Re: 32 Years of X-10

["D&SW" <d&sw@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

32 years? You must live in Scotland. X10 (BSR) hasn't been in US that long
:-)
Setting that aside, if you have been using X10 for 28 years,  you must have
(as I) box loads of modules. Why change now? A really good repeater amp such
as an ACT CR 234 or Jeff Volps XTBII will keep you going for another 5 to 10
years, and my bet is none of the new stuff you mentioned (Insteon, Z-Wave,
Zigbee) will be around in 10 years.  BTW don't bother with the X10, Leviton,
or Smarthome repeaters. They will not play nice with 2-way modules. Also get
you an ELK signal meter which is a great trouble shooting tool.

"greenpjs" <greenpjs@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:9sih14h62u5gk7odiisohvdjfhgc4rcci9@xxxxxxxxxx
> Background:
>
> I've been successfully using X-10 for 32 years now.  Like many of you,
> I have had my share of issues but always managed to use filters and
> phase couplers to solve them.  Again, like many of you, the last five
> years have seen the level of intermittent operation increase.  Every
> new piece of electronics brought into the house usually requires
> another day of troubleshooting.  I managed to swap circuits around in
> the breaker box such that all X-10 equipment is on one side of the box
> thereby eliminating the need for a phase coupler, but problems still
> occur.  Of the 16 modules in use (all on one house code), 14 work all
> the time while the other 2 work most of the time.  It's that "most of
> time" that drives me nuts.  (By the way, our house is a little over
> 1300 sq ft in size plus a basement so I don't think my issues are
> caused by excessively long runs).
>
> The question:
>
> Is it time to upgrade to a new technology?  Insteon, Z-Wave, Zigbee,
> etc all sound promising, but I have no real experience with them.
> What, in your opinion, is the right choice if I were to decide to
> start over?  Which, if any, of the above has a chance to be around
> decades from now such that spare parts will still be available?
>
> Secondary question:
>
> Why is the new stuff so expensive?  I have typically paid $10 - $15
> for X-10 modules.   (Although I have to admit that has been true all
> these years in spite of inflation).  The new stuff seems to cost $50
> to $70 per module.  I just retired so I'm watching my spending... $69
> is a lot of money for a wall switch.  Multiply that by 16 or so
> modules and add a few controllers (manual controllers and a computer
> interface) and we are talking a lot of money.  Maybe I should just buy
> a few more X-10 filters ;-)
>
> Final question:
>
> If I stay with X-10, do the signal boosters I see discussed here
> really work?  Many of the devices are designed to solve the
> cross-phase issue which I don't have (as stated above, all my X-10
> equipment is on one phase).   While I do believe my problems are
> caused by low signal levels rather than noise, I believe the low
> signals are caused by each new electronic appliance cutting the signal
> just a little more.  There isn't any one thing I can unplug which
> solves all the issues.   Filters have solved the big issues (eg, Sony
> TV's), but I'm guessing that many minor issues are now adding up to an
> overall marginal situation.
>
> What would you do?  Thanks in advance for your opinions!
> Pat
>