How Do I Add an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5 to My Local WIFI?

You cannot add an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5 to your local WIFI. There is no Interlogix WIFI module for these panels. For this reason, WIFI cannot be used to connect the Interlogix Simon panels to monitoring. Instead, they rely on either a phone line or a cellular module for a connection.

In order to connect to a WIFI network, a device must have a properly functioning WIFI card. This is true for any alarm system. However, Interlogix has not released a WIFI card for the Simon XTi and XTi-5 Systems. Unless a WIFI card is released, there will be no way to connect these systems to a WIFI network. As a result, these alarm systems are dependent upon either cellular communication or phone line connectivity for monitoring.

But the lack of WIFI connectivity is not a huge problem for these systems. In fact, there is very little that WIFI connectivity would add for the Simon XTi or XTi-5. Instead, everything can be accomplished using a cellular connection. Virtually every security expert agrees that cellular connectivity is superior to WIFI when used with alarm systems. This is because cellular communication is significantly more reliable, and it offers comparable speeds overall. It is important to consider that cellular service is not affected by normal power outages, and it is almost never down or unavailable.

However, the Simon XTi and XTi-5 Systems cannot readily use cellular connectivity. Rather, these systems must have a cellular communicator installed first. This is widely considered to be the most important upgrade that can be made for a Simon XTi or XTi-5 System. Without this upgrade, these systems would be dependent upon a phone line for monitoring. Phone lines represent an archaic and outdated technology for alarm systems. They are slow, unreliable and they can easily be tampered with by potential intruders. For that reason, Alarm Grid strongly advises users to upgrade to cellular monitoring. If you would like to learn more about cellular monitoring, please take the time to check out our monitoring page.

An interesting aspect of the Simon XTi and XTi-5 cellular communicators is that they will also add Z-Wave functionality for the system. Z-Wave home automation is great for saving energy, and it helps make controlling various devices more convenient. These devices can be controlled remotely using the Alarm.com Mobile App. A user can also establish rules and scenes for their Z-Wave devices. This will allow the devices to activate based on schedules or certain system events.