X10

[Robin]

I've googled this group and X10 doesn't appear to have been discussed for a while.

Does anybody use it? Is it still slow and unreliable? Are there any realistic alternatives that have a decent range of functions?

All opinions, er, read...

Thanks Robin

[Matthew Ames]

I use it, but not very often. Seemed liked a nice "toy" to have when I bought my kit a few years back.

[Roly]

I've got several modules that I use for contolling lights and pond pumps etc around the garden. There is only the one power cable under the patio and my wife has difficulty getting around, so the X-10 allows her to independently control the pumps and lights from anywhere in the house.

The system has been in for several years and works well, although we did change the washing machine and the new one was found to be a 'signal sucker', which stopped the whole system working initially. Moving the controller to a socket furthet from the washing machine and nearer to the garden cable completely solved the problem.

[gna03633]

All depends what you what to do.

I have been using it for years to turn off lamps/appliances at the socket via remote control. Recently bought a CM12U moudule to handle 'go to bed' i.e. turn of the modem/tv/kettle/etc and lamp in 15mins. Turns kettle on in the morning for the wife to make me a cuppa ;-)

The modules can be slow/noisy/expensive, but there are few viable alternatives.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I use it. Not found it slow or unreliable.

It got a lot harder to buy in the UK though. The wholesaler started offering it direct to the public at wholesale prices, so all the retailers dropped it. I haven't needed to buy any since this happened, but none of the places where I did buy mine still sell it as a result.

There are replacements, but they're all much more expensive.

[Adam Aglionby]

Homeplug Alliance seem to be on the way to releasing control modules, seems logical:

an aside X-10 was developed in Glenrothes by the same team that built the less succesful Accutrak turntable. Price on 240V x10 modules seem to have fallen

Adam

[Andrew Gabriel]

better, as X10 is old. They all fail on price -- X10 got to commodity pricing (particularly in the US), but none of the others come close, and either don't have the volumes to do so, or are protected by patents which enable limited suppliers to keep prices high. (X10's patent long since expired.) X10's longevity also results in good 3rd-party support in terms of interfaces built in to other appliances, which none of the other schemes enjoy to anything like the same extent.

Those look quite good -- I'll make a note for the future.

[dennis]

are a fraction cheaper and I have used them for a couple of things without problems. They do a cheapish mains socket is you want to fit them in the walls. You could get a bit of trunking and wire a load up in the loft or the ceiling space and then use 13A plugs to do your wall lights, etc. No PEE parts to worry about when you decide to change something.