Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[dirkraft]

There is a part I haven't figured out in my mental picture. The goal is to connect a pc with x10 devices that only communicate over PL. As I understand it, there is no single device that bridges the PC to a wall socket for two-way x10 communication. Is there?

So I need a CM19a (sends/receives RF)... and something that plugs into the wall that (forwards RF to PL !AND! forwards PL to RF). I have found no such device. The TM751 and RR501 both forward from RF to PL, but not the other way (e.g. some other device on the PL network sends a status code, how does that get relayed back over RF so that the CM19a can receive it?).

[bitman]

The cm15 will control PL devices and wireless devices via usb

[Brian H]

Almost all X10 devices are one way. So you can't request their status over the power line or by RF and they will not send back a change in state from a local control action.

Some other manufacturers X10 compatible devices may report a local change or respond to an X10 Status Request.

The CM15A can send and receive X10 power line signals when connected to a computers USB port. Along with X10 RF Transmitting and Receiving.

[Brandt]

How about the CM11a or the Powerlincs....Those connect the PC to the powerline to send and receive x10 commands

[Brian H]

Yes the discontinued but still found in some places serial port CM11A will send and receive X10 power line signals.
As will the Smarthome 1132CU USB PowerLinc. Note the 1132CU's software was never updated and will not run with Vista or Windows 7 as supplied. Someone hacked the installer to make it install. They also never patched the program for the new daylight savings time dates. Again some of us hacked the sunrise sunset chart to fix it.

Not sure if many are using the Smarthome 2414U/S PLC or 2412S/U and 2413S/U PLM's with X10 not mixed with Insteon. Though they do send and receive X10 power line signals along with Insteon power line signals.

Now did we determine what software you want to use?

I believe there are users with Linux and other OS's. Using both the CM11A and PowerLinc series interfaces.

[dirkraft]

Thanks for all the great information!

Hmm so there's no PL -> RF forwarding type device? I was trying to figure out if it was feasible to have everything two-way communicative, so that no matter how you toggled something like a lightswitch (remote--RF->TW751--PL->switch, PCusb-to-PL -> switch, actually pushing the button on the switch) all your controllers (web interfaces on PC or mobile devices, mobile apps like x10 commander, RF remote control) would be seeing the correct state.

I guess I was thinking I mainly want a web interface to control all my x10 gadgets. So for the shortterm, installing some x10 controller server software on my windows machine, but in the long run, putting together a (perhaps) microATX, 100Watt-ish computer running a light flavor of Linux to do little more than run some x10 controller server software. I really like the idea of a web interface, because that means you can access it on anything with a web browser (e.g. any pc, virtually any mobile device, someone else's anything without having to install extra software/apps). I suppose I could give up the RF remote, since I do have a browser-capable mobile device (iPhone).

I was also considering rolling my own web back & frontends (I have skills to this end), assuming I was able to figure out how to make the device calls (no skills on this one) to the transceiver connected to a pc.

Somebody compiled a massive list of related links, http://linuxha.com/


My conclusion so far is that most x10 devices (by a wide margin) don't respond to any sort of status queries (correct me if that's not true). So the work/cost to set up such a status-reporting capable system goes up much more than it may be worth.

Also I can get a CM19 + TM751 for less than $20 after all costs. I can get the CM15 for no less than ~$43. For my goals (complete bidirectional PC integration), is that extra cost really worth it? It's not THAT much money to me, but I'm just wondering.


Thanks

[dave w]

Hmm so there's no PL -> RF forwarding type device? I was trying to figure out if it was feasible to have everything two-way communicative, so that no matter how you toggled something like a lightswitch (remote--RF->TW751--PL->switch, PCusb-to-PL -> switch, actually pushing the button on the switch) all your controllers (web interfaces on PC or mobile devices, mobile apps like x10 commander, RF remote control) would be seeing the correct state.

My conclusion so far is that most x10 devices (by a wide margin) don't respond to any sort of status queries (correct me if that's not true). So the work/cost to set up such a status-reporting capable system goes up much more than it may be worth.

For my goals (complete bidirectional PC integration), is that extra cost really worth it? It's not THAT much money to me, but I'm just wondering.

You first paragraph comes pretty close to describing the "Z-Wave" where any command or status is repeated by RF throughout the network. Z-wave is easily 3-4 times the cost of X10.

Correct, modules made by X10 do not provide status. X10 used to make 2-way modules that would give status, but they quit making them. Smarthome makes X10 protocol modules that will provide status.

Use Smarthome modules where you HAVE to know the status i.e. sump pump control, or sprinkler control.  Use cheaper X10 modules everywhere else.

[dirkraft]

Thanks, all my questions have been answered.