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X10RfConfiguration

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Saved by PBworks
on August 2, 2005 at 12:29:45 am

X10 RF-centric Solution Improves Reliability

I was plagued with erratic X10 powerline behavior even with a well-located dryer coupler/repeater, a boosterlinc, and nearly a dozen filters. Symptoms included CM11a lockups, many missed signals, the usual suspects... Running around the house with the ESM1 signal analyzer was a nightly occurence.

I enjoyed the access to the variety of inexpensive modules and fun Linux software, but for useful applications I needed to get the reliability up considerably.

I faced another set of expensive upgrades (wired in repeater, even more filters) with questionable return-on-investment. What I coveted was a next-generation of X10-style home automation with all the customizability and low-price, but RF based. SmartHomeInsteon looked appealing but further reading indicated that it wasn't going to be drop in replacement and might cause interference of its own. Zwave didn't have access to MisterHouse (yet) and was a new investment from the ground-up.

Then it hit me that perhaps I did not need to wait for a next generation system, I had the right pieces already.

I built an RF based X10 system using these parts:

* I retired the lock-up prone CM11A and replaced it with the CM17A (Firecracker kit).

* I put a TM751 transceiver as the appliance controller for appliance I wanted to control.

* I set the TM751 to different house codes, and used the attached socket for the appliance.

* I programmed MH to use the CM17A instead of the CM11A.

Effectively, I've turned my existing X10 system in an RF rather than powerline system.

Notes:

* It is possible to use less, or even one TM751. However as my goal was to virtually eliminate powerline traffic, I needed to have one for each appliance. However, they are nearly as cheap as appliance modules. For my needs, the click they make (as most unmodified appliance modules do) is desirable.

* Please send me an email to newsaccount.h at gmail.com if this worked out for you!

Using my X10RcxSignalAnalyzer, I was able to show that reliability of my X10 system now approaches 100% up from a dismal 60%-90%.