Re: newbie X10 Freewire Question

[J Miller <reply@here>]

I've used the BD freewire outdoor modules without the hub for a few
years.  You use a x10 controller (I use a maxi) to set their x10
address.  After that, they act just like any other x10 module.

The programming is a bit weird, and "kind of" documented on the module.
  Within a 30 seconds of plugging it in, you send out a "x10 on" for the
address you want to use (three times, IIRC)  The module says to just
hold the "on" of the freewire hub until the led stops blinking, so the
hub must be repeating the command if the button is held.  With the maxi,
you must press the "on" three times...

dlh wrote:
> I have no hands-on experience with the Black & Decker stuff but this
> paragraph from their manual probably explains what you are seeing.
>
>> What is the Remote Control SYNCHRONIZATION?
>> When you first install your Freewire units it is essential that your
>> match up the wireless Remote Controls
>> (Indoor Remote and Keychain Remote) with the plugged in Receiver Hub.
>> This will synchronize their
>> wireless communication in a distinct way that prevents interference with
>> other Freewire systems that may
>> be in your neighborhood.
>
> My guess is that the Freewire remote can only communicate with the hub
> and the X-10 transceiver will ignore it. I doubt that they would have
> modified the PLC codes. Also, you need to check that the X-10 transceiver
> and the outdoor units you want to control are on the same phase of your
> electrical wiring. If on opposite phases, that could explain why the X10
> transceiver cannot control them.
>
> Sometimes there are more details in the FCC files for a particular
> device, sometimes not. What is the FCC ID code on the Freewire remote?
>
> On Sat, 31 May 2008 12:12:48 +0000, Finlay Spicer wrote:
>
>> This may have once been asked and answered but a google search yielded
>> little.  I have an X10 remote system   :appliance modules, light
>> switches, transceiver, palm pad and those stick on RF switches that look
>> exactly like an electrical wall plate, and they all work well.
>>
>> I needed a weatherproof controller and bought a Black and decker
>> freewire setup with a remote, a messenger hub 2 outdoor modules etc,
>> because I had read that they were X10 compatible.  I programmed the
>> outside controller using the hub, and it worked with both the Black and
>> decker remote and the X10 remotes.  The Black and decker remote
>> controlled the X10 modules. However, I assumed that once the outdoor
>> wireless plug was coded, the X10 transceiver would be adequate.
>>
>> As long as both the X10 transceiver and b and d hub are both plugged in,
>>   all is well, but with the b and d hub out of the loop, the X10
>> transceiver wont run the b and d controllers, unplug the X10 transceiver
>> using just the b and d hub, only the b and d sockets/modules work.
>>
>> My question is this.  Will the X10 transceiver all by itself run the b
>> and d  outlets, am I doing something wrong to acheive that, or will I
>> need to keep both the X10 transceiver and B and D hub plugged in?
>>
>> I read that the freewire stuff was programmed like the X10 socket
>> rocket, tried it that way, no go.
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any answers
>>
>> FRS    from a small Eastern Canadian Seaport
>