Use Your SimpliSafe Camera Without a Subscription

SimpliSafe cameras (the indoor cam, Smart Alarm outdoor cam and video doorbell) stream only through SimpliSafe's app and cloud. There's no RTSP, no ONVIF and no local recording, and camera recording is tied to a plan — so when the plan ends, the recording ends.

Does SimpliSafe lock your camera when you cancel?

Mostly yes. SimpliSafe cameras have no RTSP/ONVIF output and no local storage — everything runs through SimpliSafe. There's nothing for RSC to connect to.

What happens when you cancel

Without an active plan the cameras stop recording and live view is limited; the alarm sensors still work but the video does not. There is no local footage to fall back on.

SimpliSafe gotchas worth knowing

Camera recording is plan-gated — no plan, no video history.
No RTSP/ONVIF, no local storage on the cameras.
The alarm/monitoring side is separate from the camera video side.

Cancelling SimpliSafe: your options

In your SimpliSafe account, adjust or cancel the monitoring plan (note: cameras lose recording).
Keep the alarm sensors if you want; they're separate from video.
Add RSC on a phone or ONVIF camera for no-subscription video.

SimpliSafe vs a no-subscription setup

	Stay with SimpliSafe	No-subscription with RSC
Monthly cost	$21.99–$31.99/mo; camera recording requires a plan	$0 Free · $22/mo Pro
Who holds your footage	Vendor cloud	You — local + your own cloud
If you stop paying	Recording / clips lost	You own the recording pipeline
Extra hardware	None	None — reuse a phone or an ONVIF camera you own

The no-subscription alternative

Since SimpliSafe cameras have no local stream, the no-subscription path is RSC on a spare phone or an ONVIF camera you own — full local + your-own-cloud recording, keeping your SimpliSafe sensors for the alarm side if you like.

Get started

Open the RSC app and add your camera
See RSC pricing — free plan, Pro at $22/mo