Side by Side Comparison of: SimpliSafe vs PiSECTOR

Very good cost effective system. The only issue I had was the sensitivity of the motion detectors but I was unaware that they had a sensitivity adjustment. After I discovered and adjusted the sensitivity I eliminated the false alarms.

Well I can honestly say this works, although I recommend that you pair it up with some kind of camera system like dropcam (which is what I have).
On Wednesday, Nov 25, 2015 my home was broken into by two intruders. I received an alert from my dropcam of motion activity. When I viewed the video I watched as two people kicked down the door and wandered through my home. Luckily the simplisafe alarm siren went off and it scared them off without them stealing anything. I got a call from simplisafe and they called the police.

I could write 10 pages about why I love this sysem but instead, I will direct you to their online videos and website. The price here is the best you'll find and the system is super easy to set up and monitor. I love the fact that there are NO CONTRACTS, cancel anytime and system is expandable to cover more windows, doors, motion sensors, CO2 detection and water sensors. Its a GREAT product, super user friendly and super reliable. I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone and I've already bought it again. The first one was for a rental house and the new owner liked it so much that he bought it from me as part of the sale.

My SimpliSafe system has been in service for three weeks now and my experience with the company and their equipment totally contradicts the negative reviews I have read here and elsewhere in the Internet.

Before I committed to SimpliSafe, I did a lot of research, which included reading reviews. Now that I have had my system up and running for several weeks, including contacting customer service three times and the monitoring company once plus expanding my system from five to 17 sensors, I am totally satisfied with my overall experience.

The most difficult part of the installation was removing the wired sensors from an old self-installed system. Installation and activation was a breeze. After I was happy with the placement of everything, I went back and screwed in several of the sensors that I didn't trust to hold with just the tape.

Based on my experience with SimpliSafe, I think most of the negative reviews come from users with limited do-it-yourself skills. If you don't trust your DIY skills, try to find a relative or trusted friend to help out. The installation guide, user's forum, and online videos go a long way toward explaining what is a reasonably simple installation process, so the self-install should be easy for most people. It sure beats having a total stranger from one of the traditional security companies poking around every nook and cranny of your house.

Customer service hours are currently geared toward East cost customers, but their email process and user forum is an efficient way to get solutions to any glitches you may encounter.

The SimpliSafe system base station that most customers get communicates back to their server through the T-Mobile cellular network. If you are in an area with weak T-Mobile reception, SimpliSafe will set you up with Verizon. There is also an option to have backup connectivity through a land line or Internet broadband.

SimpliSafe describes their product as “disruptive technology” and it seems like they are creating quite a disruption in the home security industry. I have personally experienced the scare tactics, high-pressure up-selling, hidden fees, and long ironclad contracts of the traditional companies. I am MUCH happier with my self-installed, no contract, low monitoring fee SimpliSafe system.

These people have put a lot of thought into the design of this system. Their attention to detail is outstanding. It was easy to install, set up and use. The company is very responsive and helpful. I initially had a problem with the base unit loosing connection with the cell network. Apparently it was set up to use a network with poor reception at my location. They quickly sent me a Verizon module which solved the problem. Definitely a good choice for a home security system. They do not offer a wireless security camera at this time but say it is coming. I would recommend this system.

Just installed this alarm system and like it so far. Came all ready to set up. All you have to do is turn the panel on, take the lil piece of paper from in between the battery, the panel will detect it once you choose auto detect from the panel, name your senors and motion detectors, put up your sirens and program it to call your phones. Took about an 1hr 30 mins to put everything in place. The sirens are loud and ear piercing when you are near them. Recently had my home burglarized and searched amazon for days for the right choice. Comes with more than enough sensors and motion detectors. I'm going to hook the phone line up to it to call others and I. But it works well even if you don't want to use the phone call option and it just alerts your neighbors by how loud the outdoor siren is. Will be adding another outdoor siren for the back of the house. I was going to go with some of the most well known companies for a home alarm system and realized they only offer you the panel, one motion detector, three senors and the siren. But want to charge so much in order to get the premium benefits and more products. I would recommend this product to any home owner.

I work with a private camp for individuals with special needs. We have three cabins that hold 30campers with three exit doors. We have had to have counselors sleep on mats by doors to keep campers from wandering out. Installed these units in each cabin.... my counselors love that it can be set for one second and flashing strobe ensures that no one sleeps through a alert. The remote key is nice to show families and caretakers for campers a easy demo of the system we have to ensure they feel that thier camper is safe in our care.There is an option to upgrade to cellar or remotelocation monitoring system.Only thing I didnt like was if you hook the phone line to it. ...it will over ride the answer machine. So we just didnt plug it into the line. Really our counselors are there so we didnt need that option.

I am a IT professional, so I am very picky with the products I purchase. The adhesive tape supplied in the alarm kit does not hold the contact sensors to the surface very well. But this low cost alarm system provides everything I needed for it to do. The adhesive tape issue is a simple fix. Just get some small finishing nails or use Velcro. This system team up with my Video system, and motion activated solar lights has prevented several attempted thefts on my house. My home has been lifted behind Hurricane Sandy and construction repairs have been under way for 8 months. I needed a wireless system that would alert me if unwanted people wandered into my property and this system works as advertised. As soon as the alarm goes off my house phone and cell phone rings. I check my video system and the replay shows the bad guys running away. And the stupid ones that don't run have been arrested. This alarm system has lets the thieves in my area know my house is being watched 24/7.

Had this system installed for a few weeks now. Installation took about 2 hrs taking my time. Having read other reviews here, I skipped the included mounting tape and bought 3M Heavy Duty Mounting Tape, 1-Inch by 50-Inch and used it to mount the sensors. No issues with the sensors falling off and setting the alarm off.PROs:-Price;-Configurability (alarm delay, identifies which sensors trip alarm, sensor naming/identification, etc);-No visible antennas, all internal;-Wireless - except for main alarm panel (duh) and internal/external sirens;-433MHz wireless signal does not interfere with WIFI;-No monthly monitoring fees;-Ability to arm/disarm via remote fob and phone (calling and entering password, not via app);-Door chimes;-Quantity of sensors;-System notifies you which door sensors are open when arming;-System notifies you which sensor tripped the alarm;-Good support (helpful responses within a few hours);-Ability to buy without GSM (don't need or want it, therefore don't want to pay for it).CONS:-Unable monitor remotely via web or smartphone app, must use remote FOB or call in;-Likely can't use answering machine if setup for remote phone functionality (arm, disarm, listen in, & broadcast voice) via phone;-Creates buzzing noise on all phones through house when connected to same phone line. This is easily fixed by grounding the main panel, but requires some basic electrical knowledge, and a grounded 3-prong outlet near the main panel. Pisector was very responsive and quickly provided a how-to guide for the fix when asked. They should include the how-to guide for the fix in the manual and include an extra grounding cable;-Not Z-wave, Zigbee, Wifi, etc compatible.Other systems considered:-Fortress - Older technology and copious use of ugly antennas. Not as configurable.-Simplisafe - More expensive, not nearly as many sensors, and requires monthly monitoring fees for remote arm/disarm.-Z-wave Custom System - More expensive when considering same number of sensors.Ultimately, I'm completely satisfied with this system and for the price, and nothing else comes close.

After researching a bunch of systems, I bought this one based on features and price, even though reviews were somewhat mixed. I was impressed right out of the box. The system was very complete, and the "fast start" instructions were easy to follow, making the set up and installation a breeze. Since the system came programmed, it took only a few minutes to get it ready to put up, and maybe an hour to install the base and sensors. We used all three motion sensors, and only five of the switches. The inside alarm would pretty much scare away anyone, so much so that we haven't decided to even install the outside alarm. The remotes work great, arming and disarming the system from inside our car, in our driveway. I am thrilled with the system so far. My only small whine is that the sensors are not better designed to screw mount, and I'm going to see how well the tape mounts work. May get 3M automotive trim tape, if the sensors don't hold as is. Anyway, a great system. Highly recommend.

System works good I do not recommend using the 3m tape as it will not hold setting the alarm off I used Gorilla super glue and works just fine better then drilling holes in the frame work last 30 days have been good.

Overall, pretty happy with SimpliSafe. We had ADT for over 20 years in various houses, and I really grew to hate it. ADT sounds are all annoying, and when sensors failed, I had to make an appointment for an expensive repair. Our house is empty often, we do need to have a security system (all our neighbors have security systems, this is an area with many second homes, we can't be the only house without one).

Especially if you need a security system because everybody has one, this is a great option because the price is the best I'm aware of. You may also find this package cheaper if you buy directly from SimpliSafe (we did).

We also bought 2 smoke alarms from SS that have performed perfectly, and 2 freeze sensors that also report interior temperature flawlessly except for a brief period when one sensor went off line, but then came back on again..

We have had some false alarm issues but by whatever magic, they seem to have been resolved. Specifically, 2 instances of one motion detector calling the police when there was absolutely no motion in the room (blinds pulled vacant house). We fixed this by changing to email alerts to my email, and those seem perfectly reliable. We don't need the police called automatically, we live in a very low crime area, so the email alerts do the job for us.

Really like having so much control over the system. We also have their central station monitoring.

If you are looking into security systems, there is a good chance that it means you were recently broken into. I'm so sorry that happened to you. It's so frustrating, and you will feel so paranoid for weeks at least. Get a security system, and perhaps some cameras, but definitely get renters or homeowners insurance. Hopefully soon, you will not feel as upset as you do now, and you can get back to normal.

The Simplisafe system has been excellent so far. I've had it a week, and I love how practical it's been. Very easy to use, very intuitive, and extremely expandable. The price point is perfect for us, and the fact that we can activate or deactivate it from our phones means we can feel good about it while travelling.

Simplisafe2 is wireless, adding to the easy installation. Many of the sensors use strong double-sided tape to attach, but I STRONGLY advise using the included screws as well. If a sensor falls off while you're away, you will be responsible for the false alarm call.

The sounds are nice. The chimes when a door is opened sound aren't annoying, and although I thought I would disable them in the settings, I've grown accustomed to them. The voice of the main unit is very pleasant, and it gives instructions during setup and for tests.
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PROS
- NO THREE YEAR CONTRACT. NO CONTRACT AT ALL! The system works just fine if it's not monitored, but if you want SS to be alerted when an alarm goes off, it's not that expensive, and you can cancel any time. Other security companies I was looking into pressure you to let them do the install, and demand a contract. The fact that SS doesn't, really sold me on them.
-Setup: We set it up in 30 minutes and it was working great!
-Works with home automation: For now it works with the NEST thermostat (to tell it when you're home or away) but hopefully soon it will be compatible with other systems, or maybe ITTT. That would be nice.
-Wireless
-48 hour battery backup if the power is cut, the system still works. It uses its own cellular signal, so it doesn't rely on your wifi. The base unit is the only part that needs to be plugged into an outlet, so if you get a UPS battery backup, it will last much longer without power.
-Works with app so you can turn it on away from home if you're away
-Later on, you can get a carbon monoxide sensors and smoke detectors for your system! This was not a feature I was thinking about, but then it started to really appeal to me. My smoke alarm won't do anything when I'm not home, and until the neighbors call the fire department, they won't know there's a fire. Think about being notified at the "still smoking" stage, and the peace of mind you'll get from that feature.
-Glass Break sensor detects for sound: This means that the glass break sensor can be used to detect the sound of breaking windows in the room, rather than having to invest in a sensor for each window. I have one room with several windows, and this is a great money saving feature.
-Works great with the default settings, but LOTS of customization options for you to try using the website interface.
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CONS (Why only four stars)
I LOVE this system, and do recommend it, but the following features should be noted. Hopefully SS will consider them in the future.

Keypad does not light up: The photo I'm including was taken in the afternoon, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to get the buttons wrong if it's a bit shady in the room. The LCD display sometimes lights up, but never the keypad. This makes it difficult to use in a shaded room (my lights are usually off there when I'm leaving or coming home) thus making a false alarm a higher possibility. This really isn't the worst thing in the world, and won't affect most users, but it's something to be aware of.

Security Weakness: There is a weakness to this system, (and many cellular-based systems), which you can find out about through various articles. To summarize, a professional thief could use a $200 device to wait outside your home, wait until the system sends its unencrypted verification code to Simplisafe, and they have your PIN. This means that the thief would have to know about this weakness, have a device, know that you are using Simplisafe, and use the device as you disarmed the system, to get your PIN. This is a serious flaw, but all security systems have flaws. I use this system, but have decals outside for a DIFFERENT security system to confuse potential burglars (This is a good practice to do if you don't want to make it easier for any burglar to bypass whatever security system you end up choosing). I hope SS fixes this issue in the future, as it keeps them from being able to give total peace of mind.

The Keyfob: Do not use it for several reasons. Using it as a keychain, the buttons are very easy to accidentally activate in your pocket. Also, if someone gets the keychain, they are able to disarm your system with it, even if they don't know your PIN. Even leaving the device on a shelf as an extra panic button is a danger, as a worker could grab it and have complete access to your home. The keyfob as it's been implemented is a liability. I recommend smashing it with a hammer or burying it in the back yard.
No Motion Sensor customization: If by a rare fluke, your pet DOES set off the motion sensor, it wouldn't happen twice. I do wish SS would allow me to have a one-hit-forgiveness on the motion sensor. I'm a little paranoid about leaving my cat alone with it.

TO SUMMARIZE:
Overall, I really, really like this system, and LOVE the way the setup and instructions went from their website. I really get the feeling that SS really cares about providing a good service and making the installation experience a pleasant one. I looked at so many options (so many!) and this system stood out as the most intuitive, and potential for expansion and growth. So far, I'm impressed.

Good system for the price. It arrived on time, was very easy to set up (I'm a 47 yo female) and had no problem. Customer service hours are not great but they do respond quickly to emails and will resolve any issues pretty quickly without any hassle. I had to get the base station changed out because the first one had T-Mobile coverage and the reception in my area was sketchy.
They changed it out with no problem whatsoever ever! I now have Verizon and it works perfectly. Very reasonable monitoring price ($14.99), which you are not obligated to purchase. No monthly bill, no contract and no big company to suck you dry!! Would definitely recommend.

I installed our system about two weeks ago, and thus far I'm really pleased. Installation was as simple as the demo video suggests, taking perhaps 15 minutes. Thus far the system has been flawless, with one (minor) exception: our home is built over a crawl space, and our water heater is actually in the attic. I put a SimpliSafe water sensor in the plumbed pan that the water heater sits in, so an alarm would sound if the heater ever began leaking. Unfortunately, that sensor is (in a straight line) appx. 45 feet from our base station, and there are three floors & multiple walls in between the two. As a result, a couple of times the sensor lost its connection with the base station. I'll watch this situation, and if necessary, see if I can relocate the base station so it's a bit closer to the sensor yet still near a window (for a good cellular connection). One other related point: if a sensor loses its connection, it in no way prevents the rest of the system from operating; when you arm the system in this scenario, it alerts you to the fact that it's lost the connection to that specific sensor; all the others will continue to perform normally.

We opted for the basic monitoring plan, and the couple of times I've set off an alarm, the service has called within one minute. The basic plan is $15 per month, and for now I think we'll continue with it. If you've researched SimpliSafe at all, you likely know that you can cancel the monitoring plan at any time w/o penalty.

One final point: if you arm the system and your home then loses power, the system continues to work on battery power. And, of course, the SimpliSafe system doesn't require a land line, a big plus if you've cut the cord.

I'll report back in a few months with an update, but thus far we're happy with our SimpliSafe system.

The SimpliSafe system's real advantage is the ease with which you can install it. All the units are wireless, and go up with the same adhesive 3M uses for their removable hooks, so repositioning, removing, or moving sensors and the keypad are trivial. My base station had a lot of difficulty connecting to the home office, but a few full resets later (unplug, remove the batteries, wait a bit, plug back in, reinstall the batteries), it finally connected and I was all set.

I have a two bedroom apartment in Silicon Valley, and the number of sensors supplied was just right. The system was (with the upgraded monitoring package) accessible remotely, so I could verify all was still well at home why I was away for an extended period. The keypad is reasonably small and easy to understand and use. The supplied Keychain remote is very convenient, And saves me from having to – to the panel as soon as I open the door when I get home. Installation was a breeze. You could hear each new sensor checking in with the base station as it was installed. Overall, I like it quite a lot.

Now for the downsides. The process of getting the thing to connect the first place was quite nerve-racking, especially since I was bound out of town on the day after the evening I was installing it! Your SimpleSafe can't be monitored by anybody but SimpliSafe, so what you bought the system, this is who's going to be monitoring your house, unless you decide to sell it or give it away to someone else. The system doesn't integrate with anyone else's products, so if you have fancy LED lights, or any other kind of home automation, this isn't going to integrate with it. You may be better off going with one of the other Home security systems if that's what you want.

For what I needed, a security system that was going to monitor my doors and watch the space inside the house, it was good enough. You might need something a little more sophisticated if you want any more than just that.

The system worked really well. I didn't use the two sided tape, but used Velcro for all the window/door sensors so I could remove them and replace batteries easily so I can't report on how well that worked. The rest of the system was very easy to set up and works great. We have been very happy with it. There was one issue with the remotes that the batteries were dead which was unfortunate. They are CR2032 batteries which were easy to replace and the customer service person sent me a nice video on how to replace them. The customer service person did not offer to replace the batteries so you are on your own if you get bad ones. Other than that unfortunate situation, the system has been rock solid and is has been great so far.

The system was relatively simple to set up and sends an alarm whenever one of the contacts is opened so, in that sense, it provides warning if an intruder were to break into the house when you are at home. Here are the negatives: Initially I was getting random false alarms with the inside siren and could not get help from their CS team. However, I did order a replacement siren and it works just fine now. The company representative has taken steps to ensure I don't have to pay for the replacement and all is well. Am well satisfied now and it is doing the job I bought it to do..

The unit works great. It's easy to install and comes with tons of sensors. It will call phone numbers you tell it to, using the home's land line to report an alarm going off. That's nice because it'll let you know, if you're away, that the alarm went off. Well worth the money.Only four stars because of one issue - in order to call in to the unit from outside (to arm it remotely, check the status, etc) you can't use the alarm AND an answering machine on the same land line. This is because the answering machine wants to pick up after X rings and the alarm wants to pick up after Y rings. If Y<X the answering machine never answers...if X>Y the alarm never answers. If X=Y both try to pick up at the same time and the caller, in addition to hearing the answering machine message, will hear the alarm telling them to enter the passcode. More of an annoyance than anything, but surprised that PiSector didn't think of this and do something like have the alarm pick up silently on X=Y and if it hears the user press something like "#", ask the user to enter the passcode and take control of the phone line. Overall excellent system at excellent price

I have been looking into getting and alarm for my home for a year now. I really wanted something with no frills. I do not want to control it via an App or have it control my thermostat, lights, cameras, etc. I just wanted something simple and reliable. So far this system seems to do that. First of all the price was good and shipping was very fast. I was pleased with the quality of the main console, sirens, and motion sensors. I am concerned with the quality of the window/door sensors and the remotes. I installed the sensors(which to my pleasure are smaller than I expected) using very small screws, but I am concerned because they secure the mount in place, but then the sensor uses plastic clips to lock onto the mount. I am worried my wife or kids will damage a sensor by hitting it with the blind or just brushing by it. I suppose they can be repaired with glue or tape or just replaced for 19.99. The remotes for your keys are very cheap and one of mine does not even work. I will be contacting PIsector for a repair or replacemeant. The system was easy but tedious to setup. The system comes completely programmed and ready to use. All you need to do it edit/name each sensor and set your zones to your liking. I recommend doing this before installing the sensors. The console menu is very easy to use and navigate through. I have had it installed for 3 days now with not false alarm issues. I do like how I can add more components and sensors to this system. I am planning on getting the smoke detectors as well. The chiming feature is great although I wish it announced the door that was opened. Another thing that kind of bugged me was the system only uses a 24hr digital clock. It will not allow you to switch to a standard 12hr clock. I guess no big deal but I thought it was odd. All in all the system will do what I need it to. I just need to know if someone is breaking into my home especially when my family is there. It is a relief to have this alarm. For the price and for the amount of components you get it is worth giving it a try.

This is a very good system that provides very good protection from intruders. Once the system is set up properly it does everything that it should do. However, setting it up is a challenge. It is difficult to get familiar with some of the terms used and after getting my system set up, I still don't understand some of the logic. It is primarily the difficulty with the instructions and communicating with technical support that has resulted in my four star rating. Technical support was easy to contact, but somewhat difficult to communicate with.

I have had this system installed for a couple of days, so my comments are based on initial impression. The system comes preconfigured with all the devices in the kit, which is nice. You don't have to worry about programming each of the devices into the controller. I bench tested mine first as the manual recommends, and everything worked fine. The only setup item I changed was to give 'friendly' names to the door and widow sensors, so that I would know which one was tripped.As many have stated the self adhesive tape does not stick well on some surfaces. I cleaned all mounting surfaces with alcohol first. However on my doors I ended up using at least one screw to make sure they stayed in place. I have vinyl windows, and the 3M tape did stick well to that.I expected the outdoor siren to be louder. It is loud. You have can hear it, but I did not think it was 'blaring' loud as I expected it to be.This may be hard to explain, but the door/ window sensors can be a nuisance. If you open a door and close it quickly the controller will detected the open change, but not the close. So, even though the door is closed, the controller detects it open. When you open a door, the light on the sensor comes on. You have to wait for it to go off, then close the door. When the door is closed, the light will turn back on momentarily. It you allow the sensor to cycle in this manner, the controller will see both the open and close states.

After I bought it I read that it was easily disabled by using a cheap cell phone scrambler you can get on ebay. I'm a radio engineer so I tested it. True. So don't publicize that you have it with a Simplisafe sign. Maybe use another vendors sign or generic if it is that important to tell everyone. Hide the transmitter & keypad from view so repair-people dont see what kind of alarm you have.

Appeared to work ok, but we have sent ours back. We found it not a good fit for us and they were a little weak on helping us sort out problems. We are 87 but well involved with computers, just maybe a little slow on the uptake.

I feel like I maybe got a refurb or something:

1) there was no keychain goober
2) keypad was programmed with a bunch of sensors that weren't included
3) no user guide
4) no window decals (which I would use anyway)

I had to remove all the wrong sensors and add in the new ones. I think it's working now. I ordered a keychain goober.

On the plus side, it's easy to install. The web site is not very friendly if you want to find the user guide. They make it difficult to order additional items by burying the link at the bottom of the "shop" page.

I rated OK because the folks on tech side....those guys/gals that you call when issues arrive....were very supportive. However, the product itself proved to be substandard.

I purchased a different system....(GE product)... from a different vendor....the monitoring fees/month are higher....but I have more sensors...and no problem whatsoever with operation.

I surmise the Simplisafe sensors/system is technically inferior to the GE system...and hence the problems. Wish the Simplisafe site would address metal door/window frames beforehand. These were the reasons this system requires "tinkering" by a DIY installation.

I'm not one to "tinker"....my GE product had no such difficulties...while both products had essentially the exact installation procedures.

Please remember, the Simplisafe tech's via phone...were supportive. I just found their product inferior, something they obviously have no control over.

Quite simply, it didn't work. It would never connect via the cellular connection so my house/monitoring never worked, despite having paid for it. Support was decent, responded quickly, however their best ideas were to turn it off, take out the batteries, put them back in, turn it on and put it closer to a window. Also, two entry sensors would stay in an error state constantly, causing the unit to flash bright blue all the time. Ended up sending it back as I didn't feel it was worth it. Parts felt cheap and they're not UL listed (for what that's worth). Sent it back for a refund. YMMV.

I just received this system today and I am in the process of testing components prior to installation. Preliminarily, I have the following observations:Everything arrived as expected, well packaged and all parts included. The instructions seem clear enough - with occasional broken English. I bought this for its feature set, including the main console identifying the sensors that are either triggered or with a low battery. The SimpliSafe system I had in another house prior to the one we are in now made you guess what sensor was triggered or needed a new battery. The remote key-fob-like remotes are better quality than I expected - much more solid feel than Simpli-safe's remotes.One downside so far is the little mounting plates for the door/window sensors have a little track for the sensor to slide onto. It is held in place by a VERY thin piece of plastic that is weak and easily broken. One broke when I tested attaching/detaching the sensor. I sent an email to support@pisector.com requesting replacement parts. I'm thinking if all of these mounting plates are this weak, then I might be better off not using them and fastening them with Velcro strips. I understand the tape that comes with it should be substituted with something stronger anyway.I will post updates and vary the star rating as needed as installation progresses and user experiences can be noted.Update June 20:The company responded within 24 hours promising to send replacement mounting plate(s) for the sensor(s).I modified the programming on the console of the 11 door/window sensors and motion detectors to specifically label the location of each sensor. I found this simple to do, about 20 minutes. So when there is an alarm triggered or a low battery, I will know which sensor to check out. The SimpliSafe system drove me nuts in this regard. This was my biggest selling point. See the second photo that describes the location of sensors 1, 2 and 3. There is a scroll button to show the rest of them..I installed the main console in an out of the way place. It uses house power, but it also has battery backup. So no more low console batteries like I had with SimpliSafe that made the arm/disarm controls flukey. And no more console eating batteries like SimpliSafe did..I installed six of the 11 sensors so far. I had a challenge with three of my inward opening doors that were recessed 2" into the frame. I had to get three plastic brackets (not metal because metal will interfere with the magnetic signal of the sensor) to enable the magnets to protrude 2" to be close to the sensor/transmitter. Tip: The magnets cannot be mounted perpendicular to the sensor. The magnetic field is neutralized with that orientation and no signal will be sensed. The magnet must be parallel.I was planning to just use 3 or 4 phone numbers to be called if an alarm was triggered: First our cell, then my brother a couple of miles away, then association security, etc. My wife didn't like that plan - she wants monitored service. So I Googled up a bunch and found out that there is a large number of "monitor-only" services in the $6.00 to$10.00 per month range. Watch the fine print, though. A year's prepayment and maybe some setup fees will be required. And some services first year fees are "teaser rates" that will jump up after the first year. So get a copy of their contract before you prepay anything.The installation of all the components is not complete yet. I like to play with it as I go along and several other projects are competing for time. But so far I am loving the the system for its user friendliness and flexibility.Update July 3rd: I knocked one star off for the following reasons:Customer service response is dismal. I sent two emails to PiSector last Thursday. As of this evening, no response.The two keyfob remotes are not on the list of devices on the scroll menu. I wanted to know if they should be. Also, the panic button is not listed on the scroll menu. I wanted to know if it should be.I ordered and received a smoke detector from PiSector. The box it came in says it needs to be hard wired and has a battery "backup." I ordered a totally battery operated device. The instruction sheet implies it is battery operated. There is conflicting information in the packaging as to whether it is battery operated or hard wired. I sent emails to PiSector for clarification 4 days ago. They have not yet responded.I called them on both of their phone numbers listed on their web site. The first number listed is a dead line. The second number listed indicates the same extension whether you press 1 for sales, 2 for technical support, or 0 for operator. No one ever answers. The recording asks for your message. I left a message, twice on two separate days, and no one ever calls back.If you are confident, as I was, that you can set up this system without a problem and really don't need decent customer service, good luck.

First let me say the system concept is great. Wireless system that calls you instead of a monitoring service.The sensors worked well and were numerous.Quality was what you'd expect for such an economical system, perhaps even a bit better. It's not hard to setup or operate.The remote fob's don't have great range but maybe some fresh batteries will help. Hard to say right now because I'm without the console. Had to return it because it wouldn't accept incoming or make outgoing calls as designed.Then pisector shipped it back via usps insufficently insured. Lost in the mail. Tracking number indicates it was placed in the mailbox.Awaiting pisector's resolution. When I sent it in, I insured it enough to cover it jic. Customer support has responded promptly both via email & phone.Shouldn't have been broken in the first place.Should have been insured sufficiently in the second place.

OK is about it. there are some good and some bad. first the good. It works as expected. It's an alarm. Now the bad, Lets start with no light on the key pad to tell you if the system is armed or not. Also no light to let you know all zones are closed and ready to arm. Some mornings we forget if we disarmed the system or not and a quick glance at the keypad tells nothing. You have to go right up to it and look at a dark screen to see what it says. next if you have the open door reminder set to on, there should be a symbol showing an open zone, this does not always work. Also the system should not arm if a door or window is open unless you hold down the remote button for 3 seconds to force the system to arm with a zone open. This also does not always work. Several times we armed the system with a window or door wide open. Next when an alarm is triggered, you disarm the system with the remote, the inside siren shuts off but the outdoor siren won't shut off. You have to unplug it. This happens every time the alarm is triggered. They say the motion sensors won't be triggered by pets but my 10lb. cat sets it off every night. It gets a little old jumping out of bed at 3am with a siren blasting almost every night. Now I know what your thinking, maybe he didn't hook everything up correctly, well I followed the directions exactly to the letter and still problems persist. If you can figure out a way to overcome these issues then this is a more than adequate system for most homeowners who don't want to pay for monthly monitoring fees. For me, I'm still looking for the right system. This is not it.

The product comes as advertised. Everything is pre-set and connected. The only thing you need to do is remove the battery protectors and attach to the correct areas. It's really easy, don't even bother reading the instructions. Like everyone else stated, the 3M sticky tape is not sufficient to hold the components to any surfaces. We thought this had been improved, because - 3M is a good tape, but everything fell off and crashed down, breaking some of the sensors. You do get a lot for your money here - and it's easy to install - but I couldn't figure out how to change the names of the sensors (and I'm good at electronics). But the reason I gave it 3 stars is because the motion detectors are poor, and the sirens are not loud. The siren sounds like a car alarm, so I don't think anyone will give it a second thought if they hear it going off, and it only goes off for 3 minutes then turns off. So that seems kind of pointless. As an entry level system, this might give you the illusion of safety if you super-glue everything on, and put both alarms inside your home so its super loud inside and maybe the noise will frighten the thief - but if you put one inside and one outside like the directions call for, all your neighbors are just going to think someone's car alarm went off. Also, you would need to hide the keypad somewhere, so the thief doesn't just smash it - and if you hide it, then you can't hear if the system is set. The key fobs do work well even from outside the house. But overall, you get what you pay for.

I've had this for at least six months, and overall this works as expected. I like all the door sensors and the fact that they use lithium cells and not AAA batteries since that makes them too bulky.I have two complaints however. It does not allow you to set some door sensors to give a door chime when the door is opened while also being part of the home group of sensors. This means that if you want your doors and windows on a home group (which can be activated while you're still at home inside the house since it doesn't use the infrared sensors) then you can't take advantage of the door chime feature which is kind of nice.Second, the smaller plug in siren quit working after a month or two. It now only makes sporadic chirping sounds when going off.

We've been using PiSECTOR for a few months now. We moved into a new house recently and decided we would feel better if we had a security system in place. The kit includes different sized sensors that can be used for different areas--monitoring doorways, windows, etc. It also comes with key chain remote controls, which lets you remotely arm and disarm the system--very useful while locking up the home before and coming back from work--and a larger control panel that you can put up somewhere convenient in your home.Installation seemed easy enough; my husband had it set up within an hour. The kit comes with 3M sticky pads to attach the sensors to the desired surface. These 3M sticky pads are probably the biggest drawback to the system. Although they seem easy to use, they are simply not strong enough to hold up the system reliably. When we were installing the system, it was actually impossible to get the large control panel to stay on the wall--the sticky pad kept giving out even after we cleaned all surfaces thoroughly prior. A couple of weeks ago, we were taking a nap and heard a loud crash downstairs. I went down to investigate and found that one of the larger sensors had fallen from where it was installed near a doorway, cracking itself open. Then, earlier this week, we were startled awake in the wee hours of the morning by the security system's siren wailing into our ears (yes, it is very loud, and yes, it will wake the soundest sleeper). After recovering from the shock, we investigated and found another sensor--this time, one of the small ones--had detached from its sticky pad as well. The problem seems to be that the sticky pad sticks very well to the wall, and not nearly as well to the sensors.Other than that, the only other major source of grief is user error, like when one of us leaves for work while the other is still in bed and we forget to disarm the system. Sorry, hubby! I also wish there were some kind of indicator on the key chain remote controls that would let you know if a system was currently armed or disarmed.

Not sure it is up to par. Easy to set up

Had a false triggered alarm in the first month. Got a big bill from the police department (that still took 3 hours before they showed up at my door)
I tripped the alarm myself. With ADT after I enter the password and the password goes silent, it is all done. With SimpliSafe, the alarm company still tries to reach you after you silent the alarm. I did walk out of the house for a walk and left my phone. Security company could not get hold of me in those 15 min and dispatched the police! Note that no alarm was going off in the house at that time.
So although you think you might have turned off the alarm, there might be other workflows started!

Took me over a month to realize that the base statation was not communicating back to the main server. Tried to call customer service. Waited for 30 minutes on the phone and gave up. Still waiting for the callback

Mobile apps are not that great. It keeps logging me out. I have a rather long complicated password (good security measures), but if you have to enter that in every time on your phone it takes way too much time, and after some time you stop using it.
I have an android phone and iphone.

Key chain is useless. Way too big. I like to keep my key chain to a bare minimum.

It does get the 2 stars for cutting my landline, and have a nice low monthly charge. One thing I don't understand is why the base station won't first try a wifi connection to the servers, and then fall back on cellular?

Revised review after 1 year of service:
You can read my original review below. Since I have had this service for nearly 12 months, I have to comment on the service disruptions that seem to be plaguing SimpliSafe.

A large part of the service from SimpliSafe revolves around text message and email notifications and the mobile app they provide. This is part of the most expensive monitoring option they provide ($24.99/month). I have had no less than a dozen instances where the notifications are either never sent or are delayed between 30 minutes and several hours.

As you can imagine this is a huge concern, particularly when you would want to receive notifications if a certain door or window has been opened or if your system has been disarmed by a third party (kids coming home from school for example).

As I write this review all notifications have around a 15 minute delay. The mobile app, which I thought would be synced regardless of the email and text notifications, is also delayed.

The proposed solution has always been to unplug my control unit, remove the batteries, and plug them back in. When that doesn't work I am told to wait a couple hours and see if the system still has the problem.

I don't know if SimpliSafe's service is unreliable or they are simply doing maintenance. Either way the communication from the company on this matter is extremely poor.

I would NOT recommend purchasing this product until the service issues are resolved.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
We moved into a new place recently and this system is so simple to setup I was able to get it working in 5 to 10 minutes while the movers were still hauling stuff in.

What makes this system so desirable? First and foremost, as mentioned, easy setup. Secondly you can customize it to your hearts desire (up to 41 total sensors). Want more entry sensors? Order some and add them to your system! Need another keypad? No problem! Want a panic button near your toilet? Seems reasonable to me!

99% of the components are wireless so you can put them where you want. The only exception is the control unit (the thing that looks like a paper towel holder). It has to be plugged in cuz it needs 'lectricity! The batteries on all wireless components are good for 3 to 5 years, I believe, and replacing them is easy.

Why else is this system great? Cheap, month-to-month (no contract) monitoring service. I pay $25/month for monitoring. This is the most expensive option available. This option provides a mobile app, customizable alerts (email and/or text), and 24/7 monitoring by a call center. I believe the lowest tier, which is just call center monitoring is $9.99/month.

How does the control unit connect to the monitoring center? It uses a cellular connection built into the control unit. No landline or internet connection needed. There are some other systems that require an internet connection. If the power or your internet connection goes out, your monitoring fails. The SimpliSafe control unit can function for up to 2 days on battery backup and it notifies you if there's a power failure.

Here's a little information on what the system/subscription service offers:
- Ability to easily add components to the system via the keypad or much more easily via the web portal (if you are subscribed for that service tier).
- Ability to customize alerts through the web portal. We have special alerts setup so that particular entry sensors trigger a silent alert any time they are opened.
- Setup separate disarm codes for different people (know when that lazy brother-in-law is in your house drinking all your beer).
- Setup a silent panic code if another party is forcing you to disarm the system (immediately and silently notifies the monitoring center who then alert law enforcement who rescue you Liam Neeson style).

What are the options for arming/disarming the system? Based on my tier of service I can arm or disarm using the keypad, the keychain, the web portal, or the mobile app.

If you've ever dealt with ADT you know that the manual for your keypad is thick, with a lot of instructions for bypassing sensors, troubleshooting, etc. And when you order from a service like ADT you first have to have someone come out and evaluate the system you need and customize it. The one-time fee for this can be substantial depending on what you choose. You then have to schedule installation which typically occurs during the week which means you have to meet the technician at your home. You're also paying an expensive monthly fee for a contracted period (typically 3 years with ADT - early termination fees apply). We previously used ADT for our security and they actually raised rates while we were still on term. One of the most frustrating aspects of ADT's system is that the mobile app was complete garbage and often would not sync with the keypad (despite having a tech come out and replace the wireless card inside the keypad).

How does SimpliSafe compare? The documentation that comes with SimpliSafe is MAYBE 30 pages long, printed in a large font and line spacing that would make a college professor quiver with rage. Setup and troubleshooting is simple. This is an every man's security system. The simplicity is one of its biggest strong suits. You can evaluate your own needs prior to ordering and all you have to wait is 2 days (if ordered via Amazon Prime) and set it up at your leisure. If you're unsure on what components you want you can read about each component on the SimpliSafe website. Adding more components on at a later time is easy. Compared to ADT the monthly fee is less than half for the most expensive option! We have had no issues with the mobile app which syncs up perfectly with the control unit.

We did have a issue with our control unit losing connection to the monitoring center. It turns out that T-Mobile did some unannounced maintenance on one or more of their towers and it knocked many systems offline. I was on hold for about 10 minutes before customer service was able to get me back online (which took less than 2 minutes). You can periodically test your system by putting it into test mode. Within minutes the monitoring service will call you and let you know they received your test signal.

I realize I'm in the minority here, but I am not at all impressed with this system. I already have a real alarm company, and yes, the monthly fees are roughly double of what I'm paying for Simplisafe (didn't cancel real alarm yet).

I wanted to get this system for two reasons.
1) I'm tired of paying $39.95 a month for monitoring.
2) I have VOIP (Vonage) and my current alarm company does not work with VOIP. The options were to get an expensive cell add-on and then even larger monitoring bills or continue paying a land line bill (although I DO use it for the fax machine in my office)

The system is very dinky and cheap feeling in my opinion. Especially the keypad.There is no positive feel that buttons were pressed, the screen has very tiny text (about 3/16" high versus my alarm company 5/8" high text) and worst of all, the keypad doesn't illuminate. So when your hands are full, and you need to get in the house, be prepared to put everything down and turn on the light to enter your code. Not the end of the world, but after awhile it's a hassle.

This system comes with 4 door sensors and 1 motion sensor and (basically) no audible alarm. I would have preferred 2 doors, and 2 motions, and an audible. The base station acts as an audible and it's kind of useless. Especially since you'll want to hide this out of the way.

The brains of the unit is the base station. They tell you not to put it on the floor (why?). It's kind of difficult to find a good place to hide this thing. When working, it emits a relatively bright blue light that could be annoying (it has been for me). They claim someone could smash the keypad and the unit would still alarm, but they don't say anything about smashing the base unit which would surely defeat the system. Did I mention it's lit up?

I wasn't trusting the adhesive strips and screwed everything in. When I went to plug the USB drive into my computer, Internet Explorer loaded up (even though that's never been my default), and the screen was blue with NOTHING on it. I tried it on my laptop. Same thing. I called customer support and after 15 minutes on hold, they said "Oh you don't need to have that to get it to work". I told them I wanted to use the options of zoning and all. They said they'd send me another one telling me that the file is probably corrupted. I'm skeptical but will wait and see.

I ran in test mode, and after a few hours, my keypad said it couldn't find a sensor. Base station was blinking blue. My house is 1097 square feet, so distance can't be the problem. I then went out of town for a few days. When I returned, I was determined to find the problem. I enabled test mode to test the sensors. My sister got a voice message saying someone is testing the sensors. Tried it again, then *I* got a call saying I was testing the sensors. What is the point of this call? I used my password to go into test mode. With this logic, every time I disarm the system, I should be getting a call.

So I'm weighing my options here. I like the fact that my current provider has a robust system with a loud alarm, fire and theft, smaller units, hard-wired units and a great keypad. But as I said, I don't like the higher fees and having to keep a land line.

I will give it a few more weeks, but my inclination right now is to return the system. We shall see.

One IMPORTANT note for those hard of hearing. While not necessary, the base alarm speaks instructions and status to you. If you have bad hearing, or your keypad is not near the base station, that aspect will be useless. You will need 2 people when testing sensors. One to test the sensor, and one to be near the base station to hear it.

It was short the remote key chain and one og the entry sensor was not complete.

Some motion sensors don't work to well they won't call me back. But it's easy to set up.

Giving this product 1 star would be mean, although everybody knows Chinese items are cheap quality, but we all buy them because of the price. My item came defective from factory. The siren wire plug didn't fit in it's receptive connector at the back of the alarm.

This item would not work properly, despite trying everything. It would answer calls to my house, letting everyone who called listen to what was going on inside, and it would not call out to the input numbers ever no matter what I tried. This thing is straight off of the boat from China, you can tell by the way it's constructed and the wording in the manual, which by the way was extremely basic. On the plus side I will say that it was extremely easy to figure out and set up even without instructions. In the main panel worked with my phone properly then I would have probably kept it.

With1) a sensor battery life of only 6 months, compared to a Honeywell system of 3 years,2) No-one that wants to monitor the system.makes this system not very realistic for an alarm system. Spend a little more money and buy a real system.

Thought system would be good unit. Price was right.Unit is going back. Right out of the box , all 3 motion sensors did not work. They would flash on movement , but not set off siren. Base unit showed them when they triggerd though.. Instructions were "ok" .

I sent it back, it had static in the phone line, and even with their fix, it would not work without static in the phone line. Beware of this company, they offer you a gift, if you give them a good rating. A company should not have to bribe you to get a good rating. Be ready to see the red light on the control panel blinking all the time. You can turn the red light off on the motion sensors, but the red light on the control panel or the wireless signal amplifier, were always blinking, when you walk around the house, open the doors, or open a window. I put a piece of black tape over the red light, while trying to get it to work. Ran the ground wire from the control panel to the electrical outlet, and nothing would get the static out of the phone line. I sent it back.

I did NOT ! get my alarm with my order, drove 500 miles to install this in my vacation home, and the order is incomplete ! oh well whats another 1000 miles to come back again to finish installing this !

I purchased this package for a home in Venice Ca. The base unit could not hook up to their cell system. Simplisafe sent out a new cell card. Still no reception. They sent out a completely new base unit. After a month and a half the system still does not work. I will try to return the complete system. Simplisafe did try many times to trouble shoot the system unsuccessfully. Customer service although not helpful did try. UPDATE: Do Not Be Patient. Amazon took the alarm system back but kept 20% $100.00 for an alarm system that never worked.

I've given extensive reviews over the past few months but deleted all of it finally landed on a score of 1 star. I'm not happy about giving such a poor review when I spent a LOT of money on the base system and all of the many additional sensors. However, enough is enough. I've constantly been either on the phone or emailing with customer service ever since installing the unit. I get weird messages on the keypads and am told to just reboot the system. (Really? What if I'm not home when that happens which is the whole idea of having this!?) Then, even worse, every so often, the base flashes blue and I get a message that it lost contact with the communication center. I contact customer service and I'm told just to reboot (again) and I'm sent a canned message about the location of the base unit, electrical components around it, etc even though I explained (many times) that it's sitting at 5' off the ground on a wooden book case with no electrical components around, only 20' from the keypad and strong internet and cell signal (i.e. perfect conditions). After only 3 months, I have lost all/any confidence that I once had in this system. That's very unfortunate given that the concept is fantastic and none of us want to be in a stranglehold with ADT, etc. However, I have no choice as I can't let this thing start flashing blue while I'm away from home or on vacation.

Great concept, but not very reliable, as a security system should be. I've had for 3 months now (past the return period) and 5 times already the text and email alerts have stopped working for couple days at a time. Apparently they sub out these alerts to some company that isn't very reliable. Couple of the times I called to complain, they "gave" me a free month of service, 1st time I had to call back a week later to actually get them to honor that. 2nd time they promised the free month... they still haven't honored it, I emailed and they said "the issue should be resolved now", and still ignored where I said they still owe me the 2nd free month they promised, so I emailed them again, we'll see, maybe I'll have to do a credit card chargeback. But the money isn't the issue, the issue is the apparent non-reliability of their "security" system, and they're lying about crediting me, and still ignoring the 2nd time I brought up.

Got this yesterday, returning tomorrow. I'd seriously stay away from buying this through Amazon especially if you own a Mac computer.

Opened everything up - looks pretty good, here we go, new security system.

Hmmm...what's this? Keypad out of range? Let's put it closer to base station...keypad out of range. Let's put it right next to base station. Keypad out of range. Oh well. Let's call customer service (oh how I loathe having to call customer service) 10 minutes later, still on hold, couldn't you get some better music, 15, 20 minutes later - OK a human to talk to.

Nice kid - he says something about Amazon orders not being synced up to base stations. Asks for base station serial number. Asks if I own a computer. Yes. A Mac. Uh Oh, no PC? nope. Sends me an email to download a Simplisafe application that works for Mac, supposedly. Open the email, follow the link, download the application, drag to application folder.

Is Safari your default browser he asks? No I don't like Safari. Well you need to make it your default browser. OK open preferences and make it my default browser. Do you have latest version of Adobe flash? No. OK you have to download latest version of Adobe flash. Really? OK I do that. Now you need to restart your computer. Seriously- hey kid how long is this going to take?

Restart computer. Total time on phone so far 40 minutes. Now he tells me to stick the little keychain thing into a USB slot. OK I think I'm getting close.

"Cannot read disk" says my Mac (this is a relatively new Mac, new OS, etc.). OK says the kid, back to the base station. Give me that serial number again. Here it is. Long pause. Hey do you know what day you bought this because I have about a million orders here. Really, can't you search by serial number? Apparently not. I check my order, bought it last Thursday. Long pause.

Are you sure that 8 you gave me isn't a B? Get the reading glasses grandpa, make sure. No that is surely an 8. I just can't seem to find that serial number says he but let me keep looking.

Hey tell me straight, you think we are going to get this resolved in the next 10 minutes or so, I have a meeting I have to go to at 3.

Not going to happen says the kid.

Well, can someone call me back in an hour so I can get this resolved today I ask?.

Sorry we will be closed.

Well I think I'll return this if I can't get it resolved today.

No problem says the kid.

No problem for Simplisafe, problem for me. Can I please have that hour of my life back??

The End.

Garbage after 1 year. Half the sensors don't work anymore. The siren is very quiet and I had to use the outdoor siren indoors to compensate. The whole thing feels, looks, and functions like something from the 90s. I gave it a chance but unfortunately this product is sub par. You would be better off getting a real security system with a monthly fee or a dog if you really want to protect your home.

Do not buy them. I bought three of them here at Amazon. But remotes keypads sometime work and sometime do not work. It becomes very annoying after a month. I replace batteries, but they still do not work.

I purchased this system at warehouse deals on 12/12/15, however, I did not install it in my home until Sept.of 2016. It worked OK until late in December, but then the alarm sirens would no longer work. After MANY resets, and watched videos, I sent it to Pisector for repair only to find there was no warranty on the unit. Now I have to pay $43.00 for repair and shipping to get my unit back. Now I question the reliability of Pisector units, (failed after three months of use), and the wisdom of buying "Warehouse Deals" JS

It's OK. We can't get it to set an entry deay. Has started to go off in the middle of the night not indicating any zones being triggered. Has also gone off while we are at work. Look for a different make of alarm.

Constant issues with system. Go with Honeywell and pay the difference. This is a junky system that will require constant maintenance and spending of money out of your pocket.Positives:- It's fairly cheap?Negatives:- As other reviewers have stated without running a ground cable there is a constant buzz in the phone. This alarm also will prevent incoming calls from coming in.- Batteries go dead just 2 weeks after install on fresh batteries!- Tech support is in another country so it's very difficult to speak with them!- Wireless siren broke after one use- They pay you with free stuff for 5 star reviews. This should be illegal and against Amazons policy.

Loud buzz on our phone line when connected. Not fixed by electrical grounding.