Re: current state of protocols; x10? what else?

[Eric <ericw2000@xxxxxxxxx>]

Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:1b1vo79q19.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

> vajra <chalu.kim@xxxxxxxxx> writes:
>
>> It is confusing to me what is out there? I remember reading on two
>> protocols.
>>
>> Can someone share what their experiences have been? I like to sense
>> humidity in a closet space, put a few switches to turn lights in the
>> kitchen before going in, sensing motion, and having a camera to
>> monitor an area. Can I do this wirelessly?
>
> I've been starting to convert my house to Insteon.  This appears to be
> more reliable than X10, primarily because of acknowledgements built into
> the protocol.  Just a couple of lights so far, but they're working.
> It's similar to X10, in that it's a powerline protocol.
>
> smarthome.com sells modules for the switches and motion detectors you're
> asking about.  I don't know about humidity.  It has nowhwere near the
> bandwidth required for a camera, though.

I have an X10 device with software (Smarthome Manager) that I bought from
Smarthome to operate as a simple timer for lights at a commercial site. A
couple of years after I bought it they changed the daylight savings time
dates. Smarthome wouldn't update the software and said they discontinued
support for this product. This makes me skeptical about buying any of their
Insteon modules, since they could decide to stop supporting that protocol
at any time.