X10 Community Forum

💬General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: blazzzer on January 03, 2008, 06:44:51 PM

Title: Motion Sensors
Post by: blazzzer on January 03, 2008, 06:44:51 PM
What is the maximum distance from the vcr comamnder to the motion sensor that  (with walls and siding of a house) a signal can be sent.
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: blazzzer on January 03, 2008, 08:58:50 PM
I guess this was a tough question. Not even x10 has an answer or can give some variations for installing.
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: Charles Sullivan on January 04, 2008, 01:28:03 AM
Quote from: blazzzer on January 03, 2008, 08:58:50 PM
I guess this was a tough question. Not even x10 has an answer or can give some variations for installing.

If you have aluminum siding the answer is probably zero.  If your walls and siding are Saran Wrap, you may get 40 feet or more.  A better answer is impossible with the limited information you've provided.

Two things you should know:
1.  X-10 staff rarely (if ever) responds to technical questions in this forum - help is  provided primarily by other X10 users.
2.  Next time, please don't assume that all the users who might be knowledgeable about your questions will have even logged into the forum during the  2 hour and 14 minute interval you allowed for this one.

Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: JimC on January 04, 2008, 06:15:46 AM
Blazzzer,

In general, I have found the range of all of the X10 motion sensors, that I have used, to be poor. This is partially do to the poor reception of the CM15a and other X10 devices. One way to improve the performance is to add a device similar to that in the following link. I have an older version of the V572AB and get range in excess of 100 feet with all of my X10 motion sensors. Before adding the V572AB I was lucky to get 20 feet.

http://www.wgldesigns.com/v572.html
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: blazzzer on January 04, 2008, 06:37:41 PM
Thanks Jimc For your reply the info was very helpful.   Charles NO i don't think that  over 2.0 hrs is to little time for a response from anyone.I have been on many forums and replies  filter in from 15 minutes up to when ever. As far as info goes looks like Jimc pretty much hit the nail on the head. but wait, it was the same thing you read  :-[
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: KDR on January 04, 2008, 08:32:42 PM
I agree with JimC  in that 100 feet is common. I can get RF reception with the V572AB at 150 feet going through 1 wall. I use a few of the stick-up RF switches which have very low RF output and the V572AB picks them up at 30 to 40 feet away with a couple of walls in the way.

(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)---(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)---(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)---(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)---(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)----KDR
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: Puck on January 04, 2008, 09:14:06 PM
The V572AB will definitely improve the reception from a motion sensor... but looking at the original post, it will not do anything to help with blazzzer's VCR Commander reception.

Quote from: blazzzer on January 03, 2008, 08:58:50 PM
I guess this was a tough question. Not even x10 has an answer or can give some variations for installing.

The question is not tough... it's just that we volunteers are not online 24/7. As Charles stated, it depends on YOUR environment. No company will ever documenting and provide information on every possible operational environment... it's simply not possible. All they will tell you (at the most) is the achievable range in an ideal environment. For real life experience, you have to ask people who use it.  ;)
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: JimC on January 04, 2008, 09:24:58 PM
Quote from: Puck
The V572AB will definitely improve the reception from a motion sensor... but looking at the original post, it will not do anything to help with blazzzer's VCR Commander reception.

As usual you are correct.

I use my VCR commander in conjunction with the CM15a and the V572AB. I have motion sensors in my yard 100+ feet away and they work fine. The only problem I have is the numerous falls triggers. ( chip monks, rabbets, deer, birds,.....) ;D
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: Charles Sullivan on January 04, 2008, 11:08:34 PM
Quote from: JimC on January 04, 2008, 09:24:58 PM
[I use my VCR commander in conjunction with the CM15a and the V572AB. I have motion sensors in my yard 100+ feet away and they work fine. The only problem I have is the numerous falls triggers. ( chip monks, rabbets, deer, birds,.....) ;D

Jim C:
Are you using the X10 powerline signal from the V572AB to trigger an RF macro in the CM15A which then controls the VCR Commander?

Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: JimC on January 05, 2008, 07:27:02 AM
Quote from: Charles Sullivan
Jim C: Are you using the X10 powerline signal from the V572AB to trigger an RF macro in the CM15A which then controls the VCR Commander?

Charles, Yes I am. I guess that wasn't very clear in my post.

The VCR commander is a module that can be selected in AHP. It is found under Modules > Other. The motion sensor sends RF to the V572AB which in turn sends a power line signal to the CMC15A which runs the macro.
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: Charles Sullivan on January 05, 2008, 08:06:36 AM
Quote from: JimC on January 05, 2008, 07:27:02 AM
Quote from: Charles Sullivan
Jim C: Are you using the X10 powerline signal from the V572AB to trigger an RF macro in the CM15A which then controls the VCR Commander?

Charles, Yes I am. I guess that wasn't very clear in my post.

The VCR commander is a module that can be selected in AHP. It is found under Modules > Other. The motion sensor sends RF to the V572AB which in turn sends a power line signal to the CMC15A which runs the macro.

A very clever idea!  Thanks for posting it.

Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: HA Dave on January 05, 2008, 12:26:39 PM
I also use the CM15A to convert my floodlights PLC to RF (on a different unit code). The set-up works great!

Before I bought into AHP I had a rather crude mod I used to turn on my VCR commander. I simply cut the (battery) power line on a remote, ran the cut line so a universal module would complete the circuit, then fixed the desired RF remote button down. The floodlights triggered the universal module, which completed the battery power on the remote. It worked.
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: Puck on January 05, 2008, 12:53:07 PM
The original VCR Command only has one trigger address (I believe the VCR Commander II has 4), so without the help of software intervention like AHP I don't know how you would get multiple motion sensors with multiple cameras all on different addresses to trigger a single VCR Commander.

JimC: I too just recently invested in a V572RF32... sweet.... no more reception issues. In fact I now have an RF OFF switch attached to all my CM15As; they only listen to PLC now.
Title: Re: Motion Sensors
Post by: HA Dave on January 05, 2008, 04:39:53 PM
Quote from: Puck on January 05, 2008, 12:53:07 PM

The original VCR Command only has one trigger address (I believe the VCR Commander II has 4), so without the help of software intervention like AHP I don't know how you would get multiple motion sensors with multiple cameras all on different addresses to trigger a single VCR Commander.


Correct. I did have the Active Home (CM11) before the AHP.... however I have never purchased the VCR Commander II. So even though the CM11 could likely have handled the the job.. I never tested it.