Cameras

SimpliCam® Wired Indoor Camera was built with a stainless steel privacy shutter to give you complete control over your privacy. The privacy shutter closes to physically cover the lens.

The shutter by default will be closed in Home mode and when the system is Off. It will be open in Away mode while streaming video and under certain other circumstances. You can change these settings at any time under Camera Settings > SimpliCam® > Camera Behavior within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

The Video Doorbell Pro is equipped with a PIR sensor that allows it to detect contrasting changes in the scenery, while using AI to process the images to determine if a motion alert is needed.

The amount of motion alerts you receive can be adjusted through the SimpliSafe® Mobile App and Online Account Settings. There you can adjust the sensitivity to High, Medium, or Low. This will affect how much motion, and what sized objects will trigger a motion alert from your camera.

• High sensitivity will give you more frequent motion alerts

• Medium sensitivity is the default setting. You will receive a normal amount of notifications when using this setting

• Low sensitivity will give you fewer motion alerts

*Note, disabling motion alert notifications for your SimpliSafe® system will not turn off doorbell-press notifications.

You can change your settings in the mobile or web app using the steps below.

SimpliSafe® Mobile App

1. Open the SimpliSafe® App on your phone or tablet

2. Select the Cameras tab from the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen

3. Tap on the gear icon for Camera Settings in the upper right corner of the app

4. Select your Video Doorbell Pro from the list of Cameras

5. Choose Motion Detection

6. Adjust the sensitivity sliders, as needed

7. Once done, select Save in the upper right corner to save your selections

SimpliSafe® Online Account

1. Log into your SimpliSafe® Online Account using the browser of your choice

1. If you manage multiple properties, choose the location you wish to update from the list by clicking on the Base Station Serial Number or Property Address

2. Select Devices from the left hand navigation menu

3. Click on your Video Doorbell Pro from the list of Cameras

4. A pop up menu will appear to the right hand side of the screen

5. Adjust the sensitivity slider, as needed

6. Once done, choose Save Changes from the bottom of the pop up to save your selections

If your Video Doorbell Pro is angled towards a high-traffic area, you may be able to resolve excessive motion events by adjusting the angle using the vertical angle bracket that was included in the box. If you require the ability to adjust your camera’s angle horizontally (side to side), a horizontal angle bracket can do the trick. Our Support team can send you a Doorbell Angle Kit - free of charge!

This article will walk you through various scenarios where Wi-Fi troubleshooting may be needed to connect to and stream from your Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera. You can scroll through the article, or click on one of the sections below to be taken directly to those steps:

• Trouble Connecting to Wi-Fi

• Red LED During Setup

• 'Connecting' Screen Times Out

• Poor Connectivity or Live Stream Quality

Trouble Connecting To Wi-Fi

You’ll want to make sure that you are connecting to a 2.4GHz (802.11b/g/n) network, as the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera can only connect to this network type. The indoor camera is not compatible with 5GHz networks. If your network shows up on the list of available Wi-Fi networks to connect to on the App, it is 2.4GHz compatible. For the best results, we recommend connecting to the same Wi-Fi network as your Base Station and having all of the devices within a short distance of each other if you are having trouble with the Finish Setup step.

Next, let’s test the Base Station connectivity. From the Keypad, establish a fresh connection between your Base Station and network by re-entering your Wi-Fi password. You’ll do this by going to Menu > Entering your Primary PIN > System Settings > Wi-Fi > Edit Network. Then confirm the connection was successful by accessing System Settings > Diagnostics > Wi-Fi and look for Internet: Reachable. If the test was unsuccessful, please check your router’s settings to confirm that it is working properly for other devices on your network.

If the Base Station test was successful, please try the following to reset your camera.

1. Press the tiny pinhole button down on the Smart Alarm camera for 1 second. This should do a soft reset on the camera

1. The small pinhole button can be found behind the larger setup button on top of the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera

2. Try the Finish Setup flow again by going to the Cameras tab, tapping on the camera you were setting up, and selecting Finish Setup.

   1. If the camera fails to set up when clicking Finish Setup, please remove the camera from your system using the Keypad

3. If the camera still will not add, hold down the larger pairing button on the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera for 10-20 seconds, or until it chimes and starts blinking white. This will factory reset the camera

4. Begin the device setup flow from the very beginning using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

Red LED During Setup

A solid red LED on your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera during setup may indicate that the camera is too far from the Base Station. Please move the camera closer to the Base Station to complete the setup.

‘Connecting’ Screen Times Out

If you’re connecting your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera to the same network as your Base Station and the ‘Connecting’ screen times out or fails, we recommend attempting to connect one more time.  

If that fails, exit the app and press the pinhole reset button on the top of the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera (the pinhole reset button can be found behind the larger setup button on top of the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera). Then return to the app, and on the Cameras page, find the camera you began to set up and finish the setup.  

Poor Connectivity Or Live Stream Quality

We recommend performing a connection check for your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera in the SimpliSafe® App. You can find this using the following steps:

1. Open the SimpliSafe® app on your phone or tablet

2. Select the Cameras tab from the bottom navigation bar

3. Choose the gear icon for Camera Settings in the upper right corner of the app

4. Tap on your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera

5. Scroll down and choose ‘Connection Check’

6. Then, run the Connection Check by tapping on the ‘Start Connection Check’ button

You’ll want to ensure that your results meet our Wi-Fi requirements for cameras. 

You can try moving the camera closer to your router to see if this helps your connectivity to see if that improves the connection speeds or alternatively, you can reduce the Picture Quality for your camera to use less bandwidth. To lower the Picture Quality, go to:

1. Open the SimpliSafe® app on your phone or tablet

2. Select the Camera tab from the bottom navigation bar

3. Choose the gear icon for Camera Settings in the upper right corner of the app

4. Tap on your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera

5. Scroll down and select Video Quality

6. Choose a new resolution

7. Test your camera feed afterward to see if the performance has improved

If your Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera encounters an error that can’t be fixed through normal troubleshooting, resetting the camera to its factory settings may help.

Step 1: Remove the Camera From Your System

To reset your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera, we first recommend that you remove your camera from your system, if applicable. You can remove your camera from within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App using the following steps:

1. Go to the Cameras tab at the bottom of the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

2. Tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the app for Camera Settings

3. Select your camera

4. Choose 'Remove Camera' at the bottom of the screen

5. Tap 'Yes' to remove the camera from your system

If you are seeing an error message within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App that says Unfinished Setup, you’ll need to remove this camera from the Keypad before proceeding.

1. Press the Menu button on your Keypad

2. Enter your Primary PIN

3. Scroll to devices and press Open on the right

4. Scroll down and locate the camera in question

5. Select your camera by pressing the arrow to the right

6. Choose Remove by pressing the arrow to the right to delete this camera from your system

Step 2: Resetting Your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera

After your camera has been removed from your system (if applicable) you can now reset the camera.

1. Press the tiny pinhole button on the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera for 2 seconds using a small item like the tip of a pen or a paperclip

1. The pinhole reset is located behind the setup button on the top of the camera (see image below)
   

2. Press and hold the Setup Button (the larger button on top of the camera) until the camera chimes, or about ~30 seconds.

1. Your camera should return to a flashing white status after performing this step. If there is no light at all, we recommend charging the battery and repeating these steps again at a later time

3. Once the camera is flashing white again, you can start the installation process for your Smart Alarm indoor Camera again within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App

Still Need Help?

If the status light on the front of the camera does not flash white and the battery has been fully charged, please contact our support team for additional troubleshooting.

The Outdoor Camera and Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera are battery-powered cameras that can help you monitor your home, even when you’re away. Keeping the batteries charged ensures that your cameras will keep a watchful eye inside, and outside of your home.

Checking the Battery Status on the SimpliSafe® App:

1. Open the SimpliSafe® App on your phone or tablet

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. The battery indicator will be displayed to the right of each camera

1. For iOS users, tap into the camera you wish to see the battery percentage for

1. Once on your specific camera’s settings page, you’ll see the exact percentage that your battery is charged.

2. Android users will not be able to see a percentage in the mobile app, however, you can log in to your Online Account with the steps below to see the exact percentage

Checking the Battery Status on the SimpliSafe® Online Account:

1. Log into your SimpliSafe® Online Account using the browser of your choice

2. Choose Devices from the left-hand navigation menu

3. Under Cameras, you’ll be able to see your available Cameras and the percentage that the battery is at

If you are using a solar panel with your Outdoor Camera, the battery will show a charging symbol when it is actively charging.

If you are using a power adapter to leave the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera plugged into an outlet, you will always see a charging symbol on the battery indicator.

TIP: You can maximize your battery life for your cameras by adjusting your camera settings within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.​

Our Cameras have a wide field of view to maximize coverage inside and outside of your home. If you find that your camera is not detecting people or motion, there are a few steps you can take to improve its’ functionality. 

For the Outdoor Camera, Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera, and Video Doorbell Pro, you have three options for controlling motion detection:

• Sensitivity for Motion Detection

• Motion Type

• Activity Zones

To note, SimpliCam Wired Indoor Camera only allows you to control Sensitivity for Motion Detection.

Sensitivity

The sensitivity allows you to control how precise the camera is at detecting motion. We generally recommend setting this to medium for most homes.

Motion Type

This allows you to choose between tracking all motion, and people only. For the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera, we recommend setting this to People Only, especially if you have pets within your home.

Activity Zones

This allows you to configure your camera to track motion within a certain parameter or exclude tracking it for other areas such as a busy street or sidewalk.

To improve motion detection, open the SimpliSafe® Mobile App and follow these steps:

1. Choose the Cameras tab at the bottom of the app

2. Tap on the Gear Icon in the upper right corner to go to Camera Settings

3. Select your Camera

4. Tap on Motion Detection

On this screen, you’ll be presented with the option to adjust the sensitivity, motion type, and even set activity zones, depending on your camera.

Still Need Help?

If your camera is still not detecting people, we recommend resetting it. You can find the steps to reset each of our SimpliSafe® cameras in the Help Center articles below:

• How to Reset the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera

• How to Reset the Wireless Outdoor Security Camera

• How to Reset the SimpliCam® Wired Indoor Security Camera

• How to Reset the Video Doorbell Pro

If your camera had previously been set up but is now failing to connect to your Wi-Fi network, the Connection Check tool in the SimpliSafe® mobile app will tell you if there are any issues between your network and camera.

How to Run a Connection Check:

1. Open the SimpliSafe® mobile app

2. Tap on the Cameras tab on the bottom of the screen

3. Select the gear icon in the upper right corner to get to Camera Settings

4. Choose your camera

5. Select Connection Check and follow the on-screen instructions to test your signal strength and upload speeds

Using your results, you can improve your camera’s connection with the tips below.

Camera Wi-Fi Requirements:

• Signal strength should be above -55dBm. A lower number means a weaker connection between your camera and Wi-Fi router.

  • If you have a low signal strength, try troubleshooting your Wi-Fi network

• Upload speeds need to be above 2Mpbs

  • If your upload speed is below 2Mbps, you may need to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to upgrade your Internet package.

  • If your upload speed is exactly 2Mbps, you should take these steps to improve your upload speed.