Re: Leviton Intellisense Vs Others

["Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx>]

"Gymfolks" <gymfolks@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:11sddh6qg9s3vb2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Looking for meaningful input......
>
> I will be building a 3,100 sqft higher end home soon.  During construction
I
> will have an amplifier/repeater and multimedia surge protection device
> installed near/at the main ac panel (in preparation for future home
> automation).  Deep j-box's will be used and all three wires will be pulled
> to each j-box.
>
> My question is concerning how the new Leviton "Intellisense" stacks up
> against some of the other best X-10 stuff out there.  I really DISLIKE the
> looks of a small antenna hanging outside of a receptacle so SMARTHOME's
> INSTEON is not attractive (IMO).
>
> Curious to hear what others think of Leviton's new stuff.

Clearly a lot of people have trouble with X10.  We've got the older Leviton
Intellisense "red line" switches here, and they work with 100% reliability.

Since you are building a new house, there are a couple of things you can do
to make it X10 friendly:

1)  I had the electrician route one circuit throughout the main level for
all electronic gear that is likely to be either a noise source or signal
sucker.  That circuit is fed through the 20 amp ACT AF300 filter.  I also
have the option of running that circuit off a big UPS so all electronic gear
pretty much isolated from line transients.

2)  We use compact fluorescents in ceiling cans.  We installed the small
Leviton 6287 noise blocks after the X10 switches for all circuits feeding
these lights.

3)  We planned the electrical circuits so all circuits that could possibly
use X10 automation are on the same phase.  The other phase runs things like
the furnace, dishwasher, microwave, laundry, etc.

With that all done, we did have two X10 problems:

The first outlet I plugged the TW523 into didn't work properly.  An adjacent
outlet on the same circuit in either direction worked fine.  Adding a
Leviton line filter to the offending outlet solved the problem, but the
cause was never understood.  I scoped the signal with and without the
filter, and saw no change in the waveform.

The other problem is that once in a blue moon a lamp module in our living
room misses the OFF command.  It might be related to the CF bulb it serves.
Since it only happens every few months, I haven't bothered pursuing it.

We issue hundreds of X10 commands every day to control lights, irrigation,
water recirculation, vent fans, shop tools, etc. It is a rare occasion when
something doesn't work.  That's pretty dang good reliability in my book.

Jeff