How Do I Connect an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5 to Phone Line Monitoring?

You can connect an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5 to phone line monitoring by connecting the panel directly to a phone jack and then programming the reporting options for the system. The system must know the phone number of the central monitoring station in order to dial out successfully.

Please note that phone line monitoring is not a recommended communication path for an alarm system. Phone line monitoring can easily be tampered with, is particularly unreliable, and offers slow communication speeds. Furthermore, phone line monitoring is not compatible with interactive services like Alarm.com. But for users who want very basic and limited monitoring, it is still technically an option.

Complete the following steps to connect an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5 System to phone line monitoring:

1. Obtain alarm monitoring. Even with the limited functionality of POTS (plain old telephone service) connectivity, an alarm monitoring plan is still needed to get started. If you are using Alarm Grid monitoring service, then the Bronze Level plan will work just fine. Please review our alarm monitoring page for more information.

2. Make the connection. To dial out, the Simon XTi or XTi-5 System will need to connect to a phone jack. To be sure the panel has proper line seizure, an RJ31X Jack should be used. Remove the Tip (Green) and Ring (Red) incoming phone wires from the demarcation point, and connect them to the Red and Green terminals on the RJ31X Jack. Connect the Gray and Brown terminals from the RJ31X Jack to the demarcation point where Red and Green from the incoming phone line used to connect. Use the RJ31X cord (included) to connect the modular plug on the RJ31X Jack, to the Line port on the Simon XTI or XTi-5.

3. Program the dialer. With phone line monitoring, an alarm system dials out to a central station to report alarm events. The central station has a special phone number for the system to dial in the event of an emergency. This phone number must be provided for the Simon XTi or XTi-5 System in order for the dialer to work properly.

Start from the main screen of the Simon XTi or XTi-5. Click on the gear icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Scroll down to "Programming" and click the "Enter" button. Enter in the system's Installer Code, and press "OK". The default Installer Code is 4321. If the code was entered in correctly, you will be taken to the system programming menu.

Next, choose "Phone Numbers". There will be options for programming up to four different phone numbers. For these particular panels, any phone number selection can be used to report to a central station. Click on the white box next to one of the four options to begin entering in a phone number. Enter in the phone number for the central station that will be monitoring the system. Remember to put a "1" in front of the area code. Once finished, click "Save" in the upper-right corner of the screen. Then return to the system programming menu.

Additional phone numbers can also be programmed with the panel if desired. This is useful for providing the system with a secondary point of contact for the central station. An end user's phone number can also be programmed to have the system call the end user directly in the event of an alarm. Remember to save any changes that are made.

4. Adjust the reporting options. From the system programming menu, choose "Reporting". Then select "Comm Modes". There will be communication mode options for each of the four programmed phone numbers used with the system. For a phone number that is used for contacting a central station, the option "All CID" should be selected. For a phone number that is contacting an end user directly, the option "Voice Dialer" should be chosen. Make sure to hit "Save" in the upper-right corner of the screen after making the appropriate selection. Once finished, keep pressing "Close" in the upper-right corner of the screen to return to the main screen.

5. Test the system. Whenever any dialer numbers are configured, the system should then be tested to ensure that it is communicating properly. Contact your alarm monitoring company, and tell them you would like to test your system's dialer. They will walk you through the process of conducting the test.