Re: new z-wave gateway

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Bill Kearney" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:V_idnTT4RMmVeQ3anZ2dnUVZ_o-mnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Proprietary protocols are high on the list of causes for both problems.
>
> Which is exactly what X-10 was for quite a while.

But it's not now, and that makes it available to a wide range of
manufacturers, allowing users to second-source products.  That means they
won't be stuck with a house filled with products of a bankrupt manufacturer.
IMHO, that's quite a comfort.  Free and open competition inspires better
design, and an open standard only enhances that competition.

> Please, give it a rest.  X-10's tremendously bad track record for
> reliability does not make it a viable solution any longer.

As I've said, your experience appears to be with the old, unboosted X-10.
I've readily acknowledged that, and I've specifically avoided slamming you
for writing about products that you appear to have little or no current
experience with, namely the XTB and the V572 "enhancers."  But there comes a
point where not having any direct experience with what you are making claims
about comes to work against you and your overall credibility.  To that end,
I think it might be you who needs to "give it a rest" before you end up
goring your own ox. (-:

Boosting the X-10 PLC signal and RF sensitivity redefines the X-10 standard.
You don't have to believe me Bill, because I am clearly not the only one
saying it.  The XTB and the V572 have created quite a renaissance within the
X-10 community because with them, centralized controller signals can now
propagate reliably throughout the entire house via both RF and PLC.

> > That's certainly not true.  Jeff's XTB is new and extends X-10's
> > capabilities enormously:
>
> One product does not solve a legion of ills.  It's a fine product, from a
> small supplier, but it's a band-aid, at best.

No, it's most definitely not a band-aid, it's a cure.  Boosting the X-10
signal turns out to solve most of that alleged "legion" of ills since most
of the X-10 problems we see reported here concern signal strength issues.
X-10 was fine for when it was designed, and now that there's a powerful
repeater/amplifier like the XTB, it's fine for the current home electrical
environment, even with all its CFLs and switch mode power supply warts.

> > covers the waterfront in terms of making all the stock X-10 RF
> > transmitters
>
> X-10 RF != X-10 powerline.  You conflate to entirely different
technologies.

What??!!!!  X-10 clearly operates via both PLC and RF with an incredible
range of control options that dwarfs what all other "new" protocols offer,
probably combined.  IIRC, the RF controllers for X-10 first appeared over 20
years ago.  You're reaching for straws here by complaining that the two
quite different methods of control X-10 offers its end users is some sort of
*bad* thing.  It's a good thing, and it gives the end user tremendous
flexibility in tailoring a home automation solution.   Adding the V572 to my
system *vastly* improved the RF reception range and the system's usefulness
and reliability.  I like to be able to control the porchlights from a
keyfob.  How many new protocols even OFFER an RF keyfob?

I prefer the tremendous selection of "here and now" gear that the X-10
protocol offers.  I'm especially fond of X-10's breadth of offerings when
its compared to the "we'll have one of those any day" promises from the
makers of UPB, Insteon and the like.  The problem I see is that "any day"
for some of these manufacturers is likely to be synonymous with "hopefully
before we go bankrupt."

Ten years from now, UPB, Insteon and all the other new protocols may have
vanished but I guarantee you that X-10 will still be performing quite nicely
in 1,000's, and maybe even 10's or 100's of thousand homes.  By that time,
some smart manufacturer will have bought out Jeff's design so that it can be
mass-produced at 1/4 the current price.

Sometimes, having the largest installed user base is all it takes to bury
the competition.  It's all about critical mass.  That's a really important
element in the current business environment where 5 or 6 new home automation
protocols are trying to get a foothold in one of the worst housing markets
we've seen since the 1980's when interest rates topped 18%.  Someone's not
going to make it, but I am sure that X-10 will.  I suspect UPB will be the
first to go, but only time will tell.

--
Bobby G.