7 Messages
Simplisafe or Ring??? Don't know which way to go...
First and foremost I already tried to google this in the forums but couldn't find anything recent. I purchase a simplisafe because is was %50 off but haven't
installed as of yet. I received a ring camera over the holidays and it really has me torn now. I see ring also has an alarm system which isn't a bad price and that $10 a month price point is pretty good. If simplisafe was $15 is would be a no brainer but why do they charge $10 to use the app? Also simplisafe doesn't even have iftt , HomeKit and or proper Alexa integration ( as far as seeing cameras and doorbell on echo show) And. It sure of when because they don't say anything and when you call they don't know future plans. They also need More cameras such as outdoor and flood light cameras. I don't understand how it is 2020 and the only camera is the doorbell and that indoor one. Simplesafe has been around longer than Ring and that lets me know their equipment and service should be more fine tuned. I did call and they did offer for me to pay $14.99 for 9months of interactive plan but is it worth $24.99 when the ring is $10. And yes I know they are lowballing now to try to take a share in the market but is simplesafe going to make it worth it? Will it gain iftt and HomeKit support down the line? Will Their be more cameras ? How about a lower monthly price? I know I'm torn between the two but will have to make a decision soon. Thoughts please .....also I was reading about the doorbell cam not working with mesh network? Is that true if so then my mind is made up already
Once again thanks
installed as of yet. I received a ring camera over the holidays and it really has me torn now. I see ring also has an alarm system which isn't a bad price and that $10 a month price point is pretty good. If simplisafe was $15 is would be a no brainer but why do they charge $10 to use the app? Also simplisafe doesn't even have iftt , HomeKit and or proper Alexa integration ( as far as seeing cameras and doorbell on echo show) And. It sure of when because they don't say anything and when you call they don't know future plans. They also need More cameras such as outdoor and flood light cameras. I don't understand how it is 2020 and the only camera is the doorbell and that indoor one. Simplesafe has been around longer than Ring and that lets me know their equipment and service should be more fine tuned. I did call and they did offer for me to pay $14.99 for 9months of interactive plan but is it worth $24.99 when the ring is $10. And yes I know they are lowballing now to try to take a share in the market but is simplesafe going to make it worth it? Will it gain iftt and HomeKit support down the line? Will Their be more cameras ? How about a lower monthly price? I know I'm torn between the two but will have to make a decision soon. Thoughts please .....also I was reading about the doorbell cam not working with mesh network? Is that true if so then my mind is made up already
Once again thanks
sevensiamesecats
Advocate
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2.2K Messages
4 years ago
So what that comes down to, is if SS will meet your needs AS IT IS NOW, then it can be a good choice. If it has any "deal breakers", then go with another company which fits your needs better.
Using SS indoor cameras can enhance their security system due to the "verified dispatch" option. For external cameras, there is no benefit to integrating with the SS alarm, and there are much better options for outdoor cameras, which is likely to be true even if SS ever releases the outdoor cameras they promised a few years ago.
Note that Ring is owned by Amazon, which has a history of cancelling function and raising prices once everybody is sucked in. So ask yourself, will you get as good function as SS, now, for the lower price, and are you willing to pay more when they collar enough of the market?.
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usmaak
335 Messages
4 years ago
I am in the process of attempting to return my system before the sixty day trial period is up. Not because there is anything wrong with the system - it works fine. It is precisely because of the customer service. This company couldn't care less about anything other than taking the customer's money. That is literally their only priority. They got my money and now they don't have to answer my questions. This is literally the worst company that I've ever had to work with. I am not a fan of offshore tech support but at least it would be something that could get me answers. It doesn't mean a single thing that their tech support is not offshore if you can literally never talk to someone.
That said. If I were making the decision between Ring and Simplisafe, I'd look at the fact that Simplisafe has glass break sensors and Ring does not. The back of my house is literally all windows and most of them are large enough to get through. I have entry sensors on those and use wooden dowels to stop the windows from being opened, but someone could easily get in by just smashing a window. I have a glass break sensor set up to catch that. I know that Amazon Alexa has some sort of way to listen for glass breaking, but my Alexa barely understands me sometimes. There is no way I'm trusting a "smart speaker" with my home's security. On Ring's side is their sensor for listening to smoke and CO detectors. I have a wired smoke/CO detector system and I don't really want to have to add more fire alarms to my house for Simplisafe. I did get one smoke detector, but the are photoelectric and the don't sound like they do well in any environment where there's steam or moisture. I don't trust photoelectric smoke detectors and I never have. I haven't activated the smoke detector that came with my kit. Before deciding to return the whole thing, I was planning on returning the smoke detector and trying to get them to swap my black keypad with a white one. My keypad is in a dark area and I can't see the numbers. In order to get the numbers to light up, I have to press one number. That's useless if I don't pretty the correct first number of my code. It's dumb that the whole keypad doesn't light up when I touch it.
So what are my plans? I still have my perfectly functioning ADT alarm system. The reason why I went with Simplisafe is that monitoring is half the price of what I was paying for ADT and the price of ADT just keep on going up. I am not going with Ring because of the lack of a glass break sensor and because of the other information provided by Ride525 above. I've been an Amazon customer for many years and they have no problem raising prices. I didn't know about that whole private guard responder thing and cements my decision to not go with Ring. I'lll likely stay with ADT for now. I will pay more, but at least I know that their customer service is super responsive.
The things that make me second guess my decision are that I got the system for 50% off on the Black Friday sale and that the monitoring cost is half the price. Also, aside from the stupid battery issues, I haven't had problems with the system. I've been running it side by side with the ADT system and no glitches so far. If only their customer support wasn't a slap in the face to their customers.
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ride525
172 Messages
4 years ago
EDIT: The post right below this one reminded me that there was another reason besides visual verification. Simplisafe has glass break sensors.
While Ring offers $10 monitoring, it offers less. As seven points out above, with Simplisafe, you can get Visual Verification with Simplicams. This means, that without visual verification, the police likely delay coming out, or may not come out at all, until there is a visual verification. If you live in a verified response location, here is what Ring says:
"When the [Ring] monitoring center receives an alarm signal they will call you and your emergency contact(s) to ask if you are present at the alarm site, and able to verify whether there is a real emergency. If you are not at the alarm site or otherwise unable to verify, they will ask if you want a private guard responder to be dispatched to the alarm site in an effort to perform the verification."
"If you accept, the monitoring center will dispatch a private guard responder who will check the alarm site and dispatch emergency responders (police or fire) if there is a real emergency. The fee that you agree to pay for the dispatch of a private guard responder to the alarm site is $75.00 for the first 20 minutes, and $1.25 per minute thereafter."
"If you do not accept, due to the rules of the jurisdiction, the monitoring center might not be allowed to dispatch local emergency responders (police or fire) to the alarm site, or local emergency responders may refuse to respond to a dispatch request even in the event of a real emergency."
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undeleted
1.2K Messages
4 years ago
SS does lack in a couple of areas, but those areas don't concern me. They don't have outdoor cameras, but I installed a much better wired system anyways. Their tech support can be hard to reach, but again I've never had a problem and had no need to call. Their forum sucks, but the constant whining and complaining will stop you from being a regular user anyways. (Unless you're Captain or 7 of course, those guys are addicts.) :)
For me, SS is fantastic.
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captain11
Captain
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5.4K Messages
4 years ago
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undeleted
1.2K Messages
4 years ago
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lance843
Advocate
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790 Messages
4 years ago
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glowinthedark33
7 Messages
4 years ago
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usmaak
335 Messages
4 years ago
"If you accept, the monitoring center will dispatch a private guard responder who will check the alarm site and dispatch emergency responders (police or fire) if there is a real emergency. The fee that you agree to pay for the dispatch of a private guard responder to the alarm site is $75.00 for the first 20 minutes, and $1.25 per minute thereafter."
That's a lot of money. I sure hope that they try and contact you before sending out a private guard to check it out.
Of course that private guard is less expensive than a false alarm fee in my town...
The thing that makes me want to either keep simplisafe or just stay with ADT is that they both have glass break sensors. I need one glass break sensor minimum.
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glowinthedark33
7 Messages
4 years ago
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ride525
172 Messages
4 years ago
Plus I have the video doorbell.
I ordered on the worst possible day, Cyber Monday. And a few phone calls have not had near the times you mentioned. Perhaps others have.
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