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[SMMAssociates]

OK, large house, multiple X-10 receivers and "buttons", mixed types.

Specifically, five or six mixed devices (relay and solid-state type switches) in the basement office, run by a couple of old wall switches and some HR12A handhelds. 

Works fine, although once in a while I have to move MYSELF while trying to turn on (or off) a light.

Same sort of setup upstairs (more or less directly upstairs) with two of the new wall switches (three switches and a dimmer control).  Mixed socket-rockets and more conventional remotes.

One lamp in the basement (with a socket rocket) won't work at all because it's on a different circuit at the power panel.  For a while I put a second receiver on that circuit, but I pulled it (at least temporarily) because of problem #2:

The socket rocket upstairs (different house code - "A" or "B" - I forget) and one of the conventional controllers turn on or off when lights are turned on or off on the basement system (house code "H").  One of the upstairs devices is a receiver with a appliance control in it.  It doesn't seem to false.

(I moved in September, and just sort of used what I had around, as well as buying a few new units as needed.)

Any ideas?

TIA

Stu.

[Brian H]

So you are using TM751 Transceiver in varied areas to control the modules?

TM751 modules are not polite and can step on each other as they have no power line receiver in them. That is also why a TM751 can not be controlled by a power line controller. Like a Maxi-Controller. I am thinking your moving to control a module was either the remotes signal was not received or two of them received the same signal and stepped on each other.

Your setup sounds like it really needs some signal troubleshooting. Like finding power line noise makers and signal absorbers. Along with some phase coupling to get the signals to the other phase of the home.

A few places to look for hints:
http://kbase.x10.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=fia4somvt646m1f9ar60hogk94&topic=7951.0
http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
http://www.act-solutions.com/PCC/uncle.htm

[Charles Sullivan]

Take a look at the WGL W800RF32A All Housecode transceiver (http://www.wgldesigns.com).  Mount the antenna high in the attic and you'll get good reception over the whole house.

[SMMAssociates]

Brian:

I need to check some model numbers.  Thanks for the reply.  I'll be back shortly....

Charles:

Regarding the W800RF32A:

This product receives all X10 RF formats including the 32bit security commands and then sends the data directly to a computer or other device over a RS232 link.

Huh?

I expect you meant something else, but I didn't see (didn't look too hard) anything close.

Regards,

Stu.

[Charles Sullivan]

Brian:

I need to check some model numbers.  Thanks for the reply.  I'll be back shortly....

Charles:

Regarding the W800RF32A:

This product receives all X10 RF formats including the 32bit security commands and then sends the data directly to a computer or other device over a RS232 link.

Huh?

I expect you meant something else, but I didn't see (didn't look too hard) anything close.

Regards,

Stu.

Oops... lapsus mentis.  Sorry.  I meant the V572A from the same company.

[SMMAssociates]

Charles:

Thanks....

Kinda overkill for what I need....

I could almost put all of these on one receiver, but the power-line is a mess, needing all kinds of coupling & such.  The downstairs setup is all on one circuit, and the upstairs stuff is also on it's own....

I dug up the numbers:

Upstairs (the ones that seem to randomly follow the downstairs commands) is an TM751 transciever, controlling one lamp (this one's got a relay in it), an LM465 controlling another lamp, and a Socket Rocket on the third.  Two HR12A transmitters and two of the newer wall switches (the really flat three-device plus a dimmer rocker type) are in charge.  House Code is "A" or "B"....  (Gotta look....)

Downstairs, and behaving, is an RR501 transceiver (older device, with a relay and a pushbutton) controlling a fan, and AM466 three-pin modules.  A very old wall switch (vertical, 2 small rockers, no dimmer) controls "5" and "6" - sort of an entry-way wall switch, as well as an old keychain handling the same two.  House code is "H"....

The upstairs controls (the socket rocket and the LM465) seem to self-trigger when things are turned on or off downstairs.

(Two of the AM466's have night-light snubbers on 'em.  I hate that solution, but it is kind of simple.  Kinda "what were they thinking?"....  People are going to use them to switch fluorescents as well as fans, and other lightweight appliances....)

The only reason I don't put everything on the same house code is that the whole setup here is new - we moved in in September, after using X-10's all over the house at the old location, including a couple of snubbed appliance modules, and never had this problem....  IAC, I have no idea what's going to get added, and sixteen codes may not be enough .

For reasons that shouldn't be there (wth, the transceiver is less than 30' from the wall switch), sometimes I have to move myself to get the fool thing to trigger whatever device I had in mind.  It seems like my body is blocking the signal, or not properly coupling to the transmitter.  Both seem silly....

Mom's 94, and is often sitting upstairs when one of those lights turns itself on or off.  She's not frightened, but doesn't quite understand how to turn 'em back on....  (The other day she tried to reach me on the intercom by pressing the buttons on the light controller....  "White-lights, Blue-Stu...."  The X10's and this problem preceded the intercom.)

We also had another piece of lunacy here - a couple days after setting up the upstairs controllers & such, they refused to work. Figured the transceiver was bad, so I swapped it.  No difference....  Turned out that one of those HR12A's was in a bag, with batteries installed, and something had landed on it....  Whee....

Again, guys, thanks for your help so far.  Any further ideas?

Regards,

Stu.

[eagle]

Have you done the troubleshooting as Brian has suggested?

You mention an intercom.  That has been known to be a culprit in some installations.

How about computers, uninterruptible power supplies, computers, TVs, compact flourescent lamps, etc.?

Please let us know what you have and do some troubleshooting and let us know, experts here can narrow down possible solutions for you.

r,
eagle

[SMMAssociates]

Eagle:

I hope to get to the troubleshooting that Brian suggested later tonight.  I wanted to toss more detail onto the pot first.

Long ago and far away, a senior VP tossed the total page of a 120 page report on my desk marked "This Is Wrong!".  Took a while to find out what he was upset about.  I try not to do that, but in this case was looking for a quick fix sort of thing like "Don't use 'A' and 'G' in the same building".  Didn't happen, so more details....

The intercom, btw, is esssentially never used.  Mom hasn't quite got the hang of "push to talk, release to listen", and the wife refuses to use "baby monitor" mode....  It's just powered up (there are four stations) all the time, and was installed after these problems began.

However, I can see how that could be an issue....

What I'm guessing is that the transceivers are both responding to the on/off signals, even though the house code on the problem unit is wrong.  Seems nuts, but....

Thanks!

Stu.

[eagle]

Not a problem Stu. 

We understand. 

The reason I mention reading up on the background info links suggested by Brian is because those links address devices that introduce problems such as noise to the power line which is the delivery medium for x10.

One of the links there authored by Jeff Volp, aka Tuicemen, specifically mentions devices such as PCs, UPS, baby monitors, and .... intercom as potential noise generators that could interfere with x10 operation.  And yes, even just turning off a suspect device won't fix the problem.  You have to physically unplug it.  You'll learn that from those links.

Sometimes the problem is the configuration of the x10 system.  Sometimes, it's operator error.   We're all guilty of that.  But sometimes, it's other factors that impact the installation even after you've crossed the Ts and dotted the Is.

Reading up on those "FAQ" links will give you a LOT of info that would go along way in prepping/fixing your house for a properly running x10 system or at least minimize the headaches by being armed with the knowledge to systematically troubleshoot your system.

I personally learned a ton from those links as well as threads here at the forum.  When an issue crops up on my system, I know exactly what I need to do to track down the problem and how to correct it.

I also recommend Tuicemen's sticky thread in hunting down x10 issues:
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=7951.0

There are a few other sticky threads that should be of some help.

2 cents.

r,
eagle