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Dunewood

2 Messages

Sunday, August 6th, 2023 9:45 PM

Using a landline with original SS base station

Can I use a landline with the original SS base station to connect to the dispatch center?

If I plug in the landline to the base station, how will I know if the landline connection is working (vs. the cellular connection)?

Background.

The cell signal where I live (rural west Michigan) can be somewhat flaky. I would like to use the landline as a "backup" connection in case the cellular connection fails. Has anyone done this?

And, by the way, the landline I have is actually provided by a fiberoptic internet modem. The telephones connected to it work fine.

Thanks.

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Updated 

9 months ago

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Official Response

davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

9 months ago

@simplistuckon good catch!

A correction on our previous answer: the SimpliSafe Original does support landline as the backup connection, and does not have WiFi. All you should need to do is plug it into the telephone socket in you wall and it should dial as needed.

There are a couple of caveats to be aware of:

  • The landline uses dial-up. If the cell connection happens to be down and if you were already using the same phone line (for example, if you were already dialing 911), the signal from the Base Station would not be able to go through.
  • The landline connection supports only alarm signals going out to Monitoring. Unfortunately, app features like arming and disarming, as well as changing settings, will not be possible.

There's unfortunately no way to test the landline unless you deliberately disconnect the cell module (which I really would not recommend).

Also, in case @Dunewood returns to read our replies, did you know that as an owner of a SimpliSafe Original system, you qualify for a huge discount on an upgrade to the new system? The Gen 3 system does support connection over WiFi, which sounds like you might already have at that location. Contact our Support team and we'll tell you all about it.

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Dunewood

2 Messages

1 year ago

Addendum:

A few days ago during a thunderstorm, the cellular connection failed. I had to do a hard reboot (remove batteries) to bring the base station back to life. Not a good option if I was away from the house for an extended period. This is motivating my question above.

I have an ADT system with a cellular connected base station at the house also. It also regularly loses cellular connection and has to be hard rebooted to regain functionality. I'm hoping SS will outperform the ADT system b/c it's cheaper and I like the DIY setup philosophy that SS has.

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emily_s

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

1 year ago

Hi @Dunewood, 

The Base Station can only communicate to our Monitoring Center through a WiFi connection or its cellular backup. If the landline acts as a WiFi or cellular booster, it should help to strengthen the Base Station's connection, but if it is its own connection, the Base Station may not connect to our Monitoring Center.

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simplistuckon

244 Messages

You may want to double-check that answer.  Original Simplisafe does not have WiFi in the base.  The only options were cellular or landline.

Original SS could use POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) landlines to connect to monitoring.  Is that still the case now?  

(Whether that landline comes through copper or fiber is irrelevant since it's still POTS as far as what the phones or the base station would see.)

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10 months ago

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