What a piece of crap system.

They have not tried to rectify anything.  The doorbell camera stopped working the other day.  Went to see who was knocking and the camera would not connect.  The customer service folks have not responded except to say that there was nothing wrong.  The camera charged.  Stopped at 37%.  Then 11%, then shutdown because of low battery.  Their customer service is turning out as bad as their product.  The customer service manager Matt has not responded to any of several emails.   They're glad to take their $31 a month, but won't help you when the system does not work.  Guess I'll have to find the President...Craig something...cause this has been a terrible experience and would caution anyone looking at this system to look harder.  My father is 93 and I cannot afford for him to walk away...that's why I bought the system to monitor around the house.  Really regretting it.

sorry you have issues I think the system works fine infact some times I cant get my cameras off the magnetic mounts the are up there tight. whe i have had an issues i get aresponse and the issue is rectified. so dont trash a company just because you are having some inconveniences when many more people are satisfied

my cameras stay charged for at least 3 months or longer as far as distance I can see across a lake , both of my neighbors yards and tarffic moving in the street which is way over 30 feet , no issue with the outside caeras at all

sorry I dont have those issues mine picks up all areas that I have not blocked out and I get clear crisp video 

@thecordas​ Great for you, you must have an optimum situation, maybe even power cables. To assume everyone else should have the same performance and response is incorrect.

@dlpsr​ At least two of us out of 4 million + customers do have that optimum situation....and I know of others, but the product/service offering from SS should be more robust so it is the rule and not the exception.

@captain11​ I know cap, and I'm happy for you and anyone else who has a working as it should security system.

If only they'd actually cooperate with this testing. It's getting cold, won't be fiddling with SimpliSafe cameras much longer.

You say they care, want to help. I've sent Kurt, whoever he is, at least 14 or 16 recent follow-up emails with videos of all sorts attached.

Posted here multiple times. Ignored.

No response. None. NADA. Rare call occasionally. Did help with sending Base 2 & a keypad pro bono for my testing. Then disappeared.

I'm not convinced they care though as you say they do.

Kick the can down the road? I believe that.

I can point to hundreds+ of similar cameras not working complaints right here as you already know.

Internet complaints galore. Even mine are popping up for posterity. Web crawlers.😉

Approximately 2 out 10 on Reddit for a lonnggg time (unscientific) say sensors work well, do not buy the cameras. Particularly outdoor cameras. And push their brand as the answer for cameras of course. But I've also seen multiple indoor complaints, Simplicam etc.

I take all complaints with a grain of salt. Not knowing their situation.

Entirely different scenarios, home construction, wifi systems, etc etc etc. reasons it might work or might not work.

For instance some of my testing makes no sense.

As you may remember I have comparison results with Wyze cameras, indoors and outdoors. And there's no comparison.

Under deck and french door cameras on on Base station 2. Self, no performance mode. Still solar. Both if you bothered viewing the video open in 2 to 3+- seconds.

Just opened those two, same so far today.

When French door cam was attached between the doors, it was typically 8 seconds in performance mode at that time. It's the one laying on the deck now solar cord stretched to the limit.

Original base with performance mode, self with cameras.

It will open north portico cam better sometimes than the south portico cam which is closer to the original base.

Matter of fact I just managed "somehow" to open all 7 cams in a couple to 3 or 4 seconds. Happens occasionally.🤷

It won't stay that way.

You pushed that button...again😂

I've fought the good fight, but after 2 years now, I'm "almost" to the point of just giving up.

It can't and won't ever be fixed "here".

Eating the big investment and just logging out and moving on.

But, I'll be visiting several official government websites to file complaints when I do decide I've finally had it. In the hopes someone does something about it, not to recoup personally. Which may amount to nothing other than, I tried diligently.

Here's my 🧈 off button. It does malfunction if I'm poked.😁

@dlpsr Smile, have an adult beverage (it's afternoon here so I am) and have a great day....and good testing!

I don't drink.

@judgerc All SimpliSafe cameras do require a Wi-Fi connection in order to function. If your cameras constantly show an Offline error message, that indicates that they are having a hard time maintaining their Wi-Fi connection.

To resolve this, we recommend creating a guest Wi-Fi network, locked at 2.4GHz, and connect only your SimpliSafe devices to it to help free up bandwidth. It can also help to set up a Wi-Fi extender. For more details, see the How to Improve Wi-Fi Signal Strength article in our Help Center.

Regarding motion detection, our cameras' motion sensors are most sensitive to lateral motion. We recommend mounting the Outdoor Cameras to the side of the area you want to monitor, that way subjects move across its field of view rather than coming at it straight on.

And while the Outdoor Camera relies on its Wi-Fi connection to record motion, it also relies on its connection to the Base Station to wake up and begin recording. It can also help to move the Base Station to another area of your home that's a little closer to these cameras to strengthen their connection.

Regarding updating your system, we have made recent changes to the process. Whenever there is an update and your system is running firmware 2.15 or higher, the update will occur automatically once your system has been disarmed for more than 10 minutes. For more details, see the Updating your SimpliSafe® System article.

agree. and customer service is the worst.  they are real smartasses.

@sangary07​ sorry you had this dismal experience but on the flip side just got back from a 10 day vacation and the system worked fine, as it usually does. Add about another 2 dozen systems that I placed and keep in touch with the owners and they are happy campers...if not I hear from them pretty quickly.  Perfect? Hardly but SS does address the issue that comes up and life goes on.  With millions of customers, it would appear overall customers are happy, but again, its your own personal experience that counts. Issues like the system changing from Away to Home on its own simply strange and SS should be provide an answer for it.

📊 Realistic Look at SimpliSafe Reviews (U.S. & U.K.)

I wanted to share some publicly available data-based perspective on SimpliSafe’s customer feedback — especially since discussions often swing between “mine works flawlessly” and “mine never works right.”

I pulled numbers from Trustpilot, Reddit, and the official forum to get a more balanced picture.

---

🇺🇸 U.S. Trustpilot Data (as of Oct 2025)

Out of roughly 16,600 reviews, SimpliSafe averages a 2.3 / 5 TrustScore — a mixed overall rating.

⭐ Rating Percent Description

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 59 % Very satisfied (“works great”)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 12 % Generally happy, minor issues

⭐⭐⭐ 9 % Neutral or average

⭐⭐ 6 % Dissatisfied

⭐ 14 % Very unhappy / major problems

➡️ That means about 1 in 5 reviewers reported serious frustrations (1–2 star).

Most of those complaints involve outdoor cameras or doorbells — things like motion events missed, long wake-ups, battery drain, or Wi-Fi dropouts.

---

🇬🇧 U.K. Trustpilot Data

The U.K. branch looks very different — about 13,800 reviews averaging a 4.8 / 5 TrustScore.

⭐ Rating Percent

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ~88 %

⭐⭐⭐⭐ ~5 %

⭐⭐⭐ ~2 %

⭐⭐ ~1 %

⭐ ~3 %

Much higher satisfaction, maybe reflecting differences in network infrastructure, system type, support teams, or customer expectations. More sensors, less cameras, who knows?

That’s a big contrast to the U.S. numbers and might reflect differences in hardware batches, support processes, or expectations.

---

💬 Anecdotal Split (Reddit / Forum)

Folks who keep their cameras USB-powered (like @captain11 and others) often report “set it and forget it” reliability. Wifi signal strength matters too.

Those running battery-only or solar setups see slow wake times (5–10 s+), missed recordings, or spotty alerts — especially in colder weather or weaker Wi-Fi zones.

Alarm and sensor users in general seem far more satisfied than video users. This data doesn't reflect how many positives are just sensor system nor how many are sensors and cameras owners with negatives. Unknown.

---

🧩 Putting It Together

SimpliSafe says it protects approximately 4 million+ customers across the U.S. and U.K. presumably, not publicly accessible data and so unknown.

Even if just 1–5 % have persistent issues, that’s tens of thousands of people dealing with camera or connectivity frustrations — a small percentage overall, but still a lot of real homes.

My own setup reflects that split:

Solar-powered outdoor cams: slow wake (best case ~8 seconds). Worst case, an occasional 14 seconds to live view.

Doorbells: hit-or-miss live views, but once awake, live view works fine for a bit before going cold again or sleeping if you prefer. Same for outdoor cameras once awake, until they fall back to sleep to conserve battery.

Then there's the RF wake signal for OD cameras from the base station which gets many complaints. Sensors are also RF.

Everything else: my sensors still work well enough. Cameras? Not well enough.

So if you’re wondering why opinions are so divided — they really are both correct.

The hardware design and power source makes or breaks the experience.

Is the system just sensors that many are positive? Unknown. Are all negatives just cameras issues? Unlikely and also unknown.

This is just publicly accessible data from the Internet. Anyone can find it and review it if desired.

“It’s meant as context, not criticism — everyone’s setup and experience can vary."

@dlpsr​  Regardless of the survey, the cameras aren't good.  While some have had luck with the cameras, there are those who have not.  My internet speeds compare with those whose cameras actually work, but I get "camera not found/disconnected, etc".  Funny how we have a solar, 1k, Bird Buddy feeder/camera in the backyard that has no issues waking up and recording.  I have changed out one camera for a 4k, 5GHz, wireless plug in that works flawlessly.  After I replace all of the cameras, I will replace SS with a brand that I can trust.

Hi Gary, thank you for your long standing support and for taking the time to share such detailed feedback. We’re really sorry to hear about the frustration and stress this has caused. We know how important it is for your security system to work reliably, especially when it comes to protecting your home and your peace of mind.

A few of the technical points you’ve raised are particularly important, and I want to offer a bit of clarity:

Bell Box Siren Behaviour
When the system is disarmed following an alarm, the external siren should automatically stop as part of the disarm sequence. If that hasn’t been happening consistently, that’s certainly not the expected behaviour and something our team would want to troubleshoot closely with you. In rare cases, this can be related to signal strength or communication delays between the Base Station and the Bell Box.

Unexpected Mode Changes (Away to Home)
It sounds like this could be tied to Scheduled Arming setting. If there's a schedule configured to arm the system to Home mode at a set time, it could override the manually selected Away mode. Our Support team can help check for this and ensure your configuration aligns with your intended use, especially when you're away from home for extended periods.

Device Connectivity
Intermittent “not connected” alerts are usually linked to environmental interference, distance from the Base Station, or signal obstructions. We know how frustrating this can be, and we’re always happy to work through device placement and signal troubleshooting to get things stable. We also recommend that you update your system to the latest firmware which includes improved sensor connection updates. 

I understand you've already been in contact with our Support team since you posted this message, and I hope those conversations have helped get things back on track. If there are any lingering issues or concerns, we’d really appreciate the chance to continue working with you to fully resolve them.

We’re committed to earning back your trust and making sure your system works as intended - reliably and without compromise. 

@bobjuliano55gmailcom​    I'm having the same issues as you and everybody else with sensors/cameras.  I've got systems in two houses, but am also looking to change. The programming is terrible at best.   I had a sensor notification show that the battery was weak even though the icon showed ok, the same as the others.   I put a new battery in (3.38v) and guess what?   The battery icon didn't change.  Should have at least showed full, not half like the others.  This is what is called creative programming (fake).  Customer service has taken a nosedive compared to the past.   You are right it is SAD, but SS won't do anything about it other than take the money and most likely run in the future.