SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Review

First Impressions

Our first impression is that the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Pro was designed to work with a SimpliSafe security system. We got that from the fact that it doesn’t work at all without a SimpliSafe system. So, if you were looking for a standalone security camera, this one’s not it. The only reason you should buy the Outdoor Camera Pro is if you have a SimpliSafe security system (or planning to buy one).

SimpliSafe Essentials Kit

We do have a SimpliSafe system. In fact, we got our Outdoor Camera Pro for free when we bought the system as a part of a limited-time deal. Normally, it costs $199.

Handling it the first time, it felt hefty and well-constructed. It’s also surprisingly compact, given that it’s a battery-powered camera with a built-in spotlight. It’s smaller than the Ring Spotlight Cam we reviewed, which is also battery-powered. And we liked that the SimpliSafe camera is attached to its mount at an angle. That means you can mount it either on the wall or ceiling and easily adjust the angle by twisting and turning the camera.

Right now, SimpliSafe is in the midst of its big Black Friday/ Cyber Monday/ end-of-the-year Holiday sale. All equipment is 70 percent off, but get this – buy a system and the company will throw in a free Outdoor Camera. No $199 price tag, so the Outdoor Camera is a no-brainer, right?

Not necessarily. you’ll still need Outdoor Guard monitoring to make use of all this camera’s features. That means a monthly charge of between $49 and $79. To be sure, Active Guard is going to increase your home’s safety exponentially. It’s also true that only a few companies even offer a service like this, and the ones that do charge a higher monthly fee. If you’re looking for solid outdoor coverage, a SimpliSafe system is a great choice. It’s just important you know what you’re getting into.

Installing the Camera

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera in Box

Just like the SimpliCam, which we also reviewed, the new SimpliSafe outdoor camera is easy to install. The entire setup took no more than 40 minutes.

It’s a good idea with any battery-operated camera to check the battery first to see if it needs charging. It’s a step I missed when I reviewed the Ring Spotlight Battery, and it led to frustration when I got ready to check the feed. This time, I made sure to dig out the battery from the SimpliSafe Outdoor camera box and charge it in the house before beginning installation.

I plugged it in when the box arrived, then went out to run several errands, and by the time I was back, two hours later, everything was ready to go. That’s a standard charge time in the industry. The battery-operated Reolink Argus 2 camera, for example, takes about the same amount of time to charge.

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Inside

The SimpliSafe Outdoor comes with a magnetic mounting bracket. I’ve become a big fan of this approach to mounting. I first came across it when I was testing out Google Nest cameras. Geeni uses it as well, as you’ll discover if you read my full Geeni review. The SimpliSafe version features a tight connection so you don’t have to worry about it slipping over time. Once you’ve attached the wall bracket, this camera is super easy to adjust. A nudge one way or the other, and you’ve got the exact view you need.

The mounting bracket itself is easy enough to install and can go virtually anywhere. A couple of screws and you’re done. Since I’m accustomed to DIY cameras, this step was no sweat. But if you’re new to home security, check out my thorough security camera installation guide for more tips.

First, I took the bracket apart, then proceeded to drill those two (very) small screws into the wall adjacent to my home’s garage door using the bottom of the bracket as my guide.

SimpliSafe Garage Door Bracket

From there, I sealed up the mounting bracket and popped the camera body into place.

Installing SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera to Wall

The tricky part of installing this camera, as with any security camera, is deciding where to place it. Location matters. A lot. You want to put it where it can capture the widest field of view. That’ll keep you safer without needing to purchase additional cameras to pick up the slack.

In addition, though, this camera can sometimes perform poorly if it’s placed too far away from the required base station or Wi-Fi router. In fact, six to eight feet is usually the maximum distance;3 any farther away, and you can experience delays in loading the camera’s live stream or preparing motion-activated clips. To be fair, you’ll find this limitation with most of the top wireless security cameras. Installation can involve some trial and error, but this shouldn’t add much time to the total installation.

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Placement

There is one more consideration when it comes to placement. Magnetic mounts offer tremendous flexibility when it comes time to fine-tune your camera’s position. However, they’re also relatively easy for the bad guys to grab and go. From a practical perspective, this means you’re better off placing cameras in hard-to-reach locations.

Finding a place that is accessible to Wi-Fi but inaccessible to home invaders can be challenging. You can find some great tips, though, in our guide to security camera placement.

SimpliSafe Outdoor: The Full Experience

As I said previously, this camera works with a SimpliSafe alarm system and won’t record as a standalone camera. So provided you have the SimpliSafe equipment, the camera should be as easy to use as any other wireless camera, from the multi-functional Canary cameras I reviewed to the practical Lorex cameras I tested soon after.

SimpliSafe does a great job of making the technology in its devices straightforward and easy to use. I took a few minutes, right at the start, to navigate the app a bit and make sure I knew where the most important browsing settings were located. A couple of clicks later, and I was getting motion-triggered notifications. The camera’s live view showed up in the same spot where I was adding the camera – nice, intuitive design. I had the option to explore my video timeline, record an event, or transfer stored clips to my smartphone or computer. That’s perfect when you need to show those clips to someone else, like, say, the police.

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera App

What did that live view look like, you might be asking? See for yourself:

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera View

Video Quality

On a beautiful early fall day in Central Ohio, the picture quality I got from the SimpliSafe outdoor camera is just about the best you can hope for in a security camera: clear and colorful, thanks to the camera’s 1080p resolution. That’s still the industry standard, and for good reason. It means the camera can capture finer details like facial features – details that could mean everything in the event of a break-in.

Of course, these days you can find 2K and 4K cameras on the market, which offer even sharper details. For what it’s worth, though, 1080p is a big step up for SimpliSafe. When it first came out, the SimpliCam maxed out at 720p resolution, which was a bit fuzzy. I’m pleased to see SimpliSafe meets industry standards with its newest products. No complaints in terms of video quality anymore.

Night Vision

When the sun set, things got even more interesting. For one thing, this camera can record in full color at night with a range of up to 10 feet, thanks to a motion-activated spotlight. This isn’t exactly an earth-shattering innovation. There are plenty of spotlight cameras on the market, and most of them let you record in full color. We were impressed, though, with how much control this camera gave us over its lighting features.

We could set the light to come on any time the camera detected motion. That’s perfect for startling potential burglars. Alternatively, we could rely on infrared light. That choice renders the footage black and white, but it means burglars don’t realize you’re watching them. It’s all a simple matter of sliding a button in the app.

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Settings

One way or another, this camera caught every bit of motion we threw at it during testing. We should note that it sometimes failed to record in color. This had more to do with the Wi-Fi connection than the camera itself, and it’s a common problem with outdoor cameras. They’re usually farther away from routers, and they have to connect through exterior walls as well.

Most of the time, what I got were slightly grainy but overall decent motion clips. Would they be usable to the police if the camera happened to capture an intruder or another crime in progress? For the most part, yes. But again, wireless cameras do have their limits at night.

Now, let’s explore more notable features of this camera.

Motion Detection

In a fairly recent development, SimpliSafe’s motion detection can now decipher between people and other types of motion. So if it’s human intruders you’re worried about, turn on people mode so you’ll be notified only when a person enters the frame.

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera Motion Detection

For intrusions of the animal variety, turn on all-motion detection to track critters in your flower beds. It’s not anything the average wireless camera can’t do these days (see our analysis of Arlo’s wireless cameras for a slightly glossier experience), but if you’re a SimpliSafe loyalist, I think you’ll appreciate this simple but important feature. It makes a huge difference in cutting down on false alerts.

Two-Way Talk

The camera has a built-in microphone that lets you hear what’s happening around your home, even while you’re away, and talk to relatives or even suspicious lurkers within the camera’s view. This is a standard feature in security cameras, and for good reason: it can actually scare people away.

The audio handled as well as many others in the market, like the affordable Wyze Cam I tested recently. It fell just a bit short of expectations in audio clarity, but it definitely accomplished the task.

What makes two-way talk on the outdoor camera unique is how it integrates into the new Pro and Pro Plus monitoring plans – again, $49.99 and $79.99 respectively. If someone approaches your home, which the outdoor camera detects using person detection, it begins streaming to the monitoring center. An agent will respond by viewing the feed, and if they deem necessary, they’ll use two-way talk to get the intruder to back off.

This feature is special with the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera. With the indoor version, monitoring agents can only talk to people if your system sounds an alarm. But with the outdoor camera’s built-in AI capabilities, it notifies monitoring agents of potential threats giving you more proactive protection. This only occurs when your system is armed, so you can still enjoy complete privacy whenever your system is disarmed.

Smart Home Integrations

By itself, the SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera doesn’t integrate with any smart home platforms or third-party devices. Since the camera requires a SimpliSafe system to work properly, the only way to sync it up with existing smart home devices and platforms in your home is through SimpliSafe’s smart hub (aka base station). From there, you can set SimpliSafe to pull up your camera’s live stream if the alarm is triggered (and automatically sound the siren).

All in all, SimpliSafe automates well with Alexa-enabled platforms like the Echo Show and Fire TV, but it was a little less intuitive than when I reviewed Blink’s security cameras. SimpliSafe users still have plenty of options to automate with other components, like smart lighting, smart locks, and smoke detectors. For example, you can tell Alexa you’re going out, and Alexa will set the system to Away mode, so it’ll be armed and ready for any suspicious or hazardous activity.

One final note about home automation: You’ll need an Interactive plan to enjoy any home automation feature. Otherwise, SimpliSafe is just a security system. A pretty good one, sure, but one without smart home integrations.

Limited Lifetime Warranty

Many competitors in this market offer one-year warranties by default, with options to extend – and that typically costs extra. With SimpliSafe, the default is one year as well, but you can get a limited lifetime warranty by signing up for Core Monitoring or above before your warranty expires. If you only sign up for Standard Monitoring, you’ll still get an extended warranty, but only for three years. It’s a nice touch, and another reason I’ve been recommending SimpliSafe as one of the best security systems out there.

On top of that, you’ll get a no-questions-asked, 60-day money-back guarantee. During that period, you can return your system and get your money back. It’s essentially a risk-free buy.

SimpliSafe Camera Costs

Side of SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera

For $199.99, the SimpliSafe outdoor camera is priced fairly, in my view. Some might find it a bit steep, since it only works with a SimpliSafe system and lacks any direct smart platform integrations. Also, as I noted above, the original Indoor camera costs only $99 and the new Wireless Indoor Camera costs just $149.99. SimpliSafe frequently includes one or the other for free in pre-made packages.

We should say that where the outdoor camera is concerned, it’s pretty obvious that it was simply meant to fill a void in SimpliSafe’s product line. Users had long been clamouring for an outdoor model. Compared to $100+ outdoor cameras we’ve reviewed previously, though–like the Reolink Argus 3 camera and its successor, Argus 3 Pro–this one didn’t knock our socks off, but we also understand its primary function: as a component to SimpliSafe’s larger system, rather than a standalone camera.

It’s a decent camera at a mid-range price. The price, however, appears to reflect the flexibility this camera provides, so I don’t think $199.99 is an unreasonable price for an add-on camera. If you think otherwise, the $80 Night Owl camera might be worth looking at; their cameras tested well and presented a functional alternative.

One final note about pricing — keep an eye out for deals. SimpliSafe offers them throughout the year. For example, SimpliSafe currently offers 50 percent off any new system with a free indoor camera if you sign up for a free month of Core monitoring or any other monitoring plan. It pays to do your homework.

Keep reading for a brief snapshot comparing SimpliSafe’s cameras.

SimpliSafe Cameras: Cost Breakdown

SimpliSafe Packages: Cost and Features

Interested in what a full SimpliSafe security kit might cost you? Here’s the latest pricing on the brand’s selection of packages.

SimpliSafe Package Pricing

SimpliSafe Individual Equipment Costs

In addition to their affordable kits and cameras, SimpliSafe sells their own equipment and add-ons individually, ranging from motion and entry sensors to video doorbells and smart locks. Here are their offerings and what you can expect to pay:

SimpliSafe Offerings

SimpliSafe Subscription and Monitoring Plans

Part of SimpliSafe’s value lies in its flexible monthly plans. There are no contracts required with SimpliSafe, so you can subscribe to a monthly plan with the option to cancel at any time.

Since neither of SimpliSafe’s cameras allow for local (micro-SD card) storage, the cloud is the only option for storing video. SimpliSafe only has one plan for cloud storage. It costs $9.99 per month and gives unlimited storage for 30 days of recordings with up to 10 cameras. This also gives you full access to the app’s capabilities, remote control of your system, and all of SimpliSafe’s other self-monitoring features. That’s fair compared to other companies in the industry like Ring, which charges $10 a month. Although, their plan supports unlimited cameras.

If you want to connect your system to the authorities for live monitoring, the brand makes it easy to add that on. You’ll need to choose between four SimpliSafe monitoring plans, listed as follows:

Monitoring Costs and Options

Final Thoughts on SimpliSafe Outdoor

SimpliSafe Outdoor Camera, installed, evening

SimpliSafe started out as a favorite of college students and renters, but it didn’t take long for the brand to become universally beloved by homeowners, businesses, apartment dwellers, retirees, and home security enthusiasts in general.

The addition of an outdoor camera to SimpliSafe’s arsenal only makes it a more well-rounded security solution. Did the camera knock my socks off? Not really. But part of that is because there are plenty of other top security brands that can do the same thing at the same or lower price, and still be on par with this camera in terms of performance.

But those other brands don’t rely on a complete home security system to keep them running, either. With a trusted brand like SimpliSafe, you can’t really go wrong with the new outdoor camera.

If you already have a SimpliSafe system installed — or you’re considering buying one — then this outdoor camera will protect your home with the best of them.

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