In terms of features, the SimpliSafe outdoor camera is well-rounded—you’ve now got activity zones and motion sensitivity settings that make using the camera a whole lot easier. Its footage is crisp and clear, so you’ll never second-guess whether your neighbor is paying you a visit or a mysterious figure is lurking around your front porch. Not to mention that this is one of the easiest outdoor cameras we’ve ever had to install. But the SimpliSafe outdoor camera isn’t the cheapest camera on the block. And it’s still missing some home automation and storage (without a monitoring plan) features that we’d love to see. Let’s dig into the details and find out if the SimpliSafe outdoor camera is ready to be your eyes in the sky.
A white outdoor camera A magnetic base that fits into the bottom of the camera and secures into the wall mount A wall mount and screws A rechargeable battery A USB cable
Specifically, the lack of motion zones, privacy zones, and options to adjust the motion sensitivity left us feeling a little short-changed considering the cost of the camera. The Arlo Pro 4 also doubles as an indoor camera and comes with smoke and carbon monoxide alarm detectors. On the budget end of the spectrum, the Blink Outdoor camera has a much smaller field of vision than the SimpliSafe outdoor camera. But it comes with adjustable motion zones and up to two privacy zones, which means you can focus on your Halloween candy bucket in case someone decides to get a little greedy. (Hey, it happened to us.) On the other hand, we found SimpliSafe’s outdoor camera video quality blew the Blink Outdoor’s video quality out of the water. Video-verified alarms reduce the chance of false alarms (and the annoyance of clearing up the misunderstanding with police). If an alarm sounds, representatives at SimpliSafe’s monitoring center will look at up to 30 seconds of live footage from your camera. If they spot an intruder, they’ll alert the police on your behalf and provide video evidence. The 24/7 police, fire, and ambulance dispatch is a reassuring feature in case you can’t dial 911 yourself. A built-in cellular connection means your security system is still on the prowl even if your Wi-Fi or phone service goes down. But if those features don’t sound like must-haves to you, you can still go with the Self-Monitoring plan to view live HD footage with smarter motion detection with your outdoor camera.
HD (1080p) video 140-degree field of vision and motion detection up to 30 feet Motion-activated spotlight 80-decibel siren Color night vision Two-way audio Motion alerts SimpliSafe’s “intelligent motion detection algorithm” (with a monitoring plan only) Magnetic base and wall mount Rechargeable battery that lasts 3–6 months (5-hour recharge time) SimpliSafe solar panel compatibility Android or iPhone app controls IP65 water and dust resistance rating
While we weren’t hyped about the lack of features, the SimpliSafe outdoor camera does exceed our expectations when it comes to video quality and ease of installation. This is one feature the SimpliSafe outdoor camera gets right. Its video quality is exceptionally clear. Just check out this view from our test where a visitor approaches our front door: Okay, maybe you won’t see it used for national security purposes, but as far as home security purposes go, its night vision is superb. But the number of notifications we received was off the charts. Thanks to its extremely sensitive motion detection, the camera’s app pinged us more than a jealous ex who might’ve had too much to drink. The camera sent us a notification nudge every time it picked up leaves and bugs flying across its field of vision. Annoying. Not to mention that, despite picking up leaves and insects, it somehow missed a few humans skipping across its line of sight. One workaround we found that might quiet those notifications is to adjust the Motion Detection settings for the camera in the SimpliSafe app. You can change the motion detection sensitivity from low to medium to high and also ask it to detect “All motion” or “People-only” motion.
First, make sure your battery is fully charged (all three lights on the battery should light up) Place your battery in the camera so the three metal dots line up with the three lines—your camera will chime and flash its light when the battery is in the right spot Follow the steps for setting up a camera in the SimpliSafe app Install the mounting plate by sticking it to a magnetic surface or by screwing it into a non-magnetic surface Take the magnetic camera base and twist it into the mounting plate Attach the camera to the magnetic base and you’re ready to go
But if you’re hoping for IFTTT integrations, you might want to check out the Canary Pro (All-in-One) or Arlo Pro 4.
Price: The SimpliSafe outdoor camera isn’t the cheapest option on the block, but it isn’t the most expensive either. The cost for the features you get is all right—you might find more features, like home automation, if you chip in for a more expensive model. Features: We love the camera’s crisp and clear daytime and nighttime video footage. It’s also a breeze to install, both physically and through the SimpliSafe app. Considering the high-ish price, we do wish it had a few more features, like smoke detection and recording storage without a monitoring plan. User experience: Using the SimpliSafe outdoor camera is incredibly easy. We did get swarmed by numerous notifications, but you can adjust the motion detection settings to reduce the number of alerts. Home automation: Alexa? Check. Google Home? Check. All that the SimpliSafe outdoor camera’s missing on the home automation front is IFTTT, Z-Wave, and Zigby.
We also looked at how customizable the settings are in the app, how long the battery lasts, whether the camera needs a hub or wired connection to work, and how well it integrates with smart home assistants like Alexa. But keep in mind, your SimpliSafe camera only stores video footage if you’ve signed up for the Self Monitoring with Camera Recordings or Interactive monitoring plan.
