The SimpliSafe Home Security System is designed to work in homes of all sizes. The most basic SimpliSafe custom system is perfect for most 1-2 bedroom apartments. If you have a larger home or a lot of doors and windows (particularly on the ground floor), you can easily order additional components (such as door/window Entry Sensors and Motion Sensors) to supplement your system and provide additional coverage.

Roommates are no problem. You can order additional Keychain Remotes so that you each have your own. You can even each choose an individual PIN (up to 5 total) to use with the wireless Keypad.

Best of all, SimpliSafe is easy to install and easy to remove in case you move to a new home. The entire system can be taken down quickly and it’s easy to change your monitoring service to reflect your new location.

Absolutely. There are two Entry Sensors included in your do-it-yourself security system, which can be used to protect two doors or windows. The Motion Sensor can be used to fill in coverage in a room with lots of windows. Plus, SimpliSafe was designed to be expandable - you can easily order extra Entry Sensors along with your system if there are additional windows that you’d like to protect. According to the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, almost 80% of all home invasions occur through the front door, back door or a first floor window.

No. Everything you need to set up the SimpliSafe Home Security System is included. If you do have access to a computer, you will have access to additional features and settings, but it is not required. Just plug your Keychain Remote (which has a built in USB device) into a USB port of your computer and the SimpliSafe Easy Setup Wizard will launch and guide you through setting up and using your home security system.

The additional DIY Security System components that you can order are: Keychain Remote, Motion Sensor, Entry Sensor or Panic Button. Additional Keypads will be available in the future. Up to 20 additional components can be added to your system, for a total of 26 components (note: the Base Station and additional Sirens are not considered a component).

To order additional components, please visit get SimpliSafe and view our catalog.

Click here to access information about Troubleshooting SimpliSafe if you're having any issues with your do-it-yourself security system.

• Base Station: The Base Station is the control center of the system. It wirelessly connects to the Emergency Dispatch Service to notify you and the authorities of any trouble. The Base Station also provides voice prompts during daily operation and sounds the alarm siren in the event of an intrusion. No home telephone line is required (although may use a land-line as an alternate connection if you like).
• Keypad: The Keypad is placed by the main entrance to your home. It allows you to turn your alarm on and off; tells you which mode the alarm is currently in; provides notice of any warnings, such as leaving a window open; and also has a panic button for emergencies. You can also use the Keypad Menu to adjust your system settings.
• Keychain Remote: The Keychain Remote can be used to turn your alarm on and off and is small enough to be carried with you as a keychain. It also has a panic button for emergencies. The SimpliSafe Easy Setup Wizard is stored on the Keychain Remote. You can order additional Keychain Remotes for roommates or family members.
• Motion Sensor: A Motion Sensor detects motion up to 30 feet away and 45 degrees to the left and right. It should not detect pets under 50 pounds as long as the pet can’t get within 2 feet of the sensor. By default, the Motion Sensor is only active when the system is in the Away mode and becomes active approximately 5 minutes after the alarm is turned on.
• Entry Sensor: An Entry Sensor detects the opening of a window or door. There are two parts to an Entry Sensor: the Sensor itself and its corresponding magnet.
• Panic Button: The Panic Button triggers your burglar alarm immediately after it is pressed. It should be placed in a location that is easy to reach in the event of an emergency, such as by your bed. To reduce the likelihood of a false alarm, the button must be held down for 1 second. The Panic Button is functional whether the alarm is off or on. There is also a panic button on the Keypad and Keychain Remote.

To customize the sensors for your wireless security system, simply insert your Keychain Remote into any computer to start the SimpliSafe Easy Setup Wizard. From the Main Menu, select "Adjust Settings". Then click on the "Manage Components" tab.

From here, you can not only add and remove components, but you can also designate when a sensor will be active.  Entry Sensors can be enabled or disabled.  Motion Sensors can be enabled during both Home and Away mode, only during Away mode, or disabled.  Panic Buttons can be enabled, disabled or set to silent alarm.  Keypads and Keychain Remotes can be enabled, have the panic button disabled, or be fully disabled.

For example, if you have a friend with a large dog visiting your apartment for a few days, you may want to disable your Motion Sensor (set it to be "disabled") during her visit. When she leaves, you can change it back to the previous setting (the default is "Away mode"). If you have a large dog and will likely never be using the Motion Sensor at all, you can select "Remove" to remove it from your system. You can always add it on again later by going to Manage Components and then "Add Component".

Don't forget to insert your Keychain Remote into the Base Station after you are finished changing your settings so that your system is fully updated for the changes.

After making any changes to your burglar alarm using the SimpliSafe Easy Setup Wizard (you can access the Wizard by inserting your Keychain Remote into any computer), you must then insert your Keychain Remote into the Base Station into order to program your settings into it.

Your SimpliSafe wireless security system monitors all of the sensors registered to it to make sure that they are operating correctly. If it cannot communicate with one of the sensors, it will warn you: the Base Station will announce "sensor not responding" and your Keypad will display "Sensor Error" and let you know the sensor # that is not responding.

There are several reason you might be experiencing this error:

• You haven't activated the batteries for one of your sensors. This is the most common reason for a sensor error for a system that was recently set up. All of the sensors in your system were preprogrammed into your Base Station before it was shipped to you. If you do not use one of the sensors and never activate its batteries, the Base Station will not be able to communicate with it. You can solve this problem by installing the sensor and activating its batteries or by removing the sensor from your system.
• The sensor's battery is not inserted correctly. Occasionally a sensor battery will be inserted in the wrong orientation or have a poor contact (perhaps some of the battery activation tab remained behind when you removed it). Please try removing and re-inserting the battery, making sure to orient it correctly .
• The sensor is too far from the Base Station. If your sensor and Base Station are very far apart, or if there is very thick wall in between, the wireless connection may not be strong enough. This problem can often be overcome by repositioning the sensor or moving the Base Station to a more central location in your home.
• The sensor's battery is too weak. When a sensor's battery approaches the end of its useful life (after about 5 years) its wireless signal strength may decrease. At this point SimpliSafe will start warning you that the sensor is not responding and you should change the batteries.

If the troubleshooting tips above do not solve your problem, please be sure to contact customer support for assistance.

There are 2 ways to add or remove components from your do-it-yourself security system:

1) Using your Keypad menu system:

• Press MENU to enter the Keypad menu. Enter your master PIN when prompted
• Press HOME (right arrow) to scroll right to "3) Add component" or "4) Remove component"
• Press AWAY (enter) to start adding or removing components.
• Follow the instructions provided on the Keypad screen and by the Base Station voice prompts.
• When you are finished, press MENU to exit the menu system.
• To test your system, scroll right to "5) Test" and press AWAY (enter)

2) Using the Easy Setup Wizard on your Keychain Remote:

• Insert the Keychain Remote into a USB port on your computer
• Select "Adjust settings" from the main menu
• Click on "Manage components"
• To add a component, select "Add Component" then fill in the sensor type and sensor # in the new row
• To remove a component, click "remove" next to the component you would like to remove
• When you are finished, click "save changes" and then synchronize the Keychain Remote with the Base Station