Households change, and so does who should be able to see an outdoor camera, so the useful way to think about sharing a SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 is as a set of situations: a new partner moves in, a teenager wants alerts, a renter or a house-sitter needs access for a week, or someone leaves the household and must lose access at once. The system has one primary owner and any number of additional users, each with their own login, and the owner decides what each can see.
The checks in more detail
For a new partner or an adult child, invite them as a full user with camera and alarm rights. For a house-sitter, invite them with limited rights, or give a keypad PIN and no app login, and delete either when they leave. For a teenager, give camera viewing but not the ability to change settings. The owner invites from the users section of the app, and the invited person accepts by email.
Keep a short list of who has access, and review it each season, because former housemates and old phones are the usual way access outlives its purpose. If someone leaves on bad terms, remove them from the users list at once and change PINs they knew. If a phone is lost or stolen, remove that phone's user and have the person sign in again on the new one. The camera's own settings, such as motion zones and sensitivity, belong to the system, so decide who may change them, since a user with settings rights can alter alerts for everyone.
Alerts are personal: each user chooses which events notify them, and each must allow notifications on their phone. If a family member sees no alerts, check the app and phone settings, not the camera. If a user cannot open live video, check their permission and the system plan, because some features need a subscription. Do not pass around the owner's login, which hides who did what and risks locking the account. If sharing fails, send a new invitation, update the app and contact SimpliSafe support with the account email.
Differential
Likely causes of “SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 shared users or family”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A user added with too many rights
What separates it A teenager or sitter can change settings
How to confirm Give viewing rights only
- 2
Access that outlived its purpose
What separates it A former housemate still sees the camera
How to confirm Remove them from the users list
- 3
A lost or replaced phone
What separates it An old device still holds a login
How to confirm Remove that user and sign in again
- 4
A PIN that others know
What separates it A guest can still disarm
How to confirm Change the PIN after a visit
- 5
Alerts that never reach a family member
What separates it Phone settings block them
How to confirm Allow notifications on that phone
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Who currently has access
- What each person may do
- Which phones are signed in
- When PINs were last changed
Try in this order
0 of 5 completedList who has access
ReversibleIn the users section.
Match rights to the person
ReversibleViewing only for some.
Review each season
ReversibleFor old users and phones.
Remove users who left
ReversibleAnd change PINs.
Contact SimpliSafe
ReversibleIf removal fails.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Access over time
- People and phones change, so review the list.
- Rights
- Settings rights affect alerts for everyone.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !Remove anyone who should no longer see the camera at once
- !Contact SimpliSafe if you cannot remove a user
- !Change PINs after a change in the household
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
How often should I review access?+
Each season, and after any change in the household.
Can a house-sitter have limited access?+
Yes, with limited rights or a PIN.
What if a phone is stolen?+
Remove that user and sign in on the new one.
Do users share settings?+
Camera settings belong to the system.