“Open field. Plug it in. Protect home.” Such is the promise at the packaging of SimpliSafe, and even though the reality is there are 21 pages of setup manual, you might need to consult, for the most component SimpliSafe comes thru on that promise.
A massive part of that motive is that SimpliSafe is entirely self-contained. There is no app to install because the machine doesn’t support one unless you sign on for a monitoring carrier. And even as you can (and ought to) join the gadget to Wi-Fi, you don’t should, as SimpliSafe includes a built-in cell radio.
There are professionals and cons to this concept. Let’s begin with the pros.
[ Further reading: The best smart home systems ]
Foremost, SimpliSafe is indeed notably simple. This product model, jettisoning its prior business appearance thanks to a brand new partnership with layout company IDEO, was unveiled at CES in advance this year. It looks smooth, and it is simple. The aforementioned manual is slightly important; you can stroll thru SimpliSafe’s setup largely via virtually firing up the battery-powered keypad and following the instructions at the display screen.
Keypad? Yes: Unlike many clever domestic safety structures in the marketplace now, SimpliSafe makes use of a physical keypad that works just like a traditional alarm gadget as its command center. In addition to numeric keys and a menu button, the keypad includes committed controls for Off, Home, and Away modes. These paintings are in step with regular safety systems: Away mode activates all sensors simultaneously as Home mode disables any motion sensors.
SimpliSafe keypad
Christopher Null
SimpliSafe’s keypad walks you through the basics of setup.
In addition to the keypad, the starter package consists of the SimpliSafe base station (which includes the siren and affords voice instructions, countdown beeps, and door open chirps), three-door/window sensors, a movement sensor, and a key fob far-flung manage. A large form of extra sensors is available, along with a digicam ($99), the glass-wreck sensor ($35), or even a freeze sensor ($30). If you want extra trendy sensors, they’re priced pretty low: just $15 for door/window sensors and $30 for motion sensors.
Setting up sensors is a snap. Just comply with the “Add tool” commands (the screen can be bodily depressed on each of its four sides, making navigation very intuitive), and then press a button on the sensor to pair it. You’re completed. SimpliSafe gives you the option of naming every sensor (by choosing from preconfigured room names or typing one in via the keypad) to help you keep matters prepared; however, otherwise, there are few configurability alternatives. This is all a part of the purpose of preserving things as simple as feasible. There is one particularly nifty function: You can install a “Duress PIN,” which you may use if someone is threatening you to disable the alarm, just like in the films.
SimpliSafe keyfob
SimpliSafe
You can use the SimpliSafe keyfob to remotely arm and disarm the device without having to stroll to the keypad.
Sensors (and the keypad) may be installed with included sticky tape or screws. They’re properly designed, reasonably compact, and discreet. According to the business enterprise, everything operates on “an encrypted sub-gigahertz RF frequency,”—without a doubt unlicensed spectrum within the 433MHz band if Google is to be relied on. Compared to the sensors, the keypad is appreciably larger, although it need now not be permanently mounted on the wall; in case you want to squirrel it away in a drawer for even better security, that’s an option. The base station is even attractive to examine, proposing a vase-like layout with a colored ring around the lowest that suggests its repute. For the quality insurance, you’ll want to locate it centrally in your home—all the higher to listen to its sincerely ear-piercing siren. A battery backup is also included; SimpliSafe says it provides at least 24 hours of emergency runtime.
In my checkout, the gadget was very effective at detecting door opens and closes. However, regularly, the movement sensor didn’t sign in movement (even leaping jacks) within the room or detected it best after a minute of the hobby. This turned into consistency in my testing, the sensor working best approximately half of the time.
As for the cons to the no-app technique: Since there’s no phone connectivity, you received’t get notifications on your phone if the alarm is tripped (or whatever else). If you want a few forms of alert, you’ll want to join SimpliSafe’s tracking provider, which runs $15 a month (there’s no contract required, so you can cancel any time). A $25-consistent with-month plan is also available, which adds SMS alerts and far off the arm/disarm features via an app that is best available with this plan.
SimpliSafe activity log
SimpliSafe
The SimpliSafe device logs all hobbies so that you can overview it later, but it could be tough to decide precisely which sensors were precipitated.
With the $15-according to-month plan, any indicators can be discovered on a private timeline on SimpliSafe’s website. In testing, I found the tracking machine worked pretty well, though the timeline leaves a bit a good deal to the imagination, in element because it doesn’t use the nicknames you assign to sensors. “Entry Delay brought on through sensor 000C230B” just doesn’t tell you an awful lot about what’s taking place in your house.
The backside line on SimpliSafe honestly comes all the way down to how an awful lot you want within the manner of actually “smart” functions. SimpliSafe doesn’t tie in with any other smart domestic products, and it’s not almost as useful without a trucking carrier. Ultimately, I wouldn’t hesitate to advocate the reasonably low-cost kit to everybody without vast preexisting funding in clever domestic equipment or for someone who needs a basic safety machine that “simply works.” For many customers, however, that’s in all likelihood just excellent.
To touch upon this newsletter and different TechHive content, go to our Facebook page or our Twitter feed.
