Video Doorbell Pro

The camera records to the "cloud" and it is available for viewing/downloading for 30 days.

I believe you have to have a monitoring plan ($15) and then a camera fee ($5) for each camera.  But if you have 2 (or more) cameras, they automatically up you to the $25 plan, which allows for up to 10 cameras with no camera fee.

Hi all,

To clarify, the way that all of our cameras work is that you can livestream and receive push notifications through the app at no additional charge.

The cameras can also automatically record to the cloud when triggered by system events (or its own own built-in motion sensor), when the $4.99 Recording Subscription is active. This subscription is per camera, per month.

If you have a system already, and are subscribed to the all-inclusive $24.99 Interactive Monitoring Plan, you already get Recordings for up to 10 cameras, as well.


Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security

I just installed the doorbell cam pro and have questions about it's operation.  First of all, your installation instructions for getting it connected to wi-fi are very poor.  I managed to get it working but it was pure luck that I stumbled on what it took to get it communicating.  Also, I have questions about it's operation.  What are the significance of the different colors displayed behind the button?  My next problem is, when viewing a live image, the camera disconnects.  How do I correct this?  The wi-Fi signal appears to be relatively strong.  
Thanks.

Hi @rlewis21,

For information on the significance of the colored LED around the button on the Video Doorbell Pro you can refer to the article in our Help Center by clicking here.

For issues regarding streaming from your camera, there are two primary causes. The first issue could be the WiFi connection from the camera to your router. You can easily check the WiFi signal strength to your camera by opening up the SimpliSafe app and following these instructions:

• 
  
• Tap on the ‚ò∞ Menu button
  
• Select Settings
  
• Tap on Camera Settings
  
• Choose your camera
  
• And scroll down until you see Connection Strength
  

The second issue could be the upload speed provided by your Internet Service Provider. SimpliSafe cameras require 2 Mbps of upload speed per camera to stream properly without any issues.

If both of those check out fine it may be best to give our Support Team a call at 888-910-1458 to do some further troubleshooting.

SimpliSafe Social Team
SimpliSafe Home Security

Do video doorbell cameras work with the original base station, or do you need to purchase the newer base station?

The cameras, including the doorbell one, do not interact (directly) with the base at all.  Thus, they will work with either system.

Note that if you want a doorbell sound from the base unit, only the new base can have that function downloaded to it.

While everything that sevensiamesecats said was completely accurate, we'd also like to add that because our SimpliSafe Cameras don't interact directly with the base, our cameras can also be used without a SimpliSafe Security system entirely. All that is need to use any of our cameras is an iOS (12.0+) or Android (6.0+) device, a power source, and Wifi where the camera is going to be installed.

SimpliSafe Social Team
SimpliSafe Home Security

Hi all,

While you would need the SimpliSafe app on your iOS or Android device to set up the SimpliSafe cameras, you do not need to have the Interactive Monitoring plan. All SimpliSafe cameras can be viewed live through the SimpliSafe app or the online account at no additional cost, but if you would like to have access to the recording feature of the cameras you would need to have a plan that includes that such as the Interactive Monitoring plan.

SimpliSafe Social Team
SimpliSafe Home Security

FWIW, I installed the Doorbell in August.  I have the $25 a month subscription plan and the 30 day recording storage comes with it.

The order of usefulness of the doorbell features for me are:

(1)  Notifications to my smartphone (& tablet).  And because my smartwatch is set up to recieve Smartphone notifications, I also get notifications on my Samsung watch.  (I also like how it also rings at the base station as well as the mechanical chime, very useful for me, since I wear hearing aids, and the chime is poorly placed.)

(2)  Video - it's nice to know who is at the door, but I suspect the video is most useful in emergency situations.  It isn't a significant factor in day to day operations.

(3)  Audio - In truth, I don't really use it.  Delivery people drop off their packages and head back to the truck.  Visitors and the pizza delivery guy need to be met at the door, and we don't get many door to door salespeople in our town.  Again, I suspect its value lies in an emergency situation.

Everyone's needs are different, this is just my evaluation for how I use it.