Re: XTB - the Future of X10 has arrived!

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

> > I'll bet that an XTB will help you maintain your Stargate installation

> I'm counting on it!

The XTB's going to allow me to keep using X-10 until "the next big thing"
emerges in HA and maybe even beyond that.  Whether it's Z-Wave, Zigbee,
Insteon, UPB or something else apparently remains to be seen.  I've been
less than happy with X-10 for a while now, primarily because of signal
strength issues.

The XTB has allowed me to restore a number of items that had been consigned
to the dustbin because they could not reach every part of the house even
with a repeater.  (My experience with repeaters was both costly and
fruitless.)  Fortunately most of the loads I want to control are on one
phase, but I'd like to be able to reach everywhere without any problems so
I've ordered a simple capacitor and more complex tuned circuit SignalLinc
passive coupler to test with the XTB.  My feeling is that the .11 volt
signal that I get on the phase opposite the XTB (via street pole transformer
coupling) will jump.  How much, I can't say.

The best part of all this is that the new technologies are forcing the
prices of X-10 equipment on Ebay to outrageously low levels so that I can
easily afford to be 1 level deep in spares on every item and 3 or 4 levels
deep on critical items.

In addition, I have an inside line on some new X-10 devices that I believe
will be nearly as revolutionary as the XTB, at least for some of us.

Please don't take this as an insult, Bruce, but what I want to avoid is a
system like yours that's straddling multiple technologies.  I also need
something simple enough that if it fails when I am away, I can walk my wife
through some basic troubleshooting.  I also stand a chance of her swapping a
bad module or having her shut down the quirky parts of the system and go to
manual control until I return.  I wonder about some of the other systems I
read about.  What happens when the original designer is out-of-service for
any reason?  The Leviton repeater had her going into the box and flipping
breakers one too many times which is why we're repeaterless.  :-)

--
Bobby G.


"BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:_SIeg.8882$9W5.5135@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> I'm counting on it!
>
>
> > "BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> > news:iYseg.7920$9W5.3517@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> Great news!
> >
> > I'll bet that an XTB will help you maintain your Stargate installation
> > running smoothly despite the issues created by having so many Insteon
> > devices.
>
>