasted an email to them telling them what I felt of their service, and while I was writing a BP post to let the community know what I was going through, I figured out I was calling the wrong number. Another valuable lesson about working through conflict...you may in fact be the one that is wrong.
One thing you can do with the sensors is stick them onto a small, thin piece of whatever you have on hand and then use a finish nail to then attach that to the door/trim/etc. That way you can later take it down and either pull out the finish nail and dab the tiny hole with a crayon, or sink the little nail like it was supposed to be there.