‎False Alarms Smoke Detectors | SimpliSafe Support Home
 

3 Messages

Friday, May 10th, 2024 7:25 PM

False Alarms Smoke Detectors

From reading these forums, I am clearly not alone in experiencing issues with false alarms with my three SimpliSafe Smoke Detectors. It is obviously a hardware issue and I am wondering if anyone has had success with rectifying it.

For the record, my detectors are not located near environments with particulate matter that triggers alarm (bathrooms, kitchens etc), have been cleaned and have fresh batteries and yet still persist in activating at the most random of times leading to my local FD to become quite frustrated. Love if anyone has had any success in rectifying and if not, what system did you end up switching too? 

Captain

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6.2K Messages

7 months ago

@prgraham When I first got my SS2 system 12 + years ago, I installed it, with smoke sensors and forgot them...that is, until they went off about a month later. Thanks to my much better half, I read the instruction manual on cleaning and now, faithfully do it every other month since and now with my SS3 system. I have 3 CO sensors and 6 smoke sensors, and one new combo smoke and Co sensor. I have not had one false alarm since I installed my SS3  with smoke and CO sensors in 2017.  (I was a beta tester).   

Having placed over 30 systems over the years, I hear quicly when there are issues. One of my neighbor's son and wife purchased SS3 on my recommendation and they were the only system I recommended and placed that had a smoke sensor issue, and unfortunately, out of the 3 they had one was replaced twice (original and 2 more) when they called me and I called Simplisafe direct on their behalf. Support said they would take one from inventory, test it for a short time and then send that one out. Finaly success!! 

So, keeping score, one system out of 30+ over 7 years. When I read posts like yours I hate it, and wonder when SS will improve training that when a cutomer has a persistent problem like this they can 1. Identify it 2. Escalate it to the proper experts and 3. Put a nail in it and get it quickly resolved.  Yeah, I know not as easy as it sounds when you have 4 + million customers.

Suggest you call support, have the agents read your notes and firmly and politely ask for a technical expert call you back at a mutually agreeable time to address this.  If you DM me, I will be more than happy to give you a real example how this process resolved an issue for me that took 3 calls and a tech expert to solve.  (Spoiler alert: hindsight being 20/20, the resoluton to the issue was pretty simple).

Best of luck and please post your outcome here if you get a chance.

(edited)

3 Messages

Appreciate your note. I did speak to support for sure. I suppose my one comment would be that it does not feel ideal that a system like this requires monthly maintenance to ensure it works as described. Maybe I'm being picky but I have a pretty full-on tech stack in my home and there's no other system that requires that. I will say overall the SS has been great and no issues with other components but this one is a squeaky wheel.

I will try and support again and see if there's a good outcome available. Thanks again for detailed response!

1 Message

@captain11​ Had a SS gen 3 system for 2 years with no problems.  Now 3 false alarms with both smoke detectors as culprits. Vacuumed them and 2 weeks later another false alarm.  I will try moving them to different locations.  My non SS smoke alarms do not have false alarms.  I think there is a design / tech issue and SS needs to quickly solve it before their reputation is ruined.  Other equipment seem to work great, but this is a deal breaker.

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@walkerja4​ there might be something really stuck in that sensor. Hopefully you don't get a false alarm any time soon, but if you do, a replacement might be the next step.

Captain

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6.2K Messages

@walkerja4​ That is odd, but at least for now, my smoke sensors continue to work well. Interestingly, Davey's comment below on the new combo unites working better. I have one but haven't installed it yet.  Ah, a new project for the week!

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

7 months ago

Hi @prgraham ,

The Smoke Detector is really super simple, and is essentially a normal smoke detector (the most common type you'd find at your local hardware store, etc), that just happens to connect to the Base Station to request dispatch.

The only thing that can trigger it is if there are particles that are getting into the chamber. As you touched on a little bit, that could be steam or dust, or maybe even tiny bugs. That's why we suggest installing the Smoke Detector away from dusty environments (like garages and basements), as well as where there might be a lot of vapor (kitchens, in front of bathrooms, etc). that's also why we suggest vacuuming around the grill, to keep it clear. And finally, you should also avoid placing the unit in front of vents or high draught areas, where particles might be blown into the detector.

I wonder if you might benefit from our newer 2-in-1 Smoke & CO Detector. On top of being a combo unit, it also takes advantage of smart tech with higher accuracy, so it's much less likely to trigger from particles that aren't smoke.

3 Messages

Hi Davey,

Thanks for the reply. I see the new detectors for $25 more and wondering if you have a trade-in option so I can send back my three old ones?

If not, seems like it would be a good idea to help folks stay within the SS ecosystem but not be too penalized for it you know?

Phil

Community Admin

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5.7K Messages

@prgraham​ unfortunately we don't have a trade-in program for individual items like that. If you're subscribed to the Fast Protect monitoring plan, it includes 10% off all equipment purchases (you can access your discount from the SimpliSafe app, under the three-bar ☰ Menu).

You can also reach out to our Support team so we can find the best deal for you!

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