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worthing's profile

Thursday, September 26th, 2024 2:55 AM

Questions About The Outdoor Security Camera (Original and the new Series 2)

So recently I became aware of the following link:

https://simplisafe.com/outdoor-security-camera-series-2

As always, I have questions. :)

1. This camera appears to be the same as the original outdoor camera with additional speakers and a louder alarm added as well as a 25 foot outdoor cable included if the person buying it is a Pro or Pro Plus subscriber. All of this for $199.99 which happens to be same price as the original outdoor camera even though the original outdoor camera lacks some hardware and doesn't come with the outdoor charging cable which costs another $29.99. 

I think literally every customer would agree that dog don't hunt. How are you charging more for 1st generation hardware with an outdoor cable than a 2nd gen camera with the outdoor cable?

2. I see in the page above that not only does the Active Guard Outdoor Protection only work with the gen2 cameras but it only works with up to 3x gen 2 cameras. Given y'all are charging up to $80 a month why on earth are you limited to the number of gen 2 cameras you can use with the new plan?

3. One of the questions in the FAQ section for the gen 2 cameras is, "When will my Outdoor Camera record and for how long?" and the answer you give for the "how long" portion is quite literally:

"will record for a minimum of 10 seconds".

That is a terrible answer. Would you buy a car if the specs said it would go, "a minimum of 35 mph"? Or an internet plan that said it would would provide speeds of, "at least 56Kbps"?  Or a mobile plan that promised to let you talk for, "at least 20 seconds per call"? And not top end was ever given in any of those examples? No, you'd laugh and go find another vendor.

I'll make it easier for y'all: 

What is the max length of a single recording of the gen 2 camera and what is the cooldown period, if any, between recordings?

I look forward to your answers!

2 Messages

1 month ago

Can somebody from SimpliSafe answer the questions raised? 

I cannot find anything in detail about the difference between original and series 2 cameras.  I was hoping the answer would be something like "longer recordings, less wasted time before the camera wakes up, better recording quality, cameras made by Arlo or to Arlo spec".

The current cameras allow my old slow walking elderly father to leave the property before it triggers. I really wish I hadn't wasted my money 🙄

46 Messages

@temporary2008​  I have both types of cameras. Aside from the special monitoring features with the series 2 (which I don’t use), the main difference otherwise is supposed to be the night vision capabilities (better chip or something), and also a better speaker and microphone.  

The series 2 definitely has a way better speaker and microphone. I notice a huge difference.  And you can see that this aspect is a big part of the physical difference between the 2 cameras.  

I’m not sure if I notice better night vision.  I use the spotlight so it’s not clear if it applies to that.  

Otherwise, everything seems pretty much exactly the same.  

I do note that the new software feature (as of today- October 8th) that now allows you to set motion detection/notifications based on each alarm state (off/home/away), is ONLY currently available on the original camera version.  It has not yet showed up on my Series 2.  

740 Messages

1 month ago

Bump? Two weeks and counting folks and no answer.

46 Messages

@worthing

 I have both types of cameras. Aside from the special monitoring features with the series 2 (which I don’t use), the main difference otherwise is supposed to be the night vision capabilities (better chip or something), and also a better speaker and microphone.  

The series 2 definitely has a way better speaker and microphone. I notice a huge difference.  And you can see that this aspect is a big part of the physical difference between the 2 cameras.  

I’m not sure if I notice better night vision.  I use the spotlight so it’s not clear if it applies to that.  

Otherwise, everything seems pretty much exactly the same.  

I do note that the new software feature (as of today- October 8th) that now allows you to set motion detection/notifications based on each alarm state (off/home/away), is ONLY currently available on the original camera version.  It has not yet showed up on my Series 2.  

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