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mcl

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Monday, November 27th, 2023 6:16 PM

New SimplySafe Install - few questions.

So, I just purchased SimpliSafe, and I just got it the day before Thanksgiving.

 

Disclaimers:

I read the manual. I have excellent WiFi. Yes, I googled it and called + chatted support. My iPhone is newer (iPhone 13 Pro Max). Yes, it is fully up to date, 100%. Yes, I reboot it frequently. No, my firewall wasn't blocking anything. Yes, I am sure - It's an objective scientific fact. I am very, very technically competent.
Network is: Grandstream GWN7664 WIFI6 APs x 3 -> Mikrotik CRS328-24P-4S+RM POE Switch -> Mikrotik CRS326-24S+2Q+RM Agg/Core Switch -> Netgate 6100 MAX Router -> Dual internet. I have them placed correctly; I had a full wireless “heat map” created. No interference, closest neighbor is a distance no FCC-violating noise makers. This is a SFH residence, not a commercial building. Modern construction, drywall, wood frame. Exterior is brick-facade (not real bricks) and concrete composite siding.

 

First and foremost - it is 2023, USB Micro-B is dead. Everything should be USB-C. This is not acceptable, and don't give me the cost argument, with the amount I paid even with your 60% off give me a break. This part is what heavily disappointed me the most. Zero excuses – it has been around since 2014 and the de-facto standard since 2016. Question is, when we getting USB-C? And why didn't they implement this years ago?

 

Second - the camera batteries charge slowly. I mean absurdly slow. Again, USB-B is dead. It’s not like it hasn’t been 7 years or anything. You have had more than enough time. Seriously, just get me fast charging USC-C batteries. The port on the back of the camera is fine. Do I just need to buy spares? Can you even buy spares? 3rd party aftermarket that have USB-C?

 

Third - device registration using the iPhone App. I get about a 40% success rate that it would progress on the App. Hence the 40% success rate. You would hit the button and it would ding and talk and the app would just sit there. The cameras were the worst. So much up and down the ladder to get them configured I fell off the ladder while on the phone with SimpliSafe support. Wasn't pleasant. I'm not known for having a short fuse, but I was getting frustrated. Yes, I had it touching the base station.

 

Fourth – Cameras and motion sensing. I have some cameras in very highly trafficked areas. Outdoor cameras. Anyway, I want to have them almost pause recording and such. Like Blink has a “retrigger time”. Because we will be on the porch or whatever and the camera is just Click/click/click/click with the spotlight or recording eating up battery. Unpacking the car, taking out the trash it is a lot of on/off.

Fifth - Dark Mode? iPhone.

Sixth - no multi-user? With the amount they waste on advertising, you would think they would have that.

 

Seventh – Extra base-stations or extenders. I have a larger house where I literally have 3 enterprise Access Points for wireless. Right now, I just have my first floor covered. I do not have my garage, the room above the garage or the second floor covered. Any way to extend it? With paying an extra $60/month? Can you just stack base-stations?

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8 months ago

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emily_s

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

8 months ago

Hello @mcl, 

Welcome to SimpliSafe! I have addressed your questions and feedback below:

  1. Regarding our use of USB-A rather than USB-C, cost was one of the factors, but USB-A charging blocks are also more readily accessible than USB-C blocks. For products like the Outdoor Camera where it does not come with a charging block, it can be easier for our users to find a USB-A block.
  2. Your cameras' batteries should charge for 5 hours. If you find that your batteries take longer than that to charge fully, I would look at your charging block. We recommend using one that is 5V, 7.5W+, 1.5A+ - like what the iPhone uses. You can also buy extra batteries for the Outdoor Camera here on our website.
  3. I’m sorry to hear about your experience installing new devices using the mobile app. I will bring your feedback to our app teams to help improve our process and address that lag you had on the app.
  4. We have submitted a feature request to our devs to set a schedule for when the Outdoor Camera can record. This feature has not been brought into development, but if/when it is, we will provide an update over in this thread. It can also help to set up Activity Zones on your cameras to block out certain areas where you don’t want them to record. This can be done in the SimpliSafe mobile app by navigating to Menu > My System > Camera Settings > select [your camera] > Motion Detection > Activity Zones. 
  5. Dark mode is another feature request we've submitted to our devs. Once we hear more, an update will be given over in this thread.
  6. Regarding multi-user accounts, our internal teams are currently developing that feature.
  7. We do not offer a device that extends the range of the Base Station, and each system can only have one Base Station connected to it. The range of the Base Station should cover your home and garage, especially if you place it in a centrally-located area away from sources of interference. We do list out tips and tricks for finding the best location to put your Base Station in this article in our Help Center.

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mcl

2 Messages

Hi @emily_s ,

1. I'm not talking about the charging blocks/bricks. I am talking about the use of USB-B instead of USB-C on your devices, like the batteries, the cameras and the base station. The cost is not a factor, you are talking a delta of $0.08. You can use a USB-A power brick or port and still use USB-C on the devices themselves. I would also say that finding a USB-A is easier and cheaper than a USB-C is a bit out of date. Especially anyone that has had an Android phone since 2016 has had USB-C. Even the last hold-out the iPhone has USB-C now, but the past few generations of iPhone they have provided USB-C to Lightning connectors.

Your use of USB-B is laziness. Like I said, I am very, very technically inclined. I have a bachelors degree in Computer Engineering and my Masters in Applied Computer Science. I know exactly how much it would cost per unit based on a conservative 10,000 units every device would cost $1.75 more retail (with profit margin added). At every 10x, you would see a 25% reduction. So 100,000 units would be $1.40 each (again retail). The total cost of the switch would be less than you spend on youtube advertising in a month.

2. My chargers far, far exceed 5v/1.5a ability. 5 hours is a lot for such a tiny battery, I can charge a Tesla in five hours. If you used USB-C ports on the batteries and the proper charge controllers, those batteries would be charged within an hour. Without causing battery life degradation. I can charge a 99wh battery in under 2.5 hours.

4. Not a schedule. A rearming or retrigger time. Like a blackout period after it records an event, you can delay it from recording any other event for a period of time usually 10 seconds to 2 minutes. Blocking off zones doesn't help me. Blink and other camera vendors have the feature.

7. Why not also add that as a feature request?

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8 months ago

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