http://www.smarthome.com/remote_entire_home.html
Do they work OK? I am not planning on doing the whole house. Just as a no-wiring method of converting some lights so the can be controlled from several locations.
Of course they work. tigerdirect.com has x-10 video stuff. They keep emailing me about them too. Like you can get three remote cameras & watch for a couple hundred bucks.
Handy is right. The X-10 and compatable devices work well. Many companies other than X-10 make devices using the same codes and the parts are interchangable. You can even control your draperies as well as outside lights and the like. You can buy a computer interface that allows you you turn devices on or off at preset times.
I can hit a button next to my bed and switch on all my outside lights without having to leave the room.
I used to get a catalog from and outfit called “Home Automation Labs” that had all sorts of devices. They were not limited to lamps and such. Radio Shack carries some devices, but not the more exotic items.
(For the record: I am not being compensated by X-10.)
I used to be a home-automation research writer, and I can definitely attest that for the kind of automation you’re talking about, x-10 is perfectly adequate and by far the most cost-effective solution. The full array of control possibilities can be seen at www.x10.com/homepage.html
For those who aren’t familiar with X-10, the technology sends control and information signals over your home’s existing AC powerlines by modulating the alternating-current sine wave at specific points. The result is that you can plug a controller into the wall, and plug a lamp or appliance into a module that plugs into the wall, and control it remotely without having to install additional wiring. types of devices in the X-10 family range from simple on/off modules for controlling things like coffee makers, to lighting modules that also include a dimming function, to more specialized products such as security lights, motion detectors, daylight sensors, timers, and a whole lot more.
My 99-year-old great-grandmother uses X-10 so she can turn her TV, lights, etc. on and off from her chair so she doesn’t have to get up to do it.
Thanks. I’ll give it a try. My house is old, built in 1920 and has had lots of changes done to it. That leaves me with things like an upstairs wall switch controlling a ceiling light over the stairs, but no downstairs switch.
It would be a mess to wire from one wall to another and from one floor to another to get a three way switch. With the “X10” type [I understand that X-10 started it, but other companies make X10 compatable items.], I can fix it easily. I just wanted to be sure it will work on older wiring and switches on different circuit breakers.
Again, thanks for the info.
Starfish,
I am also an X-10 user. I can tell you that, as an Observant Jew, I save hundreds of dollars a year with X-10. I can’t control my lights on the Sabbath… so X-10 turns them all off for me, saving me lots of energy dollars.
A few points:
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X-10 is not a “wire-less” system. You need to replace your existing wall switches or receptacles with their modules. A basic knowledge of electricity is required. It’s not hard, but you do have to do it. (ALWAYS TURN OFF THE CURCUIT BREAKER!)
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X-10 and halogen don’t mix. Ditto with flourescent fixtures. If you have those torch-lamps with halogen bulbs, X-10 will not operate them properly. I have been told that you can buy “halogen modules,” but I have yet to see any that control lamps. They all seem designed to operate ceiling fixtures.
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The switches themselves are ugly. There are nicer ones, but they are expesive.
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Don’t make the same mistake I did. RadioShack is a nice enough store, but buying the modules there guarentees higher prices and less selection than the websites. Stick to online shopping.
Good luck… let us know how it goes!
>>>>>I can tell you that, as an Observant Jew, I save hundreds of dollars a year with X-10. I can’t control my lights on the Sabbath… so X-10 turns them all off for me, saving me lots of energy dollars.<<<
Huh? you can’t touch a light switch on the sabbath?
Yes, Rich, Jewish law prohibits the use of electricity on Shabbat. That is to say, I can enjoy the benefits of electricity, I just can’t interact/ with it.
Suffice it to say that, no, Observant Jews can’t touch a lightswitch on the Sabbath.
>>>>>Yes, Rich, Jewish law prohibits the use of electricity on Shabbat. That is to say, I can enjoy the benefits of electricity, I just can’t interact/ with it.
Suffice it to say that, no, Observant Jews can’t touch a lightswitch on the Sabbath.<<<<
Wow,I never knew that.So if you watch TV you have to stay on the same channel all day?I’ll volunteer to sit at your house and work the remote for ya cheap!How did this rule come to be?Correct me if I’m wrong,but there was no electricity when the Hebrew religion was started.Was it added later or is it a “translational” thing? This is fascinating.
Rich,
I feel bad about hijacking this thread.
Why don’t you take a look at this thread; the question has come up here before. While you are at it, about 5 posts down, Alphagene provides a link to the JewFAQ, an excellent online resource for understanding Judaism.
(Nitpick: Judaism is a religion, Hebrew is a language.)
Now back to your regularly scheduled thread…
Two notes about X10 products:
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The Xcam, their wireless surveillance/webcam is quite the bargain at $79, but operates very poorly in low light (it’s not an auto-exposure camera module). So it’s no good for dark alleyways or nighttime voyeurism.
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Don’t give X10 your personal email address–use an auxiliary Hotmail account, or a work address. They send tons of spam and will sell your email address to others.
Other than that, they’re pretty cool.
Ok, so this system works great for turning on and off lights and stuff like that…but how well does it work as a security system. We’re currently looking at getting a system installed in our new house, and at $650 for the equipment, and then $25 a month for monitoring, would getting something like the X-10 be just as good? Any advice from anyone about other security systems?