‎Outdoor Camera Motion Tied to Alarm System Armed State (Home/Away/Off) | SimpliSafe Support Home
 
kattywamp's profile

Thursday, November 4th, 2021 6:08 PM

Implemented

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Outdoor Camera Motion Tied to Alarm System Armed State (Home/Away/Off)

I have my Outdoor Camera monitoring my driveway. During the day, it records lots of video of family members and delivery people. I know I can use the app to turn OFF motion detection to prevent all this video. It would be nice if there was a way to enter the time of day that I want to record motion detection. That way I could turn OFF motion detection from 7am until 8pm, and just record video between 8pm until 7am. Its the night time I am most interested in recording unwanted visitors.  Adding a Motion OFF or Motion ON time would be an easy way to do it.

Official Response

Community Admin

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656 Messages

13 days ago

With the arrival of the Wireless Outdoor Security Camera's firmware 1.35, we're happy to say that this feature is now live! See our announcement in the Community to learn more.

(edited)

15 Messages

Better late than never! Thank you 

43 Messages

@simplisafe_admin​   My Series 2 Outdoor camera has firmware 1.35, but not this feature.  I do see the feature on my other "regular" outdoor camera (also on 1.35).

Should the Series 2 camera have this feature with firmware 1.35 though?

(edited)

Community Admin

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656 Messages

@Pack No, this feature is only currently available for the Outdoor Camera's firmware. Once it becomes available for the Outdoor Camera Series 2, we will update the Community.

Captain

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6.1K Messages

3 years ago

@ kattywamp while I personally wouldn't use it, your suggestion is a good one as I believe many would, and shouldn't be that hard to implement.

4 Messages

3 years ago

This is ideal in a commercial environment that already has a CCTV and you wouldn't want staff and customers setting off the motion alerts on the ss cameras. I only want it active during closing hours.

17 Messages

3 years ago

Would it be possible to have an option for the water sensor to trigger a secret alert instead of sounding the alarm when it detects water? Also I think it would be more sensible to have camera motion detection tied into the modes as an option for each mode(off, home, away) instead of just being able to turn motion detection on or off without regard to the mode.
Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Suggestion...Camera motion tied to mode and water sensor secret alert

732 Messages

I'm all for flexibility so if this does get implemented please make it an option. I (and I can guarantee others) absolutely want a noise, a phone call, etc. if there's a water leak and not just a secret alert to a phone that may be set to silent or belong to someone who is asleep, not at home, etc.

2.8K Messages

^ And that seems to be the consensus among users here, I'd think it would be paramount to get those alarms/alerts so one could prevent hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars worth of damage. (plus, some home insurance companies can be iffy with coverage for water damage, depending on source or situation).

17 Messages

I think it is just a hassle to have to disable motion for cameras via camera settings each time (if you don't want motion in certain modes) and would be a whole lot easier to have motion detection for each camera linked to what mode the system is in.

732 Messages

Oh I agree, if you don't want the audible alert it must be a pain. I'm all for both options existing, I just don't want to lose functionality if they add this.

15 Messages

@worthing​ old thread but this is correct. The water sensor just saved me tens of thousands of dollars because it woke me up in the middle of the night and I was able to stop the leak before it got catastrophic 

12 Messages

3 years ago

So I have two new outdoor cameras and  I get notifications of motion all day long when the system is DISARMED and it simply wastes the battery life as I don't want motion notifications on my front porch or back yard if I am home.  

When  I put the system in AWAY mode, I want motion notifications that someone is on my porch or in my backyard, yet the system DOES NOT SEND PUSH NOTIFICATIONS on the outdoor cameras  in AWAY MODE.  Anyone else have this problem?  

Also, I think having the option to NOT trigger motion detection when the system is disarmed would be a nice feature and would really save on the Outdoor camera battery life as I go in and out of the home a lot and just kills the battery   Yes I could enable motion when I leave and disable motion when home for the two outdoor cameras, but what a hassle.  Anyone agree?

Mike
Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Outdoor Camera Motion Push Notification in AWAY mode

24 Messages

Mike, I totally agree with you on this issue. There needs to be an option to turn on the camera automatically when in Home or Away, just like the inside cameras. All I can find is that you can set on or off from the app but no option in modes. This needs to be fixed!

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Hi folks,

Currently, the Outdoor Cam is designed to be active at all times. So davis1024, yours should actually be triggering even in Away Mode. I'd suggest resetting the camera by holding the button in the back for 16 seconds. When you release, you can reinstall it again via the app. That should reset the firmware, just in case there was an issue there.

But on the subject of adding armed modes to the Outdoor Cam, I'll be sure to add both of your voices. It's definitely a suggestion I've passed on to our devs before.

- Davey D.
Community Development Manager
SimpliSafe Home Security

12 Messages

Hi Davey:

I agree I should get Push notifications in all modes but the fact it is not occurring on both Cameras not one, is more of an indication of a bug as I have reset one of the cameras recently and still no notifications in Away mode.  I could try SMS versus the Apple IOS push and see if that works, but slower than a push to the iPhone.  

Can you test this scenario and advise it you get a push notification of motion when in Away mode as I still do not on two outdoor cameras.  

By the way, thank you so much for submitting the idea on the outdoor camera modes, as I believe a lot of users may only want a motion on or a notification when armed in home or away modes,  not disarmed.  The option for users to select if motion is active in different would be a great enhancement.  

Sincerely,
Mike Davis

12 Messages

@davis1024 

Hi Davey:

I finally got the motion notifications to work while in away mode.  I had to delete the Simplisafe IOS app on both our cell phones and re-install it, after that it worked. Strange bug in the IOS app. 

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Ahah! So I suspect that the issue might have been with the config file stored on your phone. Reinstalling the app would have wiped and replaced it.

11 Messages

3 years ago

The alert options for cameras are too limited - either get alerts for all motion, or no alerts at all. There should be an option to get camera alerts only when the alarm is set.

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Camera alerts only when alarm is active, please!

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Hi btgrimes99,

 

I will take a guess and say that you're talking about the Wireless Outdoor Camera? That camera was designed to be on all the time, and warn of intruders approaching the home. So they're currently set to be active regardless of the system's state.

 

But yes, others have reported a need for the option to arm and disarm the Outdoor Cam along with the rest of the system. We'll add your feedback with our devs.

11 Messages

@davey_d Yes, I was referring to the outdoor camera. The problem is that we get alerts all day as members of our household go in and out of the house, which is annoying and quickly trains you to ignore alerts. I would like option to receive alerts only when the alarm is armed.

2 Messages

I agree with this. Please give the option to detect motion events and receive motion notifications only when the system is armed.

2 Messages

I agree.

@davey_d  this post was two years ago what progress has happened here?

I feel it’s a big  assumption on SS part to assume that some users use case might need the notifications turned off when disarmed. 

my camera is right outside my back door and literally goes off constantly as we walk in and out.

can you please confirm if in 2024 there is a way to disable notification in unarmed state?

the inability to do this will almost certainly mean I wil be returning my system within the first week.

Thanks

J

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@shieldsjoseph​ the feature outlined in this post is currently In Development. We will keep you updated here when it rolls out for the Wireless Outdoor Camera.

In the meantime, we have since rolled out Snooze Notifications for Cameras, which is useful for those times when you'll be outside for an extended period. You can learn more about it in the Help Center article.

2 Messages

3 years ago

I think the settings for push notifications for the outdoor camera need to be improved. Currently, you only have a choice of receiving or receiving the notifications regardless of system status. There should be an ability to choose whether to receive these notifications based on status (Off, Home, Away).

Anyone else?

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Outdoor Camera Push Notifications

7 Messages

I agree 100%.  I installed my camera a few days ago and immediately had the same thought.

4 Messages

Agree that this should be an option. There's no need for my camera to be wasting battery life recording notifications if I'm in the back doing yard work all day. 

4 Messages

Agreed. Constant notifications when I’m working in the field of view of the camera is ridiculous and this needs to be addressed. 

2 Messages

Yes. My only complaint. Firmware should allow this to be turned off in off mode. 

10 Messages

100% agree. It’s a battery drain and a constant workday interruption. 

17 Messages

3 years ago

Would it be possible to have an SMS alert option for when the system is armed or disarmed only? Ie you would only get a text when the system was armed or disarmed. 

Also it would be nice if the camera motion detection could be tied to what mode your system is in instead of having camera motion detection either on or off all the time.

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled SMS alerts armed/disarmed only and camera motion

14 Messages

3 years ago

SimpliSafe is the only security system that doesn't have a feature to schedule alerts by product for a particular time.  Need to be able to turn on and off alerts at specific time and days of the week.  E.g. schedule motion alerts for front door camera M-F, 9pm - 8am.  

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Schedule alerts

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Thanks for the suggestion. So it sounds like you're asking specifically about the Outdoor Cam here as well? That is, you only want to be alerted for motion at specific times, rather than all the time like it is currently. I'll forward that to our dev team.

14 Messages

all cameras and doorbell

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Assuming that your Indoor Cams are attached to your main system account, they should already be responding based on your system's armed state - so there's no separate setting for it, where you can set a more specific time, but you would, for example, be able to set whether your cameras are active when you're home, vs when you're away.

But I'll add the Doorbell to that request as well.

2 Messages

Yes please!! I only want motion detected outside business hours. Otherwise it's going off like every couple minutes. Also my indoor cam seems to detect motion, record and send alerts even when the alarm is disarmed.

3 Messages

I'm coming to this late, but I want to add my request to the pile.  I have two outdoor cameras.   I work from home and my wife's retired.

Being able to schedule movement alerts would be fantastic.  During the day she's coming and going with gardening, errands, etc. and I'm in my office getting bombarded with movement detection alerts.

The only solution right now is to turn off motion detection for both cameras every morning, then turn it back on every night.  No, it's not exactly difficult, but sometimes I forget and end up with no camera coverage overnight.

Note that this request for scheduling is independent of the "Off", "Home" or "Away" setting.  I only have Outdoor cameras and am not familiar with how the Indoor camera and Doorbell work with arming status, but others in the thread have addressed their behavior.

19 Messages

3 years ago

I have a few feature requests based on features in my old Nest devices, but before I get into them, whoever at SimpliSafe monitors this forum should know that the Feature Request submission form does not work on this page. You check the box, fill out the form, click submit then...... nothing. Nothing happens. 

Anyway, onto the feature requests that I'm sure someone else has asked for because I feel they are pretty basic, especially since I'm coming from Nest that already had them.

  1. Schedule times for alarms and sensors to be active. Similar to a programmable thermostat. For example I’d like to be able to schedule the motion sensor in my garage to turn on every night at 11pm and off every morning at 6am. And different times on the weekend. 

 

  1. The outdoor camera has a setting to detect all motion or “a person” motion, so why can’t the notification I get on movement differentiate between general motion (like maybe an animal), and “person motion.” This is honestly the main reason I still have my Nest doorbell. I like knowing if it’s a person when motion is detected and I get the app notification.  
Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Schedule active times for sensors and cameras, notify of "person" motion

6 Messages

3 years ago

Just installed a full system with two outdoor cameras and haven't been able to find the answer to the following...

when alarm is off, I am still getting notification after notification of movement in the garden when we are out there and would really like to turn that off without having to manually do it each time under settings! Is there a way to have the alarm off with no notifications and then only the notifications when in Home and Away mode?

when it's a nice day and we're in the garden I don't see the point in all of these notifications and the garden cam's battery already at 30%! Plus, it's easy to forget to turn the motion detection back on again which makes this flawed in my opinion unless I have totally missed something?!

thanks in advance 

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Turn off outdoor camera motion notifications when Alarm is off?

2 Messages

Can I second this please! It is really irritating to keep getting notifications when we are home and the alarm is off. 

Thanks!

6 Messages

Glad I am not the only one. So I presume there isn't any other way, then?!

Community Admin

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27 Messages

Hi all,

 

The camera doesn’t link to the different system modes at the moment, but it is something we are looking into. As soon as we have more detail on this feature we'll be soon to let you know.

 

While the battery life varies based on camera placement, usage and settings, there are several ways to help extend your battery life between charges. Visit the Camera Settings in your SimpliSafe app and adjust the following settings:

  • Motion Type - set to People Only. This is the default setting.
  • Picture Quality - set to 480p
  • Night Vision Mode - set to Standard. This is the default setting.
  • Setup Activity Zones - Remove high traffic areas such as roads, paths and sidewalks etc.

We also have a Cable or Solar Panel which you could use so that the Outdoor Camera is permanently charged.

 

Thanks,

Natalie

5 Messages

I agree. Sitting in the sun at home and it’s ping, ping, ping…

20 Messages

Largely signed up to the forum to report/ask the same thing, so I will simply add to the above, this is quite a bad feature as it stands and provides little value. I'm only 3 weeks post-install and as someone who is out in the garden a lot, the base station and app are now reporting critically low battery, and my phone does not stop pinging all day. Muting/turning off notification's isn't ideal - that can lead to forgetting to turn it back on or missing a real issue.

Dropping picture quality to 480p is not a solution. Not only would this mean that the video quality is getting close to 10x below the best cameras on the market, but also wouldn't solve the underlying issue which is down to the lack of ability to specify the conditions under which the camera wakes up. The indoor camera is great. I'm less fussed about a privacy shutter outdoors but the ability to tie it to modes is definitely not just a nice-to-have, it should be a fundamental part of operation

@Natalie90 you mentioned this is something that's being looked in to, by any chance is there an ETA? Sadly at the moment I am leaning towards boxing up the entire system and returning it. I'd like another camera but that plus 2 solar panels is way too pricey

Another way to solve this (secondary to the above though as it won't for for everyone) is smart home integration that is actually usable. I'd thought I could create an Alexa routine that would in turn interact with the app to disable Notifications  & motion detection (and better yet, the option to trigger said routine when the 'off' button is pressed on the panel), but it turns out the actual 'integration' doesn't extend beyond basic arming and disarming, unless I've missed something in which case I'd be happy to be corrected!

I did quite a bit of research before making a decision but I have to say that while the installation and core functionality are clearly excellent, the lack of meaningful smart home integration and the outdoor camera issue is super disappointing and massively impacting the value of the system.

Product Team - Please listen to your customers, this is reported a lot!

4 Messages

3 years ago

Is there a way to set an outdoor camera to only notify when the system is armed (away & home)? I use my back porch a lot in the summer and don't want the outdoor camera recording and notifying me every time someone gets up from their chair to go inside or refill a drink glass. Thanks so much for any help!!

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Outdoor Camera only notify when Armed

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

Hi @jndankert ,

At this time, no. The Outdoor Camera is set to be active at all times. I will of course pass your feedback on to our camera team!

8 Messages

I came here to make this exact request. The camera is decent, but without this fairly simple feature, I have shut off notifications altogether - rendering it essentially useless.

3 Messages

Yes I agree. I have placed this camera indoors.  I cannot have it notifying and turning on the light at all times.  It needs a feature to turn on motion when system is armed. 

6 Messages

Any update on this / is this setting in the works?! 

6 Messages

@davey_d​ Is this setting in the works? I'm with the others... Kind of troubling to have this trigger and alert when we're out pulling weeds. 

2 Messages

2 years ago

When my system is off, my outdoor cameras still record motion and notify me.  How do I stop that? I want to be able to hang out on my deck and patio without being annoyed by ongoing activity notifications.

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Turn off Outdoor Cameras when the system is off

5 Messages

Same issue here, I can't believe there isn't an option to have notifications off when system is off 

732 Messages

When my system is off, my outdoor cameras still record motion and notify me.  How do I stop that?

Turn off notifications for the camera and then turn them back on when you want to start receiving them. Seriously, that's the only way at the moment. Many people have asked for more options to do what you're describing and other things but to date we've had no confirmation this is being worked on much less when it might be available if it is being worked on.

18 Messages

I have asked repeatedly for the outdoor cameras to honor my alarm setting, but it just falls on deaf ears.  If I turn my system off, I want it to be off.  Not, Oh, we'll turn off some devices but not others.  The response I always get is, just turn off motion events.  Well, I have 5 outdoor cameras and if I'm doing something that involves moving around all 5, the process is dumb and tedious.

And on top of it, if I forget to turn an outdoor camera off before I trip it, then I have to take the battery out or stand out of view until the recording stops.  If I turn off motion events while it is recording, it completely ignores the setting and continues with motion events regardless of the setting.  I can turn it on and off as many times as I want and no matter what, the camera will continue to trip on motion even if the setting is off.  The only way to "fix" it is to pull out the battery to reset the camera.

Which just brings me do another feature that is missing. Please add a "reset/reboot camera" function.  I shouldn't have to go outside and pull the battery.  

4 Messages

When I bought my system last year, I purchased 3 outdoor cams.  I expressed my frustration to SimpliSafe that I could not program these cams to turn off when system is in OFF mode (like I can do with the indoor cams).  Ended up returning outdoor cams.  Would gladly purchase SS outdoor cams if they had the options like the indoor cams.  For now, any recommendations for outdoor cams with this programming ability?

2 Messages

I thought my outdoor camera would be off when my system was off. Driving us crazy to get text notifications every time we walk past our front porch, which can be dozens of time a day. Very annoying. Could an update be added to shut outdoor cameras off as with the indoor cameras? I am very disappointed with this lack of function, especailly after all the great reviews. 

21 Messages

2 years ago

Indoor cameras have the option to turn the shutter off when the alarm is turned off for privacy. I want that same privacy out doors!

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Out door camera notifications when the alarm is off.

Community Admin

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242 Messages

The Outdoor Camera was designed to be 'Always On' and have the ability to detect and warn of intruders approaching the home, regardless of the system's state. I'd be happy to share your suggestion with our development team, as others have shared this interest as well.

8 Messages

New to simplisafe. My outdoor camera is on and recording me while system is off. I do not want to camera to record me while I am working in the yard and I don't want to change the record settings every time I turn my system on and off. This seems like a major issue and hope simplisafe gets there expensive outdoor cameras figured out.

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Outdoor camera records when system is off

21 Messages

@alexandria_c​ 

Please do share that with your development team.  Based on other's comments and my feelings about the function of the outdoor camera's, I know I will be looking for other solutions.  

thanks

Bob

4 Messages

I also agree. I do want my front door camera to act as the admin mentioned always on. However for my back door camera I don’t want notifications every time I’m sitting on my patio. I wouldn’t even mind if it were recording, I just want the option to turn of notifications. 

21 Messages

Another day goes by with unwanted alerts. This will get soon get old and You won't see me on the form anymore because I will have a different system installed.

2 Messages

2 years ago

I like having the camera motion settings on but mainly for when I am home or away settings. Example: I have the system set to off and I am getting tons of notifications because I am outside putting up christmas lights.

Enable/disabling camera notifications depending on what mode (off, home or away) I am in would be great.

Note: This comment was created from a merged conversation originally titled Separate camera motion settings for off, home and away
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