The problems with X10 ...

Re: security

Even my life doesn't depend on it, I check it anyway. Well the random code means 8 bit ID code, scary. Not even the house code is checked. I was hoping that attempts to disarm with invalid ID will trigger the alarm or something. But the instructions said it all: if your alarm is disarmed by your neighbors, install your system again! Wow!

All I got is a bling when the alarm is disarmed, sure wouldn't be enough to wake me up. But would any invalid disarm attempts cause a bling? Probably not.

Anyway, I will not register any remote to arm it. So I guess nobody will be able to disarm it remotely, unless the random default to 00 that sort of stupid thing again. The alarm is logically in the bedroom so arming the console isn't a problem. Maybe add one more console at the garage to avoid some sprinting? which could also allow remote arming as there are no personal safety issues. Better still, scrap it.

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That's about the only thing I recognized as correct in Dave's spew. He is right about that, if you are in any kind of normal U.S.A. housing.

And for me too, I think. :)

Mostly you can ignore Dave's prickly edges. He does have some good info now and again, but likes to bury it beneath his superiority complex (which most often manifests as intolerance and excessively harsh personal comments). But don't judge him too harshly, he is old and suffers poor health.

sdb

Well... strictly speaking, it's your utility company might use a capacitor bank to minimize a drop in line voltage, but that's only if you are having problems with low power factor and that is generally not a problem with residential service unless you live in a factory district. In most cases, it's a power company problem and there are few, if any residences that switch in capacitance to correct for low power factor.

A brownout is an extended-time drop in voltage to your service usually caused by heavy loads (like summer-time peak air conditioning). There is not much you can do about them unless you have a line conditioner, which might also be described as a variable buck-boost transformer that effectively changes taps on-the-fly. Some power company substation transformers will do this for you. Not sure what you mean by buffering capacitance unless you are speaking in a very, very general sense, as in the stored energy of a ferro-resonant transformer or a mechanical flywheel. Beachcomber

Well, strictly speaking, I was referring to very short term dips that cause the µController used in X-10 switches and modules to reset such as X-10 documents here...

There are two type of noise effect, the analytical effect of noise that can be compensated with a strong x10 signal. And now I know what they are talking about, the other effect is on the electrical/electronic design of the switch themselves. It's like a bad power supply to the switch. A power surge spike will make the internal electronics go crazy. If this is not that rare, a quality switch should reduce the problem. I remembered the brownout stuff, but forget that it's totally self inflicting. But that should trigger the manual override to my timed, dust to dawn, PIR outdoor lantern two. But I won't be awake to see it.

So the biggest enemy is signal attenuati> snipped-for-privacy@notreal.n>

It means you're probably talking to a Borat-imitating troll. It's the same old X-10 argument being revived (always guarantees a response from the hip before the brain for most people) and is being posted to ASA as well. Notice the Yahoo/Google groups addy and the remarkably good English interspersed with pluralization problems. If Borat II had anything interesting to say, I might have done more research but my nose tells me this is a typical sock puppet. Born, Google says, just a few days ago and already the little tyke is crossposting to ASA and CHA. And *only* to ASA and CHA. How likely is that? He's best left to talk to himself until he tires himself out. My hunch is that anyone who accepts him as an expert will deserve it.

Whomever Borat is trying to be, he's very obviously a native born English speaker. Since it's an ASA crosspost hiding behind both Yahoo AND Google from someone who began his posting life just last week, I leave it to you to figure who and what vendetta is eventually behind it.

-- Bobby G.

I reached the same conclusion and added him to my aquarium (where I put posters who appear fishy) after Round 2.

It is only a logical deduction if you don't know much about North American residential electrical wiring. Simply looking at the entrance wiring or panel will show a experienced (or even accidental) electrician if the premise has split phase or 3 phase service.

The socket you describe has 2 hot phase wires, 1 neutral wire and 1 ground wire. It is a common 240VAC socket and required since 1996 NEC.

Due to your "logical deduction" skills I would put you at about a 8 on the dangerous scale.

Like my Chinese Grandfather used to say:

Good Stuff No Cheap Cheap Stuff No Good

Julian

Hello Julian,

A wise man. The problem with X10 seems to be that it is tough if not impossible to find any good stuff.

That grandfather won't dream about that everything will be made in his country, all cheap. Good depends on how you design it.

Nowadays chip makers and Chinese factories are only interested in mass consumer market to make lots of money. Zwave and Zeebee are all designed to skip the middleman. Buy it, plug it in, screw it in. So it doesn't matter what is good and what's not to those guys depending on automation for a living.

As for DIY'ers, Zeebee only have big development modules at the moment. The other day I looked at the Zwave controllers and remotes on Lowes; it horrified me. From the pictures online I didn't know that they are so fcking BIG. My wife wouldn't approve it. The central panel looked like a cheap plastic toy rather than a Ultra Mobile PC. But X10 actually have some wafer thin remotes.

Amen! After fixing some X10 modules I was about ready to grab one of the design engineers and shake them real good ;-)

Without the big box HW stores I don't think it would have a chance, at least not in the US.

Thanks for mentioning Lowes. Have to look next time I am there. HD is closer so it has been a while.

The keychain remotes? Those aren't very good IMHO. Flimsy and drifty. The white 16-button remotes are pretty good though. I just wish they had designed them so they only need one AA. I mean, that ain't rocket science.