31 Messages
Super short battery length for auxiliary siren
Hi:
My auxiliary siren is going through batteries like dog-food!
The SS link ( https://support.simplisafe.com/hc/en-us/articles/360023810112-How-long-do-the-batteries-last- ) says they should last 3-5 years.
Here is my recent record of battery changes (prompted by the control panel warnings):
- 2021/09/18
- 2021/08/24
- 2021/07/30
- 2021/05/15
* 2021/03/13
My siren never sounds, it's just occasional "chirps" as doors open.
Each time I put in Duracell alkaline batteries.
Any advice/insight as to why this is happening would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
My auxiliary siren is going through batteries like dog-food!
The SS link ( https://support.simplisafe.com/hc/en-us/articles/360023810112-How-long-do-the-batteries-last- ) says they should last 3-5 years.
Here is my recent record of battery changes (prompted by the control panel warnings):
- 2021/09/18
- 2021/08/24
- 2021/07/30
- 2021/05/15
* 2021/03/13
My siren never sounds, it's just occasional "chirps" as doors open.
Each time I put in Duracell alkaline batteries.
Any advice/insight as to why this is happening would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Official Response
davey_d
Community Admin
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5.7K Messages
4 years ago
I agree with the captain - we should replace that siren.
One extra troubleshooting step you can try is that when you get the replacement, actually keep both active at the same time (don't worry, we don't need the original unit back right away!).
You can replace the old unit with the new one, but then also move the old one to a different spot - maybe even inside the house near the Base Station, so we know that factors like distance, and the material of the walls, aren't getting in the way.
If the old Siren is having trouble even in the new spot, we know that it's the unit itself that's the problem. But if the new Siren has trouble in the same spot, then it would likely be an issue with extreme interference where it's located.
One last thing - when you ask for the replacement, have our Support team send some batteries too. So you don't need to use your own!
- Johnny M.
SimpliSafe Home Security
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captain11
Captain
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6.4K Messages
4 years ago
Either you have a defective unit or, more likely, the connection to the base is weak and uses an inordinate amounot of battery life attempting to have a steay connector. I suggest you call SS to troubleshoot but most likely they will send you a free remplacement unit under warranty. You can also try repositioning the unit.
Please post your findings here.
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largedoggie
31 Messages
4 years ago
Does the siren have to be close to the base station or a keypad? It's 2 meters from a keypad but downstairs from the base station, but all the other units in the basement have normal battery lives. Thanks.
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captain11
Captain
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6.4K Messages
4 years ago
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largedoggie
31 Messages
4 years ago
Any suggestions as to how to get in touch with Customer Service without a phone call?
(Phone service from Simplisafe is, to put it succinctly, suboptimal.)
I e-mailed them directly last week but no response at all.
Thanks!
PS Appreciate the post Captain11 about the location. Mine is downstairs one floor essentially directly beneath the base station.
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captain11
Captain
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6.4K Messages
4 years ago
Good luck and post your outcome here if you get a chance. Have a great weekend.
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cpullig1585
1 Message
4 years ago
It seems odd that this issue popped up after the firmware update back in march 2021 I believe. It was not the last update but the prior one.
Nothing has changed on siren placement. It is located within 20 feet of base station.
I'm glad to finally find someone having this exact issue as me. SimpliSafe needs to figure this out it's getting old.
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largedoggie
31 Messages
4 years ago
Thanks to all for their good advice!
I had a super quick phone call today (2021/10/09) and the guy was great! Essentially no wait time on hold, and a really helpful and nice rep. Hurrah! He's sending out the replacement. I'll post back with the results. Unfortunately, I will not be able to do the move the old siren closer to the base station test (which sounded interesting as suggested above) cuz I have to send the old siren back.
(Apologies for the delay in responding. I've had a bunch of "less than satisfactory" interactions with phone support, ranging from massively long wait times, disconnects, and folks who had no idea what was going, finally culminating in one rep who wiped my account record so that I had to spend half a day renaming all 59 of my devices :( And no one at SimpliSafe replied to either of the two e-mails I sent about this issue; just crickets in response :( But, today was excellent service so maybe things are getting better!
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largedoggie
31 Messages
4 years ago
- 2021/10/16
- 2021/09/18
- 2021/08/24
- 2021/07/30
- 2021/05/15
* 2021/03/13
The new siren arrived today so will post back in a few months to see how battery life on it is.
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captain11
Captain
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6.4K Messages
4 years ago
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platelunch
19 Messages
3 years ago
Bought and installed an auxiliary siren in mid December(2021) and got a notice that my siren was offline a few days ago. Pulled it down and the batteries were dead, all under 1.0V. Guessing I have the same problem as the other posters.
Put in new batteries and measured the current draw of the siren @ 67mA, 10 feet away from the base station. That is awfully high. Will customer service understand if I tell them the siren is drawing too much current?
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justindeloach
4 Messages
3 years ago
Yep! This is a problem. On my second aux siren due to battery drainage. In fact just changed batteries in replacement unit and set up with a call for Sunday so Simplisafe can monitor communications berween aux siren and base. Glad to read I'm not out of my mind. Gonna give it one more shot then I'm getting a refund. Batteries are too expensive and I've been thru 20 of them!
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AXE
2 Messages
3 years ago
I'm having the same issue as well. The batteries which came with the siren dropped to 1.3 volts each and the can't connect with the siren showed on the key pad after a month. I installed new Duracell and a month later the same thing happened. Same voltage lost of 1.3 volts which should be plenty enough per 4 that's 5.2 volts. Something is wrong if this siren can't work with only a 0.8 lost in voltage.
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tdcollective
1 Message
2 years ago
@davey_d I am having similar issues with my siren. It's been deployed, same location in proximity to the keypad and base station from the outset, for 2+ years. Only over the last few months have I noticed more preciptous battery drain. I am wodering if I might be a candidate for a replacement?
Thanks!
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randyw2
10 Messages
2 years ago
OMG, I have gone through 3 replacement sirens and even a replacement base station for this issue. If the siren is very close to the base station (like 2 feet), the batteries seem to last a "normal" amount of time, but if you put the siren where it will do some good, even less than 10 feet away, my 3rd replacement, still burns through batteries. What good is an external siren if it has to be right next to the base station (which has a siren) that cannot go a whole month before draining the batteries? I think Simply Safe does not know how to fix the issue with their firmware that is causing battery drain, and they keep sending replacements telling the customer, like me, that it will resolve the issue. I don't know about you but paying over $65 for something that cannot stay online without replacing batteries every month is not a good investment. Maybe I need to ask Simply Safe to send me 48 AA batteries so I can go a year without buying batteries myself? To make matters worse, it is installed in a vacation home and the siren always goes offline while we are not there.
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