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SimpliSafe is a Boston-based company, with home security systems that only work in the US and UK. Founded in 2006, SimpliSafe is one of the newer companies in the market, but has gained customer trust in its short lifespan. It offers eight different security packages and caters for a variety of home sizes.
We’ve considered the cost of SimpliSafe’s systems and compared this to home size in order to work out which products offer value for money.
Rating: ★★★★
SimpliSafe has eight different home security packages available, with two monthly plan options – Pro and Premium Pro. Its monthly plans give homeowners access to security features such as live streaming, police dispatch and the ability to arm and disarm the system through the SimpliSafe app, all of which can be actioned while away from home.
The company offers a broad range of prices for its four- to 13-piece kits, with the latter being the most expensive. The indoor and outdoor cameras included in its packages offer digital zoom, full colour and high-definition video.
Our Independent Advisor experts have researched and tested each home security system in order to provide fair, impartial and accurate recommendations. We compare products, features, quality and cost alongside what others in the industry say and how customers have also reviewed their experiences.
Our reviews are determined by the following categories:
We examine 35 elements within these categories, including:
All of our home security articles are verified by our in-house team of fact-checkers, to give consumers the knowledge they need to make an informed, up-to-date and confident decision. For more information, read our article on how we review home security systems.
Smart home security systems are connected to the internet, allowing the homeowner to view live footage from a mobile app. This type of system usually includes a high-resolution camera, whereas traditional security systems rely mostly on infrared image formation and detection. The ability to arm, disarm and monitor your home alarm from anywhere at any time using your smartphone is one of the main benefits of installing a smart home security system.
SimpliSafe is still relatively new to the world of home security systems, but in such a short space of time has managed to disrupt the marketplace its competitors ADT, Vivint and Frontspace have dominated.
SimpliSafe’s low-cost systems have propelled its popularity, coupled with easy-to-install systems and the fact that all of its equipment goes through rigorous quality checks.
| Product | Equipment cost | Monthly fee | Power outage backup | Mobile phone backup | Live streaming | Push alerts | Remotely arm/disarm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SimpliSafe | £284.96 to £654.87 | From £15.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ADT | Bespoke | From £35.99 | 24 hours | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ring | From £219.99 | From £3.49 | 24 hours | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Abode | £294.99 | From £7.99 | 5 hours | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Yale | From £142.50 | Free | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
SimpliSafe is one of the most affordable home security systems currently on the market. Once the system is installed you won’t need to pay a monthly fee – provided you don’t mind monitoring the system yourself. Should you opt for a monthly contract, you’ll benefit from the SimpliSafe team monitoring your home remotely.
SimpliSafe offers a variety of systems, including The Foundation, The Starter, The Essentials, The Tower, The Warwick, The Windsor, The Bamburgh and The Edinburgh.
| Package name | Price | Entry sensor | Motion sensor | Water sensor | Temperature sensor | Indoor camera | Ourdoor camera | Key fob | Base station | Keypad | Wireless siren | Glassbreak sensor | Panic button |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Essentials | £344.93 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Starter | £314.95 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Foundation | £284.96 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Tower | £509.93 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Warwick | £399.89 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Windsor | £489.86 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| The Bamburgh | £544.87 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| The Edingburgh | £654.87 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
With all of SimpliSafe’s home security packages, there are two monthly plan options to choose from – Pro and Pro Premium – with the latter offering more features.
| Monthly plan name | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | £15.99/m | 24/7 live alarm monitoring, 24/7 flood and extreme temperature monitoring, cellular connection |
| Pro Premium | £27.99/m | 24/7 live alarm monitoring, 24/7 flood and extreme temperature monitoring, cellular connection, police and fire dispatch, 24/7 guard response, unlimited camera recording, video alarm verification, premium extended warranty |
SimpliSafe security systems range from four- to 13-piece systems and the company has a wide array of different equipment available. To figure out which type of system would suit your home, you’ll need to first understand what each piece of equipment does and whether it is relevant to your home.
Home security systems consist of a number of different important pieces of equipment, such as indoor and outdoor cameras and sensors. Here’s an overview of how they function.
An entry sensor is installed on every type of door or window in the home. It consists of two parts – a magnet and a sensor. The magnet is installed on windows and doors and the sensor is attached to the frame – the magnet can be placed up to two inches from the sensor. The sensor detects whenever the magnet moves more than two inches away from it, so it knows when a window or door opens.
SimpliSafe says its motion sensors have been engineered to detect intruders, not pets. They do this by detecting the unique heat signature of people and won’t detect cats and dogs weighing under 23kg. The sensor is shaped into a stand, which will fit on a wall or in the corner of a room for maximum coverage – 30 feet with a 90-degree field of vision. You can set it to be active only in away mode, ensuring you won’t trigger the sensor while at home.
SimpliSafe’s water sensor works to protect and alert you in the event of a flood, which is the most common home insurance claim. When actioned, your Water Sensor will send an audible alarm, notifying you in the SimpliSafe app. Ideally, it should be placed near major plumbing to detect breaks, or in the attic to detect a leaky roof.
The temperature sensor triggers an alarm and notifies you in the app if the temperature falls below 5C. SimpliSafe’s alarm monitoring plans give you the option to receive a phone call in the event of a freeze alarm and access to hourly readings.
The Base Station is where you can locate and control all of your sensors – it’s what makes SimpliSafe one of the easiest systems to set up. Straight from the box, plug in the Base Station and you’ll be connected via cellular technology (the same as your phone) to a 24/7 alarm monitoring system via a SIM card that is activated when you sign up to SimpliSafe’s alarm monitoring service.
SimpliSafe’s indoor camera is a smart security camera offering 1080p HD video quality, night vision, two-way audio and a 120-degree field of view. Its wired connection ensures reliable connectivity and it comes with a privacy shutter, giving you control over when the camera is watching.
The wireless outdoor camera provides HD security footage in colour day or night. It has an ultra-wide 140-degree field of view and eight times digital zoom. During low light conditions, the camera’s motion-activated spotlight switches on so you can see anyone in view.
The keypad will send alerts via SimpliSafe’s app in the unfortunate event you’ve left a window or door open while away from home. It knows exactly which door or window has been left open, and even if an intruder smashes the keypad, your system will still alert the authorities.
SimpliSafe systems can be armed and disarmed with the push of a button using the key fob. You can set your alarm to away after leaving your home, then press off to disarm it on your return. There’s also a handy panic button, which alerts the emergency monitoring centre.
SimpliSafe offers a variety of home security systems, with varying system sizes. Although the company has not been around for as long as some of its competitors, it does receive excellent customer feedback.
The company currently has a 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot with 5,288 reviews – 79 per cent of those being five-star rated. On Amazon, SimpliSafe has four stars for most of its products, which means customers are pleased with the systems they have received. Overall, the company is praised for its customer service and easy installation.
“Impressive build quality on the parts (sensors, etc). [It was] extremely easy to install. [I] felt a little dubious with the sticky-back, as I’ve had the experience of stuff just falling off walls/objects, but whatever they use on these is very very sturdy. Granted, I used the included screws where possible, but some are up purely with the adhesive pre-applied.”
“I spoke with Kadeer. He was very helpful in talking me through the process and in recommending the products I would need for my house. At this point of the journey with SimpliSafe, I am very happy with the service and hope the system itself is as good!”
“I’ve been researching home security for a while and finally decided on SimpliSafe. I am very impressed. It was easy to set up (and I’m a technophobe!). The telephone support was brilliant and if I ever move I can take it all with me. I love that you can add on items at a later date too, so I’ll buy and add more to the sales. You won’t be disappointed.”
The SimpliSafe app is downloadable through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It allows users to control their security system from anywhere in the world. You can alarm and disarm your security system remotely, as well.
With a monitoring plan, you can:
SimpliSafe home security packages range from four- to 13-piece kits and touch varying price points, with the larger kits costing more. We’ve spent hundreds of hours researching and comparing SimpliSafe’s home security kits to find out which ones are worth considering.
According to our research, we recommend homeowners purchase a kit based on house size, which is why we’ve picked The Essentials Package for small and medium homes, The Windsor Package for larger homes and The Edinburgh Package for frequently vacant homes.
For small and medium homes, it’s best to avoid any extras that may not be used due to the size of your home; this way, you can ensure good value for money. Medium homes, generally speaking, require a minimum of seven pieces in their home security kit, consisting of enough entry sensors to cover both front and back doors, as well as a motion sensor for the front door. This makes the SimpliSafe Essentials Package ideal for both small and medium-sized homes.
In the Essentials Package, there are three entry sensors and one motion sensor, which means once the base station is plugged in, the system is ready to go with no need to purchase extra components.
It also comes with one indoor camera, which comes with a reliable wired connection. The camera is equipped with two-way audio and a feature to switch this off for privacy.
With The Essentials Package, there’s an option to sign up for Pro and Pro Premium plans, and you can tailor these plans to suit your needs. This is great for smaller homes since some features like the 24/7 security specialists monitoring.
| Reputation | ★★★★★ |
| Security and performance | ★★★★ |
| Features | ★★★½ |
| Plans and pricing | ★★★★ |
| Customer experience | ★★½ |
| Overall | ★★★★ |
SimpliSafe’s The Windsor Package offers full home protection and comes with 11 pieces as standard. With five entry sensors, larger homes should in theory have enough sensors to spread throughout their home.
SimpliSafe also recommends this product for larger homes, and one of the features our reviewers really liked about this home security kit is its weatherproof external siren, which alerts homeowners in the event of an intruder. Most of SimpliSafe’s packages don’t include this piece as standard, but it’s an ideal piece of equipment for larger homes.
We also found the keypad was an advantageous feature for larger homes, as it gives homeowners complete control even when they’re not at home. This pairs well with the key fob, which includes a panic button – a must for larger homes that may be more of a target for intruders, the panic button alerts the emergency monitoring team immediately in the event of a break-in.
| Reputation | ★★★★★ |
| Security and performance | ★★★★½ |
| Features | ★★★½ |
| Plans and pricing | ★★★½ |
| Customer experience | ★★½ |
| Overall | ★★★★ |
The Edinburgh Package is the most comprehensive home security package SimpliSafe offers, which includes 13 pieces of equipment. It’s also the most expensive option available, but it is good value for money.
This package is ideal for holiday homes or homes that are frequently vacant. One of the main components our reviewers looked for when choosing a package that was right for frequently vacant homes was the inclusion of a water sensor. This alerts homeowners in the event of a flood or leaky roof.
An outdoor camera was also a must for homes not consistently lived in. This gives homeowners full-colour footage of the outside of their house day or night. This can be viewed from SimpliSafe’s app, and the battery can last up to six months.
The Edinburgh Package comes with two motion sensors, unlike some of SimpliSafe’s smaller packages that only come with one. If homeowners will be away for extended periods of time, it’s ideal to install a home security system that gives a good level of peace of mind. With two motion sensors, you could cover both the upstairs and downstairs of your property, which is advisable if you will be away from home frequently.
| Reputation | ★★★★★ |
| Security and performance | ★★★★½ |
| Features | ★★★½ |
| Plans and pricing | ★★★½ |
| Customer experience | ★★½ |
| Overall | ★★★★ |
SimpliSafe offers a wide range of equipment within its home security systems, from indoor and outdoor cameras to entry, water, and temperature sensors. There are also eight different packages to choose from, with each package being suitable for different-sized homes and coming with varying pieces of equipment.
SimpliSafe is one of the more affordable home security providers, with options to purchase one of two monthly plans – Pro and Premium Pro. Homeowners can keep costs down by installing the system themselves, which many customer reviews on Trustpilot praise the company for.
Overall, SimpliSafe offers a good level of security across all of its packages and there are options to customise them to suit your home’s requirements. However, without signing up for one of its monthly plans you won’t be able to take advantage of features such as arm and disarm, police dispatch and viewing live footage.
SimpliSafe is a good choice of home security system, with lots of features included in its packages and some excellent customer reviews, but we recommend opting into a monthly plan to reap the full benefits.
| Reputation | ★★★★★ |
| Security and performance | ★★★★½ |
| Features | ★★★½ |
| Plans and pricing | ★★★½ |
| Customer experience | ★★½ |
| Overall | ★★★★ |
SimpliSafe offers a wide range of packages at affordable prices, with your choice of a monthly plan. While its systems offer a good level of security, to benefit from professional monitoring you’ll need to opt into a monthly plan to view live footage, arm and disarm when away from home and police dispatch.
Installing a home security system comes with a lot of benefits, and it is worth it if you’re looking to secure your home and have peace of mind. You should first determine the level of risk that your home faces, and compare this to which type of system you need. The more pieces of equipment you require in your system, the higher the price will be. By only installing what you need and will use, you can keep costs down.
Security systems touch various price points and start at very affordable prices for homeowners. Generally, the larger your home, the more pieces of equipment you’ll need to protect it, and this will inevitably drive the cost up. It’s best to assess your level of risk and compare that to various packages to determine which one is right for your home.
SimpliSafe systems have a wide price range depending on the system you choose – the cheapest starting cost is £284.96. There is also an option to sign up for a monthly plan for professional monitoring, which costs £15.99 for Pro and £27.99 for Pro Premium.
