‎Super short battery length for auxiliary siren | SimpliSafe Support Home
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largedoggie's profile
largedoggie

24 Messages

Saturday, September 18th, 2021 8:43 PM

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.

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Updated 

7 months ago

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Official Solution

davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

3 years ago

Hi LargeDoggie,

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

2

djanem

1 Message

Ok, so I have the same problem, but I’ve had the siren for a few years (it’s been running through batteries like water for almost as long as I’ve owned it - they last about 3 weeks). Can I still get a replacement or do I have to buy one new now?

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8 months ago

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emily_s

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

@djanem​ As long as your Extra Siren is still within warranty, our Support team will be able to replace it.

Have you attempted any troubleshooting with this Extra Siren? If it is burning through batteries, that may be a sign of interference as the siren is working harder to maintain its connection to the Base Station. Interference can come from physical and wireless sources.

Physical interference is caused by dense objects like thick brick/stone calls or mesh insulation getting in the way between the Extra Siren and Base Station. Wireless interference is caused by other wireless devices that broadcast at the same frequency as our devices and could potentially drown out the siren's signal; this would be things like remote garage door openers, wireless weather stations, or ham radios.

I would recommend scanning the area around your Extra Siren and look for any sources for interference. If there are any, adjusting the placement of the Extra Siren could help preserve its battery.

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8 months ago

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captain11

Captain

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6K Messages

3 years ago

@LargeDoggie my auz siren batteries last at least 8-9 months. Usuage, of course, will be a determining factor, but your experience is not usual or acceptable.

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

24 Messages

3 years ago

Thanks, I'll reach out to them and see what happens.

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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6K Messages

3 years ago

@LargeDoggie no it does not. My aux siren is in the front foyer of my house on the first floor while the base is on the 2nd floor in a back bedroom. Don't think its a connection issue unless you have it close to some electrical source that would cause issues. That aside, get it replaced. Battery life should be much, much longer.

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largedoggie

24 Messages

3 years ago

Hi All:

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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6K Messages

3 years ago

@LargeDoggie Unless there is something special with your flooring or there is an interfernce source between the base and theaux siren (not likely) then its a defective unit and will be replaced at nc by SS under warranty. If, by chance, you have a Pixel phone, you can use the "Hold for Me" beta feature (works great) or just put your call on speaker and wait the queue out.  I have tested over the past few mnths and never went more than 35 minutes (which of course is not acceptable). Once you do get a rep, tell him or her you have tried moving the base, sthe siren, took out and replaced the batteries etc and at this point need the siren replaced. If they reply no  for some reason, politely but firmly ask for a supervisor.  They will replace it.

Good luck and post your outcome here if you get a chance.  Have a great weekend.

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cpullig1585

1 Message

3 years ago

I'm having this exact issue.  You are not alone.   I've replaced batteries in mine typically every 3 weeks.     Before the battery drain Issue my aux siren lasted a year on same battery.  I've contacted SimpliSafe and received 2 new replacement sirens and still the issue continues.

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

24 Messages

3 years ago

Replacement Auxillary Siren on its Way

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

24 Messages

3 years ago

Battery went out again a few days ago, so the newest list is:

- 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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6K Messages

3 years ago

@LargeDoggie good luck with the new aux siren.  Again, mine goes at least 8 months. If this one fails, SS, it may be worth it to actually send someone out with LargeDoggie's agreement to inspect first hand and see what's going on. When we had an instrument that was still down with remote diagnostics (lab medical equipment) we would send a specialist to investigate, document, resolve and make case study to update the online knoweldge database. Result: continous improvement, lower costs, productivity up, first time fix rate improvement and, most importantly, improve customer good will.

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platelunch

19 Messages

2 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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platelunch

19 Messages

Wow. That was quick. Just told the service rep that I thought I had a bad siren because the batteries died in less than 2 months. I was ready to give her my current measurements and calculation and point her to this thread. But I just got an "ok" and went on to confirm my shipping information.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is turning out to be a common problem.

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2 years ago

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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

Hi @platelunch ,

The siren does use a huge amount of power, but only when it's actually active (which is how it can get to the 105dB max volume).

So if it's rapidly draining, it might have been working too hard to stay connected - which is why our representative should have done some troubleshooting for interference before sending that replacement.

Hopefully the replacement does the trick and you won't have any further trouble from here. But if you do have trouble again, let us know!

(edited)

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2 years ago

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platelunch

19 Messages

Just got my replacement siren today. To anyone interested, after the siren was added to my system, startup current was about 22mA for a few seconds. Current then dropped down to the 10s of uA range where it bounced around. My digital meter had a tough time getting a good reading because the changes were too fast. But the 10uA range is where one would expect the current draw to be.

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2 years ago

0

justindeloach

4 Messages

2 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

2 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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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

@AXE​ the symptoms you describe indicate an issue with the communication. Where is your Siren located? I suspect that the issue is with interference - that is, either a physical object (like a wall) is physically blocking the signal, or another wireless signal is drowning out the SimpliSafe one.

Our guide on the Help Center here is for sensors, but can help with this Siren situation as well.

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2 years ago

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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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davey_d

Community Admin

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5.6K Messages

@tdcollective​ there really hasn't been any change to the Wireless Siren, at least firmware-wise. So it might be a hardware issue. I would strongly suggest working with our Support team on troubleshooting. A replacement is one possibility in that process.

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2 years ago

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AXE

2 Messages

3 month update on the siren. I removed the batteries put them back in and pressed the button on top. I had no trouble since then.

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2 years ago

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randyw2

10 Messages

9 months 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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justindeloach

4 Messages

Thank you for responding and keeping this thread active so we don't have to purchase another aux siren. 2 years and more and they haven't fixed the issue.

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9 months ago

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emily_s

Community Admin

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3.1K Messages

@randyw2​ If the Siren experiences this battery drain when it is farther away from the Base Station, there may be interference between the two devices that is causing the Siren to work harder than usual, which can cause this battery drain. There may be a heavy wall/appliance that is blocking the Siren's signal, or there could be another wireless signal that is drowning out the Siren's.

When you are at your vacation home next, I would recommend looking for any sources of interference between the Base Station and Siren. I would also check the Base Station's placement. We recommend putting it on a wood or glass surface that's at least 3 feet off the ground, and place it 3-5 feet away from other devices that have a wireless signal like a router, television, or large Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

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9 months ago

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