Popup Alerts on TV and Switch to Livestream

SimpliSafe-for-AppleTV camera app,  is it truly in the talks amongst SimpliSafe decision makers?

Do gatekeepers inform decision-makers at SimpliSafe? 

Back in February 2024 I posted here.

The way one arrives to this forum wondering the same as many others, I have no doubt that others will -they would do good to leave a timestamp on their comments AND reasoning- as to demonstrate to SimpliSafe that this "pending development" matters. 

For every SimpliSafe customer requesting there are dozens to thousands wanting it. It is a common sense request and it is quite surprising that it has not been implemented, with TV screens "even more prevalent and ubiquitous" than premium phones on every household in the States.  

If and when, let's hope SimpliSafe makes plenty of noise, for both Apple Home (on Apple TV) and Google Home (on Nest Hubs and Google TV). When so please make sure it works on upcoming versions (2025) of these items.  Please suggest more on the topic below, if they ever read it, it may (may) become a reality ...it should if long-term paying customers are in their plans. 

Seems what a lot of folks want or need is a home automation system. This suggestion is all DIY.

Most ecosystems, security systems including Simplisafes have their core vision. Fine with that, their perogitive.

Examples.

Samsungs smart things hub has lots of compatible devices but also limits accessibility. I'm not even sure their hub is home assistant compatible without research.

Aqara has a hub and smart devices, is on the home assistant compatible list or works with home assistant list.

Alexa, works with home assistant and Google Home. To what degree, I don't know. Don't use it, I'm trying to eliminate clouds myself. I do use Google drive as an outside backup of home assistant. Integration prewritten and available. Free, except paying for Google storage space.

Other security systems may be less locked, but still limited in my opinion for extreme automation and usefulness. Their core values.

Home assistant is working on their own voice assistant, in it's infancy. I don't use voice much personally.

Home assistant is matter compliant I think and working on that as it evolves.

They have a cloud for out of the house access available $65 per year which allows external access to my home assistant instance. Free App also.

I pay it to just support the project. You can do it yourself with a duckdns etc. etc. User driven project, 11th anniversary recently I think.

What I did initially was to try it out with Simplisafe, I loaded the Home Assistant unofficial Simplisafe integration into Home Assistant. (Open home automation system) Open source.

No SS camera's allowed in the integration, but if you worked at it might be done. Doubtful though.

Wasn't worth the effort for me. I'm techy, but that gives me a headache. Considering my current SS cameras live response time also not worth it, if even possible.

Compatible with Alexa, Google Home, has a Homekit Bridge integration of some sort and 1,000s of other integrations and device compatibility, blueprints. But be careful of choices, companies can decide not to be compatible. Usually cost them though in the long run. HA is growing exponentially.

I don't do iOS so that's due diligence on the users part.

The SS unofficial integration only allowed arming I think. Sensors were opened to home assistant, crossed over to Alexa and Google Home I believe, but due to slow http polling of their entity state, actuation for use in automations of importance, useless mostly to me.

I think if an alarm was triggered that was available for use in automations.

Non critical automations can wait for the poll of 10, 20, or 30 seconds for simple automations.

It was known to me that at some point a security switch would click and require me to authenticate the SS integration again. It worked fine for several months, I really never used it much. So when the other day it failed to authenticate and asked me to authenticate again, I deleted it instead. Not worth my time.

What I could do and did do was stick on parallel Zigbee entry sensors on every door and window, added a couple Zigbee motion sensors for lighting automations.

I used a Ring V2 (Z-wave) for personal home assistant home built security stuff access.

I bought a refurbished Amazon HD-10 tablet, blew the Amazon out of it with Fire Toolbox, added Fully Kiosk Browser and use that for a dashboard kiosk. Auto charging with a Kasa plug and a blueprint integration.

Currently displays my soft arm/disarm etc for my home built stuff, light switches, etc etc.. I won't elaborate real far as it is competitive to SS to a degree. Don't wanna break any rules.😁

You can track your Tesla with Home Assistant, presence sensing devices for multiple people detection, solar power grid, smart electrical meters, temperature, humidity, vibration, etc etc etc. Work required. DIY.

I don't have a Tesla.😁

Esphome integration and for techy folks buy or build your own devices.

Some Apple watch compatibility, don't know how much. Mine is Wear OS Samsung.

Pre warned. It easy enough to get started, Home Assistant Green is a pi size device for about $100. Zigbee usb dongle's are about $35, same for Z-wave dongles. Preloaded software, plug it and an Ethernet cable in,..off you go, into the rabbit hole.

Software free to download and put in a Raspberry pi SSD, or Proxmox VM etc etc.

It's a rabbit hole, but hobby for me in retirement, if you have the time and decide you like it. You'll be walking around your house scratching your head and saying what else can I automate to irritate her or me with. Lol. (Kidding) She doesn't even own a smart phone. Landline.

Again, requires due diligence research.

I've kept it to a minimum as its capabilities are practically endless. Research it. X, Facebook, Reddit, their forum, their website, Discord etc etc. On the web, you can't miss it.

Easy if this then that type UI. High tech if desired programming in YAML.

Does certain cameras quite well (POE is best probably).

I don't have or want cameras popping up on my tv currently, my TV is 20 years old, not very smart.

But with a Firestick I can view single cameras (my other cameras) via Alexa or a cheap little app called Tinycam. Tinycam might have popup abilities I have not explored, rarely use it. Old school TV. I use it occasionally to monitor her safety outside while she's gardening live.

Anyhow, long winded enough and not many will read it anyhow.