X10 Community Forum

💬General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: bvrwally on July 01, 2005, 10:39:11 PM

Title: Are all x10 products cheap junk? [1B of 5]
Post by: bvrwally on July 01, 2005, 10:39:11 PM
I too had this opinion several years ago. I decided to give them a try and have a great results! I never had a run of good luck with (Radio Shack Crap) and associated this product with them! ie. X-10.

Saw the link to the cheap cameras and decided to give them a try. That was 3 years ago and I have had good results with them.

Granted, I still have issues with some of the software, ie. things radomly turning off and on, but that may be the result of noise on the local power company that serves me. You know the one that shut down the east coast and parts of Canada two years of go? Cleveland Electric & Iluminating Company!

Other than that, most things work rather well!

The new problem that arose this evening is the patio lights keep cycling on and off and going from bright to dim? This all since installing I-Witness? More tweaking to do on my part I guess? Oh, did I mention, I programmed the timing of the outdoor lights for certain times of the evening to turn on and they never do? I'm very satisfied with the cameras tho, ' caught the neighbors doing all kind of weird sh*t! They still do not know they have microphones in them! I'd wish X-10 would add the feature of sound recording to them!

B.W.


OP:


3 of my cameras wont work, I have tried two powerhorns and Never got them to sound, the door sensors say the doors are open, they are not.   I am beginning to think this is all chinese junk.  What do you think?


Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk? [2 of 5] (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=12301.msg41659#msg41659)

Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk? [3 of 5] (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=12302.msg41762#msg41762)

Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk? [4 of 5] (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=12305.msg41817#msg41817)

Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk? [5 of 5] (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?topic=12306.msg41962#msg41962)


[TTA Edit #2: Experiment to determine whether or not DELETING the OP (*AFTER* copying it into Reply #1) in 'Highly-Viewed' / 'Highly-Replied' but currently INACTIVE threads from LONG, LONG AGO (I'm starting with ~2 years) will allow current ACTIVE threads to appear in the Top 10 Topics (by Views) section of the Statistics Center (aka More Stats) (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?action=stats) Page.]

[TTA Edit #1: Experiment to determine whether or not SPLITTING 'Highly-Viewed' / 'Highly-Replied' but currently INACTIVE threads from LONG, LONG AGO (I'm starting with ~2 years) into parts will allow current ACTIVE threads to appear in the Top 10 Topics (by Replies) section of the Statistics Center (aka More Stats) (http://www.x10community.com/forums/index.php?action=stats) Page.

NOTE: I *WILL* address the <BR> problem...]
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: timothy on July 05, 2005, 06:38:23 PM
Yes, X10 is junk.

my lamp module wont go above 75%, sure
software repots 100% but a quick check with
my multi-meter proves it wrong.

My transcever hs quit sending x10 over the
power lines, sure the RF still works, and it
can recive, it just wont send.

my other reciver keeps "jamming" the system.
every now and then nothing works when its
pluged in.

both of my cameras are screwey, well the
power packs that is, the camera part works
fine. sometimes it will just switch over to
the one cam and stop accepting x10 commands.

The only thing that seems to work right is my
pc module, but its not much good when nothing
else works.
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: timothy on July 05, 2005, 06:52:22 PM
Well I forgot a few things:
-no sound from my cams.
-6-in-1 remote always lost codes (no matter
what brand of aa's I used)

I have no clue how I forgot this one because
its the reasone I came here.

My motion sensor recently stoped working (yes
new aaa's have been tried)

The Whole Setup Is Under A Year Old!!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: tha18 7um on July 06, 2005, 11:01:39 PM
Great, so i decided to check here before I
checked the support... so would you pretty
much say Im screwed? I bought the package
that was like $600... the two flood cams I
have outside work whenever the hell they
want, sometimes they stay on all night long
and sometimes they will not turn on... the
sad thing is that I bought the package
about a year ago and I have still not set
up ever cam yet, so chances are that I will
run into more disappointments... I could
have spent that same amount of money for
two IP Cams with 1000 times better quality
overall...
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: brewswain on September 15, 2005, 03:31:21 PM
We ought to file a Class Action Lawsuit
against X-10.   ALL   their products are JUNK
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: thedanc on September 15, 2005, 04:56:06 PM
If you are used to driving a BMW, or at
least a good Toyota, you don't understand
the farfigneugan experience (however that is
spelled) of the early Volkwagen bug.

This X10 stuff is not professional quality.
You certainly don't see the military or any
serious security agency taking any of this
to the battlefield.  This is all in the
hobbyist spirit of Radio Shack and the
Volkwagen bug.  It is all very quirky and
the only documentation you can hope for are
these forums and outside party books from
amazon.com like "Easy X10 Projects For
Creating A Smart Home".  These books are to
X10 what the Haynes manuals were to bug
repair.  This is a fun hobby with a lot of
pretty cool practical applications for cheap
if you are wise enough to buy things on sale
and in bundles.

The VW bug can never be a BMW.  A bug is a
bug.  It is a quirky hobby car that you can
use for basic transportation.  
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: ian on September 15, 2005, 05:33:28 PM
Well honestly, it is Chinese junk for sure
and each piece is probably marked up about
500% even on the best sale. That said the
company stinks too and they have a horrible
way of handling people and policies.

The stuff can be made to work (most of it
anyway...stay away from the floodcams for
ex). What you have to know is you are
dealing with a complex mixture of Infra-
Red, Power Line Command, Radio Frequency,
Video and Personal Computer. Each of these
has its trouble areas and signifigant
potential for failure in certain
environments. Now put them all together
without 100% understanding of each pieces
limitations and interactions and you will
be really way over your head.

To top that off the stuff has a pretty high
rate of being defective and/or failure, and
a lack of support and documentation.

Set your expectations appropriately low and
definitely buyer BEWARE!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: Vic_Tim on September 16, 2005, 12:09:43 AM
SIMPLE...YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: sherry on September 17, 2005, 08:08:36 AM
If you think a Toyota and BMW are good
cars, you are an expert at buying junk!

Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: barrington on September 17, 2005, 08:16:34 AM
I have bought 4 separate 3-cam systems, and
have them all running and monitor them from
every TV and computer in the house.

I also have floodcams and dedicated VCRs
for recording.  I have not had a single
product fail or have to be returned.  I
monitor the cameras remotely with the Pan &
Tilt Pro.

I am curious why people can't get something
so basic and simple to operate.  They
probably get frustrated at
the "complicated" programming steps and
then call it junk rather than admit they
cannot perform something so simple.

Yes, their people are insulting and rude,
which will be their demise, but the
products have been working well for years
and years.  I still have plug in
controllers from my first house I bought 20
years ago.  Junk doesn't last that long,
but back then their customer service people
were more professional.

Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: Brian H on September 17, 2005, 04:50:50 PM
True on the older items. The newer stuff is
not as well made in my opinion or QC is very
low.
Title: Are all x10 products cheap junk? [1 of 5]
Post by: jorge on September 17, 2005, 05:06:15 PM
Yes, I'm forced to concur. I had the
multi-camera system finally working,
when a power brown-out stuck all power
supplies in Channel 1-A. The result: an
unusable multi-image on my monitor. A
friend technician checked the Power
supplies and testified to the fact: All are
stuck on channel 1-A. Solution? Get new
power supplies, considering the cameras
were working fine. The hitch? Well... X10'
support says the Power Supplies are
NOT available as replacement units.
Want new ones? Buy the whole thing
(camera and all) again!  So much for that!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: ian on September 17, 2005, 06:16:33 PM
Jorge,

If you are looking willing to go through
the hassle what you can probably do is
complain coherently about the lack of being
able to do anything with your old cameras.
Convince the rep (you may have to consult
supervisor, good luck) that you deserve
some recompense for this inconvenience.
Tell them you will buy the cameras if they
will make a good deal (they have alot of
ability to come down in price)...they will
probably expect you to buy the new stuff
and pay for an extended warrantee
(increases their profit margin) and they
will take care of you. The power supplies
are like $20 apiece list anyway and you
should be able to replace three cameras for
if you are lucky $100.00. The deal could
look something like Buy 1 @79.99 get 2
free, add the extended warrantee and there
you go.  
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: -Dan on September 17, 2005, 07:22:42 PM
It is odd that they said you cannot get
replacement power supplies.  I have received
two replacement power supplies already.

I bought a 4 camera system and every camera
worked with every power supply except for one
power supply that did not work with ANY
camera.  I told them this and they sent me a
replacement power supply for free.
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: thedanc on September 17, 2005, 07:28:22 PM
Barrington - I'm fasincated by your story.
My x-10 stuff all works too although it has
had documented quality issues.  See the rants
on Multiview for example.

The key question though is why you have 12
cameras set so you can watch them on each TV.
Is this just a cool toy or do you have real
concerns about your neighbors?
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: thedanc on September 17, 2005, 07:41:01 PM
and Sherry ....
My Toyota has been mostly trouble free for
all of its 140,000 miles and still counting.
What do you drive?  If you're a loyal
Mercedes owner  you may find this X10 stuff
too unsophisticated for your tastes.  These
are Radio Shack toys for engineers/hackers
and the like.
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: ian on September 17, 2005, 07:47:14 PM
It is a real issue that he cant get power
supplies. It is because his cameras are
older "non instant on" type and the power
supplies have a different voltage as well
as a totally opposite type of adapter to
the camera. X10 no longer makes the "non
instant on" camera and/or power supply.
Would have been nice of them to make the
new parts interchangeable but...there may
actually be a real reason they couldnt. I
would like to pick on them about it
but...truth be told his cameras are several
years old!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: ian on September 17, 2005, 07:50:23 PM
Sherri is not complaining about x10 or
talking about an X10 issue so I suspect she
either A)just likes to pick on people B)
might be having a bad day or C)works for
X10 which is not so far from probable
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: thedanc on September 18, 2005, 02:07:12 AM
The non-instant-on cameras must be hard to
work with.  My cameras are tied to motion
detectors to catch people who might not want
to be caught.  If my cameras had to warm up
before I could get a picture, I'd even miss
the people who just walk up to the door and
wait to be photoed.  Perhaps someone on e-
bay has an old system they want to part
out.  Otherwise, time to treat yourself to
an upgrade!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: Sam_Eye_Ham on September 18, 2005, 02:07:16 AM
Do you idiots even listen to yourselves?
In one paragraph you complain about the x10
company as if you are a disinterested
customer.  Then you turn around and discuss
how many items were returned and for what
reason.  Clearly you have to work for x10
or you wouldn't know any of this stuff. And
then you subtly intject comments that make
it seem like x10 is some giant
corporation!  How stupid do you think we
are?  Obviously, you are even dumber!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: ian on September 18, 2005, 09:08:36 PM
To: Sam_whatever_yeah

X10 is not a giant company but they do sell
in the multiple millions and they need to
do a better job. I dont work for them but
Ive talked to several people who have.

I write in this forum for 2 reasons. 1)
truth about x10's incompetence needs to be
there for people to see. 2) people need
some help or need a sounding board for
complex ideas.

You seem to think you can understand the
motives and origins of posters. I have a
very hard time understanding the reason for
your own interjection??!!

In short...go away!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: Sam_Eye_Ham on September 18, 2005, 11:52:38 PM
SORRY Dude!!! Didn't mean to trespass on
your private domain.  I still don't buy
your jive. You are too much of a fanatic to
be a disgruntled customer.  I didn't get
any more stupid since yesterday, obviously
you have.  I won't "go away" cause inocent
buyers should hear all sides, even the side
you don't want them to see.  
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: thedanc on September 19, 2005, 01:33:12 PM
Ideally though, any posting will have some
useful element and not be childish whining.
Much like Ian, my motivatation for posting
is to not just air grievances to balance the
nearly fraudulant hype of the X10 ads, but
also to open discussion on making these
rather complex products work.  X10 does not
produce decent documentation; the smart
macros doc for example isn't even
completed.  Instead we get a huge collection
of grab bag parts with an almost infinite
number of ways to combine them.  Most of
these combinations don't work at all, many
work pretty well, and some work quite well.

I toss out an hour or so of free engineering
and in return, so far, get some percentage
of that back from postings like Ians.  Of
course in order to find the rare nugget of
useful information I have to sort through a
LOT of pointless postings.
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: Sam_Eye_Ham on September 20, 2005, 07:17:11 AM
"Complex products"???  You are an idiot!
The electronics are simplistic, too
simplistic to be reliable.

And the x10 support policy is even more
simplistic, if it doesn't work, ship it
back for a replacement (at your cost), then
they restock the defective product to send
out to the next sucker.  The only advice
people need is "DO NOT BUY X10 PRODUCTS".
Your prattling on and on about how great
their products are, and how terrible their
customer support is, is garbage.  You fool!
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: thedanc on September 20, 2005, 01:18:42 PM
I don't see how me having a working system
complete with 6 cameras (2 floodcams), 8
sensors, 2 chimes, and a web interface makes
me an idiot while you sit there dazed,
confused, and frustrated at not being able
to get any of your stuff working.  You might
try using the forum to be part of the
solution ...
Title: Re: Are all x10 products cheap junk?
Post by: Sam_Eye_Ham on September 20, 2005, 04:21:15 PM
Have an ego much? I have more than that in
my systems here. at one time I trusted
x10.  My experience with x10 has proven
what many others on this forum have already
said.  x10 is junk and each product
purchased is a crap-shoot.  Sometimes they
work and sometimes they do not. When they
do work, they are often unreliable. The
only reliable thing about x10 is the
collection of morons and fanatics working
for them who post to these forums as if
they are customers. If you buy from x10 you
are a fool!  If your name this week
is "Dan" then you are a crook.