Re: Suggestions for X10/Automation Widgets

["Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx>]

"Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5eGdnSdoL6hM0zTeRVn-jg@xxxxxxxxxx
> "Jeff Volp" and  "The Alien" wrote about using a special transceiver to
> parse security codes:
>
> > > One example:  My X-10 is set to "128", when my neighbor turns on
> > > "A-1", my "A-1" ignores the request,  when I turn on "A-1", I send a
> > > "128" first, then "A-1" "A-on" then module responds.   If it see a
> > > "A-1" "A-OFF" it will ignore it because 128 did not preceed the
> > > command?
>
> <stuff snipped>
> > >
> > > Or something along those lines?!  THEN I would be glad to turn my X-10
> > > stuff back on and start using it again!   Until then, the market is
> > > TOO saturated with X-10 stuff.  Just check my neighborhood, turn on
> > > "A-1" and about 3 other houses light up along with yours!!!
>
> > It might be possible to do something like that using perhaps a two
character
> > housecode and a custom module.  A "high security" module would respond
to
> > X-A-1-ON, but not just A-1-ON (where X is a housecode other than A in
this
> > example).  Modules so modified would have to be controled by high-end
> > controllers that have the ability to transmit multiple housecodes.
>
> Isn't that what you are doing, building the better mousetrap? :-)

It sounded like RF Dude wanted to convert everything to a high security
system.  This would mean modifying all existing hardware, which is beyond
anything I was invisioning.  If a PIC version of a module already existed,
changing that source code to add a security mode should not be difficult.
After I sent the message last night, it became obvious it wasn't as simple
as I first thought. Addresses are transmitted as a code-number pair.  Some
of my macros already send a sequence of pairs to get the attention of
several different modules before sending the ON or OFF.  But maybe a little
used command can be used as the preface.

> RF Dude's request is very similar to something I would love to see (and
that
> I believe can even be implemented using an Ocelot controller).  It would
be
> great to have even a simple TM751-like device that could parse a 3 "frame"
> RF command string so that [6] [ENTER] + [12] [ENTER] + [ON] entered
> together gets output to the powerline as F12 ON.
>
> You could even have it simply look for 0612 entered within a pre-defined
> time frame by assuming all house/unit codes would be of the form "HHUU" -
> there are a number of shorthand ways to do this.

I use a window technique in the Ocelot to access the sprinkler system from a
palmpad that normally just controls the lights.  That end is easy.  The
difficult part is sending a secure command over the powerline to existing
modules.

> (I believe this is what X-10 Wizard Dr Ed Cheung does at his house, or
> something quite like it.  At least that's where *I* first so the idea and
> thought it was brilliant - if it's someone else's baby, apologies
> beforehand).  It's ingenious because it means no more little code wheels,
> coins, paper clips or screwdrivers to tweak Palmpads to a different
> housecode.
>
> One powerful RF transceiver and a smart translator could do an awful lot
> with something like the standard X-10 series learning remotes.  It would
be
> great if there was a socketed or easily flashable transceiver that could
> "learn" the necessary instructions.
>
> I've often wished there was an easier way to change a UR24's X-10
housecode
> other than X-10, SETUP, HOUSECODE, ENTER, particular to temporarily
> control another housecode.  It's too easy to forget to change it back with
> sometimes > very awkward results!  There really aren't many RF X-10 units
> that can > change housecodes easily.  At least I don't know of any.  Maybe
> someone else does.  I'd buy at least two.

A macro in a HA controller can do the translation to a different housecode
for you.  It can recognize a sequence in a time window as a trigger for any
other event.  That event can be to translate the received command to a
different housecode.  For example, 3-1-ON would turn on housecode C module
1; 5-3-ON would turn on housecode E module 3.  More digits could be used for
security.

> > You can probably solve your problem much more simply by just changing
your
> > housecode.  If you still have problems, try the whole-house blocker.
>
> I was under the impression that had been tried and rejected.  Whole-house
> blocking isn't going to do much to block stray RF commands from his
> neighbors controllers.  That's a whole 'nother nightmare and what makes RF
> Dude's concept so interesting.  He's adding a security preamble to the
X-10
> command that locks out the neighbors RF.  Add that to the whole house
> blocker and RF Dude might be back in the X-10 business.  It seems the X-10
> RF is great over those vast empty spaces between houses but not so good
when
> you're actually *inside* a house.

His mention of A1 led me to believe he might still be set to the default
housecode that many people use.

The modified CM15A is exactly the framework to implement a security RF link.
So we may be able to develop something like that in the future.

> Gawd am I glad I have such low tech neighbors.

Fortunately, many of the "hi tech" neighbors are still on housecode A.

Jeff