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[jason99]

I'm running Windows XP with SP2. ActiveHome frequently loses communication with the CM11 module. When this occurs the ActiveHome Communications Bridge icon disappears from the Sytem Tray, necessitating a reboot of the PC to restore communications. Sometimes the icon disappears if I even move the mouse cursor over it. Is there a way to fix this problem and if not, is there a way to restore the communications bridge without rebooting the PC every time it happens?

[Dan Lawrence]

You probably have a motherboard that plays havoc with COM ports under WindowsXP.  I had it on my old PentiumIII system when I upgraded to XP Home. I had Active Home/CM11A and it kept disappearing and reappearing constantly.   I upgraded to Active Home Professional (AHP) and the USB CM15A interface.  When I opened AHP the first time, one of the default .ahx files appeared on the screen.  I then imported my .x10 files from Active Home and AHP converted them to .ahx files.  I lost nothing.

The link for AHP is http://www.x10.com/activehomepro/activehome-pro.html

Good luck!

[jason99]

It would definitely be nice to get away from the archaic serial port and use USB instead. However, before I spend the money to buy an SW31A and CM15A I have a couple of other questions.

I currently use two RR501 transceivers to receive commands from RF remotes and had to do a good bit of experimentation to find places where they would work reliably. The SW31A would have to be plugged in near my PC in a location that I don't think will receive RF signals very well. Could I just not extend the antenna (which according to what I see on the forum doesn't work very well anyway) and allow my RR501s to continue receiving the signals instead?

Also, I have big problems with DST since the governnment changed the dates because they seem to be hardcoded in ActiveHome software. Even though it allows me to enter the new dates, what I enter seems to be ignored. This is important because I use the Dusk setting to turn on outside lights. Is this problem solved with the SW31A software?

[Brian H]

You are not alone on the DST changes. Smarthome has not gotten it right with their stuff yet either. Mine didn't advance so I manually did it. Sunday night it again advanced by itself; making my Monday wake up 1 hour earlier than needed. Only thing I can think of is Leap Year bumped Feb. by one day.

Some have found that AH is more stable in XP by Setting the Compatibility Mode to Windows 98/ME. Disabling Visual Themes and disabling Advanced Text services, but as others have added some motherboards and XP don't like AH for the CM11A.

[Dan Lawrence]

My CM15A made the DST change right at 2:00 AM Sunday morning.  It is plugged into the PC 24/7/365 (366 in leap years).   The only folks who seem to have DST problems don't have the CM15A plugged in to the PC.  The firmware that is built in has the old DST dates hard coded.

[Brian H]

Dan; Yes sounds right. I have a few electronic devices with hard coded DST Dates.

[Dan Lawrence]

I have a Panasonic VCR in the bedroom that the old DST dates hard coded. I never set it when the new DST dates begin or end, as if If I do, when the old date pops up, it's then 2 hours ahead of EST and an hour ahead of new DST.  I leave it alone.

What bugs me about the new DST dates is that they were supposed to save energy and Congress put a drop dead in the bill if the energy savings don't amount to any great savings (apparently all they do is shift energy use from evening to morning) , Congress  won't extend the new dates and we go back to the traditional so we get to unpatch all the stuff we patched.

Reminds me of the old joke: What is the opposite of pro?  CON!!! What is the opposite of progress? CONGRESS!!!!!

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

I have a Panasonic VCR in the bedroom that the old DST dates hard coded. I never set it when the new DST dates begin or end, as if If I do, when the old date pops up, it's then 2 hours ahead of EST and an hour ahead of new DST.  I leave it alone.

What bugs me about the new DST dates is that they were supposed to save energy and Congress put a drop dead in the bill if the energy savings don't amount to any great savings (apparently all they do is shift energy use from evening to morning) , Congress  won't extend the new dates and we go back to the traditional so we get to unpatch all the stuff we patched.

Reminds me of the old joke: What is the opposite of pro?  CON!!! What is the opposite of progress? CONGRESS!!!!!

I remember that "joke"!  LMFAO!!!