Can an Interlogix Simon XT Do Home Automation w/o Monitoring?

No, an Interlogix Simon XT cannot do home automation without monitoring. An Alarm.com cellular communicator and active cellular monitoring is required. This module also serves as the Z-Wave controller. Once the panel is active with Alarm.com, you will be able to set up Z-Wave devices.

The Interlogix Simon XT panel itself does not include a built-in Z-Wave controller. Instead, a user must add a separate Z-Wave controller for the Simon XT Panel to utilize home automation. This must come in the form of a compatible cellular communicator from Alarm.com. But even after a Z-Wave controller has been added, the Simon XT Panel itself does not have any menus for controlling Z-Wave devices. Rather, all Z-Wave operation must be done through Alarm.com or using the Simon XT Two-Way Talking Touch Screen. A key fob can also be used to control Z-Wave devices, but again, a cellular communications module is required.

In order to support the Two-Way Talking Touch Screen, the Simon XT must be version 1.3 or higher. To find the revision of your system, press the down arrow until the display shows "Revision". This is a read-only option. Once you have confirmed the Revision number, press the [Status] button to return to the main screen. Firmware flash upgrades can be performed remotely after an Alarm.com module has been installed and activated. Please note that Alarm.com charges a nominal fee for this service. Alarm Grid passes this fee directly to the customer, with no markup.

Using the Simon XT Two-Way Talking Touch Screen makes the process of locally controlling Z-Wave devices more convenient. The Simon XT has no menu options for operating Z-Wave devices. Without the Two-Way Talking Touch Screen, a user would have to use Alarm.com to control Z-Wave devices. The Alarm.com option is relatively convenient, but having a local interface to control z-Wave devices is still preferred in many cases.