Confused about using my Freeze Alarm with a Cell Phone (Canada)

With the increase in reliable cellular coverage, even in rural and remote areas and the decreasing costs associated with most basic cellular plans many cottage or vacation home owners are opting to disconnect and turn off their local land line services. This is great as it saves the home owners money every month however it can make it tricky to install or use alarm devices which require some type of communication service to alert users to alarm conditions.

For owners who are not interested in paying monthly landline bills but would still like an alarm system with the capability to dial out there are a few different products to choose from:

1. The X-Link Bluetooth Gateway – This inexpensive device operates similarly to how a blue tooth head set would operate. It has an RJ11 (standard phone) jack built into it and is a wireless Bluetooth device. Simply plug the alarm or dialer into the X-Link the same way you would into a phone jack in the wall and leave an active, Bluetooth enabled, cell phone beside the X-link, connected and plugged in. The X-Link acts as a gateway between the cell phone and the alarm system allowing the alarm system to connect to the local cellular networks via the cell phone.
2. Any Cellular Gateway (Telular, Globesurfer etc.) – There are several models of cellular gateways available. These devices are more expensive, but do NOT require a cell phone to be left behind and are not reliant on a wireless Bluetooth connection (which can drop). These devices require an active SIM card which can be purchased from any cellular provider. Sometimes there is confusion with which unit to purchase as it is dependent on the Cellular Provider you will be using, the below chart should help clear that up for use in Canada.