SimpliSafe has three types of cameras that use Wi-Fi for a live feed or streaming and any event-based recording–and all three cameras use cloud storage. They won’t stream or record without an active internet connection and sufficient available bandwidth. So, does SimpliSafe use a lot of data?
SimpliSafe uses a lot of data for its cameras’ live video streaming and recording. A 480p feed needs an upload speed of up to 0.75 Mbps per camera, using a max of 243 GB monthly. SimpliSafe’s 1080p streaming uses ~2 Mbps per camera or <=648 GB of data in a month.
The real-time data usage is less than these maximums, but the total gross bandwidth allocation must be proportionate to the number of SimpliSafe cameras you have. Also, recordings initiated by events or triggers will spike data consumption. Read on to learn how SimpliSafe uses data.
SimpliSafe Does Use a Lot of Data
SimpliSafe has different types of home security systems, including motion sensors and security cameras. The motion sensors don’t use the internet or Wi-Fi. Instead, all such sensors use radio frequency to communicate with the base station.
The base station uses the internet or Wi-Fi to communicate with the SimpliSafe app, the cloud-based storage systems, and servers. However, this type of communication or other interactions between the base station and any remote system doesn’t consume a lot of data.
Besides, such communications or interactions are temporary and based on events or needs. A base station doesn’t have a constant demand for significant bandwidth, whether it is data or the speed of your internet connection.
That said, all SimpliSafe cameras use a lot of data.
Here are the three types of cameras SimpliSafe has right now:
- SimpliCam: the indoor security camera.
- Doorbell Pro: a smart video camera.
- Outdoor Security Camera.
All these SimpliSafe cameras or security systems are wireless. The indoor security camera uses wiring for power, but it relies on Wi-Fi for streaming. The Pro smart video camera uses doorbell wiring for electricity. However, the live streaming or video feed and recording are through Wi-Fi.
The outdoor security cameras are completely wireless. They are powered by an onboard battery and communicate through Wi-Fi. So, how much data do these SimpliSafe cameras use?
SimpliSafe Data Usage for 480p Streaming
The lowest video resolution available for SimpliSafe cameras is 480p. You can select this setting if you don’t want to use the default resolution of 720p or the highest quality of 1080p. Here is the data consumption of SimpliSafe for 480p streaming:
- At 480p, SimpliSafe uses up to 0.75 Mbps of data or internet speed per camera.
- If you stream for 24 hours, the upload speed of 0.75 Mbps is 64,800 megabits per day.
- A speed of 64,800 megabits per day is the equivalent of 8,100 MB (8.1 GB) of data.
- 24 x 7 x 30 days streaming @ 480p of SimpliSafe cameras uses up to 243 GB of data.
The actual data usage is likely to be substantially less because these are the maximum speeds of video upload at 420p for live streaming. However, recordings triggered by an event can spike this data usage.
SimpliSafe Data Usage for 720p Streaming
SimpliSafe’s default video resolution for its doorbell cameras is 720p, which obviously uses a lot less data than the 1080p live streaming of the indoor or outdoor security cams. Nonetheless, all cameras have customizable resolutions, so you can configure any of them for 720p streaming.
Here’s how much data SimpliSafe uses for 720p streaming:
- The maximum speed required for 720p streaming is 1.5 Mbps per camera.
- The equivalent bandwidth consumption or speed is 1,29,600 megabits per day.
- At 720p, your SimpliSafe doorbell or security camera uploads <=16,200 MB of data.
- The 16.2 GB per day consumption is up to 486 GB over 30 days if you stream 24 x 7.
SimpliSafe Data Usage for 1080p Streaming
SimpliSafe’s Full HD, FHD, or 1080p streaming uses significantly more data and upload speeds:
- The max Wi-Fi speed required for SimpliSafe’s 1080p streaming is 2 Mbps per camera.
- The bandwidth requirement is 1,72,800 megabits per day, uploading 21,600 MB of data.
- SimpliSafe uses 21.6 GB per 24 hours or 648 GB in 30 days for 24 x 7 1080p streaming.
The 2 Mbps speed requirement is for 1080p streaming per camera. This bandwidth requirement is the minimum for your Wi-Fi connection. If you have multiple cameras streaming at 1080p, you need a proportionately higher speed. Besides, other devices will also use your Wi-Fi bandwidth.
Furthermore, SimpliSafe recommends a minimum speed of 2 Mbps for 1080p streaming, which is not unusual. Full HD or 1080p streaming is generally most reliable when the upload speed is at least 5 Mbps per device or live feed, or each SimpliSafe camera, in this case.
SimpliSafe Data Usage for Video Recordings
SimpliSafe’s cameras record videos only when they are activated in the following instances:
- An alarm is triggered
- Arming and disarming
- Sensors detect motion
- Subscribed monitoring
- Voluntary intervention
Suppose you don’t subscribe to any of the paid professional monitoring plans. In that case, your SimpliSafe cameras will not have any video recordings unless an event initiates a 5-minute clip during the triggering incident. This 5-minute video recording per camera will also use data.
A 720p video recording for 5 minutes can theoretically use up to 56 MB of data. But the actual data consumption may be around 30 MB at a maximum speed of 1.5 Mbps. A 1080p video recording by a SimpliSafe camera will use approximately 25% more data than the 720p clip.
SimpliSafe’s Data Requirement Is Your Wi-Fi’s Upload Speed
The minimum recommended speeds for SimpliSafe cameras are for uploads, not downloads. A Wi-Fi connection should have the requisite upload speeds, which aren’t always what the ISPs advertise. Also, bandwidth comprises both download and upload, so calculate accordingly.
Since the aforementioned speed requirements are per SimpliSafe camera, you must calculate the total data usage in real time.
5 SimpliSafe cameras streaming at 1080p require a minimum of 10 Mbps upload speed. The advertised download speed for such a Wi-Fi connection will likely be much more than 10 Mbps.
Final Thoughts
SimpliSafe is likely to show the following errors due to a weak Wi-Fi connection or poor speed:
The Unable to Stream Video error is also sometimes due to data, internet connectivity, or speed issues. These issues are similar to the Cellular Failure error of ADT. Thus, you must ensure the Wi-Fi connection is active and the upload speed is sufficient for SimpliSafe’s data requirements.
