‎arming with open sensor | SimpliSafe Support Home
 

2 Messages

Sunday, July 31st, 2022 7:03 PM

arming with open sensor

Just came home and backdoor was open despite alarm having been armed Away. Realized the base station voice calls out an open sensor, but if you are arming Away outside the home, there doesn't seem to be any sort of alert or notification for trying to arm with a sensor open.

Am I missing anything or is this a gigantic gap in functionality? Thanks!

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

2 years ago

Hi @bententious ,

The Base Station does give a verbal warning for an open Entry Sensor, though of course it will allow the system to arm anyway. This is an intentional feature, in case you wanted to leave a window or door open on purpose.

However, if you have a Smart Lock set to lock behind you when the system is armed, you'll get a notification if it didn't lock successfully.

2 Messages

@davey_d​ Hi Davey, I understand the base station gives an audible warning, but for arming AWAY most users would be arming from the app or a key fob as they back out of the driveway. Is there any way to be notified on the app or is this an enhancement request. 

3 Messages

We are also hoping you will add noitification of open sensors. We have never heard the base station since we are outside of the house when arming.

Notificaitons of open sensors seems to be fairly common and a basic feature of most alarm systems. This will help home owners close all windows/doors prior to leaving, especially for an extended period of time. This is something that we may consider to change to a different service. Please make this a priorty. Thank you! 

3 Messages

@davey_d​ 

im not sure when alarm is on.?  The base unit (which I can barely hear ) , does not say when unit is armed.
I thought the base unit would turn red  when system is armed. ?

3 Messages

@davey_d​ 

that is plain stupidity. No alarm should allow you to set it unless you go in and bypass the sensor. 
This is a huge design flaw and you’re trying to cover up by calling it a feature. 
I hope no one believes you because this needs to be fixed. If someone wants an open window they should bypass that entry point. 

3 Messages

@freeheels​ 

you are correct. They have an inadequate system because they’re clueless on how a real alarm should work. This is a flaw. Not a feature that they’d like you to believe. 

6 Messages

2 years ago

there needs to be some warning when armed (home/away) with sensor open.

2 years ago

I just had this same experience. Terrible feature. Bad enough that I may switch to another system. 

6 Messages

Me toi!

2 Messages

2 years ago

I have had three other systems.  All would not arm with an open door or window unless you did a "bypass" on the open sensor.  I believe the way SimpliSafe does this could actually be dangerous.  Please add a bypass feature. 

3 Messages

2 years ago

All the contributors above are correct and the SS staff is wrong.  A system must never be allowed by the software to arm with an open sensor. If a window must be kept open its sensor should be disabled or an attribute of "non-critical" or "bypassed" should be created for it.

The system should POLL the sensors at the moment the user tries to arm the system, post an ALERT to all controllers (KP, website, phone app, base station) that the system is SECURE and ready to be armed, but it must STOP without proceeding to countdown if a sensor is open as a result of the poll just taken.  The user can correct or disable a sensor as desired, and start over.

Never assume that an open sensor is intentional.  The default should be that all non-disabled sensors must closed for the system to arm.

(edited)

1 Message

@coffeewalleye​ I fully agree.  Just set up my system last night and was testing all the different features when I discovered this glaring security flaw, since that's what it is.  A massive loophole for anyone to exploit.  As you said, an open sensor should never be considered intentional.  If you want to leave something open on purpose, then manually exclude that sensor before arming the system.  Even something as simple as "Are you sure?" when you go to arm, would be a step in the right direction.

However, the issue is deeper than that.  I also noticed that if you arm the system with the door closed, then open it and exit the building, and then reopen the door before the exit timer hits zero, you will not get any notification of any kind.  No audible announcement from the base station (if you can even hear it at all from your location), and nothing shown on the keypad.

A nightmare scenario is this:  You live in a city brownstone apartment.  Your front door has 5 steps down to a busy noisy sidewalk.  You press "Away," exit, lock the door behind you, and then turn and walk down the street.  A stealthy criminal sneaks up behind you, and quickly picks the lock (yes, that can be done in a matter of seconds) while the timer is still counting down from 45 seconds (another silly feature, it should have full adjustment from 0 seconds when arming Away).  Or maybe someone stole your key, or maybe they copied your key, or maybe it's an ex you forgot you gave a key - as long as they get the door back open before the timer hits zero, the system will not alarm.

Granted, you will probably have motion sensors inside the house, so if anyone enters the building it will alarm anyway.  However, what if you are an adult leaving your teenagers home alone for a little while?  You will likely have the motion sensors disabled.  You press "Home" and exit, but then someone gets the door back open before the timer hits zero, and your children are now unprotected.

Such a silly oversight, and the fact that people have been asking for more features in this area for two years and they still don't have it, is somewhat concerning.  Overall happy with my system so far, but hoping to see some useful updates down the line.

3 Messages

2 years ago

I can’t arm the system   Does the base unit change from green to red when unit is armed ?  It I don’t hear that system is armed ??

please have one of your techs advise me

2 Messages

2 years ago

It makes no sense for the system to still arm with an open window or door

why would somebody would want to arm a house leaving doors and windows open im seriously thinking i made a mistake switching from adt to this company

they need to change this 

1 Message

@malonnajera79@malonnajera79​ I find it so coincidental that I’m reading your post right now as I just noticed the same issue about 30 minutes ago and I thought to myself this is odd because what if it’s just not one entry sensor I.e. the door I’m exciting from but what if there’s another door open that I’m not aware of. I also tested it, and armed the system with an open door and the alarm remains off it does not get triggered unless I close and reopen the door

2 Messages

@willpliss​ yea im not happy with this i might just go back to ADT 

im willing to loose money on the simplisafe equipment than leaving a door open and get my stuff stolen while the damn alarm is still on

will b alot more expensive 

1 Message

2 years ago

This is by definition NOT SECURE and SimpliSafe should be ashamed to call it a feature! I'm dropping the service I have at three locations if this isn't fixed!

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@IamTheJoe​ I understand where you're coming from. That's why when you do arm your system, the Base Station will give a audible warning, and the Keypad will show a notification, both to let you know that a door or window is still open.

1 Message

@davey_d​ ok but what's even worse is the open sensors dont even show up on your dashboard when you click on the simply safe app to arm disarm or just check to see you're systems status, at the very least it MUST show right below the system status of being "armed" "off" or "away" each sensor that's open! No ands ifs or buts about it. It does not that is rediculous you need to update the dashboard to show each sensor that's open when you armed the system with sensors open, come on there isn't one person in the world who wouldn't agree , this is a major flaw it you're going to allow arming with sensors open

2 Messages

@davey_d​ Why not send an alert to my phone if I turn the alarm on with an open entry sensor?

This reply has been converted into a comment

3 Messages

@davey_d​ 

Davey D.  :

Incredible!  You are not paying attention at all to the complaints, or you are willfully trying to describe this bug as if it was a feature. Quit it!

Please, accept the need to correct the flaw, issue a work order to your programmers get the software revised, and fix it. Or the community will surely throw away its investment in SS away as a lost cause and go elsewhere.  Your new sales will soon disappear as these comment are disseminated and read by prospective new customers.  Please, do the right thing and correct this.

5 Messages

1 year ago

I recently had my sliding door open (with an entry sensor open) and my wife was able to arm the Home mode. This was a surprise to us! I didn’t hear the base station warned about the open sensor, nor did I see any message on the keypad when I turned it back to the off mode. To me, the system did nothing about the open sensor!

SimpliSafe calls this a feature which I strongly disagree!


Since the app can configure if a sensor should be armed in various modes, logically, an open sensor to be armed in that specified mode should cause the arming action to fail unless it’s explicitly bypassed or excluded.

SimpliSafe: please change this behavior and refuse to arm the system unless the sensor is bypassed (the needed bypass feature is yet to be implemented)!

This is not a feature to win you a business, but rather a weakness for your competitors to use against you!

(edited)

2 Messages

1 year ago

@davey_d​ Why not send an alert to my phone if I turn the alarm on with an open entry sensor?

This comment was created from this reply

3 Messages

1 year ago

This is a huge flaw that they know about and refuse to fix. They also have issues with sensors not working intermittently but have no solution. Don’t think they’re trying to hard on that either. 

4 Messages

1 year ago

Have just read this as part of my product research, and decided not to buy. A big motivation for me is to have something to make sure doors/windows are shut when leaving the house, given that the highest risk of break in is leaving an open window. An audible announcement on a base station located on the other side of the house isn't going to do it - especially if we arm via keyfob after the front door is closed (likely).

6 Messages

7 months ago

I've just bought the simplisafe alarm system and came across this thread while installing as I hit the same issue.. I expected to see warnings and it refuse to set the alarm with the kitchen door wide open.

HOW do we raise this concern to more than "it's designed this way" to be a critical bug

4 Messages

I've read that Abode has this functionality.

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@Jamie​ thanks for the suggestion.. I'm looking at them now.. 

I've just called Simplisafe to return all my bits.

1 Message

I do not get all the upset comments here. 

1. Yes, you can arm with entry sensors open. I use it for home mode, for instance, when i have my bedroom window open in the evening, where i stay, while all other access points are monitored. When i close the window, reopening it will run the alarm.

2. When arming with an entry sensor open, the base makes a clear announcement. The panel has a clear sign telling each open sensor if applicable. Just pay attention. If you're away, read on.

3. You can go in the app and refresh your list of sensors. Same on the web app. You will see if any is open. How hard is that??

4. The complaint that if you arm away, you won't know what is open is wrong and a strange scenario. Arming away typically means that you are in the process of leaving the house. Just check the panel before arming - it tells you what is open right there.... otherwise check the app and after refreshing, ot will tell you. Pull down, and it tells you the status, and which sensor(s) are opened. This also works on the web dasboard. Are you saying you do it in the driveway rather than right when leaving, as intended???? This is weird. Why would you first leave then arm? Don't you know how to use an alarm?? Anyway, use the app or the dashboard online, and here you go.

None of these seem particularly difficult.... 

Let me be even clearer since we're dealing with such an audience.... say you arm your alarm away. Let's assume one sensor is open.

Ok. Case 1: your system does not arm because of it. How do you know it did not? You check your app or panel or whatever! If not, all your sensors are unmonitored without you knowing!!!

Case 2: you arm the simplisafe system. It does arm. All sensors that can work do. You refresh the app (1second) and you can see the open sensors. So in both cases, you have to check things worked a second or two after arming anyway... If you do not check, then simplisafe is safer since, at least, the sensors which can function do, while you propose a solution where nothing works just because you forgot one sensor .... 

In conclusion: if you arm before you leave, as you are expected to, you will be warned, no issue. If you arm after you leave, in any case, you have to check the process went through anyway. Should you forget to check, simplisafe will still turn on the motion sensor, glass break detectors, and all closed entry sensors, while you advocate it turns on none of them as the safer option...

So much BS on this thread. This is not even remotely an issue. Stop grandstanding on stuff you do not comprehend. 

PS for another silly scenario fpund in this thread: you do know you can shorten the time for leaving in away mode, right???

4 Messages

Just because you have a tiny house (or keep your hub in the hallway), doesn’t mean everyone else is so unfortunate (or locates theirs similarly).

And when you’re leaving the house in a hurry, or arming on a fob, you don’t necessarily go peering for tiny icons or checking apps. Nor do house guests, teenagers or visiting parents.

Anyway, opinions are like arseholes (everyone has one), and the commenters here are trying to request a feature from Simplisafe. You’re not the audience, and I rather think you have wasted your time with the above rant (it doesn’t say anything new). 

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