‎Stripped Security Screw | SimpliSafe Help Center
 
charpatton's profile

Monday, May 4th, 2020 7:34 PM

Stripped Security Screw

Needed to reset the doorbell, and to do that one must push the button on the back, difficult to do if the security screw (that uses the small Torx driver) is stripped!

Reached out to Simplisafe by phone and e-mail and also to the forums and never got a workable answer. Perhaps they are concerned about liability and legal issues. The suggested solution was to go to Lowes and Home Depot and ask for help (and the folks I talked to there, although nice, didn't have a fix.)

I did find that this has happened to many others, and not only with the SImplisafe doorbell. I found these two answers on the RIng forums:
1) Knock it off with a rubber mallet and hope for the best.
2) Drill it out.

Not being mechanically inclined (a nice way of saying I'm sure there are more elegant ways of doing this!), I took a Dremel at 30Krpm and a 1/16" carbide tipped drill bit and just drilled straight up the stripped Torx screw from the bottom while it was mounted on the wall. USE EYE PROTECTION!!! I got lucky and the whole screw and casing just fell out, fixing the problem. (I didn't try a rubber mallet since I was pretty sure something would break.) (I tried rubber bands, larger drivers, and a bunch of other tips on the web for removing stripped screws and none worked prior to the Dremel.)

Lessons for the future:
1) Be EXTREMELY careful when using the Torx driver with your SImplisafe doorbell; the metal of the screw is very soft and strips easily.
2) Perhaps Simplisafe can task one of their mechanical engineers to sourcing a higher quality screw that is more resistant to stripping. I know nothing of metallurgy, but I doubt it would add that much to the cost.

Hope this helps someone!

1 Message

1 year ago

As helpful as this was... It wasn't haha. Thank you confirming my same problem, good luck everyone else with our same problem.

I got a new router and changed my wifi name and pass, but I'm seeing as the non breaking fix is to rename my router to the preloaded name and pass, so I don't need to remove, break, or damage the doorbell

1 Message

@ldschult​  could you explain how to do this? I got a new wifi-a 2.4 and cannot seem to get the doorbell back online.  The Simplisafe help person said that, unless the white light is flashing, there was nothing I could do. 

Thanks

dave

(edited)

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1 Message

1 year ago

@ldschult​  could you explain how to do this? I got a new wifi-a 2.4 and cannot seem to get the doorbell back online.  The Simplisafe help person said that, unless the white light is flashing, there was nothing I could do. 

Thanks

dave

This comment was created from this reply

Community Admin

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233 Messages

@davidwillat​ Hi Dave!

It sounds like you may need to perform a hard reset on your Video Doorbell Pro to get it reconnected. To do this:

  • Remove the doorbell from its charging plate
  • Press the small button on the back of the doorbell for 10 seconds and then release
  • Place the doorbell back on its charging plate. There will then be a yellow light as it boots back up

Let me know if that works for you, or if you have any other questions. 

1 Message

11 months ago

July 2022 and it's still a problem.  Guess I'll go get myself a drill bit!!!

2 Messages

10 months ago

Is it getting power from the doorbell chime inside the house?  The transformer might need to be replaced. 

2 Messages

8 months ago

Feb 2023, still a problem. Going to Home Depot to buy a Dremel. :smh:

Community Admin

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4.8K Messages

@arian_631783​ before that, I would maybe try the rubber band trick; just put a rubber band between the screw and the screwdriver. That might provide enough resistance to pry the screw off.

If you need a replacement security screw, or if you need any further assistance, our Support team can help.

2 Messages

8 months ago

It’s just supposed to be hand tightened. 

2 Messages

@jhdeleon​ I did, it still strips 

3 Messages

3 months ago

3 years later, same problem. Fortunately they sent me a replacement. Unfortunately the replacement's screw wouldn't go in and now they are sending another replacement. 😕 

(edited)

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