Review on 🚪 SimpliSafe Gen Latest - Doorbell Compatible with SimpliSafe Home Security System by Rob Madden

Updated 8/1/2020 and 8/5/2020 - Also 8/31/2020 I read somewhere that SimpliSafe designed their doorbell to be a good simple video intercom that would be very easy to install and use yourself. If you need/want advanced features, you need a different system. Or if you have a situation that is outside of the target client, it gets a bit tricky to set up. But in most cases not much. Your target customer is someone who knows how to use a screwdriver, who can (if necessary) poke a small hole in an outside wall, who can find the master bell switch in the electrical box. Fuse box that has a mechanical bell (not digital) already installed on the existing doorbell. Ouch! And one more thing, be able to read and understand the instructions! If you meet these criteria, your installation will most likely take 20 minutes or less. I meet the criteria above, but I have a VERY low tolerance for poorly designed DIY instructions. The whole self-installation scenario went VERY smoothly for me. Everything works as it should, except for a moment. Haven't tried contacting Simplisafe customer service to fix the error yet, I literally just installed it and wanted to write about the installation before I forget. Even though I'm very good looking for my age, I'm old and I forget things. I will update over time. * It connects to my Orbi Mesh router, 2 nodes * The ringer sounds on both a mechanical ringer and an SS base station with volume control. * A notification will be sent to my phone. * I can see who is at the door * It integrates well with my Simplisafe security system * I can't play the audio when I press the talk button in the SimpliSafe phone software. (for now - more info later when I have it) this will be a good test of Simplisafe customer service!* I have NOT tested Night View yet. For the most part it does exactly what I want it to do. The picture is at an ultra wide angle, and while the picture is distorted, I don't think it's as distorted as some video doorbells. Camera controls allow you to select 1080p, 720p, or 480p. The default is 720p, the picture quality is crisp and clear, not too laggy. 480p will be faster and take up less storage space, but the image quality will be significantly worse. 1080p is slower and takes up the most storage space, but offers significantly higher image quality. I'm happy with the quality and speed of 720p. It's a doorbell, not Game of Thrones. At this point I'd say I'm over the moon with the setup, but I'm a little worried about the audio issue. I can't give 5 stars yet, but I find 3 stars too hard. REVISED: Changed to 5 stars. Experiment with this doorbell. I have found that the audio issues at 480p are completely gone and the picture quality is pretty good at 480p on my Android phone, Android tablet and 27 inch PC monitor. The video also loads and runs a bit faster and I don't lose the connection. People with similar problems are advised to try 480p before contacting technical support. The night view is nice and clear with the porch light either on or off, although the porch light is better. I get 3-4 false motion detection reports a day but I haven't tried any means to fix this yet. If there are problems, I'll let you know. So far I'm very happy with the ease of installation, integration with the SimpliSafe security system and overall performance. It's not the most advanced video intercom on the market, but it covers all the basic functions I need at the most affordable price. The 480p size setting is sufficient for the task. I think for existing SimpliSafe users this should be taken seriously, for others. . . hmm - that should probably be taken into account. There will be other viable options, some more advanced, some cheaper, but I think this is the best place to combine features, quality, and affordability. FINAL CHECK, I promise: I resolved 480p - 720p outputs in full. I noticed this even though the Orbi mesh router's wall node was only 10 feet from the doorbell on the other side of the wall. The doorbell app told me the signal was "weak". I had an extra outlet almost directly below the doorbell on the other side of the wall. I plugged the router node into this outlet and the signal changed to "strong". This allows me to use the 720p screen size and full audio with no issues. If your doorbell signal is weak, your wall or door may be part of the transmission problem. In this case, you must consider moving the router closer to the doorbell. (Mesh router systems make this easy!) For false motion detection - Settings in the application allow the user to disable certain areas of the screen from detection. I turned off the part of the screen that showed the street and sidewalk in front of the house, which stopped the bogus traffic reports except for a weird kid running across the lawn. and in our area they are all strange. LAST REVIEW 08/30/2020: I found the audio features to be the least useful feature of a video intercom. I would say the most important feature for me was the notifications on my smartphone and on my Samsung smartwatch. This is extremely helpful. The video itself is useful when you need to record who is at the front door. However, I suspect that video's greatest value is in recording everything that happens outside the home during a burglary or other emergency. Audio? To be honest I had no reason to use it. The couriers leave the package in front of the door, ring the doorbell and return to their truck. Visiting people need to be greeted personally by us, and we seldom have door-to-door sales in our area. The audio recording can be somewhat helpful in the emergency mentioned above, but I haven't needed to speak to anyone remotely even if the doorbell is new, and I'm looking for situations to do so.