Your Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 comes with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 3 months, depending on placement or usage. You may also purchase an outdoor power cable to allow your camera to stay awake and active, so that it may enter Performance Mode. This feature allows you to enjoy faster live streams and also begins recording the moment a motion event is observed while AI determines if the event was a person or another object (such as a passing car, a tree blowing in the wind, or an animal).

If you are using SimpliSafe® Active Guard Outdoor Protection, you must plug your Outdoor Camera Series 2 into an outdoor-rated power outlet using the outdoor cable. This is a requirement for the service, as Performance Mode is needed to ensure response times.

If your Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 is enrolled in SimpliSafe® Active Guard Outdoor Protection, some settings will have a “Locked” icon next to them under Camera Settings within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. This is due to the fact these settings are needed for agent intervention during person on property activity and alarm events.

Which Settings are Locked when SimpliSafe® Active Guard Outdoor Protection is enabled?

• Motion Type

• Locked to People Only

• Motion Sensitivity

• Locked to Medium

• Mic & Audio

• Locked ON (Used for agent intervention)

There may be a point where you need to rename a camera for your SimpliSafe® System. Renaming a camera can be done easily through the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, but you can also rename a camera using your Web App. You can select a name from the list of prepopulated names within the SimpliSafe® Mobile app, or choose your own custom name. If using a custom name, we recommend avoiding the use of apostrophes within the camera name - as this can impact the ability to download recordings.

The following article will walk you through these steps for each platform so you can pick whichever one is easiest for you.

SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. Tap on the Camera you wish to edit

5. Press the pencil icon next to your Camera to enter the editor

6. Choose from the list of preset names or select Custom Name to type in your own name

   1. Depending on your device, you may also need to tap SAVE before exiting to save your selections

SimpliSafe® Online Account:

1. Log into your online account using the browser of your choice

   1. Select your property from the list on the Account Overview page, if applicable

2. Choose Devices from the left-hand navigation menu

3. Click on the Camera you wish to edit

4. A pop-up will appear to the right of your browser

5. Select the pencil icon next to your Camera’s name

6. Enter the new name you wish to use in the field

7. Select the check mark when done

8. Be sure to click on Save Changes from the bottom of the pop-up before exiting to save your selection

When your system sounds any burglary alarm, there’s a brief false alarm grace period. If you don’t cancel the alarm within this grace period, it will be handled by a SimpliSafe® Monitoring Agent. 

Once an Agent is handling your alarm, they will begin reviewing your Video Verification recordings and Smart Alarm Indoor Camera streams.

Note: If you cancel your alarm shortly after a Monitoring Agent has begun handling it, the Agent will also disregard the alarm. In these cases, you may not hear from our Monitoring Agents, either over the camera or via phone call.

If the Monitoring Agent sees someone on the premises, they’ll activate 2-way audio on the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera to speak with them. There are several common camera 2-way audio scenarios:

Scenario 1: Person on the premises claims to be an account holder, and has the correct the Safe Word

If the person on the premises says everything is OK, the Monitoring Agent will ask for the location’s Safe Word, in the same manner as they would with a Primary Contact over a phone call. The Agent will disregard the alarm if the safe word is correctly provided.

Scenario 2: Person on the premises claims to be an account holder, and gives an incorrect Safe Word

If the person on the premises gives a Safe Word that is incorrect, the Monitoring Agent will acknowledge receipt of the Safe Word and end the 2-way audio conversation. They will then proceed directly to request police assistance at the location of your system, as is common practice for handling incorrect Safe Words.

Scenario 3: Person on the premises claims to be an expected guest (house/pet-sitter, contractor/maintenance worker, etc.) and does not know the Safe Word

In this scenario, the Monitoring Agent will first ask for the person’s name, and who would expect them to be on the premises. The Monitoring Agent will then ask them to stay in view of the camera, mute the 2-way audio stream, and begin to call the location’s Primary Contacts. If the Primary Contacts are not reachable, the Monitoring Agent will proceed to request assistance from the police. The Agent will then inform the person camera-side of this result.

If the Primary Contacts are reached, one of three things will happen:

1. If the Primary Contact is expecting the person, and gives the correct Safe Word, the Monitoring Agent will disregard the alarm. Before fully clearing the alarm, the Agent will inform the person camera-side that the alarm has been disregarded.

2. If the Primary Contact gives the wrong Safe Word for any reason, the Monitoring Agent will request dispatch from the police immediately, and will NOT say anything further to the person camera-side.

3. If the Primary Contact does NOT think the person should be there, the Monitoring Agent will request dispatch from the police immediately, and will NOT say anything further to the person camera-side.

Scenario 4: Person appears to be an intruder

If the Monitoring Agent determines the person is an intruder (e.g. they are clearly brandishing weapons, destroying property, are unresponsive to initial Monitoring Agent questions, etc.), they’ll immediately request dispatch from police. The Monitoring Agent will tell the person on the premises to leave immediately, as well as that they are being recorded, and that police assistance has been requested. 

Will SimpliSafe® Monitoring Agents Respond This Way For All Types Of Alarms?

In addition to burglary alarms triggered by an Entry, Motion, or Glassbeak sensor, and any Panic button (on the Keypad, Key Fob, or standalone button) configured to the “Audible” setting,) our monitoring agents will also respond to life safety alarms triggered by the Smoke Detector. In the event that a Smoke Detector is triggered, our monitoring agents will make contact with you if you are in view of the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera to determine if you need assistance, or if the alarm was triggered by mistake. 

For Panic alarms with an intruder intervention response, there is no false alarm grace period. You will need to cancel these alarms by giving a monitoring agent your Safe Word, either over the phone or via the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera. For other types of alarms, SimpliSafe® monitoring agents will have access to the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera livestreams, but at this time are not trained to leverage the camera’s 2-way audio in the handling of these alarms.

Does SimpliSafe® Respond Differently Based On My System’s Armed State During Alarms?

No, our response is the same regardless of whether the system is armed in AWAY, HOME, or OFF (in the case of Panic alarms) Mode.

During the onboarding process of your Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera, you’ll have the option to enable intruder intervention as a subscriber to the residential or business Pro Plus, Pro, or Core monitoring plans. This feature is optional, but when paired with Video Verification helps to maximize your professional monitoring coverage inside of your home.

If you wish to enable this feature, or if at some point you wish to turn it off, you can do so at any time from within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Camera Settings

4. At the bottom of this page you’ll see intruder intervention with the option to toggle this on or off

For alarms where intruder intervention* is triggered, our monitoring agents can view the live stream from your Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera.

If our agents see someone in the home, they will activate the 2-way audio on the camera and attempt to speak to that person. When doing so, the agent may ask for the Safe Word or ask that the person leave the premises. If the individual is asked to leave, the agent will request a priority dispatch and inform the intruder that the police are on the way.

If the safe word is provided to the monitoring agent during an alarm, the alarm will be canceled and we will not request dispatch from emergency authorities. If an incorrect Safe Word is provided, the agent will immediately request police dispatch. Primary contact(s) will be contacted if no Safe Word is provided and the person seen in the camera claims to be an authorized guest (e.g. a house-sitter).

*Available with a residential or business subscription to Pro Plus, Pro, or Core monitoring and opted-in to intruder intervention.

Intruder intervention is a way to add advanced protection for your home or business using the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera with your residential or business Pro Plus, Pro, or Core monitoring plan. In the event an alarm is triggered at your system's location, our monitoring agents are able to view the live stream and engage with any potential intruders in real time. During this interaction, the agent may ask for your Safe Word in the event an alarm was triggered by mistake. Providing an incorrect Safe Word will result in an immediate request for dispatch. Whereas if someone is claiming to be an authorized guest (e.g. house-sitter, employee, etc.) our Monitoring Center will attempt to verify the individual with the Primary Contact prior to requesting dispatch. 

During a Fire alarm, we’ll also be able to make contact with you if you are in view of the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera to determine if you need assistance, or if the alarm was triggered by mistake.

After the monitoring agent ends their stream, you’ll receive a timeline event of the recording including what they saw, heard, and said via 2-way audio.

To get these benefits and more, sign up for either the Pro Plus, Pro, or Core residential or business monitoring plan and opt into video verification and intruder intervention via your SimpliSafe® Mobile App today.