The SimpliSafe Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector works with the base station and the app, so when it misbehaves, the useful first step is to read what the app says about it and to count its chirps. In the app, open the sensor list and select the detector: it shows whether it is connected, its battery and any message. A low battery alert or a chirp every minute or so is solved with a new battery of the right type.
The checks in more detail
A chirp at longer intervals can mean the detector has reached the end of its service life, which for these devices is a fixed number of years from manufacture, and it must then be replaced. Smoke chambers also gather dust, so clean the vents gently with a soft brush or the low setting of a vacuum before you decide the unit has failed. If the detector is simply not connected to the base station, bring it nearer the base, check the base is powered and online and restart the base.
When the pairing is lost, or you are selling the system or moving house, remove the detector in the app and add it again, following the steps the app gives: it asks you to put the base station into its pairing mode and to press the button on the detector. SimpliSafe documents the exact button press and the signals, so use its article for this detector rather than the pattern of another sensor. Remember that a smoke and carbon monoxide detector protects lives.
While one is out of the system, put a battery-powered alarm in the same spot. After pairing, name the detector for its room, press its test button and use the app's test to confirm that it sounds and that the base station reports it. Never silence an alarm to stop a real warning, and in an emergency leave the building and call emergency services. If the detector will not pair or keeps chirping after a fresh battery and a clean, replace it, and contact SimpliSafe with the serial number from the back.
Differential
Likely causes of “SimpliSafe Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector will not reset or needs to be reset safely”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A low battery
What separates it A chirp at regular intervals
How to confirm Replace the battery with the specified type
- 2
An expired detector
What separates it A chirp at long intervals or an end-of-life message
How to confirm Replace the detector
- 3
Dust or insects in the sensor
What separates it False alarms or faults
How to confirm Clean the vents gently
- 4
A lost connection to the base
What separates it The app shows it offline
How to confirm Re-pair it near the base
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The chirp pattern
- The manufacture date
- Whether the app shows it offline
Try in this order
0 of 5 completedRead the chirp pattern
ReversibleBattery or end of life.
Clean the vents
ReversibleGently.
Re-pair near the base
ReversibleIf it is offline.
Test it
ReversibleTest button and app.
Add temporary protection
ReversibleWhile it is out.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Life-safety
- Do not leave the home unprotected.
- Service life
- Detectors expire after years.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If it keeps chirping after a fresh battery and cleaning, replace it
- !Never disable an alarm for a real hazard
- !Contact SimpliSafe with the serial number
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is my detector chirping?+
A low battery or the end of its life.
Can I reset it?+
Follow SimpliSafe's article; first check battery and cleaning.
Is it safe without it?+
Add a battery alarm meanwhile.