RE: Newbie - controlling lights and creating scenes (Ocelot?)

["Kenneth Watt" <kwatt@xxxxxxx>]

> I agree the speed of signal transmission cannot be improved by much
> without disobeying the X-10 protocol timing. However, apart from some
> situations when faster response time is required (eg. auto switching
of
> lights based on occupancy), the slow speed of X-10 signal transmission
> shouldn't matter that much. For everyday automatic light and appliance
> scheduling, the delay of a few seconds is hardly critical.

Sorry but I disagree strongly here with the speed issue, I use X10 here and
I use X10 extensively with occupation detection (PIRs) and I have little or
no issues with it at all. The speed seems fine to me, even using the
extended commands which I also use extensively for soft-start/soft-off on
most of the lighting here. I rarely touch a light switch in the house as I
have no need to do so. From a PIR being triggered to the lights ramping on
the delay is negligible IMHO.

> Why not? Apart from the speed limitation, almost everything else can
be
> made to be better. And better modules are coming to the market from
3rd
> party suppliers. With the expiration of X-10 patents, the X-10 system
> protocol is effectively an open home automation system with published
> detailed technical information on the X-10 protocol.

Yes but the important point missed with X10 is that there are a variety of
products out there and no other range strikes me as being as complete, as
user-friendly or indeed as cost effective and flexible as it is. I know
there are those that complain about the cost of X10 products in the UK but
I
guess that's more down to volumes of production than anything else.

The other point is that X10 is the *only* system that really is truly plug
and play that's out there right now without having to put in extra cable or
re-wire your house to use it.

Apart from which there are some truly superb controllers and third-party
add-ons for the X10 system, like integration into security systems etc.,
controllable by both PC interfaces (cheap) and hardware controllers such as
Ocelot, Homevision, JDS, Comfort and the likes.

> But X-10 is a form of Power Line Technology, may be even the first,
and
> X-10 can work reliably with improved modules.

I actually find it incredibly reliable on the whole, yes there is the
occasional problem, but then problems can become manifest in other systems
as well as none of them are perfect, better perhaps, but not perfect.

> As we have also found ourselves, it is not that difficult to improve
on
> the X-10 products but the cost per unit might go up proportionally.
One
> advantage of X-10 (if you can call it that) is that the latest
products
> are still backward compatible with X-10 products of, say, 10 years
ago.

And I very much look forward to doing some extensive testing with some of
those modules Li! ;)

K.