SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro Review
A high-quality doorbell for SimpliSafe customers.
Verdict
High-quality HDR video and a wide-angle view make the wired SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro a good choice for monitoring what’s going on at your front door. The lack of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support is a little disappointing, and the subscription price is high if you buy this as a standalone product. However, if you have a SimpliSafe alarm system, then this is a good choice.
Pros
- Quality HDR video
- Slim body
- Good audio and video quality
Cons
- No Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant support
- Wired only
Key Features
- Doorbell typeThis is a wired smart video doorbell, connecting to an existing transformer or a plug-in model.
Introduction
Alongside a security system, a smart video doorbell is almost essential.
It’s good to see more security vendors making their own products, as one simple subscription can cover both your alarm and cloud storage.
With great video quality, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is a useful add-on for SimpliSafe users. Its only minor drawback is that it is a wired-only product.
Design and installation
- Wired-only device
- Wedge supplied in the box
The SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro is a wired-only product, much like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2. It would have been nice to have a battery option, as with the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell, for those that don’t have existing wiring.
In terms of cabling, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro works with existing wired chimes and any 8-24V AC transformer. If you don’t have one, then you can buy a suitable plug-in transformer, drill a hole in the wall and push the cables through.
A simple mounting bracket is provided in the box, with a wedge provided should you need to angle the doorbell. Power cables attach to the mounting bracket, and the doorbell slides into place, screwed at the bottom for security.
With the power on, the doorbell boots up and is ready to join the SimpliSafe app, connecting via Wi-Fi.
Features
- People detection
- Video saved to cloud with a subscription
- Defaulted to 720p video
The doorbell appears in the SimpliSafe app under the Camera section, alongside any other SimpliSafe cameras you might have, such as the Wireless Outdoor Security Camera. There’s no need to have a SimpliSafe alarm system, and the doorbell can be used standalone.
The standard plan gives 30 days of history for £8.99 a month. For one camera, that’s quite expensive, but the plan makes more sense as part of a security system. I wouldn’t buy this camera as a standalone product.
As with most video cameras, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro can be remotely viewed through the app, with a tap-and-hold action to activate two-way talk. Plus, a recording can be made.
An icon takes you to previous history, with a list of thumbnails. However, there’s no filter option to jump to a specific date. If you want to do this, then the Timeline feature of the app has to be used, which doesn’t have thumbnails. Unless a clip is fairly recent, then, finding a specific event can be a bit cumbersome.
All video clips can be downloaded from the cloud and saved to your phone permanently, or shared with other people using the sharing option in the app.
As a doorbell, the way the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro will be used most is when callers come. A doorbell press sounds any internal chimes you have wired up, plus signals an alert to your phone, so you can answer.
A PIR motion sensor on the doorbell also lets the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro act as a security camera. Settings are quite basic, with sliders to select motion sensitivity for day and night individually, plus a single Activity Zone.
SimpliSafe has a People-only detection mode, although this works during the day only; at night, the camera can only pick up motion in general. It’s possible to turn off notifications if you find them too much.
Pointing out onto a road, I found the settings sufficient to reduce the number of alerts to manageable levels.
Although the camera has a 1080p sensor, I found that it was set to 720p by default. I changed the setting to 1080p – what’s the point of having a security camera that doesn’t shoot at its best resolution?
There’s no Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant integration, which is a bit of a shame, as it means that smart speakers can’t be used as internal chimes.
Performance
- Decent daytime video
- Clear audio
There’s a 162-degree wide-angle lens in the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro. There’s no fisheye effect, so the camera takes in a wide and undistorted view of the outside world. Video is shot in landscape mode, so you can’t see a person outside head-to-toe. That’s not a massive issue: I prefer a portrait view, but can live with a landscape one.
HDR video helps balance out the image. Even on a door facing into the sun, I found that the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro managed to deliver sharp, well-exposed video, with no blown-out highlights.
As a doorbell, the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro works with objects and people closer to it: effectively, callers at your home. Sharp and clear video is good here.
Audio quality is excellent, too. I found that I could hear callers clearly, and they could pick up what I was saying back to them.
At night, the camera switches to its IR LEDs. Quality here is more basic, and range drops off quite a bit. However, for people at the door, I could clearly see them in full detail.
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Should you buy it?
You have a SimpliSafe alarm and subscription: It makes sense to buy the matching doorbell and use your existing subscription for the cloud storage.
You don’t have a SimpliSafe alarm system: There are smart video doorbells with more features and lower subscription costs. Check out our Best Video Doorbell list for more options.
Final Thoughts
The Ring Video Doorbell 2 Pro is a more accomplished and powerful video doorbell than the SimpliSafe Video Doorbell Pro, with a wider range of features. If I was buying purely on technical ability, then the Ring option is better.
However, choosing the right camera comes down to the system it will be used with. If you have a SimpliSafe alarm and are paying for a subscription already, then it makes sense to buy this doorbell: it gets all of the basics right and shoots high-quality video. For alternatives, check out my guide to the best video doorbells.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every security camera we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main security camera for the review period
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each camera is to automate.
We take samples during the day and night to see how clear each camera’s video is.
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FAQs
It needs permanent power, so you either need the plug-in adaptor or an existing 8-24VAC transformer.
No, it can work standalone, although it makes more sense, subscription wise, if you have an alarm system, too.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
