‎Add local severe weather alerts to the alarm system and/or mobile apps | SimpliSafe Help Center
 
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Thursday, March 5th, 2020 7:37 PM

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Add local severe weather alerts to the alarm system and/or mobile apps

After recent tornadoes hit locally near my home outside of Nashville, I've really been pondering about how to leverage existing tech to provide families with a better alert system.

Simplisafe seems like a logical step towards in-home and always connected weather alerting. My thought is that the base station already knows your location data via ATT and home network. Why couldn't the weather be integrated based on location?

I don't know that it deserves the normal all bells to max alarm volume but there has to be a chime or something audible to make people aware of the impending storms.

I'd love to hear other user's thoughts as well as the Simplisafe team.

Advocate

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781 Messages

3 years ago

That would be great as a lot of my customers who has a security system has this on them but don't count on as doing this. I really don't ever seeing them doing this but it is a great idea.

Captain

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5.2K Messages

3 years ago

Nice idea but there are too many things SS has on its plate they are actively developing (hopefully) that would take priority over this. My cell phone already gives me alerts and some apps go overboard. (Loved being awoken at 2am by weather.com app to tell me the status of a hurricane in NC when I live in Illinois and had it set for "Local alerts" only.)

335 Messages

3 years ago

I'm not sure how good it is, but if you have an Amazon Echo device, it can be set to go off for local weather alerts.  I didn't even know this until it told me it could do it after asking about the weather last week.

Other than that, I have a cheap weather radio that I bought about ten years ago.  It's still working well, for the most part and the siren on it is loud enough to wake me up out of a sound sleep.  And I sleep with earplugs to block out sound.

1.2K Messages

3 years ago

My echo recently offered to alert me as well.  We haven't had any severe whether to check it out yet.  But our phones have been doing this for years and since it's always near me it seems to be an issue already solved in my world.  I really don't see SS adding anything like this.  Their speaker is not really a smart speaker and they'd have to tie it into some whether system some place.  Plus many people would need more than one if they have a multi-level house, need to hear it from a bedroom with a closed door, etc.  I doubt this is on their radar.  (Radar, see what I did there lol)

335 Messages

3 years ago

Decent weather alert radios can be had for under $30.  I have had a weather radio since the early 90s and it's been indispensable to me.  Nothing gets you paying attention like a loud siren going off in the middle of the night.  And the middle of the night is when alerts are most necessary, especially during severe weather season.  Not that I get much of a severe weather season where I'm at now.  I used to be more in tornado alley.

Advocate

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2.8K Messages

3 years ago

The weather alert radios are probably going to be more useful than an SS weather alert. (what if your wifi and cellular both go down in a storm? - most weather alert radios have a battery-backup option, which one should probably use in storm season anyway).  Never, ever, assume you will have power or a reliable phone connection during (or after) a tornado.  Ask me how I know.
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