Re: No more X10 at Radio Shack?

["Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> That's not true, Bill.  Having that many codes and my new Control-linc
Maxis
> all housecode consoles (AHC) I can use the extra codes as macro addresses
to
> queue specific actions, etc.

And how much extra are these devices?  The point is the underlying
technology, not to mention it's shitty implementation, is so worthless that
it can't even handle queueing or collisions reliably.  You have to cobble on
other devices to make up for it.

> As I said, it's probably not likely, but who's to say the RF world won't
> have changed out from under the RA designers the way the powerline changed
> out from under the X-10 designers?  Only time will tell.

X10 was shite when it was first shipped.  Powerline noise has plagued it
from the BEGINNING.  This is not some new 21st century phenomenon.

> I live in the same sort of house not too far away and agree - it take
> special care to get RF *into* the house. (-:

Yeah, damnedest thing isn't it?  Don't need to head to a fallout shelter!

> And that's where Jeff's XTB shines.  It compensates for the very real
> limitation that you have identified.  Without it I would be quite willing,
> as you are, to declare X-10 basically unworkable in the modern age.

My point is, and as a warning to newbies, that without cobbling up such
workarounds there's no way to use X10 reliably.

> > X10's RF "sucks less" than their powerline crap, I'll give you that.
But
> > barring use of someone else's RF transceiver even that's a pain in the
ass
> > to get working reliably.
>
> The RF protocol allows me to put $5 credit card controllers in a lot of
> different places so I never have to get up to turn on a nearby light, etc.
> Actually, with the XTB, at least in my Faraday cage from WWII, RF has
become
> the dicier of the dual protocols.

Yes, the X10 RF is susceptible to noise.  My X10 RF receivers can't be near
the equipment rack.  My RadioRA repeater, however, is right in the middle of
it.  So much for that argument.

> > Had I the patience to put up with shipping all the crap I'd sell 'em on
> > fleabay.  Meanwhile they're just gathering dust.  I really don't feel
like
> > inflicting their pain on someone else.
>
> Dude, we must live within a dozen miles of each other.  Box it up and I'll
> come by can get it and sign a release than I know the horror I am
inflicting
> on myself.  If you've got stuff I really need, I'll even write you or your
> favorite charity a check for it.

Heh.  There ought to be a Metro-area HA get together.

> We clearly have very different lifestyles and spouses.  My house is almost
> completely lit by antique floor and table lamps.  My wife has gotten very
> used to the "jiggle the switch" local control - but even more importantly
> has learned to control the lamps just via X-10 so that they are always in
a
> remotely responsive state.

Mine's gotten quite used to the table dimmers for RadioRA and really likes
them.  Hated the spotty behavior of the stick-a-switches and palmpads.

> Despite her protestations that HA is for me
> only, my logs show me that when I am away, the "ALL LIGHTS ON" command
gets
> triggered at least once, and often many more times so I know she uses it.

Likewise, other than using the scenes on some switches most HA goes unused
by anyone other than me.  But given the new Harmony remote I've picked up
that might change.  Being able to integrate HA stuff into it's "activities"
might change things "some".

> To that end I mount either Stickaswitches or credit card controllers near
> the lamp and velcroed out of sight so she can sit at the desk and turn on
> the light.  That arrangement tends to negate complaints about the wall
> switches.  We hardly ever use the overheads to which most wall switches
> connect.  We use all push button switches now, which she likes better than
> the older-style paddle.

Oy, the push-buttons are worse than the paddles.  But I'll agree they suck
less than than the X10 paddles.

> It's going to be an interesting few years, for sure, and my hunch is that
> someone's already investing in HA technology that will be as orphaned as
> thoroughly as the PC Jr and the microchannel bus users of a decade or so
> ago.  The question is, which "superior" HA technology of today will become
> tomorrow's Betamax?

Well, in the three decades of consumer grade HA that holy grail's been
promised many times.  I'm not holding my breath on that happening anytime
soon.  But with the push Control4 is making to big box stores it might get
more interesting.

-Bill Kearney