Re: Control Ceiling Lights

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

"komobu" <curranpg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Dave,
>
>Thanks for taking the time to reply. I just started checking into this
>home automation thing and am getting pretty interested. I like the idea
>of a switch by the garage that lets me turn off all lights. Do they
>have anything that will allow me to turn off the stove(Or prompt me
>that it is on)? On more than one occasion my wife has asked me to turn
>around to insure it was off! The insteon system looks pretty easy to
>install. It would be convenient to be able to control lights from the
>master bedroom and the main entryway. Could you describe in more detail
>what I would need to configure the insteon switch for X-10?  As for the
>X-10 RF transeiver, is it difficult to set up and have it talk to the
>Insteon system? How much do they cost and could you reccomend a
>speciffic item?

I don't know of a way to shut-off the stove short of plugging it into a 220V
appliance module (if anyone makes one with a high enough rating) and I think
that might cause more headaches than it cures. There are ways to detect that
it's on but they are not "beginner level" and involve some DIY methods. You
need to learn to crawl first. ;)

The X-10 transceiver setup consists of plugging it in after turning a code
wheel to set a "housecode" to match the remote. There are 3-4 X-10 capable
transceivers and numerous remotes but this will fit your need for both.

     http://www.smarthome.com/4003.html

Configuring the Insteon wall switch for X-10 involves pushing a button or
holding the toggle in one position for a brief period to put it program
mode. Then you just send it an X-10 command which you can do with the
remote/transceiver combo. There are several Insteon switch styles so I'll
let you choose.

     http://www.smarthome.com/prodindex.asp?catid=101

There may be problems in getting the transceiver to talk to the switch if
they are on different phases of your wiring or if you have any devices that
create noise that can interfere with both X-10 and Insteon or that sink X-10
and Insteon signals but this is getting a bit deep for a beginner. Read some
of the articles on my web page if you want to dig deeper.

Insteon-specific questions are probably best directed to the Insteon forum.

     http://www.techmall.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=9


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