Sensors

You can configure your Motion Sensor to detect motion in any system arming state (Off, Home, Away). Depending on how your Motion Sensor is set up, either the entry countdown will begin or the alarm will immediately sound should Instant Trigger be enabled.

False Alarm Causes

Our Motion Sensors have been designed to avoid false alarms. However, if you’ve experienced one, there are a few potential issues that may cause them:

• Direct sunlight hitting the sensor can trigger a false alarm. 

• Heating vents located in the room. If they are located within the sensor’s field of vision, they may cause false alarms. 

• Curtains moving in front of a warm radiator in the sensor's field of view

• Pets that are able to get too close to the sensor. Pets under 60 pounds generally don’t trigger Motion Sensors, but if they get close enough to the sensor (within a few feet), smaller dogs or cats may still be able to trigger it.

• We also recommend avoiding pointing the Motion Sensor at a couch or bed that the dog or cat may jump onto. 

• A bolt of lightning creating a sudden burst of light and heat.

• Open windows that allow the Motion Sensor to pick up on outdoor motion.

• A small insect crawling right in front of it.

• Force that vibrates or moves the sensor, like a strong gust of wind.

Avoiding False Alarm Triggers

Environmental triggers are rare, but they can cause false alarms. Sunlight, lighting, or outdoor motion through your window can be avoided by placing your Motion Sensor in a corner where it will not be directly hit by sunlight throughout the day. 

If you suspect that heating vents may be responsible for false alarms, position your sensor in a part of the room where it will not see the hot or cold air vent. As long as the change in the room’s ambient temperature is gradual, the sensor should not trigger.

For homes with pets, it’s crucial that you enable Pet Mode within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. You can turn this setting on at any time by taking these steps:

1. Open the SimpliSafe® Mobile App and choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

2. Tap on Device Settings

3. Select the Motion Sensor Gen 2 you would like to customize.

4. Under Motion Sensitivity, Select Pet Mode

5. Toggle Pet Mode on

6. Tap Save in the upper right corner to save your selections

Canceling a False Alarm

If an Entry-, Motion-, or Glassbreak-triggered alarm is disarmed within the grace period of the initial alarm signal, our Monitoring Center will consider this a false alarm. That means you will not receive a phone call and a request for emergency services will not be issued.

After the grace period, the Monitoring Center will attempt to reach the Primary Contacts for your system to inform you of the alarm and determine whether or not emergency services are needed. They'll ask for your Safe Word if you wish to cancel the request for dispatch (not send the police). Otherwise, the Monitoring Center will request police dispatch to the location of your system. 

Please note, giving the wrong safeword will result in an immediate request for dispatch and you won't be told you got it wrong to protect anyone who may be under duress. Missing the phone calls to your primary contacts will also result in a request for police dispatch. See our What Happens During the Event of an Alarm? article for more information on what happens during an alarm.

When the system is in an armed state (Home or Away Mode) and an Entry Sensor is triggered, the entry countdown will begin. The entry countdown by default is 30 seconds, however, this can be adjusted at any time within the SimpliSafe® App. If the system is not disarmed before the entry countdown elapses, an alarm will sound. 

If the system is disarmed within moments  of the initial alarm signal, this will be considered a false alarm by our monitoring center. That means you will not receive a phone call or an Alarm Text or Push Notification, and emergency services will not be requested to your location. 

If you receive an alarm text, you’ll have the option to cancel the alarm or request dispatch of emergency services. If you respond to the text with a C during the grace period, you won’t receive a call from our monitoring center. 

If you have alarm push notifications turned on you will get a notification that will take you to our Alarm Screen feature in the SimpliSafe app where you can cancel your alarm or request help with the touch of a button. 

Once cancelled, you can also disarm your system via Alarm Texts by replying back with “Disarm now”. This is not case sensitive, so replying back with “disarm now” will also work. Disarming your system via Alarm Texts is a great way to ensure that subsequent alarms don’t occur while you work to get back to your home or business.

If the alarm is not canceled by any of the above methods within the grace period, the Primary Contacts will receive a call from our monitoring center. During this call you will be required to provide your Safe Word to the agent you speak with to cancel the alarm. Please note that providing the wrong Safe Word, or no Safe Word will result in a request for dispatch. You won’t be told you got it wrong to protect anyone who may be under duress. Additionally, missing the phone calls to your Primary Contacts will also result in a request for emergency services to the location that your system is registered to. 

We encourage you to save the monitoring center number to your phone. That number is 855-693-4911.

Once saved to your phone, you’ll also want to allow us access to bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent Profiles. This allows for Critical Alarm Notifications to get through to you, regardless of your phone’s volume or profile status.

Test Mode is a great way to test the connection between your Base Station and other SimpliSafe® products. We recommend periodically placing your system into Test Mode to ensure that your devices are still communicating with the Base Station without any errors. 

Placing Your System Into Test Mode

1. Disarm your system by pressing OFF on the Keypad

2. Press the Menu button on your Keypad

3. Enter your Master PIN

4. Scroll until Test Mode is highlighted

5. Use the right arrow key to enter Test Mode

You’ll know you are in Test Mode when you see a circle on the Keypad appear with the text, “Test each device by pressing its button”.

Note: If you subscribe to monitoring, you will receive an automated call from the monitoring center asking you to confirm you placed your system into Test Mode. If you do not answer – no worries! A voicemail will be left to alert you to the system test, and it will not result in a request for dispatch.

Testing the Temperature Sensor

To test the Temperature Sensor, press the button on the top of the Temperature Sensor. You’ll hear the Base Station announce “Freeze Sensor” to confirm the test was successful. 

Once you are done testing the Temperature Sensor, press the left arrow key on the Keypad’s screen to exit Test Mode.

Troubleshooting the Temperature Sensor

If you are testing your Temperature Sensor and do not hear the Base Station announce “Freeze Sensor”, the first thing you’ll want to do is confirm you can hear the Base Station from the location you’re testing in. You can adjust the Base Station’s volume under the Base Station Settings menu, by selecting Voice Prompts.

As a next step, you’ll want to confirm that the Temperature Sensor's battery is functioning. The Temperature Sensor takes a single Duracell CR-2032 Lithium 3V battery and has a life expectancy of up to 5 years depending on placement and usage.

If you are still unable to hear the Base Station announce “Freeze Sensor”, it’s possible that there could be an issue with the location of the Base Station, or there is Radio Frequency (RF) interference at play.

Other electronic devices within your home may communicate on similar frequencies, resulting in wireless interference between your SimpliSafe® devices. Because of this, we recommend keeping your Base Station and Temperature Sensor at least 3-5 feet away from the following devices:

• Wi-Fi Routers

• Large TVs

• Weather Stations

• Large Appliances (especially in the kitchen and laundry rooms)

• Baby monitors

• Remote Controlled Garage Door Openers

• LED Lights or Christmas Lights

This above list is to give you an idea of what devices may cause interference within your home, and is in no means an exhaustive list of all devices. There may be other devices that output RF or Wi-Fi signals that could impede the connection between your Base Station and SimpliSafe® devices.

Still Need Help?

If your Temperature Sensor is still not responding in Test Mode after taking the above steps, reach out to our support team for further assistance.

The warning ‘Sensor Not Responding’ for a Glassbreak Sensor can be caused by a couple of things, including a low battery or a weak connection between the device and the Base Station.

As a first step, we recommend ensuring that the battery is correctly installed. To do this:

1. Slide the sensor off its bracket by pushing it towards the wall and up

2. Remove the battery from the Glassbreak Sensor

3. Wait 15 seconds, then reinstall the battery again

4. Then, test the Glassbreak Sensor by placing your system into Test Mode using your Keypad.

1. Menu > Enter Master PIN > Test Mode

5. Press and release the button on the Glassbreak Sensor. The Base Station should announce “Glassbreak Sensor” and the timeline should show “Glassbreak Sensor Test” on the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

1. If you do not hear the Base Station respond, the battery within the Glassbreak Sensor may need to be replaced.

1. The Glassbreak Sensor takes a single Duracell CR-123A Lithium 3V battery. To replace the battery, slide the sensor up and off its bracket to expose the battery compartment.

If you have replaced the battery and are still encountering the ‘Sensor Not Responding’ error, it likely is the result of a weak connection to the Base Station. A weak connection to the Base Station can often be caused by something environmental, like brick walls or dense home construction. 

To test this, temporarily move the Glassbreak Sensor closer to the Base Station and see if the error stops. If the sensor does work in a new location, it is likely the result of the environment near the prior location that is causing the conflict. You’ll have two options from here; Keep the sensor in its new location closer to the Base Station, or try to identify and clear the interference in the sensor's existing location.

If you choose to keep the sensor in the location where it has encountered the error, you’ll want to look for environmental factors, such as dense building materials, or wireless devices that are nearby that could be interfering with the RF signal between the sensor and the Base Station. If you have any devices that output a wireless signal, we recommend trying to keep them at least 3-5 feet away from your sensor. That should help to clear up communication between the device and the Base Station.

Test Mode is a great way to test the connection between your Base Station and other SimpliSafe® products. We recommend periodically placing your system into Test Mode to ensure that your products are still communicating with the Base Station without any errors. 

Placing Your System Into Test Mode

1. Disarm your system by pressing OFF on the Keypad

2. Press the Menu button on your Keypad

3. Enter your Primary PIN

4. Scroll until Test Mode is highlighted

5. Use the arrow and tap to the right to enter Test Mode

You’ll know you are in Test Mode when you see a circle on the Keypad appear with the text, “Test each device by pressing its button”.

Note: If you subscribe to monitoring, you will receive an automated call from the monitoring center asking you to confirm you placed your system into Test Mode. If you do not answer – no worries! A voicemail will be left to alert you to the system test, and it will not result in a request for dispatch.

Testing the Motion Sensor Gen 2

To test the Motion Sensor Gen 2, first, press the button on the top of the device. You’ll hear the Base Station announce “Motion Sensor,” confirming that the test was successful. 

To test the motion aspect of the Motion Sensor Gen 2, press the button on the top of the device and then leave the room for at least 15 seconds. This will allow the Motion Sensor to scan the room during that time. After the time has lapsed, re-enter the room. You’ll hear the Base Station announce “Motion Sensor” from your motion within the room.

Once you have finished testing the Motion Sensor Gen 2, press the left arrow key on the Keypad’s screen to exit Test Mode.

Troubleshooting the Motion Sensor Gen 2

The first thing you’ll want to identify is if the placement of your Motion Sensor Gen 2 is correct for the room and mounting position. We recommend mounting it 6 feet off the ground in a corner of the room so that you get the full field of view for motion detection. However, you may also place the Motion Sensor Gen 2 on the edge of a flat surface.

You’ll also want to check the Motion Sensitivity settings within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. Here, you can toggle on or off Pet Mode, which will lessen the sensitivity of the sensor to allow your pets to roam freely within your home or business.

You can adjust this setting at anytime by using these steps:

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Device Settings

4. Tap on your Motion Sensor Gen 2

5. Under Motion Sensitivity, select Pet Mode

6. Toggle this On or Off

7. Be sure to save your selection by choosing Save or Send to Base from the bottom of the app 

If you are testing your Motion Sensor and do not hear the Base Station announce “Motion Sensor”, the next thing you’ll want to do is confirm you can hear the Base Station from the location you’re testing in. You can adjust the Base Station’s volume under the Base Station Settings menu, by selecting Voice Prompts.

As a next step, you’ll want to confirm that the Motion Sensor Gen 2's battery is functioning. The Motion Sensor Gen 2 takes a single CR-123A Lithium 3V battery and has a life expectancy of up to 4 years depending on placement and usage.

If you are still unable to hear the Base Station announce “Motion Sensor”, it’s possible that there could be an issue with the location of the Base Station, or there is Radio Frequency (RF) interference at play.

Other electronic devices within your home may communicate on similar frequencies, resulting in wireless interference between your SimpliSafe® devices. Because of this, we recommend keeping your Base Station and Motion Sensor at least 3-5 feet away from the following devices:

• Wi-Fi Routers

• Large TVs

• Weather Stations

• Large Appliances (especially in the kitchen and laundry rooms)

• Baby monitors

• Remote Controlled Garage Door Openers

• LED Lights or Christmas Lights

This above list is to give you an idea of what devices may cause interference within your home, and is in no means an exhaustive list of all devices. There may be other devices that output RF or Wi-Fi signals that could impede the connection between your Base Station and SimpliSafe® devices.

The Temperature Sensor takes one Duracell CR-2032 Lithium 3V battery and has a life expectancy of up to 5 years, depending on placement and usage.

To change your Temperature Sensor's battery, remove it from its bracket to expose the battery compartment. Then replace the battery and slide the sensor back into place.

If your sensor is still offline after replacing the battery, skip to the section below for troubleshooting steps.

Is your Temperature Sensor still offline after replacing the battery?

If the sensor does not come back online after changing the battery, it’s possible that your sensor has been offline for too long. The best step would be to remove the sensor from the SimpliSafe® Mobile App and then add it back to your system.

To remove your Temperature Sensor:

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Device Settings

4. Tap on the sensor you wish to remove

5. Choose Remove Device

Once you have removed your sensor, you can add it back using our Installation Guide.