Re: Suggestions for X10/Automation Widgets

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"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? :-)

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 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.

> 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.

Gawd am I glad I have such low tech neighbors.

--
Bobby G.