Re: XTB, reliablity, etc.

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

<craft.brian@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1165445536.159582.24560@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Robert Green wrote:
>
> > In my case, I distributed some Maxicontrollers around the house and fed
them
> > into (4)XTB's, as well as a CM11A and some TM751's.   Most of the time,
we
> > use minicontrollers in the room where lights are located.  Even
unboosted,
> > they managed to control the local lights just fine.  I rarely need to
> > control a device outside a room that I am actually in except at bedtime
or
> > when I am entering or leaving the house.
>
> In my case even this doesn't work, because a particular room may be fed
> by several different power circuits. I thought this was rather common.
> I typically see outlets and lights on different circuits, and circuits
> tend to follow walls rather than rooms. A controller wired at an entry
> way (as a light switch) is not on the same circuit as any of the
> outlets it might need to control.

I'll agree it's not a perfect solution but 4 more XTB's arrived today
(Thanks Jeff!) that I will be dispersing around the house to cover the few
remaining blind spots.  The ones I have had in place for a number of months
have behaved flawlessly so I thought I would invest in some more units and
some Smarthome Controlinc Maxis.  The ability to easily and reliably access
all 256 device codes from a single controller is great.  Now I'll have 8 of
them spread throughout the house and that means a controller is never more
than a few steps away.  Adding a few TM751's and CM11A's enhanced by the XTB
pretty much brings me back to where I feel X10 *should* be.

I was thinking about car analogies and I would say that X10 is like a 30
year old car that's got its issues, but happens to get 100 mpg.  It would be
nice to have when the gas prices soar again.  That's what I feel the XTB has
brought me - a way to make my old car get 5 times the gas mileage of any
more expensive new one.

Today, I had the joy of tracking down why a minicontroller would no longer
control a lamp plugged into the same outlet.  Turns out the Monterey
analyzer was invaluable here.  The unit was sending housecode J instead of
B, which it was set to.  A few 360 degree twists of the housecode dial got
it back to B but it was a reminder that mechanical stuff does fail.  Since I
had picked up a dozen during a Worthington closeout for $3 each, I should
replace it but the switch is in my office and only I use it and I love to
nurse electronics until they stone cold dead. (-:  That's part of the reason
I like X10, I suppose - my need to fiddle with things.

--
Bobby G.