X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: tim gilroy on February 04, 2005, 11:13:59 PM
-
Can anyone help me understand what the
difference is between the two? All I can
see reading the product info is that Pro is
a USB (rather than serial) interface to the
PC.
-
Activehome is a proven (but limited in
flexibility and capability) product. It
works - but you'll eventually run out of
capability to do all the automated-home
things you will (one day) want.
ActivehomePro is a far more capable product
which (oodly enough) *doesn't* work yet. If
you want an advanced product that does work -
buy Smarthome 1132CUP - if you're patient and
can wait - ActivehomePro might work one day.
Buying Activehome is an excercise in
obsolesence....buying ActivehomePro (today)
is an excercise in exasperation and frustration.
-
The cm11a that is what Active Home
interfaces to works ok but has very little
memory and ability to hold larger timing
schemes. The AHP cm15a has some nice
features that still need some work to iron
out the kinks. Also many have had problems
with Active Home with later Operating
Systems like Windows XP.
-
Joe S.... it appears that Smart Home is the
same thing as CM11A. What makes it
better?
-
Active Home software is used with the cm11a
serial controller. Activehome Pro is used
with the cm15a. Smarthome is a different
company that also makes X10 signal
compatible equipment. The usb controller
they make is closer to the cm15a than the
older cm11a.
-
There are different versions of the Smarthome
device - the most capable and most expensive
being the 1132CUP with "conditionals"
(similar to AHP combined with the extra-cost
$50 Smart Macros option).
The most noteworthy differences between
AHP/CM15a and the Smarthome 1132CUP device are:
1)The software for Smarthome is very
different (more like an industrial PLC) - AHP
software is "prettier". The software
features are very similar in terms of capability.
2)The CM15a features a built-in transceiver
(which has "fair" RF reception as currently
designed) - Smarthome requires a separate RF
transceiver to work with RF devices like
palmpad etc.
3)Smarthome currently works exactly as
advertised - CM15a does not. CM15a typically
loses it's ability to retain it's programming
and usually locks-up or stops working within
a few days of separation from the PC. Those
who don't separate from their PC (7x24 PC-on
works better - but PC switched on at least
daily seems to be the rule) seem to be able
to use it. There are apparently two or three
people who actually have
working-as-advertised CM15a's - the rest don't.
The "best deal" on Smarthome 1132CUP seems to
be at:
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/search.php?mode=search
-
What I have gleaned from days of searching
over this forum is that the AHP does not yet
work properly. I'm suprised they put it on
the market with so many bugs but i think
slick marketing is now x-10s major forte.
(Evidenced by ads in my e-mail that say, buy
now, only $x dollars, save $987.00!!) I'm
gong to get the Smarthome USB stand alone,
maybe buy a used AHP on E-bay later for a
cheap all-housecode tranciever, and let x-10
figure out how to live up to the "Pro" label
it slapped on this latest disaster.
-
Trey - unlike AHP - you can download the
"Essential" version of Smarthome software and
try it out. Of course you can't control any
lights with just the software - but you can
see how programming is done and decide if you
feel you can work with it. The "Plus"
version allows you to add more (if-then)
conditions to each timer or event. BTW -
like any "real" software sale - a CD of the
software you've chosen, is delivered along
with the device!
The demo software download is at:
http://www.smarthome.com/DEMOS.HTML