19 Messages
New batch of Doorbell Pro cameras will not power on
Apparently there are known issue with the "new" batch of SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro camera according to the support person I spoke with this morning. I do not know exactly what "new" means. It looks like there are multiple entries for this issue on the forum. I am hoping the time I have spent dealing with this is helpful to others. Read my details below.
I received my first doorbell camera two weeks ago, wired it in, and it would not power on. The doorbell would ding so I knew the wiring was correct. I also measured the voltage at the doorbell and received a constant 19V. Support had me plug the micro USB port on the back into a wall charger and it still did not power on, so they sent me a replacement. The replacement arrived and exhibited the same behavior. I called support again and they sent me a chime connector, which again did not solve the problem. I called support again last week and they sent me a third camera. I received it yesterday and again saw the same behavior. I called support again this morning and they FINALLY acknowledge there was an issue with a firmware update for the latest batch of cameras. She apologized for me having to call so many times and nobody realizing that was the issue. They sent my contact information to the department working on the issue and they are supposed to reach out to me. She did not know how long it would take them to reach out or fix the issue.
As for their support, I have had mixed results. I've been a SimpliSafe customer for six years, but I have never had to call their support. I have found the best time to call is early in the morning. When I have called around 8:00am Central, I have spoken to someone very quickly. When I have called at night, I have waited for a long time, usually hanging up after about 40 minutes. As for the support they provide once on the phone, I have had three agents who were very helpful. The other two were very rude and both accused me of doing something wrong. One even went so far as to tell me the information I was giving her was "wishy washy". It turned out that she was assuming some things about my setup all along that were wrong. Overall, I'm not very impressed with their support especially after finding out this morning that the issue is a firmware issue.
If this issue with the new batch of doorbell cameras is as widespread as it seems, I do not understand why they are still shipping them. I am three for three on having a cameras with this issue. I am pretty frustrated with the camera at this point, but I did get a really good deal on it as part of an upgrade, so I will probably give them a little while to resolve the issue before returning and putting in a different doorbell camera.
Good luck!
I received my first doorbell camera two weeks ago, wired it in, and it would not power on. The doorbell would ding so I knew the wiring was correct. I also measured the voltage at the doorbell and received a constant 19V. Support had me plug the micro USB port on the back into a wall charger and it still did not power on, so they sent me a replacement. The replacement arrived and exhibited the same behavior. I called support again and they sent me a chime connector, which again did not solve the problem. I called support again last week and they sent me a third camera. I received it yesterday and again saw the same behavior. I called support again this morning and they FINALLY acknowledge there was an issue with a firmware update for the latest batch of cameras. She apologized for me having to call so many times and nobody realizing that was the issue. They sent my contact information to the department working on the issue and they are supposed to reach out to me. She did not know how long it would take them to reach out or fix the issue.
As for their support, I have had mixed results. I've been a SimpliSafe customer for six years, but I have never had to call their support. I have found the best time to call is early in the morning. When I have called around 8:00am Central, I have spoken to someone very quickly. When I have called at night, I have waited for a long time, usually hanging up after about 40 minutes. As for the support they provide once on the phone, I have had three agents who were very helpful. The other two were very rude and both accused me of doing something wrong. One even went so far as to tell me the information I was giving her was "wishy washy". It turned out that she was assuming some things about my setup all along that were wrong. Overall, I'm not very impressed with their support especially after finding out this morning that the issue is a firmware issue.
If this issue with the new batch of doorbell cameras is as widespread as it seems, I do not understand why they are still shipping them. I am three for three on having a cameras with this issue. I am pretty frustrated with the camera at this point, but I did get a really good deal on it as part of an upgrade, so I will probably give them a little while to resolve the issue before returning and putting in a different doorbell camera.
Good luck!
karybak
3 Messages
2年前
I also read that the connection port on the back of the doorbell camera is for the install of software and not to charge the camera. I have had no luck charging the camera doorbell when I have plugged in that access port.
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kp511
19 Messages
2年前
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rddills
1 Message
2年前
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stamba4
3 Messages
2年前
After the first one, they sent us a second one, which did the same thing, and instead of having them send us a third one, we just said we wanted to return it and get our money back. We were almost ready to just go and buy a different brand of video doorbell (even though all of our home security is through SimpliSafe), but I decided to check these forums first. I found a thread called "3 doorbell pros have been DOA" where someone posted that he ended up going to Best Buy to purchase one to try to get away from this bad batch of doorbells, and it worked for him, so we decided to give that a try.
We ordered the video doorbell pro from Best Buy (which comes with three different colored face plates, an option you don't get when ordering straight from SimpliSafe), and it was delivered today. And guess what? Within just a few minutes of my husband hooking it up, we finally got a flashing white light and were able to successfully add it to our system. It works like a charm! So my suggestion would be to purchase one from Best Buy. But like kp511 said, if this firmware issue is as widespread as it seems, I don't know why SimpliSafe is still sending them out and why most of the support staff doesn't seem to know about it. I'm only aware of the problem because I read through this forum. We talked to four different customer support staff members, and not one of them said anything about a firmware issue. They just told us that they didn't know why we weren't getting power.
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kp511
19 Messages
2年前
I like the idea of just picking the doorbell or some other brand up at Best Buy and I think that is a great option for anyone that is having this issue and paid list price. I purchased my Doorbell Pro at a 60% discount as part of an upgrade offer, so it cost me about $68. Getting the doorbell that cheap is the only reason I have not given up on the Doorbell Pro and switched to something else.
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glenbarrington
216 Messages
2年前
As a retired Database Administrator and Software Projects Manager, I understand just how EXPENSIVE software testing can be. But you can't skimp on such things, especially so if what you are trying to sell is the idea of 'security'. Long ago, I learned that it is much better to delay a feature than it is to release it before you have complete confidence in it. A delayed feature is far less damaging to one's career than a crappy feature.
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kp511
19 Messages
2年前
I never heard back from anyone from technical support, so I would suggest anyone having this issue reach out to SimpliSafe via social media. I talked to them via Facebook late on Tuesday afternoon, they acknowledged the issue with some devices, and I finally have a working Doorbell Pro today (Thursday).
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millerryan126
1 Message
2年前
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gail_h
2 Messages
2年前
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gail_h
2 Messages
2年前
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