What Cameras Will Work With The Simplisafe System

Our Favorite Systems for Habitation Automation

Batten down the hatches… with your voice? You heard information technology here first — the best home security systems offer hands-free voice control using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With SimpliSafe, we were able to arm and disarm our arrangement with our voice, and connect tertiary-party smart devices to automate our life. So if yous desire to ready smart lights and thermostats in your home, or any number of other smart products, then SimpliSafe is worth a closer look.

SimpliSafe Habitation Automation Lock

SimpliSafe Works With:

• Google Banana
• Amazon Alexa
• Baronial Smart Locks
• Apple Watch (arm/disarm merely)

We recently tested SimpliSafe in-house, and while it probably won't win whatsoever awards for cutting-edge home automations like Vivint, nosotros were all-around impressed and actually pretty surprised by its capabilities and integrations. It works with the biggest names like Amazon Alexa and Google Home. But did y'all know that SimpliSafe also plays well with Apple HomeKit, Apple Watch, and August smart locks? And fingers crossed that it'll presently work with IFTTT.

Let'due south notice out if SimpliSafe is worth the investment for tech-heads and smart domicile aficionados… or, if information technology'southward amend for folks looking for easy automation.

Outset Things Get-go, A SimpliSafe Subscription

Before we dive into SimpliSafe's dwelling automations, it'southward worth mentioning that y'all'll need to sign up with SimpliSafe monitoring to access smart features. SimpliSafe has two different subscription plans: Standard and Interactive, priced at $17.99 and $27.99 per month respectively. You'll have to bound for the Interactive plan if you want smart home integrations — but continue in mind the subscription also includes 24/7 alarm monitoring and video back up.

We went with the Interactive program, and we must say, we were quite happy with the features and benefits. Note that a month-to-month subscription is par for the class. If y'all want smart dwelling house automation and security camera recordings, you almost always have to sign up with a subscription service. Information technology's how the manufacture works. Thankfully, SimpliSafe's no-contract plan comes with smartphone controls, which allowed usa to control all of our smart features remotely straight from the SimpliSafe app. Pretty prissy!

Simple Automations

Nosotros should say that SimpliSafe excels in the ease-of-use department ('simple' is in the name!). Of course, this means you lot won't become avant-garde features like AI or geofencing, only sometimes easy does information technology. We think SimpliSafe is a great DIY system for folks but looking to dip their toes in the dwelling house automation waters, but at the same time don't desire to complicate things.

So if you're not super-comfortable with new tech, SimpliSafe might exist just what you're looking for. Without further ado, let'due south notice out what smart features and integrations SimpliSafe offers these days.

Here'southward a quick reference guide that shows which home automation platforms SimpliSafe integrates with. Go along in mind that SimpliSafe might add together compatibility with IFTTT, Z-Moving ridge, and others in the coming months or years. As consumers ourselves, we'd love to meet it. That said, we even so call back they offer a pretty good lineup of smart features.

SimpliSafe Automation	SimpliSafe Standard Plan	SimpliSafe Interactive Plan
Amazon Alexa	No	Yes
Google Assistant	No	Yes
Apple Lookout man	Yes	Yeah
August Smart Locks	No	Yes
IFTTT	No	No
Z-Wave	No	No
Zigbee	No	No

Google Nest Integration

We're all the same getting used to calling Google Abode by its new proper name: Google Nest. Call information technology what you volition — SimpliSafe works with it. When you link SimpliSafe to Google Nest, you can say things like "Hey Google, am I protected?" or "Hey Google, arm SimpliSafe to abroad." If you lot've yet to experience it, we call back you'll get a boot out of hands-costless vocalization control.

We didn't test this ourselves (we're Alexa fans), but nosotros've heard it'south shine sailing. The new Nest Hub Max is another product that shows a lot of promise. This all-in-one smart home brandish allows yous to pull upward your SimpliCam's alive video stream right on the screen. Put this fancy tablet on your kitchen island and your friends and fam volition definitely accept note.

Pro Tip: Not a fan of SimpliSafe's security cameras? With SimpliSafe'southward Google Nest integration, you can opt to use Nest Cams instead, and while Nest Cams don't work with SimpliSafe directly, y'all tin command SimpliSafe and Nest Cams together using your Google Nest smart speaker or display.

Finally, although we're partial to Alexa, we volition say that Nest smart speakers offer ameliorate sound quality (bump that bass!) compared to Alexa-devices like the Echo Dot. Even the Google Home Mini packs a punch, despite its small stature.

SimpliSafe Works With Alexa

As mentioned, nosotros're large fans of Amazon Alexa and the way it works with SimpliSafe. It'south probably the most pop voice assistant, and we appreciated how easy the integration was to get started. All we had to do was enable the SimpliSafe Alexa skill on our Echo Dot and Echo Show, and so run through the step-past-step integration instructions. Within a few minutes nosotros were commanding Alexa to arm and disarm our system, lock our front door, and show our alive stream video on the modern smart display, which is pretty like to the Nest Hub Max.

If it works in your upkeep, we highly recommend going with the Amazon Echo Show to actually modernize your organization. You can become similar touchscreen functionality from brands like ADT and Vivint, only information technology's probably going to cost y'all a lot more with those premium brands. And then you can think of SimpliSafe plus an Echo Show like an affordable workaround to enjoying a modernized touchscreen organisation. Your pocketbook will certainly give thanks you.

You should also know that SimpliSafe and Alexa work great with the Arlo Pro 3 cameras. Integrate this into your SimpliSafe security organization and we think you lot'll similar the extra layer of security you become. We'd also recommend looking into Band's home security cameras. Of course, since Ring is owned by Amazon, you tin can bet their indoor, outdoor, and doorbell cameras work seamlessly with Amazon'southward Alexa. In fact, SimpliSafe + Ring Cams is our become-to setup.

Admission SimpliSafe App on Apple tree Watch

The Apple Scout puts your home security commands correct on your wrist. And so permit'due south say you've gone out for dinner merely forgot to arm your house — you lot tin can admission your SimpliSafe app on your Apple tree Watch to secure your dwelling house. Your tablemates volition think they've stepped into the future.

With that said, more and more home security companies are partnering with Apple for this nifty new integration. And then information technology's nothing all that unique to SimpliSafe.

SimpliSafe and Baronial Smart Locks

August Smart Locks is our top choice for electronic door locks that you tin control from pretty much anywhere. Combine Baronial with SimpliSafe and a vox banana like Alexa and you're living the good life. Only say "Alexa, lock my front door," and you can keep binging the latest Netflix du jour and never even take to get up. This is ane SimpliSafe automation that'due south a must-accept.

Note that August makes several unlike smart locks that work with SimpliSafe, but we're really liking the new Wi-Fi Smart Lock. At $249.99, information technology's not cheap, simply it'll allow you to remotely lock and unlock your door, keep tabs on your door status, hand out virtual keys, and lots more than. Of course, August works with Google Home (er, Google Nest) as well.

SimpliSafe and SmartThings… It'due south Complicated

Samsung SmartThings is like shooting fish in a barrel-peezy, just the SmartThings-to-SimpliSafe integration is another story. There's a back-door way of integrating your SimpliSafe arrangement with SmartThings, just we don't really recommend it. It can get pretty complicated. So if you're a SmartThings user, y'all should wait until SimpliSafe unveils this integration, which we think is coming soon (fingers crossed).

And nosotros hope it comes presently! We've seen the power of SmartThings in systems similar ADT. In fact, some ADT Security packages come up with this smart platform integrated right into the hub. Smart lighting, doorbells, thermostats, door locks — you can manage it all via SmartThings right from ADT's affect screen panel. Only again, if you're looking for SmartThings connectivity with SimpliSafe, patience is a virtue.

SimpliSafe and IFTTT

You might know that IFTTT stands for "If This, Then That." Information technology'southward a large role player in the smart home automation marketplace. Unfortunately, we plant that SimpliSafe doesn't offer this integration; not however anyway. In one case the company integrates with IFTTT (over again, fingers crossed), yous'll be able to configure "recipes" that tin can turn on your Hue smart lights when SimpliSafe is disarmed, lock your August door lock when your alarm is tripped, and other helpful automations.

With that said, if y'all run third-party devices that happen to work with both systems, you lot might find a way to access IFTTT recipes with SimpliSafe. Notwithstanding, the company has not yet shown its manus on whether it plans to integrate IFTTT into its security platform. So proceed a scout! And we'll keep you updated here.

Final Thoughts On SimpliSafe Habitation Automation

Nosotros say it like it is around here. And we must say that SimpliSafe could stand to exist more "intelligent" when it comes to abode automation. That is, we wish their systems worked with third-political party platforms like Z-Wave and Zigbee, IFTTT, and others.

SimpliSafe – Yard Sign

Only and so once more, SimpliSafe does play extremely well with Amazon'south Alexa, Google Nest, and Apple HomeKit (although not natively). And if y'all're sporting an Apple Watch, nosotros think you'll really like that integration. (Arming your security system from your scout is something straight out of a James Bond picture.)

To sum things upward, we recollect SimpliSafe offers just enough dwelling automations to keep nigh folks happy. It's not our best-rated home security arrangement past accident; and so if you're looking for all-around value and affordability, we'd recommend giving SimpliSafe a try.

To accept information technology a step farther, if you lot have the budget, we recommend integrating an Amazon Alexa Testify, forth with Hue smart lights, an August smart lock, and a couple Ring Stick Up Cams for skillful measure. This combination of products volition keep you and your family unit smart and condom without lifting a finger.

Source: https://www.safehome.org/security-systems/simplisafe/automation/

Posted by: morrisondervants71.blogspot.com

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