‎Any suggestions on covering an outbuilding located 150 feet behind my home, just out of reliable range of the base station | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
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Wednesday, October 21st, 2020 9:50 AM

Any suggestions on covering an outbuilding located 150 feet behind my home, just out of reliable range of the base station

Hi, We have loved our Simplisafe system now for two years but need to come up with coverage on an outbuilding behind our home. We tried various sensors but the Simplisafe base station would lose connection to them intermittently. Is anyone aware of a solution that does not require us to buy a complete system for just the building?  We live in a rural area where hundreds of homes have out buildings so I think some sort of extended range or a device we could connect up to our system using the internet connection that we have inside the outbuilding. Really want to stay with Simplsafe but we need to cover the building without two separate systems.

1.3K Messages

4 years ago

The sensors do not connect to the base on WiFi signal so there's nothing any sort of WiFi range extender system will do for you in that regard.

Some have suggested adding a length of wire from the internal antenna of the sensor gives more range but I've never tried it myself. Antennas, particularly for transmitting, are usually tuned to a specific frequency or at least a rather narrow band so how that really plays out with some "hunK" of added wire is up in the air.

Is there any possibility to split the difference, so to speak, with location of the base?

Is it an SS2 system or SS3? I was of the understanding the SS3 system was supposed to have a lot more range capability for the sensors?

2.8K Messages

4 years ago

SS3 does have far better range than SS2 - that said, the range OP speaks of, should for the most part, work.  Unless there is metal somewhere along the way (metal siding?) or multiple walls of the home before getting a signal to the outbuilding.  Maybe test with placing the base station nearer an outside wall or window and see if the outbuilding sensors respond better (without compromising the home interior base station range and the interior sensors you've already installed).
All the comments above should apply but with a caveat.  I would never use a sensor that was not 100% reliable.  Verify, verify, verify.

1 Message

2 years ago

Can anyone from SS actually reply to this question?

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

Hi @martywdc,

 

The response from other users is still somewhat accurate. I can add that the SimpliSafe Original sensors did have a range of about 400ft, and the Gen 3 SimpliSafe (current gen) is about double that - both over open air.

 

But one big impact on that range would be physical interference. So if you have the typical wood walls, vinyl siding, insulation, the sensors should be able to pass through just fine. It might have a harder time through stucco, stone, or brick. But as mentioned, metal can block the signal entirely, so it would have a very hard time if a sensor was installed inside a steel shed.

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