RE: X10 only on powerlines???

["Dean Smith" <ukha@xxxxxxx>]

Derek

X10 as a Communications system runs over power lines only. Any sender or
receiver module must therefore be attached to the Mains. The lines dont
necessariy have to be dedicated so its useful for controlling any mains
powered device. ('cos by definition the mains is there already!). It is
limited to On/Off and Dim for lights.

You can get IR and RF Controllers, which accept control signals from IR or
RF remotes and transmit onto the mains. You an also get a PC interface to
send/receive X10

X10 as a company also sell wireless cameras - some of which use X10 to turn
the power on/off to  one of several transmitter and hence slect the camera
recieved by the reciever.

Some alarms have X10 interfaces (e.g. Comfort) to allow the Alarm to
respond
to and send X10 signals. E.g. turn your lights on if a break-in is detected
etc.

There are other (primarily lighting ?) control systems that use low voltage
cable (e.g. Cat5) for the control bus e.g. CBUS. I believe there are a
variety of modules now that can do more than lighting.

If you want to explicity control via Ethernet over Cat5 there are a few
people on the list experimenting with small embedded ethernet controllers I
believe though I know little detail.

Regards

Dean



-----Original Message-----
From: Derek Erb [mailto:dce42@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 17 September 2003 11:39
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] X10 only on powerlines???


Following suggestions here I just contacted intellihome.be.  They
have a sort of online chat system which I thought would be great to
start asking questions.

I got shot down right at the beginning of the conversation.  I
explained that I wanted everything running through my computer
network and controlled by computer.  The operator told me that X10
only runs through powerlines.  I explained that I wasn't willing to
run new powerlines to the points I'm interested in but that I will
have Ethernet cat5e cabling all over the place and some sort of
computer in most rooms.  She pointed me to the X10 documentation and
basically only somewhat politely said RTFM.

Am I looking in totally the wrong direction here?  I thought X10
would allow me to hook up cameras, alarms and lights to my computer
network for controlling via PCs.  Is there a different technology I
should be looking at?

Any ideas or suggestions as to what I should be looking at as it
appears as though I'm even more lost that I thought I was?!?!?!

Thanks



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