SimpliSafe Is The Security System That Actually Makes Sense

Look at the latest available data from 2018. The FBI counts 1.2 million burglaries while the US Fire Administration tallied up about 380,000 home fires. Average dollar-loss per burglary? $2,700. Average dollar-loss per home fire? $21,000. Yet despite knowing all that, a lot of people still don't have a security system in their home. Do you? 

If not, that's possibly because you talked to a home security salesperson and felt like getting home security was possibly scarier than no home security — or at least more of a hassle. Better to just play the odds, figuring your home would *probably* be safe than deal with "security specialists" and installation crews coming in with drills and landline wiring, leaving you with a permanent system and an even more permanent contract. 

A Security System That's Heavy On Simplicity, Light On Legalese

First off, getting a security system from SimpliSafe feels like you're just shopping. Your system starts with the Base Station and Keypad and from there you add on the sensors and monitors you want and think you'll need: Smoke Detectors, Motion Sensors, Indoor Cameras, Entry Sensors, there's even a Panic Button and a Key Fob. For extra control over your dominion, add the Smart Lock so you can lock your door remotely, and the Video Doorbell Pro to see who's at the front door, even when you're somewhere else. Pick how many of each sensor makes sense for your home (if you overestimate, returns are easy) or if you don't feel like picking them yourself, they have pre-built bundles for small apartments up to big mansions. 

Without monitoring from SimpliSafe the system will still sound an alarm when the sensors detect break-ins or fire. But you won't be notified. With monitoring, the SimpliSafe system comes alive, as in, actual live humans monitor your home and dispatch help when trouble is detected. 

Two Levels of Monitoring: Standard and Interactive

Standard monitoring costs 50¢ a day (but since sending them a half buck every day would get tiresome, the math works out to $15 a month). The SimpliSafe pros monitor your system, and when a break-in is detected, they dispatch the police to your home. 

For $25 a month you get the Interactive plan, aka the full suite of SimpliSafe services. Real people monitor your alarms and dispatch fire, medical, or police services as needed. Once they detect an alarm, they use your security cam feed to verify the break-in and can priority dispatch police to a burglary in progress. They'll also call you and stay with you until the situation is resolved. Interactive Monitoring sends alerts to your phone if a water sensor detects a leak in your basement or lets you know if a window was left open. It'll also let you arm your system with Google Assistant or Alexa. 

Either way, the monitoring is completely contract-free so you can start with Standard then switch up to Interactive or cancel it all together when you hire that live-in security force. 

Screw-Free (and Screw-Up-Free) Set Up

If you can peel off backing paper, you can set up your SimpliSafe system. Whichever sensors you picked will arrive with your Base Station and Keypad. Stick the sensors where they make the most sense — motion sensors guarding the main rooms and hallways, smoke detectors in the kitchen and bedrooms, a water sensor near the water heater. Entry sensors go, as you may guess, at the windows and doors. 

Then plug in the Base Station and stick the Keypad near the front door. It takes most people less than an hour to set everything up, and the batteries in the sensors last for around four years (one year on the Keypad). Should the power ever go out, the Base Station has about eight hours of backup power, protecting your house in a burglar-enticing blackout. 

The sensors are tiny and unobtrusive, everything rounded and smooth — once you've put them up, it all just fades into the background, silently monitoring, around the clock. All that in exchange for an hour of effort (and ten minutes of shopping) on your part. Far less scary than a home security salesman, and way safer than just betting your home will stay safe.