The Simplisafe Skinny, my installation!

Ok, like it or not agree or not here is my unscientific skinny on this system after, oh, 20 months?🤷

You will need a stick built home fairly condensed as in 2 story, older home.

2x4 type walls, drywall or horsehair plaster, insulation etc. No all brick outside, no new plaster, its like brick lol. No metal siding, no stucco with chicken wire to help it adhere outside.

You will need a Mesh Wifi system with a couple of access points for outdoor cameras and doorbells Pro wifi. I have an Orbi Mesh RBK53 with two access points. Some use Google mesh successfully also. What flavor?🤷

You "may" need to use the power cables to charge the batteries. Those "may" help the outdoor cams be more responsive than just solar or just batteries. I'm all solar, doorbells are wired, no RF I'm aware of. Correct me if wrong.

The base station needs to be centrally located or moved as necessary for best performance, if thats even possible to achieve.

Which in my case, there is no best location to affect outdoor cam live views

Even so, it also communicates with all of the sensors. So keep that in mind if trying this in a say 5,000-6,000 sq ft home.

Personally, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't even attempt a larger house than mine with similar construction. About 2,000 sq ft. But untested if built as above for good RF and WiFi penetration.

In my case, 5 solar outdoor cams in a rancher, long and skinny, all brick exterior, slathered plaster walls, steel entry doors. 1980 model.

The base station communicates with all sensors and it communicates with outdoor cameras to wake them up.

With recent outdoor cam firmware 1.33, which all my cameras finally all received, showed some improvement in some outdoor cam live view on say 2 of 5.

Ok, so today I'm playing musical base station to verify what? Whether my plaster walls and steel entry doors etc. are blocking the RF signal significantly or not. It seems it is indeed being blocked.

Weak RF signals from the base station, with the wrong kind of walls amd construction.

I have no sensor issues even in a long rancher or the basement windows and doors sensors. It's getting through to the OD cameras and doorbells outside. Thats the issue.

And almost certain it's 100 percent mostly weak RF signals. Wifi may be affected a little.

Example; Where the south OD cam is usually 8 seconds to live view, moving the base significantly closer can make it 2 or 3 seconds. Fairly consistently. Actual performance mode....

However, moving the base from original central location, living room, adds plaster walls. Make other cams slow. 8 or more seconds on some. Affected doorbells some in my unscientific experiment.

The supposed improved wifi antennas in doorbells Kurt sent months ago, also have some improvement. But only if in line of sight to the base station. RF also??🤷 Wifi? Still weak antennas?

Moving base affects the doorbells, so maybe they do get RF signals. I don't know.

Anyhow enough for now. I've decided that unless Simplisafe can cough up RF extenders, nothing will change equally in this house.