Sensors

Sensor Name Announcement* (formerly Entry Sensor Alert) enables your Base Station to announce the Entry Sensor by name whenever it is opened. For example, if you open the front door you might hear your Base Station reply with “Front Door Entry Sensor open” instead of the usual chime.

This feature is set up on a per sensor basis, so you can choose which Entry Sensors produce an audio alert and which sensors produce a chime. Keep in mind that the audio alert for Entry Sensors is only available for the preset list of sensor names. So if you have set a custom name for your sensor your Base Station may be unable to say the custom name of your Entry Sensor.

You can enable this setting at any time using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App:

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

2. Navigate to the My System gear from the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen

3. Tap on Device Settings

4. Choose the Entry Sensor that you would like to modify

5. Under General Settings select Sensor Name Announcement

6. Use the toggle to turn Announce Sensor Name on or off

7. Be sure to tap on Save in the upper right corner to save your settings before exiting

*Please note: Sensor Name Announcement is only available to users subscribed to our residential and business monitoring plans, such as Pro Plus, Pro, Core, and Self-Monitoring with Camera Recordings. It is only compatible with our Gen 3 systems. If you have an Original SimpliSafe® system and would like to learn about upgrading it, see our Upgrade to Best-In-Class Security article. 

The Temperature Sensor can display Fahrenheit or Celsius through the SimpliSafe® App. The SimpliSafe® App will display Fahrenheit or Celsius based on the settings of your phone. If you wish for the SimpliSafe® App to display a different temperature type, you’ll need to update your phone’s system settings and re-open the SimpliSafe® App to have it register the new temperature reading.

Changing the Temperature Type for iOS (iPhone/iPad):

1. On your phone, navigate to System Settings

2. Select General

3. Tap on Language & Region

4. Select Temperature

5. Adjust this to Fahrenheit or Celsius, as needed

6. Force close the SimpliSafe® App after making this change

7. Reopen the app, and the Temperature Sensor should display the new temperature type

Changing the Temperature Type for Android:

1. On your phone, navigate to Settings

2. Select Language

3. Choose Regional Preferences

4. Tap on Temperature and adjust this to Fahrenheit or Celsius, as needed

5. Save your selection

6. Force close the SimpliSafe® App after making this change

7. Reopen the app, and the Temperature Sensor should display the new temperature type

*Note, settings may vary between Android devices. Consult with your phone’s manual for further instructions.

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 receiving this error shortly after installing your Motion Sensor Gen 2, this may be related to a firmware issue rather than a low battery within the device.

To troubleshoot this, we recommend confirming that you are running at least version 2.15.8 of the Base Station firmware. You can check what version you’re on by going to:

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

2. Navigate to My System on the bottom navigation bar

3. Select Base Station Settings

4. Next to firmware, confirm the version is at a minimum 2.15.8

If the Base Station is on a firmware version lower than 2.15.8 you’ll need to update your system. You can check for updates using the Keypad or on the Overview tab of the SimpliSafe® Mobile App. 

Using the Keypad:

1. Press the Menu Button

2. Enter your Primary PIN

3. Scroll to System Settings

4. Select Check for Updates

Once your system is up to date, you’ll need to power cycle the Motion Sensor Gen 2 by removing a battery from it. To do this, slide the Motion Sensor up and off its’ bracket, then remove the battery for 30 seconds. Then, place the battery back into the device and slide the Motion Sensor back onto its’ bracket.

Next, open the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your phone or tablet. Navigate to the Overview tab (the home screen) and pull down from the top of the page to refresh the app. This should clear out the low battery warning from the app.

If you are still seeing the Low Battery Warning error within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, you’ll want to remove and reinstall your Motion Sensor Gen 2.

To remove your Motion Sensor Gen 2:

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.

Still Receiving a Low Battery Warning After These Steps?

If the low battery warning persists after taking those steps, you’ll want to change the battery within the device. The Motion Sensor Gen 2 takes a single CR-123A Lithium 3V battery. To change your Motion Sensor Gen 2 battery, slide the sensor up and off its bracket. Then, replace the battery and slide it back onto its bracket.

Please note that the low battery warning may take up to 24 hours to clear within the SimpliSafe® Mobile App after changing the batteries. 

When your system is disarmed and an Entry Sensor is opened, it will relay a chime to the Base Station to notify you of the potential intrusion. This chime is set to Medium by default but can be toggled to Off, Low, Medium, or High at any time from the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, SimpliSafe® Online Account, or with your Keypad.

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 Base Station Settings

4. Select Audio Alerts

5. Choose Entry Sensor Chime or Name Announcement

6. Use the slider to adjust the volume for your Entry Sensor Chime

7. Be sure to click on Save in the upper right corner before exiting

SimpliSafe® Online Account:

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

2. Select System from the left-hand navigation bar

3. Under Additional Settings locate Entry Sensor Chime

4. Use the drop-down menu to adjust the volume for your Entry Sensor Chime

5. Be sure to click on Save Changes at the bottom of the screen before exiting

Keypad:

1. Press Menu on your Keypad

2. Enter your Master PIN

3. Choose System Settings

4. Select Chime Volume and adjust the setting, as needed

Related Articles

• Entry Sensor Settings & Customizations

• Base Station and System Settings

If your Motion Sensor Gen 2 is showing as offline on the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, this is an indicator that the battery within the device needs to be replaced. 

The Motion Sensor Gen 2 takes a single (1) CR-123A Lithium 3V battery and has a life expectancy of up to 4 years depending on placement and usage.

To replace the battery, slide the sensor up and off its bracket. Then replace the lithium battery and slide the sensor back onto its bracket.

Please note that the error may take up to 24 hours to clear from the SimpliSafe® Mobile App after taking these steps. If you want to bypass that timeframe, there are two steps you can take to remove the error from the SimpliSafe® App.

First, place your system into Test Mode and test the sensor to reestablish a connection.

To place your system into Test Mode:

1. Using your Keypad go to Menu > Enter your Primary PIN > Test Mode

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

If the Test Mode step does not work, it’s possible that your sensor has been offline for too long. The best step would be to remove the sensor from the SimpliSafe® App and then add it back to your system.

To remove your Motion Sensor Gen 2:

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. T ap 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.

If your Motion Sensor is showing as offline on the SimpliSafe® Mobile App, this is an indicator that the battery within the device needs to be replaced.

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

To replace the battery, slide the sensor up and off its bracket. Then replace the lithium battery and slide the sensor back onto its bracket. 

Please note that the error may take up to 24 hours to clear from the SimpliSafe® Mobile App after taking these steps. If you want to bypass that timeframe, there are two steps you can take to remove the error from the SimpliSafe® App.

First, place your system into Test Mode and test the sensor to reestablish a connection.

To place your system into Test Mode:

1. Using your Keypad go to Menu > Enter your Primary PIN > Test Mode

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

If the Test Mode step does not work, it’s possible that your sensor has been offline for too long. The best step would be to remove the sensor from the SimpliSafe® 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.

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.