Is New Simplisafe Compatible With Old?

No. New SimpliSafe hardware is not backward compatible with older generations. Sensors, keypads, and base stations from the Original SimpliSafe will not work with Gen 3 – and the reverse is equally true. If you’re upgrading, you’re replacing almost everything except your cameras.

SimpliSafe only recognizes two hardware generations, not three – there’s no official “Gen 2.” Here’s the full breakdown of what changed, what carries over, and how to tell which one you own.

SimpliSafe Generation Overview

SimpliSafe has sold exactly two hardware generations:

• Original SimpliSafe (sold until January 2018) – all-white keypad with oval buttons, one red and one blue. No Wi-Fi connectivity, no app control, no smart home integration. Still functional if you have it, but SimpliSafe no longer sells components for it.
• Gen 3 SimpliSafe (January 2018-present) – black and white keypad with round buttons. Wi-Fi and cellular, app control, Alexa/Google Assistant compatible, video verification, over 15 sensor types. This is everything SimpliSafe sells today, and the only generation the app and smart home integrations support.

SimpliSafe launched Gen 3 on January 10, 2018, as a full redesign built with design firm IDEO – smaller sensors, longer range, encrypted communication, and the app and cloud features the Original system never had. You’ll sometimes see people online refer to an intermediate “SS2” or “Gen 2” system in forum posts, but that’s not a designation SimpliSafe itself uses – its current support documentation describes only Original and Gen 3. If you bought before 2018, you have Original. If you bought after, you have Gen 3. There’s no in-between to sort out.

Generation Comparison

Generation	Years sold	Cross-compatible with	Current status
Original SimpliSafe	Pre-2018	Nothing from Gen 3	Discontinued – no components sold, still functional if installed
Gen 3 SimpliSafe	2018-present	Nothing from Original	Current – only generation SimpliSafe actively sells and supports
SimpliCam / Video Doorbell Pro	Sold alongside both	Both generations	The one hardware exception – carries over automatically

What’s Cross-Compatible vs What Isn’t

SimpliSafe is direct about this in its own support documentation:

“The sensors from your Original SimpliSafe system are not compatible with the new Gen 3 system.”

Here’s the full breakdown:

Component	Cross-compatible?
Entry sensors	No
Motion sensors	No
Keypads	No
Base station	No
Key fob	No
SimpliCam wired indoor camera	Yes – transfers automatically
Video Doorbell Pro	Yes – transfers automatically
Account / monitoring plan	Yes – carries over via app

The reason has nothing to do with SimpliSafe locking you into new hardware for its own sake. Original SimpliSafe sensors send unencrypted signals. Gen 3 switched to encrypted communication for security and range – a different protocol that the old sensors physically can’t speak. That’s not something a firmware update can patch.

Upgrading to New SimpliSafe – What to Keep and What to Replace

If you’re moving from Original to Gen 3, plan to replace the base station, keypad, all sensors, and key fobs. What you don’t have to replace:

• SimpliCam wired indoor cameras carry over and link automatically when you set up the new base station via the app
• Video Doorbell Pro also transfers
• Your monitoring plan and account settings transfer when you use the “Replace Base Station” option in the SimpliSafe app

For most households upgrading from Original, the practical path is buying a Gen 3 package that covers your main entry points, then adding individual sensors for doors and windows you want covered. SimpliSafe sells add-on sensors individually, so you’re not locked into a bundle size that doesn’t fit your home.

Once your Gen 3 system is running, the smart home side opens up too – Alexa and Google Assistant both connect to Gen 3 for arming and status checks, something the Original system never supported at all. See our SimpliSafe and Google Home setup guide for exactly what that integration does and doesn’t do.

The current Gen 3 system is a solid starting point for a full replacement:

How to Check Which Generation You Have

Does SimpliSafe Still Support the Original System?

SimpliSafe no longer sells Original sensors, keypads, or base stations – if a component fails, there’s no replacement part coming from SimpliSafe directly. Monitoring is still available for Original systems still in service, but you’re on hardware SimpliSafe stopped manufacturing years ago. Any failed sensor means either living without that entry point covered or replacing the whole system.

Practically, that makes Original SimpliSafe a system you maintain, not one you grow. If you want to add a room, add a camera, or bring the system into a smart home setup, Gen 3 is the only path forward.

Is It Worth Upgrading?

If your Original system is still arming, disarming, and tripping the siren when it should, there’s no functional reason to replace it today. It won’t talk to Alexa or Google Assistant, and you can’t check it from your phone, but the core job – loud noise when a sensor trips – still works.

The upgrade makes sense once one of three things happens: a sensor or the base station fails and there’s no replacement part to buy, you want app control or remote monitoring you don’t currently have, or you’re building out a broader smart home and want your alarm system talking to the rest of it. Absent one of those, an aging Original system that still works is not a system you need to touch.

Related Guides

• Does SimpliSafe Work With Google Home Hub?
• Does SimpliSafe Work With Apple HomeKit?
• SimpliSafe vs Ring Alarm: Which Should You Buy?