Re: XTB, reliablity, etc.

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:l45fh.184196

<stuff snipped>

> Having pulled several thousand feet of wire here, I am very familar with
> what it takes to do hard wiring.  Sometimes adding a switch only takes a
> couple of hours.  Other times there just isn't any easy way to get there.
> I've spent my share of time working my way through that sea of insulation
to
> run a few more wires.  It ain't fun!

Insulation, bees, asbestos, you name it.  I've been following a nasty thread
in alt.home.repair about what constitutes a proper ground.  That thread made
it clear to me once more that many DIY'ers have a somewhat cloudy
understanding of the NEC and local housing codes.

> I don't understand why X10 seems to be black magic to so many people.
There
> is one basic rule - get a decent signal to the receiver, and it should
work.
> We know what causes problems.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make
it
> work.

I think a big part of the problem is the intense psychological resistance
people seem to have regarding buying a meter.  If you're lost in the woods
you need at least a compass and maybe even a GPS.  If you're lost in the
powerline, you need at least a meter and maybe even an analyzer.

> Many people "tweak" their system until they get it working.
Unfortunately,
> their signal levels are probably barely adequate, and the next
"unfriendly"
> device causes another problem.

Precisely.  Making continual mini-fixes only keeps you one step ahead.
Barely.

> It probably took me less than an hour to go
> through the last house and identify all problem loads.  I used a palmpad
to
> trigger a RR501 at a central location.  Then I went through the house with
> the ESM1 checking signal strength at every receptacle that powered a
> possible problem device.  I triggered an X10 command with the device
> unplugged, and then again plugged in and on.  Any change was a reason to
> filter it.  The bad guys were Lights of America CF bulbs, all computers, a
> APC UPS, and the Sony TV.

I've got some of the same damn demons in my house.  If you recall, before
the XTB I was considering trying to meter several legs of my wiring circuits
using a single ESM1 and several identical transformers feeding into the head
unit through stepper relays.  I was in the state you described above -
patched but precariously so and waiting for the next new gadget to knock out
some section of the house.  The XTB really made that sort of status
monitoring unnecessary, thank God!

> One other significant issue with X10 is too much traffic.  Some people use
> multiple motion detectors, and that is just asking for trouble.

That's where a faster protocol would have a serious advantage.  Shorter data
bursts mean fewer collisions.  You've managed to make X-10 more powerful
with the XTB; you next assignment is to make it faster!  :-)

--
Bobby G.