Years ago, I was a SimpliSafe proponent. However, as the smart home landscape has evolved, the SimpliSafe security system has remained mired in the past — both in business practices and technologically, without even the most basic of ecosystem interoperability. Which led me to Ring Alarm and broad Alexa capabilities, such as my contact sensor routine that triggers Hue lighting and Echo voice alerts. But then I moved last fall into a home tricked out with SimpliSafe … and it’s 2018 all over again.
I had fairly good luck transitioning the owner’s SimpliSafe system to my account after getting settled, except for the SimpliSafe doorbell. Due to their technological deficiencies, security posture, or both that maneuver remained completely out of reach. SimpliSafe’s solution for folks in this situation is to send a refurb doorbell that the homeowner swaps. Which is what I did. And let me tell you, the video quality is truly 2018 – resolution, white balance, color, night vision have all been pretty poor. And then the IR filter would periodically get stuck, 6-8 months in, leading to pink-hued video. So I cancelled the $10/month SimpliSafe subscription in favor of this $35 fee-free Tapo camera as a superior stop-gap.
So when this new SimpliSafe video doorbell render crossed my desk, my immediate thought was: it can’t be any worse! Nearly six years after release, with just mild revisions, the all new SimpliSafe Video Doorbell 2 surely features improved picture quality. A different, if not broader, field of view is possible as well… perhaps to better monitor deliveries. Improved wireless is my stretch goal. Given the limited intel, thus far, it’s also possible this is a battery-powered SimpliSafe doorbell that would coexist with the original. However, after so much time, this seems less likely.