Quality and Warranty
SimpliSafe manufactures its equipment and ships it preconfigured and with a 1-3 years warranty depending on your equipment. Notably, you can buy new or refurbished items (with a significant discount) and build your system from scratch, choosing only the components you deem necessary.
SimpliSafe also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, and you can self-monitor or subscribe to 24/7 professional monitoring with C.O.P.S. Monitoring.
Features
SimpliSafe system’s medical alert monitoring comes down to two options – a panic button and a key fob.
The panic button is a small peel-and-stick plastic box you need to place somewhere where you expect to have an emergency. The provider suggests you place it near your bed, but it’s not wearable as you would expect.
You need to hold the button for full 2 seconds to activate the alarm. The red LED light at the top right corner of the Panic Button should flash to confirm your panic signal has been sent.
Highlights include:
- The panic button can be configured to set off an audible or a silent alarm.
- You can choose the type of alert it sends – medical, security, or fire.
- The monitoring station calls your local city’s police department dispatch center and specifies the type of emergency you have.
The other SimpliSafe panic button is located on the key fob you use to arm and disarm the system. Its panic button feature also sends a distress signal to your base, which in turn sends it to the monitoring station. The keychain remote is portable but only works within 50 feet of your base station.
One nifty feature of it is you can disable its ability to arm/disarm your system and leave nothing but the panic button feature. This way, if your key fob is lost or stolen, the security of your system is not compromised, and you don’t need to change the settings to remove the lost key fob from the list of devices. And you can carry your panic button around your house. But there doesn’t seem to be an option to configure your key fob panic button to stand for medical alerts only.
Price
SimpliSafe is particularly attractive to users who want to build their system without having to pay for a bundle they don’t quite need. And the company is transparent about its pricing. A single Panic Button will set you off $19.99, while a Key Fob is priced at $24.99.
SimpliSafe monthly, no-contract and optional monitoring plans are Standard at $14.99/mo (no mobile app), and Interactive at $24.99/mo (with mobile control).
You can choose to install the system by yourself or order professional installation for $199.
The company also offers preset equipment kits, with only two of them bundling key fobs and panic buttons:
- Hearth at $374 provides one base station, one keypad, one key fob, three entry sensors, one motion detector, one 105dB siren, and one smoke detector.
- Knox at $499 also offers one key fob, but more sensors – six entry sensors and two motion detectors.
- Haven at $489 is the only kit that includes a panic button and one key fob on top of environmental and security sensors.
If you need several panic buttons and key fobs, it’s cheaper when you choose your components rather than opt for a preset kit.
Support
SimpliSafe provides 24/7 professional monitoring via C.O.P.S. Monitoring, an award-winning agency with multiple locations for redundancy.
When your panic button is triggered, and the red LED light blinks as a confirmation, your base sends the distress signal to the monitoring station. An agent then tries to contact you and others on your emergency contact list by phone. If the operator can’t reach you, and people on your emergency contact list can’t confirm if you’re having an emergency, the monitoring station alerts your local PD and specifies that you have a medical emergency.
The SimpliSafe tech support works regular 9-6 business hours and receives praise from SimpliSafe customers.
Installation
SimpliSafe DIY installation is straightforward – peel-and-stick adhesive on your panic button allows you to place it on almost any surface. Relocating it is easy since your equipment ships with additional two-side adhesive strips.
Things to Consider
- The panic button in your SimpliSafe key fob only sends the distress signal. But you can’t configure it to send a medical emergency alert. In theory, when an agent calls to confirm your situation, you could specify that it’s a medical emergency. But the caveat is that people may be unable to answer the phone while having a medical emergency. So key fob’s panic button is a far cry from what you would call a medical alert button.
- The panic button is stationary; you can’t carry it with you.
Important Tips
- With the new SimpliSafe 3, you can choose from the panic button’s three modes – police, fire, or medical emergency.
- SimpliSafe 3 keypad also has a red panic button on the top of the casing.
- COPS Monitoring contacts your local police department in the event of an emergency. It might make sense to call SimpliSafe support to verify your local emergency phone numbers.
- You can put your system in Test Mode and see it for yourself how the system works, and how fast the monitoring station responds to your distress signal.
