27 Messages
Multiple devices not responding
I've had my system for a a couple of years. I've been using it unmonitored and it was flawless. Then about 2 months ago I started experiencing random failures of sensors. I would open the front door and the chime would be nonexistent or delayed a second or two. This continued for about a week until most of my sensors didn't work and I would receive a message about that when I would disarm in the morning.
I called Simplisafe and after a while, they decided to send me a new base unit. I installed it and it took it a while to learn but after a couple of days, things were perfect again. That lasted about a month. Now I have multiple sensors not responding again. 10 as I write this. I called Simplisafe yesterday and tech support removed all the offending devices, had me power down everything, reinstalled all the sensors and said it was all good at their end. They are sending me two new entry sensors, but that won't fix anything. I don't know what to do and I guess they don't either.
Nothing has changed. I have no new wifi devices installed and everything is located where it has always been. Moving the base station closer to the router makes no difference. All other wifi devices in the home still work correctly.
It was a good run, but I and Simplisafe can't get the system to work anymore and it does me no good the way it is. If anybody has any suggestions I'd sure appreciate the help. If I can't get it to work soon, I'll have to rip it out and try somebody else.
Thanks,
Eric
I called Simplisafe and after a while, they decided to send me a new base unit. I installed it and it took it a while to learn but after a couple of days, things were perfect again. That lasted about a month. Now I have multiple sensors not responding again. 10 as I write this. I called Simplisafe yesterday and tech support removed all the offending devices, had me power down everything, reinstalled all the sensors and said it was all good at their end. They are sending me two new entry sensors, but that won't fix anything. I don't know what to do and I guess they don't either.
Nothing has changed. I have no new wifi devices installed and everything is located where it has always been. Moving the base station closer to the router makes no difference. All other wifi devices in the home still work correctly.
It was a good run, but I and Simplisafe can't get the system to work anymore and it does me no good the way it is. If anybody has any suggestions I'd sure appreciate the help. If I can't get it to work soon, I'll have to rip it out and try somebody else.
Thanks,
Eric
davey_d
Community Admin
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5.6K Messages
3 years ago
I'm not sure if the reps on the phone have already explained this. But the very first thing that came to mind is that there's a huge amount of interference going on in your home.
Interference can be caused by physical objects that are literally getting in the way, like brick walls or metal appliances. If you recently moved your Base Station into a closet where there's metal shelving, for example, that could severely impact its ability to receive signals from your sensors.
But interference could also be caused by other wireless devices competing for the same airpace - and in your case this is the most likely. Since the sensors use a lower frequency to communicate, you're looking for simpler devices that use more basic radio (not WiFi) like baby monitors, wireless weather stations, or remote controlled garage door openers.
Since you've already been working with our Support team, if you're still stuck, we can put you in touch with our higher-tier Specialist team. They can take you through some advanced troubleshooting. Let us know and we'll set it up!
- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
Yesterday, a really good guy at customer service had me remove and re-install the batteries one by one on the offending sensors, push the buttons on them and then open and close the windows/doors. He also asked me to move the base station to a new location. All of this worked for a few hours and cleared the errors on his end also but then this morning I had 4 unresponsive sensors that were identified. I cleared those errors doing what the tech had me do the day before and they were recognized as operating correctly on the app however the base station would not chime when they were opened.
Personally, I'm leaning towards an update to my system that went south. I'm probably wrong but I really, for the life of me, can't think of one thing that I changed in the time frame we're talking about. I would welcome further assistance with this matter. I've been on the phone with Customer Service 4 times now and things get fixed but they don't stay that way.
Thanks,
Eric
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captain11
Captain
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6K Messages
3 years ago
I have SS3 and have an excel spreadsheet that I replace batteries at "aggressive" intervals. Costco and Amazon are my go to sources and get good prices so I can do this at what I consider a reasonable cost. No connectivity issues at all. Again, sorry If I missed these points if already covered.
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
I have an SS3. I too thought batteries were the issue. I tested every battery in every entry sensor that has acted up as part of the drill to get them back on line and they all tested above 3v, usually 3.02v or better. Costco does have a good deal on Duracell 2032s, $12 for 12 so I bought a pack and they test better at near 3.2v. I put one in an entry sensor that was less than 3 feet from where I relocated the base station at the request of customer service. That is currently one of the sensors that the app considers functioning correctly, but when I open the door it's attached to, I get no chime.
Oddly, the sensor on the laundry room door to the garage consistently gives an error message to the keypad and the app saying it's open and yet it chimes.
Thanks for your help,
Eric
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captain11
Captain
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6K Messages
3 years ago
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
Again, thanks for your help. I appreciate any and all suggestions. I am out of ideas and I am certain you know more about this system than I do. It just baffles me as the whole thing worked so well for years and then suddenly I'm having all these issues.
Eric
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davey_d
Community Admin
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5.6K Messages
3 years ago
We're pretty sure that it's not something that was caused by any recent firmware updates (the most recent one being Firmware 2.1, from last month), since we haven't had any widespread reports like this.
But it could be possible that your wireless weather station, or garage door openers, have switched into the same frequency range. Just for the sake of ruling them out, have you already tried shutting them down temporarily one by one?
And another possibility is that a neighbor might have recently set up their own garage door opener, or other device, that is now causing the problem. But that's unlikely unless your houses are fairly close together.
- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
Eric
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
I removed the batteries from all (3) remotes for the garage doors, unplugged and removed the batteries from the base unit and observed no change. I now have 3 sensors offline and an open entry sensor on a closed door. Just for yucks, I opened a random window and the sensor blinked but no chime. That sensor is OK according to the app.
Tomorrow I will go outside and remove the batteries from the weather gathering part of the weather station. I think it transmits info like wind speed to the base station in the house. If that doesn't do anything, I'll remove power from the base station half. I'd rather not because I will lose all historical data, but oh well.
Not having fun,
Eric
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captain11
Captain
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6K Messages
3 years ago
Good luck.
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
I've done everything I know to do and everything that has been suggested and it still doesn't work. Doors that are reported as open are in fact closed and will chime when opened and windows that are reported as closed will not chime when opened. Sensors randomly go offline only to come back online hours later with no intervention on my part. I have no idea which sensors are working and which are not. I'm afraid to arm the system because I can't trust it to not think a door is open and set the whole thing off.
Like I said, it was a good run while it lasted, but it's broken and of no use to me.
Eric
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whoaru99
1.3K Messages
3 years ago
Also, note that the sensor state typically doesn't change in real time if you're looking at the app. I believe you have to refresh the status in the app each time if you are trying to monitor it on the fly, so to speak, else it appears like the open/close status doesn't change as you might otherwise expect.
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davey_d
Community Admin
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5.6K Messages
3 years ago
Now that we've got the basic troubleshooting out of the way, it really is time to get you in touch with our senior Specialists. We've created a request and someone will be reaching out.
- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
When I had the weather station down, it had a switch for 3 different frequencies. I tried each to no avail. I even put all my car key fobs in a metal box and put them in the garage. I don't know. I really appreciate everyone's help here and I'm not ready to give up on the whole thing, I'm just really frustrated. I truly hope we can get this working.
Thanks again,
Eric
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eric1514
27 Messages
3 years ago
Thanks,
Eric
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