Re: The problems with X10 ...

[Julian <julian@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 2 Nov 2006 20:34:57 -0800, "Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>accidental plumber wrote:
>> ...  are firstly, the x10.com company.  If the company sells products
>> as they are, there won't be god knows how many abandoned modules around
>> the globe.  On top of that, the company is one of the most hated
>> company online.  I hope this is the first of a serious of articles of
>> my rantings about X10, the protocol and the company.
>>
>> Like most users, I brought a kit for the price, tried it and felt that
>> it was cool.  When I committed to it and expanded to the whole house,
>> it became another infamous haunted house.  There's no way you can make
>> the X10 products work reliably from the product literatures from
>> x10.com.  I had many light switches and modules, three RF transceivers,
>> a full security system with two PIR detectors and many door/window
>> modules.  Also I have several cameras controlled by DC adapters from
>> X10.  I kept on adding to the system but at the same time part or most
>> of the system are abandoned.
>>
>> The many troubleshooting guides on the net doesn't help much.  They are
>> rarely written by Electronics Engineers.  Anyway, I started around 1999
>> so there wasn't that much information around.  Well, who will get into
>> X10 if they know they need to install another box at the distribution
>> box or consumer box, to block out noise and potential interference from
>> neighbors using x10?  And they need one isolator or blocker for any
>> electronic equipments including DC adapters for phone chargers?  And
>> then a 3-phase coupler for most houses.  And a coupler and repeater if
>> you have a large house.  How about the new RF transceiver that listen
>> to all possible house codes and can generate a log for the ghost
>> activities?  And a pair of testers at $100?
>>
>> But if I were to do it all over again, it will still be X10.  A total
>> wireless system is still too expensive; every module has to have a
>> receiver that is more complicated than the x10 crap.  Modules are
>> selling about 1/3 on eBay compared to the x10 website.  After 7 years,
>> everything still works, though not together.  Despite all the hype, I
>> think I only need one blocker/isolator for the main TV and the
>> electronics around it to solve the reliability problem.  The price is
>> some $10 on eBay?
>>
>> Though my system will still be based on x10, but I would have mixed in
>> a lot of other components.  For example, for rarely opened and
>> difficult to enter windows, I would use a small independent alarm which
>> could be as cheap as a few dollars.  The x10 cameras are crap, which
>> also need short line of sight reception to be non-irritating.  More for
>> the next message.
>
>
>If you buy cheap, you get cheap.


Like my Chinese Grandfather used to say:

Good Stuff No Cheap
Cheap Stuff No Good


Julian