Anybody else miss the old x10.com website? Remember those sleezy ads, and incredibly low prices?? Like EIGHT 3-pin appliance modules for 40 bucks! WOW!! Those were the good old days. Wish I would've bought an extra cm15a when they were so cheap. Sigh.
Those crazy good deal prices. Probably added a few nails in the old X10WTI's coffin.
I think at the end they were suffering for nails.
I think it would be fairer to say that the crazy deals added half a roll of dollar store packing tape to the cardboard coffin :)
Quote from: birdzeye on June 30, 2014, 10:04:11 PM
Anybody else miss the old x10.com website? Remember those sleezy ads, and incredibly low prices?? Like EIGHT 3-pin appliance modules for 40 bucks! WOW!! Those were the good old days. Wish I would've bought an extra cm15a when they were so cheap. Sigh.
I remember being able to go to Ebay, and getting everything for even less than x10.com, and you only had to buy 1.
Home Automation is now being offered by Cable and Alarm outfits.... as a monthly fee of course. More like "renting" your automation.
I think we've seen... are seeing... or about to be eyewitnesses to the golden age of Home Automation. I love how much I can control right through my smart phone. I am looking forward to when EVERYTHING will be controlled via the phone or one of our tablets.
I've let my home theater age to a classic old DVD setup. But have been planning a full new HD-Netflix-HULU theater with only a Blue Ray for backwards compatibility. Everything has progressed so much.
I guess this means HA Dave won't be joining my Luddite society. rofl
Quote from: dave w on July 04, 2014, 08:25:43 PM
I guess this means HA Dave won't be joining my Luddite society. rofl
I am retired now. But I retired as a network administrator from one of the most secure (government) networks anywhere to be found. I sometimes have wondered how long I can stay current. But I am not ready for luddite meetings.... yet.
It's true.. EVERYTHING and anything can be hacked... or broken into. With that said... being a fairly large man... there are few residential doors in (north) America I can't just kick open. There has to be tens of thousands of men that can say the same. So... how can anyone sleep at night knowing just how vulnerable doors are?
We are always... just playing the odds.
Whereas the vulnerability may be great... the risk is almost nonexistent. Use recent and good routers... use your own not the one provided by a cable or DSL service. Read and research the router until you truly understand the settings. Then set your security settings and build your firewall(s). Never log on to any computer as the administrator... UNLESS in is to perform an administrator function. Run antivirus software on everything... and regular scan each computer.
Then worry about those old analog doors that need protecting.
Quote from: HA Dave on July 04, 2014, 10:08:39 PM
Quote from: dave w on July 04, 2014, 08:25:43 PM
I guess this means HA Dave won't be joining my Luddite society. rofl
Then worry about those old analog doors that need protecting.
So should i send you an application, or not? rofl
Speaking of analog doors. People buy these beautiful front doors with plate glass side lights on both sides and huge stain or frosted glass center panels that cover the entire top half of the doors. Don't seem very secure to me, unless maybe you have a Glock behind it. (I guess I just went off on a rabbit trail).
Quote from: dave w on July 07, 2014, 07:56:40 PM
So should i send you an application, or not? rofl
Sure! I may not be the most outstanding Luddite member in your society... but I am sure it would be fun!
>!
I always hated going to the old X10 web site - felt like I need to take a shower after - but then I'd wager it was home grown and whoever did the site thought they were gods gift...
"Locks are to keep honest people out." I've opened doors with a paperclip and my penknife. Hairspray in a lock for 3-4 days - just a short pstt each day and on the 4/5 day the tumblers are in the unlock position. An old bumper jack and the door frame is () just enough to open without leaving a mark. A slide hammer will remove just about any cylinder. Bricks are cheap and rocks are found near doors. Old movie (in montana) break in to a FedRes vault - 12'x24" timelock door - they stole a 105mm from the NatGuard next door and blew a hole in the side wall - we don't care bout no stink'n timelock.
Quote from: liderbug on August 07, 2014, 01:23:07 PM
I always hated going to the old X10 web site - felt like I need to take a shower after - but then I'd wager it was home grown and whoever did the site thought they were gods gift...
Weren't they based in Vegas? If so, maybe that had something to do with it...
Jeff
Quote from: liderbug on August 07, 2014, 01:23:07 PM...... "Locks are to keep honest people out."
Yep and neither locks, alarms, or even guns can prevent bad people from doing bad things. But things have changed with the new interconnected technologies... such as cheap connected cameras and Internet-based facial recognition. We are on the
verge of knowing who is at the door before they push the door bell button.
Facebook now recognizes and offers "tags" (names) for images when we upload pictures.
I suggest when having work done around the home... take a few pictures of the construction. Be sure to get the workers (faces) in the pics and properly "tag" them when you upload them to facebook (or whatever social media you use). Then if one returns later to take something or do harm... your security cameras images will automatically identify them when the images are uploaded. Even... link you to their page.
The world just keeps getting smaller.
Hello H A Dave
I am in the process of upgrading my wi fi system. Am thinking of replacing ISP supplied DSL modem with my own. Can you suggest a good one? I live on a farm and we do not have fiber optics in this place. Although I pay for 5mbs down and 1mbs upload, but lately it's been 0.37 and 0.19 mbs down/up. Unfortunately Bell Canada is the only ISP and they only have reburbrished 2wire modems/routers. Hence a very unreliable internet even at that low speed.
So HA Dave any help based on your expertised will be greatly appreciated.
Quote from: IPS on August 14, 2014, 04:03:44 AM
..... thinking of replacing ISP supplied DSL modem with my own. ................ Although I pay for 5mbs down and 1mbs upload, but lately it's been 0.37 and 0.19 mbs down/up. Unfortunately Bell Canada is the only ISP and they only have reburbrished 2wire modems/routers. Hence a very unreliable internet even at that low speed.
So HA Dave any help based on your expertise will be greatly appreciated.
I am not sure I have any useable expertise in the Canadian DSL area. But my 1st step would be to contact the (Bell Canada) ISP customer service. There are things they can do to "bump-up" your Internet speeds... within limits of course. I don't
think... newer better modems would be much of a benefit at the speeds you're dealing with now. But a phone call to your ISP's tech support could enlighten the subject. If there is a better modem available that will work well with the Bell Canada ISP.... their tech support [people] will know what model it is. They should also know what unit(s) don't do well on their lines.
Thanks HA Dave.
I have spent hours with bell tech support. All a waste of time. Bell canada does not even have new modems unless it is for fiber line, which is not available in my area. So I have no choice but to find a modem that will at least provide a stable service.
I do appreciate you taking time to reply.
IPS:
I spent years waiting for DSL to come to my area. Finally, thr phone company admitted it just wasn't feasable due to the limited nuber of customers in my area. Worse yet, my dial-up would only connect at 28.8 due to the quality of the lines.
I finally found a company that was willing to sell me a 3g modem that had marginal service in my area. I mounted the antenna up in the peak of the roof and get 2 out of 4 bars.
It may not be the fastest, but it is better than anything I have ever had.
Point is: there might be a better solution -- you just have to think a different way.
Quote from: Knightrider on August 15, 2014, 03:54:25 PM
.... I finally found a company that was willing to sell me a 3g modem that had marginal service in my area. I mounted the antenna up in the peak of the roof and get 2 out of 4 bars. It may not be the fastest, but it is better than anything I have ever had.
Point is: there might be a better solution -- you just have to think a different way.
I was wondering how/if you got that working. Of course I knew you were on line. And I see enough pictures via Facebook to know you were running better than dial-up. Thanks for posting here! You're much more expert at rural connectivity than me.
It's a darn shame that so many have such limited connectivity. I've
read (http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/30-percent-of-americans-no-broadband/#!bEkBxW) the percentage of Americans without broadband although small no longer continues to shrink. We seem to be stuck with about 3% (although I'd guess slightly higher) of the population without broadband. For many... it isn't such a big deal... as rural living has many benefits that greatly outweigh a broadband connection. But using the internet with HA has benefits too.
I have AT&T DSL and it is deteriorating as the years pass.
In the AT&T DSL Section of the Broadband DSL Reports Forums. It has been documented that the equipment is old and no parts are being made for them now. If something breaks they may have to scour the country to see if a spare is available.
If available in your area. They may move you to U-Verse Internet access. If the equipment is there.
AT&T has sold all their CT. Wire Line business {POTS, DSL and U-verse} to Frontier Communication. They made some promises to CT to grease the process. ;)
I have no desire to use Comcast as they have a very bad reputation with customer support.
Quote from: Brian H on August 16, 2014, 06:10:11 AM
I have AT&T DSL and it is deteriorating as the years pass.
..... the equipment is old and no parts are being made for them now. If something breaks they may have to scour the country to see if a spare is available....
I get the impression that DSL is a.... passing technology like the once ubiquitous dial-up, and AOL itself. Do you/anyone/everyone think coax with be the broadband delivery technology of the future? Or will the future be 4G, 5G... maybe some higher number of "G".
We have had broadband (coax bundled with cable TV) for a decade. Except for one time when a careless backhoe operator ripped up the main fiber-optic trunk link for the city, outages have been a few hours or less. Overall it has worked very well. I don't think any "G" wireless will provide the ultimate bandwidth available on a cable or perhaps a future fiber-optic link.
Jeff
I agree with Jeff. While my 3G is the fastest thing I ever had, I think optical is the wave of the future. I still lose signal in a heavy rain.
Before I retired I worked for the government. At work we had fiber optic connectivity as early as 1992 I believe. I believe the backbone is fiber optic as well. So... I think that means whether we use 3G, DSL, or coax [cable]... that is only the connection method which is quickly connected to fiber optic anyway.
As far as the download intensive uses.... video and such...... the phone seems to work as well away from home (3,4G) as it does connected to my home broadband (15.002 Mbps) (http://www.zdnet.com/broadband-speedtest/)
Finally somebody in the Bell Canada support group took time to trace and admit that the problem was with the equipment in their central. After two months, it is working at close to what it is supposed to. No optics in my area due to lack of customers. It happens to be a farm belt within the fastest growing city in Quebec. So I have hopes for the future.
Thank you all for your inputs.
Quote from: IPS on August 23, 2014, 03:26:24 AM
.... After two months, it is working at close to what it is supposed to. ......... I have hopes for the future.
Glad things improved! The future is a very nice place. I spend as much time there as I can.
Quote from: birdzeye on June 30, 2014, 10:04:11 PM
Anybody else miss the old x10.com website? Remember those sleezy ads, and incredibly low prices?? Like EIGHT 3-pin appliance modules for 40 bucks! WOW!! Those were the good old days. Wish I would've bought an extra cm15a when they were so cheap. Sigh.
Does this make you feel more comfortable?
http://web.archive.org/web/20130702032644/http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm
Or do you prefer even more retro?
http://web.archive.org/web/20040303094047/http://ads.x10.com/?bHgxMHdlbGNvbWVhYjIuZGF0=
Wow! Like deja vu, dude! :)%
Hey toasterking, THANKS! There was something addictive about those old x10 eye-candy ads.....and there's even a link to the old PR511 Floodlight for $79.99!! Do they even make it or sell it anywhere anymore?
I have seen a few independent automation dealers. Indicating the PR511 is discontinued.
I have also see some post from PR511 users looking for replacements. With no luck in finding any.
I have the X10 PR511 and Leviton 6417 (which are slightly different functionally) floodlights installed all around my property. I installed them in 2009 and they were discontinued not too long afterward. As I remember, I had to replace one right after the warranty expired and it was difficult to track down. Now one of my 6417s occasionally does a "rapid-fire" of its appliance switch when switching on or off, so it won't be around much longer.
I've thought about what it would take to replace a single PR511 with something nearly identical in functionality, and I've come up with:
- A third-party floodlamp assembly
- XPFM inline fixture module to switch it on and off
Then, for motion options, one of the following:
1. For ALL FOUR motion addresses but no dusk/dawn detection:
- Third-party PIR motion detector with a generously adjustable time delay for contact closure
- Power supply for PIR motion detector
- XPT3 and four diodes
- Enclosure for above
2. For ONE motion address and dusk/dawn detection (but only 1 dusk/dawn address, not 4):
- MS16A ActiveEye Motion Detector (and batteries)
- TM751 Transceiver Module (since the RR501 is no longer available)
3. For ALL FOUR motion addresses AND dusk/dawn detection:
- All items from options 1 and 2
What a mess!