I’ve had this system. The motion sensor has 2 modes: At home or Away. The At home mode disables motion sensor and only enables entry points for late night trips to the fridge. Away mode enables motion sensor when nobody is at home.
The installation instructions give approximate pet sizes for what will trigger motion sensors when away. I don’t recall what they are, however.
a) It doesn’t work on AT&T, only T Mobile and Verizon. You don’t have to be a subscriber to use this system since Simplisafe creates its own account; we use AT&T for our phones, but Simplisafe uses Verizon.
b) The motion detector can be set up so that it will be triggered by an object close to the ground (your dog) or from about 3’ to the ceiling to prevent false alarms from the dog.
c) Monitoring is on a month-to-month basis, so if for some reason you don’t think you need it, you can stop it for as long as you wish and then turn it back on again. Personally, I’d like to have it on while we’re at home so that it can monitor intrusions, fire or CO levels, and respond to the panic button.
The dog is too large not to be detected. We have had a small Chihuahua trip ours twice.
My solution is to arm doors and not motion sensors when the dogs are left out. They are usually in a crate when we are away for an extended time and I arm motion sensors if they are crated.
So I’ve checked with the vendor team about your concerns, and they’ve assured me that this sale is all in good order. We had an issue last year with some outdated inventory that was improperly recorded in our system, but we’ve addressed that problem and it should not be an issue.
Another thing to remember WRT monitoring is that in many places you need a local permit to operate. In San Diego the permits are temporary (2 years) and cost about $100 (police) and $18 (fire).
Also, you run the possibility of being fined for false alarms if it results in an unnecessary police/fire dispatch. Here it’s an escalating scale starting with $100 for the first false alarm.
(to Greezg above)Why are you paying $25? It’s only $15 here.
Thank you! Very informative post
I’ve seen comments about dogs – but what about cats? My cat is medium-large at 13-14lbs, but will run around the house and climb up the cat tree. Would hate to have that be the false alarm.
I opted for the package that only contained the signage. Had it up and running under 5 minutes.
If you go this route, be sure to order the bilingual signage because not all the bad guys are English literate.
NOTE: The SimpliSafe does have a panic button on the key fob which will activate the external siren.Also note that the SIGN AND STICKERS together with good motion sensor and/or auto-on at dark lights are effective deterrents.
Other fees?
I saw on a CNET review that the $15 monitoring doesn’t let you also get text/email alerts. That’s another $20/month?
$15 a month for monitoring without text/email alerts, or $25 a month for monitoring with text/email alerts. So $10 more, not $20 more. Details at http://simplisafe.com/choose-monitoring2
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Other fees?
I saw on a CNET review that the $15 monitoring doesn’t let you also get text/email alerts. That’s another $20/month?
Thanks
I suggest you all read the the manufacturers user forum before you invest in this. I did and it stopped me in my tracks. Read about how the batteries in all the sensors need changing constantly.
I install alarm systems for a living. This is the Harbor Freight of alarm equipment. If you’re comfortable with trusting your home and life with a cheap product go for it. I use a Honeywell 128FBP in my house. Had it installed for about 17 years and not one problem. Range on the Honeywell devices is much further plus it’s a better engineered product overall. Plus way more options to control and monitor other things. I have my screens done, sump pump, a temp alarm and I can control my garage door, cameras and thermostat all from one system.
I’ve had simplisafe for a few years now with no complaints. Love it.
As for the monitoring- check with your insurance company. Mine gives me a 10% discount for monitored burglary and fire (5% each). It offsets a good bit of the $14.99/month monitoring. And peace of mind knowing the smoke detectors will notify the monitoring company regardless of if the system is armed (all environment sensors in the system will do that- freeze, CO, water, smoke).