SimpliSafe Review: The best do-it-yourself home security system?

SimpliSafe Review 

What’s the best smart home security system? Is it the Simplisafe? The Lowes Iris? A SmartThings combo? Before you make the dive into your own home security system, read this review.

When my wife and I moved into a home, we never needed a home security system before. We’d lived in condos with secured access and overall difficult for anyone to come inside our home. As I mentioned before, our first purchase was a Doorbot. This was awesome, but my wife did not feel safe enough. We looked at a couple of different systems:

Simplisafe

The SimpliSafe system is a do-it-yourself home security system that has many of the features of a Broadview or ADT system, but at a fraction of the cost and NO CONTRACT (the best part).

Why is SimpliSafe unique? SimpliSafe is different because it is completely wireless. The SimpliSafe alarm also works via cellular, not land lines or internet (wi-fi), so you don’t have to worry the alarm working when the power goes out or if the phone line is cut.

This SimpliSafe 8-piece setup has almost everything you will need:

• 1 Keypad — If the SimpliSafe keypad were to get destroyed, the alarm would continue to work. SimpliSafe took the “brains” out of the Keypad and put them into the separate item, called the Base Station.
• 1 Base Station — The Base Station is the brains of the system. It is what connects your home to the SimpliSafe’s alarm monitoring center. Using the same cellular phone tech that’s in your smartphone phone now, it uses a cell phone to call the alarm monitoring center. It also produces an audible alarm that is SUPER loud!
• 1 Motion Sensor — Will detect any motion within 30 feet.
• 4 Entry Sensors — For your doors and windows. One small note: putting this on your windows will not do any good. According to my father-in-law in law enforcement, the best thing for protecting your windows is a wooden stick that won’t allow the window to be open. If the window was smashed, these entry sensors won’t do any good.
• 1 Keychain Remote — Arm and disarm your alarm with a push of a button.
• Two Window Decals – let everyone know that you have an alarm.

Here are some SimpliSafe Pros:

• Very easy for anyone to install.
• Uses cell phone technology instead of land line or Wi-Fi. As anyone with Smart Home technology can tell you, Wi-Fi isn’t always 100% reliable. It sometimes doesn’t work and requires you to restart your router. Having your home security system separate is also a huge plus!
• No monthly commitment. (Almost) Every other service requires several months or years of commitment. You do not have to buy service for the SimpliSafe. Prices for monthly service range from $15 – $25/month, you also don’t even need service. The alarm will still sound without service.
• The price! You can’t beat $259.95!
• It works! Just check out the great SimpliSafe reviews on Amazon. Over 1,000 reviews can’t be wrong!

Here are some SimpliSafe Cons:

• It looks a little dated and could be updated.
• It doesn’t integrate with other Smart Home systems, like SmartThings or Nest or Doorbot.
• I really wish that you could get all of the information on the iPhone app without paying for the monthly service. It was my biggest issue with the system. I almost bought the SmartThings system simply for that reason.

A couple other systems I reviewed before choosing the SimpliSafe:

• I tried out using a SmartThings combo of the SmartThings Know and Control Your Home Kit, in addition to some alarms, like the Fortezz Alarm. When I added it up, it ended up being more expensive and didn’t offer the security I wanted. The plus side is that the Smart Phone integration is much better and it is more compatible with other Smart Home items.
• I also looked at the Lowe’s Iris. It is a very early technology that didn’t seem to be as advanced as the the others. It does offer free monthly service (in addition to $9.99 plan).
• I considered using Comcast’s Xfinity Alarm service and decided against that because it required a three year contract!!!!!!! Crazy. The first two years the program was going to be less than $20/month. But, they couldn’t tell me the price during year three! Big red flag!

Overall, I think you’ll be VERY happy with the SimpliSafe. It offers all of the features of the “bigger” companies at a fraction of the price and no contract.

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