Re: Can an alarm with PGM outputs, and/or other outputs, be wired to an X10 sensor?

["Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Feb 28, 12:27=EF=BF=BDam, anonymous <nos...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I don't know what the prices of these might be if I went with the alarms
> that were paid for by $20-$35 monthly fees on 3-year terms. The (all
> things considered) cheapest professionally installed and monitored
> system in my area that I found when I phoned around was a hardwired
> system about $350-$400 up front, and then $10/month for no-commitment
> monitoring. Parts and labor determined the initial cost. If I add
> sensors to six more windows from all over the house on four floors
> (split-level), then I'd have to pay the installer to hardwire the whole
> house (spanning four floors of a four-level split), which cannot be
> cheap; or if I upgraded to a wireless alarm system so as to avoid all
> this labor cost, then I'd have to pay an extra $100-$150 (I forget the
> exact prices) up-front just to have the more expensive wireless basic
> package, before adding in the price of the sensors. In this context,
> going with a hybrid of basic hardwired professional alarm plus X10
> set-up add-on is much more economical.
>
Look, You seem to be comparing a professionally installed system to a
DIY X10 system. Why don't you compare a DIY wireless system to the
potential cost of a unreliable X10 system?  Then you'd see the
difference in cost is miniscule compared to the lack of reliability in
the X10 system.


> You lost me here. I mentioned possibly getting a phase coupler or noise
> blocker down the road, to make all parts of the house wiring reliably
> usable for X10; these can frequently be gotten cheaply at Ebay. Most of
> the components are wireless, and I don't need to automate the lights
> throughout the whole house, so in my case I don't anticipate a need to
> spend lots more money on X10 for a while.

The possibility that you're risking here is that you'll wind up paying
just as much or more for an unreliable X10 system. Whereas, if you
started out using legitimate alarm equipment, you'd not have to take
that risk.

>If my TV makes electrical
> noise on the house wiring, I can unplug it when I'm not using it.

Yeah ..... sure. Every day, for the rest of your life, you're actually
going to remember to pull the plug on all the devices that will cause
noise that might cause your alarm system to fail. And I suppose your
going to go to your neighbors house and pull the cord on his power saw
or his compressor or what ever else he happens to be running when your
alarm trips. Oh yeah, that's right, instead of putting some money into
a real alarm system, your going to go to Ebay and purchase a second
hand signal blocker that just might block that signal .... but you can
never be sure.


>
> > Like X10 ...... if it has
> > anywhere near 60% reliability at times, I'd be surprised. And many
> > times it has 0%. And the point is .....ya never know when it's going
> > to work or not.
>
> Reportedly, some never have any problems with it, and some, in order to
> get their whole house automated, have to go through every electrical
> thing in their house to find out what's causing electrical noise in
> their house wiring, and install a phase coupler or signal booster and
> noise blockers. Some houses are small enough for the wireless devices to
> have no problems with range, and other houses need a repeater or two to
> get full reliable coverage. The bottom line is said to be that with
> reading, patience and perseverence, even the toughest houses can be
> brought up to 95% reliability. These reports seem credible to me.

So, I guess that since your the one who's come here to a group of
porfessionals for advice and information and who are telling you that
X10 is not the way to go ..... that you think that your estimation of
what's technically credible and whats not .....is correct and ours is
not.
 If
> someone has a home wiring environment that causes issues with X10
> technology, then until the troubleshooting is done, you're probably
> right with the suggested figure of 60%.

I install alarms and X10 for a living ..... for over 36 years. If I
thought X10 was a viable technology ..... I and thousands of other
professionals would be using it. It sucks!  Its a toy!  It's
unreliable for use in security systems! Ya wanna turn on and off a
light or an appliance, that life, death, the well being of your home
and family don't depend on? ........   sure ..... go ahead. But  the
bottom line is ........ you're wasting your time, money and effort,
and risking too much, if you use it for security. Ive seen it tried
over and over again ..... it just never works. Within a year or so,
you'll have discoverd that the perpetual failure, maintenence and
tweeking of the X10 will get too tiresome and eventually the system
will sytematically disintegrate, due to your inattention and
frustration.

>
> > So you're going to have a security system that you'll have access to
> > with a computer ..... that's going to do all kinds of fancy reporting
> > to you, that may or may not get though to you ..... =A0 and it's going
> > to be with a secuity system that may or may not work. =A0Cool man!
> > That's puting things in proper priority.
>
> No need for this tone of voice, I think.

Sorry, but It's hard to look stupidity in the face and not be amazed.

>
> > Wouldn't ya think that reliability is an important aspect of security?
>
> > NAHHHHH who would think that?
>
> > Jeeeeeeeeeze
>
> Take care. I recognize your best intentions and thank you for them.
> Thanks again too for pointing out the PowerFlash.