Sensors

The Motion Sensor takes one (1) CR-123A Lithium 3V battery and has a life expectancy of up to 5 years depending on placement and usage.

To change your Motion Sensor battery, slide the sensor up and off its bracket. Then replace the battery and slide it back onto its bracket.

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

Is your Motion Sensor Gen 1 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 Motion Sensor Gen 1:

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.

What are Secret Alerts?

Secret Alerts* are private notifications sent to you by specific sensors you designate to be on a special “alert-only” setting. Sensors on this setting won’t trigger a system alarm or chime to the Base Station, but send a discreet notification directly to you instead. All of your SimpliSafe® cameras will also film a short recording so you have footage of what tripped the sensor.

Requirements

• A supported residential or business monitoring subscription:

  • Pro Plus

  • Pro

  • Core

  • Self-Monitoring with Camera Recordings

• At least one of the following SimpliSafe® Sensors

  • Entry Sensor

  • Motion Sensor (Gen 1 or Gen 2)

  • Glassbreak Sensor

How do I Enable Secret Alerts?

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

2. Choose My System from the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Device Settings, then tap on your Entry Sensor from the list of available products

4. Tap into Off, Home, or Away

5. Select Secret Alert

6. Choose SAVE in the upper right corner to save your selections before exiting

7. Repeat for each mode or sensor, as necessary

To ensure that you are notified whenever a sensor triggers a Secret Alert, make sure that you have push notifications enabled. 

There may be a point where you need to rename a device for your SimpliSafe® System. Renaming it can be done easily through the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, but you can also rename a product using your Keypad. The following will walk you through these steps for each platform so you can pick whichever one is easiest for you.

• SimpliSafe® Mobile App

• SimpliSafe® Online Account

• Keypad

SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

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

2. Select My System from the navigation bar at the bottom of the app screen

3. Choose Device Settings

4. Choose the device you would like to modify

5. Tap arrow next to the name of your sensor

6. Choose a prepopulated name from the list of available names, or scroll down and choose Custom Name to enter your own name

7. Be sure to tap on SAVE in the upper right corner to save your selections

*Note, Custom Names for the Entry Sensor are not supported by Sensor Name Announcement

SimpliSafe® Account Online

1. Login to your SimpliSafe® Online Account using the browser of your choice

2. Choose Devices from the left-hand navigation menu

3. Click on the product you wish to edit, then a pop-up will appear to the right of your browser

4. Select the pencil icon next to your devices name

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

6. Select the check mark when done

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

*Note, Custom Names for the Entry Sensor are not supported by Sensor Name Announcement. To confirm which names are available, please use the SimpliSafe® Mobile App to rename your sensor.

Keypad:

1. Press Menu

2. Enter your Master PIN

3. Choose Devices and then Open to enter the Devices menu

4. Scroll down to select the product you wish to modify

5. Press the screen to the right to choose rename

6. Choose one of the preset names from the list using the rocker, or select Other at the end of the list to enter a Custom Name*

*Note, Custom Names for Entry Sensor are not supported by Sensor Name Announcement.

The Keypad uses ABC mode for typing. In this mode, you'll cycle through the corresponding characters (numbers, symbols, punctuation, letters) using the keys numbered 0-9 on your Keypad.

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*For the '1' key, more characters will appear after 10 presses and in this specific order:

) * + , - . / : ; < = > ? @ [ \ ] ^ _ ' { | } ~

The warning ‘Sensor Not Responding’ for a Water 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’d recommend ensuring that the battery is correctly installed. To do this:

1. Twist the bottom and top apart using light force

2. Depending on which version of the Water Sensor you have, there are different steps for removing the battery

   1. If your battery does not have a cover on it simply press on the retaining clip, and pop the battery out

   2. If your battery does have a cover on it, you'll need to use a small tool to release the cover, such as a small flathead screwdriver. Once the cover has been removed, the battery should pop out

3. Wait at least 15 seconds, then reinstall the battery again

   1. If your battery has a cover on it, you'll want to ensure that the cover has its exclamation point facing up, then press down near the tool slot until it clicks into place

4. To reseal your Water Sensor, align the arrows or triangles on the interior of your sensor and then twist the two pieces back into place

5. Then, test the Water Sensor by placing your system into Test Mode using your Keypad.

1. Menu > Enter Master PIN > Test Mode

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

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

1. The Water Sensor takes one Duracell CR-2032 Lithium 3V battery. To replace the battery, twist the bottom and top apart to expose the battery compartment and follow the steps within our Help Center Guide.

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 Water 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.

If you are consistently seeing a warning that one of your Entry Sensors is open, despite all of your doors and windows being closed, one of the following items is likely the cause:

• Your Entry Sensor is too far away from its corresponding magnet piece

• Your Entry Sensor and/or its corresponding magnet are placed on a metallic surface

• The Base Station is too far away from the Entry Sensor

Look at the distance between the sensor and magnet

First, confirm that the door or window where this Entry Sensor is located is closed. If it is closed, make sure that your Entry Sensor and its corresponding magnet are no more than 1.5 inches apart. If they are any farther apart the sensor will be considered open, as seen in the image below.

Look at the material the Entry Sensor is mounted on

You should also make sure that this Entry Sensor is not placed on a metal or steel surface, as that can cause the system to incorrectly register an Entry Sensor as open. If the door or window where this issue is occurring is metal, place a buffer between both parts of the Entry Sensor and the surface. This can be anything like a second layer of adhesive, thin cardboard, or velcro.

Troubleshoot the distance between the Base Station and Entry Sensor

If the Base Station and Entry Sensor are too far away from one another, the system can incorrectly read the sensor as open. Plug the Base Station as close to the Entry Sensor as you can and then open and close the sensor a few times. 

• If the system correctly registers the sensor’s status, that indicates that the Base Station and Entry Sensor are too far away from one another. Consider moving the Base Station to a location that is closer to the sensor

• If the system does not register the sensor’s status correctly, that could indicate an issue with the Base Station’s placement. Refer to the Where Should I Place My Base Station article to learn more about the best place to put the Base Station.

Installing SimpliSafe® sensors takes less than a minute! In most cases, sensors can be mounted on walls by using the adhesive strips on the back of each device. However, there are some situations where the sensor may not adhere to the wall effectively, like:

• Brick surfaces: the surface can be rough in texture and hard to clean thoroughly 

• Hot and humid conditions: humidity can weaken the adhesive strips

• Cold conditions: a cold wall can cause the adhesive to fail

• Dirty surfaces: the adhesives stick best on clean surfaces

For the best results, we suggest making sure that the area you’re adhering the sensor to has been thoroughly cleaned and dried. We recommend wiping the area down with an alcohol-based cleaning product to make sure it’s clear of any dust or dirt. 

Once the area is thoroughly dry, simply peel the paper backing off the adhesives and press the sensor firmly to the wall for 30 seconds.

If you have a sensor that has fallen off a wall, be sure to test the sensor to confirm that it is still working properly and was not damaged.

Alternatively, SimpliSafe® sensors can also be screw-mounted using the included mounting bracket. See our How do I Install my Sensors by Screw-Mounting article for more information.

If you purchased a Motion Sensor from SimpliSafe or an authorized retailer prior to April 2023, it is likely that you have the first generation of the Motion Sensor. 

You can also tell which version of the Motion Sensor you have by comparing the size of the dome on it. The Motion Sensor Gen 1 has a dome with a 1-inch diameter, while the Motion Sensor Gen 2 has a dome that is approximately 1 ½ inches. 

See the photo below for a side-by-side comparison between the two Motion Sensors.