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[rathdowney]

Hello all i am doing some research on X10 and other home automation
and i thought here would be the best place to ask some questions
Is it possible for the user to get a warning message from their X10 device
to tell them if something is wrong?
E.g. the light bulb is gone or the user tries to send a message to a device
to turn on but the device is not plugged in, is it possible for the x10 device
or transceiver to send a message back to the user to tell them this information


Regards

John

[Brian H]

No. All the present X10 devices can not do that most are receive only.
A few devices can be Queried for their status. Like the RR501 Tranceiver and the now discontinued LM14A AM14A and AM15A. As they where two way devices.


Some of the other protocols may. My Insteon controllers will flash their LEDs if the device does not send an Ack back.

[HA Dave]

..... i am doing some research on X10 and other home automation and i thought here would be the best place to ask some questions....

I am always curious. Research.. for who and about what?

[rathdowney]

I'm doing a college project on Home Automation Systems that are possible in Ireland.
So far i have looked into X10, Insteon ( which is not possible because of voltage issues)
KNX ( but only vaguely ) Z-Wave and Ziggbe. X10 seems to be the most affordable and easiest
to install because it uses the existing wires in the House which is useful to old home.

 

[Dan Lawrence]

You may want to check www.letsautomate.com/index , they sell to England and probably sell to Ireland.  X10 on the "other side of the pond" is different than what's used in the US or Canada. 

[Charles Sullivan]

Hello all i am doing some research on X10 and other home automation
and i thought here would be the best place to ask some questions
Is it possible for the user to get a warning message from their X10 device
to tell them if something is wrong?
E.g. the light bulb is gone or the user tries to send a message to a device
to turn on but the device is not plugged in, is it possible for the x10 device
or transceiver to send a message back to the user to tell them this information


Regards

John

Yes it's possible.  But as Brian pointed out, most North American X10 devices with this capability are no longer in production (although probably still available on dealers shelves).  The LM14A Lamp Module can be configured to automatically (or on command) return its brightness level status, including whether or not the connected light bulb is burned out or switched off.  (The status returned by the AM14A/15A Appliance Module is supposed to include whether its load is connected, but that feature doesn't work.)

There are a number of newer European X10 modules ("Micromodules") from Marmitek which are two-way, but I don't have any details about them.
See: http://www.uk-automation.co.uk/html/inline.html