For an indoor camera, the SimpliCam has decent features and will be good enough to keep an eye on kids or pets. Although the SimpliCam’s $99 price tag is relatively cheap, you can still find better cameras for less, like the Wyze Cam v3. The SimpliCam can send you notifications when it detects motion in a room, and two-way audio lets you hear what’s going on in the room and talk to whoever’s in there. If you need to scold your pet (or your kid) for eating something they shouldn’t, the SimpliCam makes it easy.
1080p resolution Motion detection 120º field of view Two-way audio Person detection Free livefeed 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi compatibility Downloadable video clips 30-day cloud storage plan Video verification with SimpliSafe
Without a cloud storage subscription, the SimpliCam lets you view the camera’s livefeed and respond to alerts in the moment. But if you want to look at clips you missed or download video footage, then you’ll need to subscribe to SimpliSafe’s camera-only plan. Person detection is useful because you can otherwise get 50 alerts in a day just because it was windy outside and the camera spotted a moving tree branch. This feature is less useful if you’re using the SimpliCam to watch pets. If you’re using the SimpliCam as a pet camera, make sure you set alerts to “all motion” instead of just people. The SimpliCam does still use a power cord, so you’ll need to figure out how to wrangle that to keep the camera plugged in. But the SimpliCam power cord is honestly quite long to begin with. If you want a home security camera with better smart home integrations, we recommend Arlo or Eufy cameras. For example, the Wyze Cam v3 can be used indoors or outdoors, has color night vision, local storage, sound, human, package, and vehicle detection, and 24/7 continuous recording. All that and it costs only around $35.
Plug in the camera. Open the SimpliSafe app (or download it if you don’t have it.) Log into your account (or create a new one.) Select Cameras from the menu and tap Add New Camera. Select the SimpliCam and follow the instructions to connect the camera to your Wi-Fi network. Use your phone to scan the QR code on the camera. Watch the app for the confirmation message that your SimpliCam is connected.
It wasn’t amazing quality, but it was perfectly average in every way.
