Can I Use a POTS Telephone Line w/ the Honeywell L5210?

Yes, you can use a POTS telephone line with the Honeywell L5210. To use a phone line connection, the panel must be connected with an active telephone line, and its Reporter options must be configured. The user will also need an alarm monitoring plan that includes phone line monitoring.

Although POTS (plain old telephone service) monitoring is technically possible with the L5210, we strongly discourage this practice. Phone line monitoring is an outdated practice that offers slow connection speeds and unreliable service. Many signals that are sent out through a phone line ultimately fail to reach the central station because of its general unreliability. And when signals do successfully reach the monitoring station, they often don't arrive in a timely manner. This can be very problematic in the event of a serious emergency that requires dispatch as soon as possible. Additionally, an L5210 System with a POTS connection cannot be used with Total Connect 2.0.

Instead of phone line monitoring, we recommend installing a WIFI card or a cellular communicator inside the system. A user can also install both add-ons to achieve a fast and reliable dual-path communication setup. Both WIFI and cellular are significantly faster and considerably more reliable than a POTS connection. And WIFI and cellular both allow an L5210 System to be used with the Total Connect 2.0 interactive service. If a user is trying to decide between WIFI and cellular, we recommend using cellular as it offers greater reliability than WIFI. A cellular connection will also allow the system to remain monitored and protected when the electricity is out.

But if a user does decide to go through with phone line monitoring, a few things will be required. First, the system must be physically connected with an active phone line. If a user does not have phone service in the building, then a phone line connection will not work. An UltraTech RJ31XSET is needed to complete the connection. Second, the user must obtain an alarm monitoring plan that includes phone line connectivity. In the case of Alarm Grid, this is the Bronze Plan. Finally, the user will need to configure the Reporter options for the L5210 Panel.

To access the Reporter Menu, a user should start from the home screen of the L5210 System. The user should then go to Security > More > Tools > enter Installer Code (default is 4112) > Program > Reporter. From there, the user's alarm monitoring company should walk them through the specific steps for setting up the phone line communicator.