Home Security System Review – Simon XT
Today’s focus is on the Simon XT alarm system made by General Electric (GE). The Simon XT security system is a completely wireless burglar alarm in which the “brains” also known as the circuit board, keypad, siren, and back up battery are all contained in a single unit. Here is a list of pros and cons to GE’s Simon XT security system.
GE Simon XT
First let’s look at the good:
Installation is easy- because everything is contained in a single unit, you only have to run one wire for power and one for the telephone if you are going to have alarm monitoring. As far as programming the system goes, it’s not too difficult in fact; it’s a little easier to do than the Ademco Lynx panel that I reviewed last month (you can check out that review here). However, if you are what I call “technically challenged,” then you may not want to undertake this project.
Standard System Features – the Simon XT has a good list of features that make this unit a good choice for a lot of different users. Some of the features include:
- 8 different user codes (great if you need to give out a different keypad codes)
- Up to 40 wireless zones (you can put as many as 40 wireless transmitters on the system. Wireless transmitters can be used as a door/window sensor, motion detector, glassbreak sensor, smoke detector, or a variety of other devices.)
- Two (2) hardwire zone (not sure why you would need this but it’s there in case you do. Some people will place the unit next to their front door and run a wire for that door contact so that they don’t have to use a wireless transmitter others will add a siren to their system because these wireless systems only come with the one built-in siren and if you have a larger home, you probably won’t be able to hear it very well.)
- Built-in two-way voice. This is an alarm monitoring option that allows the central station to listen to and talk to the premises.
- Voice Chime – the Simon XT alarm system can be programmed to announce when something is opened. For example: someone opens the garage entry door. Instead of the system just showing you the number of that zone (let’s say zone 2) it will actually announce in a voice the sensor’s name – “garage door”. This is a feature that a lot of people like. It’s good to know where the breech occurred so that you can be prepared.
- Learns Sensors – this is probably the coolest feature that the Simon XT has. This burglar alarm system has the ability to learn “self program” the wireless devices that you add to the system.
As you can see GE’s Simon XT comes with quite a few features, you probably won’t need or even want some of them but they are there for you if you decide to use them. Along with all of these great features, there are a few things that I don’t like about this wireless burglar alarm system.
Here is my list of the bad:
Size– General Electric is successful in packing a lot of function in such a small package. This wireless burglar alarm system’s dimensions are approximately 5.7 in. x 7 in. and will stick out from the wall abut 2 inches. These dimensions make this wireless unit considerably smaller than the Ademco Lynx alarm system.
Looks – as with all wireless home security systems that I have seen, it’s not the prettiest thing on the planet but considering everything that it does, I guess I shouldn’t complain.
Easy to disable – this is a design flaw that all wireless home security systems seem to have. Because everything is contained in one unit that is within easy reach, it really isn’t too much trouble for a burglar to simply tear the system off of the wall before it has time to send in an alarm monitoring signal. There are some ways to slow down the disabling process but I will have to get into that at a later time.
That’s it for my review of General Electric’s Simon XT wireless home alarm system. All in all it’s not a bad system. It does come with a few drawbacks but they are the ones that you will see with every wireless alarm system. I would use this security system in my home. It’s very reliable and easier to install than the Ademco Lynx alarm system (check out my review of the Lynx wireless alarm system).
The Truth About FREE Burglar Alarms
I’m sure that you have seen the advertisements for free home security systems. These burglar alarm companies promise you a state-of-the-art home security system valued at almost a thousand dollars and you can get it for free. Of course there is the fine print that says they are going to charge you a small installation fee and you have to sign a rather long monitoring agreement where you will be paying a monthly fee.
Personally I cringe whenever I see one of those ads and I also get a little angry. That is because I know that when you have one of these so called “free” home security systems installed, you may “feel” like you are secure but are you really safe?
Of course the system is complete and it will work. But if you take a closer look, you will see that these home security systems only cover 2-3 openings. Now I don’t know about you, but my house has more than just 2 openings that burglar can enter through.
If you live in an apartment on the upper floor or something like that where you only have a couple of exposed openings that a burglar could get into without a ladder or something, then the free home security system will be a perfect solution
Now I don’t want you to think that you shouldn’t use these burglar alarm companies or that they are doing anything wrong. I think that even a small security system protecting your most vulnerable openings is better than not having any protection at all but I would feel more secure if all of my openings were protected. If you have more than a couple of openings then, you may want to explore other options.
How Do You Choose A Burglar Alarm Company
Before you commit to using a particular burglar alarm company, check their references. Check online for reviews of that security system company. Check with the BBB to see if there are any complaints. I would even go so far at to check out the reviews of the actual burglar alarm brands. I feel that some are more reliable and easier to install and use than others but you should check out what other people are saying about the systems that are available. Real people, not other people in the burglar alarm industry like me. Let’s face it – we look at burglar alarm systems differently. I may like the features of a system but it could be more difficult for the average person to use. If a security system is difficult to use, it’s less likely to be turned on. In that case, you might as well save your money and not get one.
Burglar Alarm Monitoring – Is it Worth the Money
If you talk to anyone in the burglar alarm business, they will definitely tell you that you should without a doubt have your house alarm system monitored. On the surface it sounds like a great idea to have home security system monitored but they may not give you the whole truth about what you actually get for your monthly monitoring payment. Here are some facts that you should know about before you sign up:
How your burglar alarm signal is sent matters. There are a variety of ways that your home security system can send an alert to the central station (a central station is where the alarm signals are received and processed). Some ways are more reliable than others. The majority of alarm signals will be sent either over your telephone line, a local cell tower via radio signal, or through the Internet. Each method has it’s own set of pros and cons.
Using a telephone line requires wiring that can be easily cut by an intruder that knows what they are doing but it’s usually the cheapest method and the most reliable. A radio signal can be sent wirelessly but is usually more expensive and it doesn’t have the best track record for sending signals. The Internet requires both wiring and can be expensive but for folks that don’t want or use telephone service it could be their answer.
Some burglar alarm monitoring companies charge more than others. There are some companies that will give you the same service for a lot less money than other companies. There is one company that I know of that actually charges you more for monitoring if you have additional security devices on your alarm system. What they don’t tell you is that the burglar alarm company pays the central station a flat fee for each alarm security system. That means that it doesn’t matter how many security devices you have on your system, the burglar alarm company pays the same rate to the central station. However, they may get extra charges if a security system sends an excessive amount of signals during a time period.
Central stations are state regulated and therefore are created equal. They are more than likely Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certified, manned 24/7, and have a backup system in case of power failure. You still want to check to make sure that the central station your burglar alarm company uses has all of these things but don’t be surprised to see that they ALL have it.
Just because you pay for burglar alarm monitoring doesn’t mean that the proper authorities will respond to the call. The job of the central monitoring station is to receive signals from burglar alarm and then to call either the police, fire, or whatever authority should be called. That’s it. Local police and fire agencies may take their sweet time to respond if they respond at all. For example, where I am from, the sheriff’s office will take on average – 15 minutes – to show up at the scene of an activated security system. A lot can happen in 15 minutes. There are some locations where you can’t even get the police to respond to a home alarm system signal.
In conclusion, I still recommend that you have your burglar alarm system monitored but only if it makes sense for YOU and you should know that even if your system is monitored there are limitations on what you should expect from using that service.
