Re: insteon delay

["Jeff Volp" <JeffVolp@xxxxxxx>]

"peter" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:XFcKj.519$mL2.176@xxxxxxxxxxx
>I just bought an insteon starter kit to replace my x10 system. After I set
>it up, I discover there is a delay between pressing the button on the
>remotelink and the light turning on/off. This is one of the things I hate
>about x10. Very disappointed insteon also has this problem.

Sorry to jump in late here, but your other post prompted a reply to this
thread.  (A dimmer-controlled receptacle is against code.)

As you probably know, the X10 protocol takes 22 cycles of the AC waveform to
send a command.  It takes two commands to select a module and turn it on or
off.  It is interesting to note that with sufficient signal strength, an
"armed" module will respond to an on or off command after only 11 cycles
(just the first half of the command).

I did a test here timing response from a PalmPad - through a RR501 - and out
to a lamp module.  An on or off command took perhaps 3/4 of a second from
the button press.  Another test from a Maxicontroller required pressing two
buttons, but the lamp responded virtually instantaneously to the second
press.  11/60 would be less than 0.2 second.

Delay might be a factor responding to motion detectors.  Here we use Leviton
"wire-in" motion detectors, so no X10 traffic is involved.  We did use a X10
RF motion detector at the last house, but it was located so that it
responded before a person entered the "controlled" area.

Our Ocelot sends almost all the X10 traffic.  The only time we see that
short delay is when we issue a PalmPad command, or trigger a macro in the
Ocelot.  Otherwise, the house pretty much takes care of itself.

Jeff