Will Total Connect Work w/ an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5?

No, Total Connect will not work with an Interlogix Simon XTi or XTi-5. Total Connect can only be used with Honeywell Alarm Systems. The Simon XTi and XTi-5, which are both manufactured by Interlogix, are not compatible with this service. However, they can interface with Alarm.com instead.

Only Honeywell Alarm Systems can interface with the Total Connect Service. Users access this service in order to gain another point of control for their alarm system. By accessing Total Connect, a user can arm and disarm their panel, check the status of sensors, operate Z-Wave home automation devices, view programmed security cameras and more. And with the Total Connect Mobile App, all of these actions can be performed from a remote location. The mobile app in particular provides tremendous freedom, since it can be used from basically anywhere. But unfortunately, the Simon XTi and XTi-5 are not compatible with this service.

However, users have another option. The Simon XTi and XTi-5 are both compatible with the Alarm.com interactive service. Alarm.com offers pretty much the same functions and features as Total Connect, but it is designed for use with different alarm systems. Just like with Total Connect, Alarm.com allows users to arm and disarm their system, check the status of sensors, control Z-Wave devices, view security sensors and more. There's also an Alarm.com Mobile App that can be accessed remotely.

An important difference between Total Connect and Alarm.com is their compatibility with various smart home devices and services. This includes offerings such as Apple HomeKit, Google Home and Amazon Alexa. If you plan on using any of these services with your system, you should first make sure that they are compatible with the interactive service used with your system. Remember, both Total Connect and Alarm.com are continuing to update their available compatibilities. So just because a smart device or service doesn't work with Total Connect or Alarm.com right now doesn't mean that it won't sometime in the future.

One very important consideration about Alarm.com is that an alarm system must have an active cellular connection before it can work with the service. However, the Simon XTi and XTi-5 Systems do not come with a cellular communicator. Rather, this type of equipment must be added separately. Many security experts believe that this is the single most important upgrade for a Simon XTi or XTi-5 System. Cellular communication is extremely reliable, and it offers incredibly fast speeds as well. It is superior to traditional phone line connectivity in every possible way. Once the Simon XTi or XTi-5 has an active cellular connection, it will be able to utilize the Alarm.com service.

In addition to a cellular communicator, an appropriate alarm monitoring plan is also needed to get the system connected to the network. Alarm Grid offers its Gold and Platinum level monitoring plans with cellular service. To learn more, please check out our alarm monitoring page.