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Author Topic: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.  (Read 7285 times)

BitHead

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Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« on: July 15, 2011, 06:27:15 PM »

I was an 'early adopter'. I bought AHP - got the CM15A unit and began to follow the download instructions for the software when it became increasingly clear that, once again - in true X10 marketing fashion - they had failed to tell the WHOLE truth.  I re-read the words in the ad. It just said I needed to download the software - like they weren't going to be mailing anybody any CDs. I was OK with that - I had a flaky dial-up connection at home but my work had a new DSL connection so I thought I was 'good to go'.  I bought a flash drive and took it with me to work. I didn't even want the software installed at home either - it was for my X10 setup at the family 'north-woods cabin'. NO internet what-so-ever!  Was I wrong to think "That's what flash drives are for." ?  I'll answer that for you.... 'Yes'.
I never did download it - had an argument over software I paid for-couldn't use/return shipping charges and just dropped X10 like a hot rock.  Never bought a thing from them since.

Now many years later, I re-discovered it while cleaning the basement and would like to get it working.  I see now that I may have avoided wasting my time with a buggy program but that it's better now.

  MY QUESTION TO YOU ALL... (finally :-) )

 Has anything changed?
 Can the AHP software be downloaded to a PC other than the PC it is intended to be used on and then installed on another 'target' PC?

Those were the critical words they left out of their marketing verbage (intentionally?)
"Download only"...  TO PC CONNECTED TO CM15A - WHERE IT THEN MUST REMAIN..

If your answer is 'Why don't you have a look at their website?' my reply would be "Why? Have they changed? Can I believe that the words they put forth are ALL the words I need to see? ".
 Thus ends my little rant.  Just looking for Yes/No answer.  Hoping for multiple yes's.  THEN I'll try to unearth my old order number and go have a look.:-)

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Brian H

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2011, 06:46:20 PM »

The latest AHP and all the plug ins are here.
http://www.x10.com/support/support_soft1.htm

Yes there are many improvements added to AHP lately.

The installer still need internet access to finish the installation and you will have to find your registration number to complete the installation.

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BitHead

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2011, 01:22:32 PM »

Oh sugar,
  SO, I still can't install it on my computer at the 'internet-less cabin' - even though there is no 'real reason' for isolated electronic hardware to 'need' the internet to function.
  As I suspected - I kissed $50 goodbye. 
 At least I don't have to try to find that registration code - it's probably on an old un-mounted hard drive.
Your welcome, X10. 
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dave w

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2011, 05:28:21 PM »

At one time I thought I read "Must have internet access" somewhere prominent on the Active Home Pro pages. But can't find it now and it should not be something to hide. Why don't you call X10, they might refund your money if you send the hardware back...and really the 50 buck price is for the hardware.
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Brian H

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2011, 06:26:09 PM »

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Dan Lawrence

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2011, 07:56:31 PM »

Oh sugar,
  SO, I still can't install it on my computer at the 'internet-less cabin' - even though there is no 'real reason' for isolated electronic hardware to 'need' the internet to function.
  As I suspected - I kissed $50 goodbye. 
 At least I don't have to try to find that registration code - it's probably on an old un-mounted hard drive.
Your welcome, X10. 

The simplest thing to do is move the computer/monitor to a point where you can access the internet.  Once AHP is installed, you can move the computer/monitor to the 'internet-less" cabin.   If you need the registration code, you can contact X10 to get it.
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Noam

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2011, 08:28:46 PM »

If you can't get the computer to where you can connect to the Internet to install, perhaps you can get one of those pay-as-you-go cellular USB dongles, and use that to do the install.
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HA Dave

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2011, 10:00:53 PM »

At least I don't have to try to find that registration code - it's probably on an old un-mounted hard drive.

Oh no.... I am sure that just like everyone else you saved your registration codes (along with the confirmation email sent from X10) in a saved mail on-line folder. Just like all such important emailed documents... I think everyone handles them that way.. nowadays.

Since you mentioned unmounted hard drive.... maybe that may be the way to go. Load your AHP software on a HD at home... then take it to the cabin with you next time you go.
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BitHead

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2011, 09:53:51 AM »

Thanks for the kindly support/suggestions.
Yes, why can't X10 say the words Brian H. said? Why can't they put those words on the only pages you have to read before making a purchase decision? Is it because the pres. said. "Don't say anything of 'restrictive nature' on any X10 ads - ever!" ?  (I'd like to see their in-house marketing memos.)  If I'd seen "Must have internet connection to finalize installation". those many years ago - I would not have had cause to regale my friends with my tales of X10 woes or 'cease and desist' my X10 purchases.
  Back in 2005 (or was it 2003? Well, within 1 month of first appearance of CM15, anyway) - I didn't trust 'the cloud' so much. My emails were MY emails. I looked, but did not find, any clues on my 'hard-drive upgraded' computer - they probably are on the old drive - which was not thrown away - so I just need to find it, unplug a CD and plug it in.

One final ranty rhetorical pondering...
  What the heck is the internet required for? It's not like AHP needs to be site-licensed - it has a big hardware dongle key - the CM15. It's hardware limited. I could install AHP on a dozen computers but it would only work on one at a time - the one with the CM15 plugged in - which isn't free.
It just seems suspicious - I bet no one at X10 will say what their software is actually doing when you connect to the internet.
  For all I know, it's an excuse to browse my registry and collect my computer/personal info for their database at headquarters. 
  There has to be SOME reason why they are the only company I know that REQUIRES a connection to home-base to install a piece of USB hardware - like the drivers are motherboard specific and the size of a zip file that contains all the options would be too big for us to handle?
  IF they would give us a clue - I would know whether I would be wasting my time to take the 'cabin drive' out - plug it in to an 'internet computer' - install AHP and then re-locate the drive back to the cabin.
  Oh gosh, what am I saying? This is X10 I'm talking about. Silly me to think REAL TECHNICAL INFO might spill out. 

  I'm liking the temporary cell-phone connection idea more - I could easily borrow one for a weekend - perhaps with a packet sniffer program so I can tell you all what 'un-necessary for hardware to work' info goes upstream when you let an X10 installation program have control.
    Now, where's that old hard-drive? ...
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dave w

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2011, 11:11:08 AM »

  Oh gosh, what am I saying? This is X10 I'm talking about.
You had a nice rant going there, then reality apparently set in.    rofl

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Noam

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Re: Active Home Pro download/install procedure.
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2011, 07:03:32 PM »

The installer is really just a stub. It pulls down the full install from the Internet when you run it.
I haven't tried this, but perhaps if you were to run it on your "home" computer, it would pull the full installer down to the TEMP folder, and you might be able to copy it out before the installer exits and deletes the temp file.
However, you'll still need to connect to the Internet to register the software.
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