Cameras

Inside the box of the Video Doorbell Pro you’ll find a vertical angle bracket to help adjust the angle of your Video Doorbell Pro by 10 degrees. If you need a horizontal adjustment to the angle of your Video Doorbell Pro, reach out to our support team for assistance. They can send you a doorbell angle kit free of charge to help with your Video Doorbell Pro installation. The horizontal angle bracket can adjust the horizontal positioning of your Video Doorbell Pro by 15 degrees.

Video Doorbell Pro Installation Requirements

In order to install your Video Doorbell Pro, your home must meet the following requirements:

• Existing doorbell wiring

• A mechanical chime. Not compatible with digital chimes.

• A transformer with 8-24VAC, 10-30VA

Installing your Video Doorbell Pro With an Angle Bracket

You’ll install your Video Doorbell Pro with most of the same steps from our Installation Guide. The main difference is before you put on the mounting plate with the contacts that connect to your doorbell’s wiring, you’ll install the angle bracket.

If you received a doorbell angle kit from our support team, you’ll have a horizontal angle bracket in addition to a vertical one. With the longer screws included in the doorbell angle kit, you can install both a vertical and horizontal angle bracket together to adjust the angle of your Video Doorbell Pro in both directions.

As a first step, you’ll want to ensure that power has been cut to your doorbell and the existing doorbell has been removed. You’ll want to temporarily use electrical tape to adhere your wiring to the siding on your home so the wiring does not fall back into the doorbell hole.

Once that’s done, you’ll want to predrill the holes for the Video Doorbell Pro’s angle brackets, using the provided screws, or installing wall anchors as needed.

After that, you’ll need to line up the mounting plate with the angle brackets and secure it to the wall using the screws included in the doorbell angle kit. Use the smaller lengthed screws if you are using only a single angle bracket. If you plan to use the vertical and horizontal bracket together, please use the longer screws to adequately secure the angle brackets and mounting plate.

Once the angle bracket and mounting plate have been secured, you may continue to use our installation guide to secure your Video Doorbell Pro, and begin the setup using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App.

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).

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. Navigate to the Cameras tab

3. Click on the Gear Icon in the upper right corner for 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

Web App:

1. Log in to the Web App using the browser of your choice on a computer

   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

One of the most exciting features of the Outdoor Camera is its wireless power capability and long-lasting battery life. When fully charged, the battery is designed to last for up to 3 months. And since the life of the battery is completely dependent on usage and settings, there are several methods that can be used to maximise the battery of your camera and keep your home protected 24/7.

Camera Location

Your camera is activated by a motion sensor for accurate alerts. If your camera is in the vicinity of a high-traffic area, like a busy road or sidewalk, the motion sensor will be triggered more frequently for unnecessary movement, which can cause the battery to drain. 

If your camera is in a high-traffic area:

• Reposition the camera so that its field of view does not include the busy road or sidewalk. You can also set up Activity Zones to avoid monitoring these areas. 

• Make sure there are no tree branches or large plants obstructing the camera's view.

• Be sure to mount your camera 6 – 8 feet above the ground, with the lens facing downward at a 30-degree angle. 

Camera Settings

There are multiple settings that can be adjusted to help extend the battery life of your camera. To access these settings in the SimpliSafe® Mobile App: 

1. Choose the Camera tab from the bottom navigation bar

2. Select the gear icon for Camera Settings in the upper right corner

3. Tap on your Outdoor Camera

Battery-saving settings:

• Lower your camera’s motion sensitivity setting to Default or Low. This will impact how frequently the camera is triggered. 

• Enable People-Only Detection to ensure your camera is only capturing humans, and is not unnecessarily triggered by other moving objects or animals. 

• Set up Activity Zones to control the areas that the camera will monitor. This is helpful if there is a high-traffic zone in the view that you do not need to monitor.

• Use Standard Night Vision mode instead of the Spotlight feature.

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Charge the Camera’s Battery Fully

Charge it Completely

If the Outdoor Camera’s battery is not completely charged, it will give the appearance of draining quickly. The Outdoor Camera’s battery takes up to 6 hours to charge completely. When the battery is charging, you will see a blinking white light. You’ll know the battery is fully charged once all 3 lights are illuminated and no longer blinking.

Use the Correct Power Adapter

The Outdoor Camera’s battery requires a USB power adapter with an output of 5.0V, 1.5A+. Failure to use the correct power adapter can result in the battery not charging completely. 

A list of power adapters that fit this requirement are:

• The SimpliCam® Wired Indoor Security Camera’s adapter 

• The Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera’s adapter

• Most iPhone (Apple) adapters

• Most Android adapters

If you don’t know the output of your power adapter, most models will have it printed on the device itself, as seen in the image below.

If you are using the correct power adapter, make sure that you are plugging it into an outlet directly in a wall. Using a USB power strip or USB power hub may not supply efficient power to charge the battery. 

The Video Doorbell Pro sends you two different types of notifications. You will receive a Doorbell Press notification when someone presses the button on your doorbell, and a Motion Detection notification when the camera registers motion.

Customising Motion Detection Notifications

The Motion Detection notifications you receive from your Video Doorbell are fully customisable. You can change the sensitivity of the doorbell’s motion sensor, choose between People Only and All Motion notifications, and use Activity Zones to ignore motion in specific areas of the camera’s view.

You can customise your Video Doorbell’s Motion Detection notifications by taking the following steps in the SimpliSafe® mobile app:

1. Tap the “Cameras” icon at the bottom of the SimpliSafe® app

2. Choose the gear icon in the upper right corner

3. Select your Video Doorbell

4. Tap the arrow button (>) next to “Motion Detection”

5. Toggle “Motion Notifications” on

6. To change the sensitivity of the Video Doorbell’s motion sensor, navigate to “Sensitivity” and use the slide bar to choose between Low, Medium, or High

7. To choose between “People Only” or “All Motion”, navigate to “Motion Type” and pick your desired setting

8. If there are any areas within your Video Doorbell’s view that you do not want to receive notifications for, go to “Activity Zones” and select the areas you do not want to be notified of*

9. Tap “Save” in the upper right corner to save your settings

Please note that Activity Zone selection only works during the day*

If your Video Doorbell’s notifications are on, but you are not receiving push notifications on your device, visit this article about troubleshooting push notifications for more help.

If the privacy shutter on your camera is open when your settings say it should be closed, or if it is closed when it should be open, try these steps:

• Change the state of your system or camera (e.g. armed, disarmed, off, etc.) and then go back to the desired state.

• Briefly unplug your camera to reset it.

If the problem still persists, please contact our Support team.

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.

If the camera is paired with a SimpliSafe security system, the shutter will by default 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. These defaults can be changed in the camera settings in the mobile app.

If the camera is not paired with a SimpliSafe security system, the camera shutter can be opened or closed with the “Arm” or “Privacy” button located on the screen of the camera in the mobile app.