Siren drained batteries in a couple weeks?

@justindeloach​ The thing is, the Siren doesn't have its own firmware, so that wouldn't be the cause for a sudden issue like this.

One thing that could have been the problem, however, is interference. That could have forced your siren to work harder than it should to maintain the connection with the Base Station, which could drain the batteries if it goes on for long enough.

Interference can be caused by dense physical objects literally getting in the way of the signal. So if there are thick walls or heavy appliances between the Base Station and that Siren, that could be blocking the signal.

The other thing could be other wireless signals competing for the same airspace. Since the Base Station uses a low frequency to communicate with the components, you're looking for simpler devices like remote controlled garage door openers, wireless weather stations, or even some older types of baby monitors.

Sorry to hear that you're sending back your siren. But if you ever want to try again, please let our Support team know and we can help with troubleshooting further.

Same thing here. The replacement is even worse than my original. Can't even get a week out of it with 4 brand new duracell batteries. 

@ron0a5c13​ Where is your Extra Siren placed? If it is around any sources of interference, that could cause the siren to have to work harder to maintain its connection the the Base Station, causing this battery drain.

There are two sources of interference we want to look out for: physical and wireless. Physical interference comes from objects getting in the way between the siren and Base Station. This would come from things like dense brick/stone walls, mesh insulation, or heavier appliances. Wireless interference comes from other wireless devices that broadcast at the same signal as SimpliSafe devices. These are simpler objects, like remote car starters and ham radios.

To troubleshoot the siren's battery, I would scan the area around it and look for any sources of interference. If there are any, it can help to change the placement of the siren to move it away from the interference. 

My siren is on the same location ever since I installed it and no know physical or RF interference that I know of.this happened twice already and last month, I replaced the battery with Ultimate Lithium that should last a lot longer than a regular Alkaline battery but the siren still drains it pretty quick. You people from Simplysafe need to figure it out soon.

They knew a system update was the problem years ago. Call and e-mail them. Don't let them off the hook.

J

@chgopatti​ We had no luck whatsoever with battery life regardless of where we moved it.  Ended up buying a kit and converting it to AC and have it plugged into an outlet that itself is on battery back up.    No more battery issues!

Glad you found a solution!   We had no luck whatsoever with battery life regardless of where we moved it.  Ended up buying a kit and converting it to AC and have it plugged into an outlet that itself is on battery back up.    No more battery issues!

@chgopatti Care to share what you purchased to convert to AC?

@rich708​ A further update on this.....It has been several months since I moved the Siren away from the TV and I still have not had to replace dead batteries.  So, the TV was in fact causing the battery problem.

@cbmorec26aa7 It sounds like there may be some source of interference getting between the Extra Siren and Base Station. When this happens, it forces the siren to work harder to maintain a connection, which can cause its batteries to drain. 

Are there any thick walls or heavy appliances between the Wireless Siren and Base Station? If there are, it can help to adjust the placement of the Wireless Siren, or Base Station, to reduce the amount of interference between the two devices and create a clearer path between them.

@nickciar1 Thank you for letting us know a bit more about where your Wireless Siren and Base Station are located. If interference is not at play, it sounds like it may be an issue with the device itself. In that case, please reach out to our Support team for further assistance.

I still have my original batteries in the one that works and it was the farthest one from the base station. My other one that has been replaced 3 times can sit right next to the base station and dies in less than a week. Of course, simply safe says it's a problem on my end not with their product. 

@ron0a5c13 and @brwolfe Thank you both for reporting. I've brought both of your cases to our tech team for further investigation. A member of the team will contact both of you soon for further investigation. 

@Javairiya ​ While I don't have a bell box I do have an 8 year old aux siren and the batteries last about 10 months with no issues. And everything comes with a 1 year warranty and on certain monitoring plans, most for life.  If you have an issue, pick up the phone, troubleshoot and get it replaced.

@sharon_6​ A aux siren should not go through 3 sets of batteries in 6 weeks, or 6 months for that matter. Call SS, do the troubleshooting and get it replaced under warranty if necessary.

Hey,

Over a year ago I put rechargable batteries in and haven't replaced them since.

J

@sharon_6​ Hey Sharon! This certainly isn't how it's supposed to perform. The the issue persists please give us a call so we can take care of you!