Re: No more X10 at Radio Shack?

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:3NYah.115414$Fi1.103737@bgtnsc05-

> X10 can be a cost-effective and very reliable system for those who care to
> put in some effort.

There's nothing on the market that can come close to either the low cost or
the breadth of product offerings.  Everyone's still playing catch up.  With
the addition of the XTB it's become a workable system once more.  Thanks
again for inventing it!

> Actually, it is probably better that retail channels drop it because that
> will get rid of many of the impulse buyers who are disappointed when it
> doesn't work 100% right out of the box.  You know the ones - their VCRs
> flashed 12:00 for years until manufacturers included automatic clock
> setting.

It's not for the faint of heart, especially in this age of CFL's and
switching power supplies.  Even factoring in the cost of filters, a good
meter and XTB's on the main transmitters, X-10 *still* comes in way cheaper
per load than any other control system.  And it does it with more types of
controllers (from PLC hardwired to pocket RF remotes) than anything else
currently out there.

Best of all, Ebayers who bought the stuff cheap from X-10 and never used it
are now selling it in droves on Ebay for dirt cheap.  They'd be worthless to
me without your XTB.  It reminds me a little of the early days of disk
compression and Stacker where you could truly get something for almost
nothing.  In this case, it's the ability to extend the life of my X-10 setup
for perhaps another 10 years.  Maybe 20.  (-:

> How many of the "new and better" systems will still be around 30 years
from
> now?

It's been a remarkable run - made even more so because it's still a player.
Personally, I'm going to start trash talking X-10 here so that people panic
and dump their excess X-10 inventory for pennies on the dollar.  I've
already made some fantastic buys - a carton of StickaSwitches, remotes,
appliance modules, transceivers and more (all unused) for $20.  It's really
nice to be able to add a few more control points here and there for less
than $2 each.

While I'd love to have the reliability of Centralite or Lutron's RF system,
I don't think I'd ever be able to recover the cost when selling the house.

--
Bobby G.