SimpliSafe for Business

Is SimpliSafe Good for Business?

If you own or manage a business and want to secure it from the inside out, SimpliSafe should definitely be in the running as a potential solution. We recently spent several days testing this DIY system, and we think you’ll be surprised at what we found.

For instance, it only took us 20 minutes to set it up, and we were able to view our live-feed video using our smartphone. This will certainly come in handy if your business is ever burglarized, and it’ll keep your employees honest, too. Also, we found the monitoring to be pretty affordable at $19.99 or $29.99 per month.

What about looks? Well, unless you own a greasy auto shop, the SimpliSafe Hub will likely compliment your business' interior decor. We think the equipment is well-designed, with a modern flair to it. And then there are other practical features that you’ll want to consider, like employee access codes, activity logs so you can see who’s coming and going, and more.

Now before we move on, you should know that we have a couple of minor gripes that we’ll share with you. But overall, if you’re looking to secure your business without depleting your company’s bottom line, SimpliSafe is both an affordable and effective security system. Let's have a closer look!

What Types of Businesses Benefit from SimpliSafe?

You probably know that businesses face unique challenges. First, you have the obvious theft and property crimes. But you should also consider fraudulent lawsuits from staged “accidents,” accusations of discrimination, harassment, and the like. Having something like SimpliSafe in place can help you recoup losses, exonerate you and others from false accusations, and even help to prove legitimate accusations.

With that said, we’ve found SimpliSafe to be quite versatile, and businesses that will benefit from these security systems might include:

• Most small to medium-sized retail businesses
• Real estate developers
• Property managers
• Restaurants & cafes
• Professional offices
• Home businesses and home offices
• Law firms & legal practices
• Medical practices
• And more

It’s worth pointing out that SimpliSafe is not a good fit for larger businesses, warehouses, factories over 20,000 sq. ft., or really any building as big as a football field. This includes large commercial properties and shopping malls. Why? Because these tend to have upwards of a 100 (or more!) entry points. And you have to keep in mind that the SimpliSafe hub will support up to 100 devices, but no more. That’s why large properties are better off served by a CCTV system, with professional installation and the whole bit.

SimpliSafe Installation and Setup

One reason why SimpliSafe is regularly one of our top-rated security systems is that it really couldn’t be easier to set up. All we had to do was unbox the system, plug the hub into a standard AC outlet, and follow the step-by-step setup instructions. The SimpliSafe app will walk you through installing your other devices like sensors, cameras, etc. You can also use the hand-dandy install booklet that comes with the system to set up SimpliSafe using the included keypad. And anytime you need help, you can always visit the company's website to find setup guides and specific instructions.

We’ll talk more about the different SimpliSafe plans in just a bit. But as you can see… there’s a reason why “simple” is in the name. Depending on the size of your business, it should only take you between 15 minutes and 1 hour to install SimpliSafe from start to finish. Compared to other highly-rated DIY systems we’ve tried, we found SimpliSafe to be about 25-35% easier and faster to install.

Using SimpliSafe for Your Business

We won’t get too much into the nitty-gritty here. If you want our full experience using SimpliSafe, we suggest heading over to our hands-on SimpliSafe review. But note that SimpliSafe is the easiest security system in the industry.

We were able to access and manage our system using the push button keypad, and via the app on our smartphone. Unfortunately, SimpliSafe doesn’t offer a touchscreen control panel, so we mainly used the mobile app to arm and disarm the system, pull up our live video feed, and check our activity log.

Let’s say your alarm sounds in the middle of the night. You obviously won’t be around to hear it, so SimpliSafe will send an instant mobile notification, and you’ll get a call from their C.O.P.S. monitoring center. When we tested the system, the response times were around 20 seconds on average, which is pretty fast considering the industry average is 30 seconds.

You can also remotely tap into your SimpliCam video to see what the fuss is all about. However, chances are the 110 dB SimpliSafe siren sent the thief packing. Trust us, it’s plenty loud.

The SimpliCam Indoor Camera

It’s small and discreet, but we think it packs a punch for a little guy. The SimpliCam's 1080p HD resolution gave us crisp and clear image quality, mostly during the day. And the night vision was decent, but nothing to write home about. One feature that’s useful for business owners is the two-way talk option. This allows you to push-to-talk right through the camera to your employees. Honestly, you probably won’t use two-way talk like this, but it’s nice to know you can!

The SimpliSafe Outdoor Cam

In addition to the indoor camera, SimpliSafe recently added an outdoor camera to its product line. The outdoor camera features a 1080p resolution paired with a 140-degree viewing angle, which offers plenty of clarity and field of vision for business security. Since it's weatherproof, it can go almost anywhere — parking lots, back alleys, entrances, fire exits, and such. It just needs to be near an outlet as it needs to be plugged in. At $169.99 a pop, this camera offers a lot of value for business owners.

Which SimpliSafe System is Best for My Business?

Well, it depends. SimpliSafe systems come in all different sizes, from 4-piece to 14-piece packages. You can also build out a custom kit that makes sense for your place of business. We like the flexibility here.

If your business is located in a strip mall, with just one door in the front and one in the back, then you can get away with a smaller SimpliSafe package like the 6-piece Essentials package. However, if you have a standalone building with multiple doors and windows, then we’d recommend going with the SimpliSafe ‘Knox' or ‘Haven' kit, and then adding extra sensors as needed. This might run $500+, but similar systems from other brands will cost closer to $1,000 or more.

SimpliSafe Features for Businesses

SimpliSafe offers lots of helpful features, but to really get the most out of the system, we recommend the Interactive Plan. We feel this way you’ll get smartphone controls, video support, and hands-free voice control. Note that the basic Standard plan doesn’t offer these upgrades. Here’s a roundup of the features and tech you can expect.

SimpliSafe for Business Features	Standard Plan	Interactive Plan
Easy DIY Installation	Yes	Yes
100% Cellular Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Environmental Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Smartphone Controls	No	Yes
Instant Mobile Alerts	No	Yes
Video Support	No	Yes
Alexa & Google Home Voice Controls	No	Yes
Outdoor Cameras	No	No
Third-party automation integrations (IFTTT, Z-Wave, etc.)	No	No

A Handful of Our Favorite Features

Fast & Easy DIY Installation

After setting up multiple SimpliSafe kits, we can say that it’s one of the most intuitive and user-friendly alarm systems out there. Plan on setting aside 20 minutes to an hour to get up-and-running with your business security system.

Reliable Cellular Connection

SimpliSafe uses a 100% cellular connection, which means you don’t need Wi-Fi at your business for it to work. They’ve partnered with Verizon and T-Mobile to build a strong nationwide network that knows (almost) no bounds. Cellular monitoring lets you stay connected to the monitoring center even if you lose power — this sure beats a Wi-Fi connection with cellular backup, which is what a lot of DIY security systems use.

Instant Alerts

Depending on your plan, you’ll receive instant alerts via the SimpliSafe app, SMS/text, or email. Thankfully, we were able to customize these notifications to a pretty high degree. And we do think these alerts can be worth their weight in gold for your business. If there’s a break-in — or even just an employee “visiting” late at night when they shouldn’t be — you’ll be the first to know.

Secret Notifications

This is a neat feature that allows you to monitor files, restricted areas, and other private matters. If you have the Interactive plan, you’ll get a secret notification if (or when!) a restricted area is breached. In other words, you’ll have 24/7 eyes and ears at your business without you having to physically be there.

Smash-Proof Protection

The SimpliSafe equipment is also smash-proof, which is a feature we always keep an eye out for. This means even if a bad guy breaks into your business and tries to smash (or even just tamper with) your SimpliSafe equipment, then the alarm will sound and you’ll be notified. Nothing fancy, but we think it’s a nice extra layer of protection.

Alexa Voice Controls

As mentioned, SimpliSafe plays well with Alexa, Google Home, and even Apple HomeKit and Apple Watch. We’re big fans of hands-free voice control, and it was fairly simple setting up the integration. “Alexa, tell SimpliSafe to arm my business.” And just like that… she’s at your service! Now, this isn’t exactly groundbreaking technology, as many security systems offer voice assistant compatibility. Nevertheless, it’s another feather in the cap for SimpliSafe.

Best-in-Industry Professional Monitoring

SimpliSafe will protect your business with C.O.P.S. Monitoring, which was named ‘Best Monitoring in the Industry'. They are U.L.-Listed, F.M.-Approved, and Five Diamond Certified. It’s pretty much the gold standard as far as monitoring goes. In our experience, SimpliSafe never missed a beat, and we were happy with the 20-second response times.

Smartphone Controls

Using the SimpliSafe app, you can arm and disarm your business security system with the swipe of a finger. You can also check the event log to keep tabs on who’s coming and going, monitor your office temperature, and see the status of your system in real-time, anytime. And since you can use the app whether you're on a monitoring subscription or not, it can help you self-monitor the system, although we highly recommend springing for the $19.99 or $29.99 professional monitoring plans.

Wireless Long-Range Sensors

If your business is small- to medium-sized, then SimpliSafe is a safe bet. But if you have a large commercial space, factory, or warehouse, just remember that the SimpliSafe sensors have a 400-500 foot range, and the system can support up to 100 different sensors. This should be fine for many businesses, but others might want to look into professionally-installed CCTV systems.

Power Outage Protection

SimpliSafe's equipment runs on lithium batteries that can last up to five years, so your system will stay connected even when the power goes out. The hub comes with a built-in rechargeable battery backup which will power your system for 24 hours and will recharge itself once the power is restored.

SimpliSafe Pricing for Businesses

If you already have a lot of overhead, the last thing you want is another hefty line item on your monthly statements. While SimpliSafe might not be the most advanced system on the market, we must say they offer a good value for most business types.

The company has basic packages that start around $150, but we recommend going with enough sensors to cover every door and window, along with at least one SimpliCam (but this really depends on the size of your business). At any rate, expect to pay around $300-$500 to secure a small business, $500-$750 to secure a medium-sized business, and upwards of $1,000 or more to protect a large business with multiple entry points (35+). You can check out our guide to SimpliSafe's latest pricing and fees here.

Although you can technically self-monitor your system for free, we definitely don’t recommend this for business establishments. You’ll want to sign up with a SimpliSafe monitoring plan, and specifically the Interactive plan. This costs $29.99 per month and comes with 24/7 professional monitoring, video support, SimpliSafe’s mobile app, and some smart automations. Also, there are no activation fees or installation fees to worry about, which is always nice.

One quick tip is to take advantage of SimpliSafe’s 30-day free trial of the Interactive plan. You can always downgrade if you’d rather go with the basic plan. And of course, you can cancel either plan at any time without penalty. We’re finding that no-contract business protection is a growing trend among security companies.

The Bottom Line on SimpliSafe

SimpliSafe isn’t a bulletproof solution for every business out there. But if you own or manage a small- to medium-sized business, and you’re looking for an affordable way to protect your product, your employees, and even your customers, then we’d definitely say it’s worth the investment. We had an all-around positive experience using our SimpliSafe system, and it’s not by accident that it’s ranked #1 on our top 10 list.

We think you’ll like the affordable monthly monitoring ($29.99 per month), the easy DIY setup and installation, and the flexibility of smartphone controls. It’s one of those “what you see is what you get” packages — and from what we’ve seen, all looks good!

Our only gripes were that we wished SimpliSafe sold an outdoor camera, and that the products integrated with Z-Wave, IFTTT, and other smart platforms. But as they say, you can’t have your cake and eat it too! If you want to protect your business, you really can’t go wrong with SimpliSafe.