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randyg

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Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019 11:53 PM

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Sensor range extender

Has simplisafe said if they have plans to manufacture a signal range extender?
Or has anyone had success at using an aftermarket repeater?

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21 days ago

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sevensiamesecats

Advocate

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2.2K Messages

4 years ago

No, they have not, but then they very seldom do announce what they are working on (and sometimes not even after they release it for sale :-)  SS2, which would benefit from it the most, has essentially 0 chance of one coming out.  That system is "obsolete" and it would be ludicrous to do any more development work on it.  SS3 is the current primary system, and the range extender is somewhat "built in".  I suppose it is possible they could bring one out in future, but my experience with SS indicates that it will never happen.

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bgteruel

4 Messages

2 years ago

Please please consider adding a range extender (not WiFi) as your next device. I am a new customer and have encountered soooooo many issues in my first month, resulting on me being on the phone with Customer Service multiple times a week. After so many rounds of troubleshooting, I am convinced that my house is just not a good fit (possibly too large, or too old, or too many barriers) for Simplisafe. But I so want to like it and make it work and feel if there were only just a range extender to connect the devices more easily with the base station across my house that it would work more smoothly. As a security system, reliability is FAR too important to settle for a system that frequently loses connection and goes offline. After researching more, I have seen others have experienced this same issue (despite claims that the baseline can connect up to 400ft away). Some have even suggesting hacking the sensors to extend the antenna but that is not something I am willing to mess with. It seems adding an extender would be such an easy fix and VASTLY improve the quality of this product.
Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Range Extender PLEASE

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worthing

Advocate

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606 Messages

I absolutely agree that a range extender of some sort would be valuable for any system from any manufacturer but I've not heard of any plans from SImpliSafe to introduce one. (Johnny M, any chance this is on your list or is this going to be, "I can't comment on what's under development"?)

If you're up for doing some troubleshooting, I'd love to see if we can improve the situation for you. No guarantees but I see a lot of these posts here and on reddit and sometimes (but not always) we can figure out what the problem is and sometimes (but not always) we can improve or even fix the situation.

First, what issues are you having, exactly? And please be detailed here. Are there specific sensors having issues? All sensors? Is your base unit losing connectivity? Do the problems exist all the time or at specific times of the day?

Second, how many floors is your residence, how big is it and what is it made of? Is it newer construction of wood and drywall? Older construction and a lot of brick? Is it a 3 floor townhouse and you're in the middle of a row of units?

Third, where is your base station located in your house? I'm specifically wondering what floor it's on, what room it's in, where in the room it's located and what else is within 10 feet of it? Is it on the floor in a corner behind the sofa? Is it on the top of a bookcase on the outer wall? Is it in the kitchen next to the refrigerator? Is it on the entertainment center behind a TV?

Fourth, during the troubleshooting you did with customer service, did they have you unplug the base station, unscrew the bottom and remove the battery to fully reboot the system? (I'm not asking you to do this, just asking if they had you do it or if you did it on your own.)

Again, no promises here, and you may have faulty equipment but if you're up for doing a little bit of legwork we can try some more things.

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2 years ago

amclau500

4 Messages

I completely agree!  I just replaced my SS Gen1 alarm with a Gen3.  I was told it was better.  It is certainly not better as far as distance from Entry points is concerned.  I do have a two floor larger home, but Gen. 1 did the job....not Gen. 3.  My Entry sensors keep dropping off at night (I think it is the cold, although I live in Calif.).

I have called support many times and get different skill levels each time...not good.  The last one was reading from a "sheet" to get me my answers but did not know how the system was supposed to work.  They have no "Level 2" support but will take the system back if within 60 days of starting it up.  I am on day 21.  I have moved my Base Station a number of times trying to get the system to work and still have one or two of the farthest sensors drop off each night.  It did not work at all in the spot I had my Gen. 1 base station for 10 years.

I am looking at a Ring alarm because they do have "Extenders" that will repeat the signals from Remote Sensors.  I believe it will be more expensive...but it will work.  If you have a big home, then do not try this system even though they will give you a refund.  The amount of time and frustration is too much.

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2 years ago

hebronpresbyterian

2 Messages

Reminds me of the outdoor camera scenario.  Called SimpliSafe several times asking about the availability of outdoor cameras before they came out and nothing was revealed.  Meanwhile we went with another outdoor camera solution - - more expensive.  SimpliSafe please listen to your customers about range extenders and at least reveal if you're considering providing and/or selling them.

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2 years ago

xmtrman

13 Messages

An older house with plaster walls may be part of the problem.

If the plaster is over wood lath, like my house, then no problem. We have devices everywhere, door bell & other sensors in the front and entry sensors in back. Also, we have smoke, CO and other sensors on all three floors.

If, however, the plaster is over expanded metal (~screening) lath then each room is isolated  from the others by  that lath. You've probably already had fun getting good WIFI coverage, let alone the lower frequencies  uses like SimpliSafe. 

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2 years ago

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croooowe

4 Messages

I have been a monitored customer for the last 5-6 years and loved the system in the house. Unfortunately, as the back yard structures have multiplied (and have been broken into) I need to extend the monitored security out there. I tried moving some sensors around out there to test the feasibility but, even with them only 50ft out, the external walls are too much and it just doesn't work. I have waited about a year from my first inquiries to them with no updates, or new products announced. After all this time I have no choice but to go to the competitor that has a mesh systems with extenders, and costs more per month. Hopefully they can work out something for their other customers in the near future.

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1 year ago

iambritishdaniel

1 Message

10 months ago

With a little effort you can modify the antenna of the sensors to extend the range. It probably invalidates the warranty on the sensor but it works. I have done this to sensors placed in my outbuildings which were too far from the base station.

Take a look here https://www.instructables.com/Boosting-Signal-Range-of-SimpliSafe-DoorWindow-Sen/ and scroll down to the comments for instructions for the new SS3 sensors.

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BeachAndBoats1941

2 Messages

1 month ago

Our home is setup like a long rectangle and not a square like most homes. As a result our garage sensors and keypad tend to throw false errors or become completely disconnected occasionally. We do have wifi in our garage via a mesh system as we park our BMW and Tesla in there to charge and both cars use the internet to receive OTA updates. We also have a couple of nest cameras on that end of the house that rely on the wifi to record. Some type of device that I can plug into an outlet in the garage to extend the base station’s signal would be extremely beneficial for us, and a lot of other people who’s homes aren’t setup with a room in the direct center of the property to place the base station in. Other than that, solid system and a huge upgrade from the horrible service from ADT. 

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Base Station Extender

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emily_s

Community Admin

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1.3K Messages

@BeachAndBoats1941 Thank you for this suggestion! This feature has been submitted to our dev team already, and once we get any news from them we will update the Community in this thread. 

The Base Station has a range of about 800ft in open air. In a home, physical and wireless interference can impact its signal. If your house has thick concrete or stone walls, or a heavy door leading to the garage, it can be a limiting factor depending on where the Base Station currently is. 

Even if you don't have a room that is directly in the middle of your home, I would try moving the Base Station a little closer to your garage to see if that helps your sensors connectivity. 

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1 month ago

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DLH

1 Message

Agree that an extender for the sensors is very much needed. Ring has this feature, FYI.

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21 days ago

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