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X-10 An Explanation
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Anyone interested in home automation will sooner or later come upon the term "X10".
X10 is a home-automation technology that uses the home's existing wiring to transmit automation commands from a control unit to the light or appliance being controlled.
X10 offers many important advantages:
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Low Cost (both the X10 components themselves, and the fact that they run over existing household wiring, so you don't have to install new wiring).
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Flexibility
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Ease of Use
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Ease of Purchase.
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How X10 Works
At its simplest, an X10 system can consists of FIVE parts:
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"Transceivers" such as tabletop control boxes or wall modules that send a control signal to a lamp or appliance.
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Lamp or appliance modules that receive control signals and turn the associated lamp or appliance on or off.
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Remote controls and keyfob remote controls that let you communicate with transceivers via infrared (IR) or radio link.
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The AC power lines that carry the signal from transceiver to lamp or appliance module.
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Computers or Stand Alone units can control X-10, these can offer extra sophistication such as Voice Control.
The difference between lamp and appliance modules is that the appliance modules will not relay signals, such as a dimming signal, that are fine for lights but might burn out a motor.
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Adding Complexity
X10 installations can get quite complicated. You can, for instance, buy transceivers with built-in timers that you can set so that devices automatically turn on and off at proscribed times.
You can also buy transceivers that detect motion (so, for instance, a light goes on in a room when someone enters it), or the level of ambient light (so your driveway lights go on at dusk and off at dawn, for instance). Automated features such as these dramatically increase the usefulness of an X10 installation.
You can also use more-sophisticated controllers that can be programmed via macros or a scripting language. Typically, these connect to a PC via a serial link, and are programmed via software that runs on Windows, DOS, Unix (especially Linux), or the Macintosh OS. Once the program is written, it is downloaded to the controller, so that the controller (and the house!) works even when the PC is off.
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These devices also let you control multiple devices at once so that a single press of a button allows you to control lights and appliances throughout the house. You could, for instance, program a "good morning" routine that gets the coffee-maker going, opens the drapes, shuts the outdoor lights, etc.—all with the press of a button. (And if you use a dawn/dusk detector, you don't even have to press!)
Another area where you can enhance X10 is on the input. HAL 2000 lets you add voice-control, so you can actually verbally command your house to, say, raise the temperature. Other input device include infrared-enabled remote-controls (and even smaller keychains) you carry around with you. While you might like a tabletop controller on the kitchen countertop, living room coffee table, or bedroom nightstand, portability is an asset in other situations.
Note that you can control up to 256 devices per X10 controller. (Their addresses are A-1 through A-16, B-1 through B-16, etc., all the way up to P-16.) If you're truly dedicated, however, you can use multiple controllers and bust through that limit. You can also give several devices the same address (for instance, A-1), so that you can control them all with a single command. That's particularly good for setting up an "emergency" sequence that floods the house with light and sounds all the alarms
Please call or e-mail if you have further questions. 01792 534101 or info@habitek.co.uk
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