Do I Know You? SimpliSafe Uses AI to Determine Who’s in Your Yard

SimpliSafe is taking its live guard protection to the streets—or at least your home’s perimeter.

Using a mix of AI and real-life agents, SimpliSafe’s live guard outdoor monitoring will detect when someone is approaching your home and compare them to faces added to saved profiles in the company’s app. If the AI can’t identify the person, a human monitor can take over and speak with the individual directly through a two-way audio system.

If the intruder doesn’t listen, the agent has the option to activate the home’s alarm system and request a police dispatch. SimpliSafe says these protections are only in place when the system is fully armed, so the AI and live agents won’t set off an alarm if you’re sitting on the couch and a new UPS guy drops a package at the door.

(Credit: SimpliSafe)

“For decades, the home security industry has remained reactive, jumping into action only when a break-in is already in progress,” SimpliSafe CEO Christian Cerda said in a statement. “SimpliSafe has set out to challenge this standard and to offer our customers new, more proactive ways to feel and be safe.”

The outdoor monitoring builds on a similar service introduced last year, which monitored activity inside a home. Outdoor monitoring will be offered as a subscription add-on for a select group through an Early Access Program, with a full rollout expected later this year.

The fine print notes that the facial recognition component won’t work in Illinois, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, due to existing laws against collecting biometric data without permission, so don’t rely on it in those locations. Where it is available, though, live guard outdoor monitoring integrates with SimpliSafe’s existing home security hardware.

SimpliSafe’s 24/7 Live Guard Protection costs $29.99 per month and also includes unlimited recording and video downloads, the ability to arm alarms with Alexa or the Google Assistant, 10% off additional hardware purchases, and more.