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DEPENDS - Each situation needs to be evaluated separately [Please explain in a post]

[KDR]

There have been times... as I have expanded my system(s). That I have had to read the instructions. And through the use of this forum (and RE-reading the instructions) I have learned all I needed to learn.

INSTRUCTIONS?  X10 comes with instructions? (goes to look in an old box to see)

[HA Dave]

[
INSTRUCTIONS?  X10 comes with instructions? (goes to look in an old box to see)

When I buy something... or even just thinking of buying something I have never owned before. I click the "whats included" link that X10 almost always includes in the advertisement. Then I right-click the PDF instructions and save them to my hard drive. The PDF allows me to make the print large enough to read.

Of course, I know you knew that, and I know you also know the same PDF's are available here online also. But this is the newbie thread...right.

[HA Dave]

Did I mention that I read the instructions?

[Puck]

Did I mention that I read the instructions?

CHEATER!!! 

I hope you at least tried to get things working on your own first.   

[KDR]

The next thing he's going to try to tell us, is when he's lost he stops for directions...


This is why we need a chat room.   TTA its ok to delete these totaly off topic post, or you can leave them to show the guest we have fun and all they have to do is register and post.

[HA Dave]

The next thing he's going to try to tell us, is when he's lost he stops for directions...

Reading directions is one thing.... stopping and asking directions......NO WAY!!! And I stand-up when I Pee too!

[Puck]

And I stand-up when I Pee too!

LMAO Good thing you said that ... or else I'd have to request you hide that Avatar or at least post one from your better side. 

Exactly KDR, the chatroom would be good for these completely OT tangents.

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

OK... I know it's a sickness     but I not only read the instructions that come with the unit, I frequently  download the manual for a product I'm thinking of buying!

On the brighter side, it has prevented me from buying the wrong thing at times (like when the specifications are totally out of line with my expectations !    

Oh, yeah...

Welcome aboard Lexington_Browns!

[TakeTheActive]

As a Newbie I thought that I would respond to this question...

...If I may be so bold as to suggest that X10 appears to be marketing their products as plug and play equipment.  Not something that requires a lot of tinkering to make it all work. 

So If you are getting a lot of questions from people who have not RTFM as throughly as you might like,  it may be that they are not looking for a new hobby...

If I may be so bold as to point out - EVERYONE CURRENTLY ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS HERE IS A VOLUNTEER! [Not an X10 paid employee.]

X10 Corp, although they foot the bill for the site, stopped personally supporting their products here on a daily basis several months ago. My guess is that *WE* do a better job than anyone they could hire to replace the fellow that was doing it. *AND* we're doing it for *FREE*!

While some volunteers don't mind answering the same-old-questions with their same-old-short-answers every day, others have invested countless hours writing FAQs and assembling LISTs of LINKs which thoroughly cover *MANY* of the daily questions and they would sincerely appreciate it if you (meaning *ALL* Newbies) would invest some time to READ them.

BTW, for those who reply that, being Newbies, they don't know what terms to SEARCH for, well - the above-mentioned FAQs and LISTs are STICKIED at the top of various forums.

P.S. Welcome to the "Community"! 

After you've read the FAQs & LISTs, including all of their referenced LINKs, please report back with anything that you feel we've omitted. Thanks!

[TakeTheActive]

...This is why we need a chat room.   TTA its ok to delete these totaly off topic post, or you can leave them to show the guest we have fun and all they have to do is register and post.

No, I think that this kind of 'chatter' belongs in the GENERAL DISCUSSION forum, in a thread like this, to 'Record' what kind of atmosphere we try to promote here.

If it was in a Chat Room, only the attendees would see it, and at the end of the session - POOF! - it would be gone...

[Duck69]

Instructions ?

I guess you can call me a self-defeatist or adventurer (depends on your point of view) as I only read the instructions as a last resort. 

I find that it's a lot more fun to try to figure things out first. 
Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don't. 

Sometimes the instructions help, sometimes they make it more confusing especially when the instructions are wrong. 

Then one of my traits kicks in. I really enjoy learning ,so, then I read everything (well a lot of it anyway) that I can on the subject.   

This of course is not the recommended way to do things.

One should learn as much as they can about the product first.
Then read the instructions and follow them verbatim.
This method saves you a lot of time, energy, frustration and in some instances $$$.


When all else have failed; Asking for help on the forum = success 

However, having time on my hands & treating X10 as a hobby-----------------------

[TakeTheActive]

Good points Jim! They just, IMO, needed a slight re-arranging.

• One should learn as much as they can about the product first.
  .
• Then read the instructions and follow them verbatim.
  .
• This method saves you a lot of time, energy, frustration and in some instances $$$.
  .
• When all else have failed; Asking for help on the forum = success 
  

[vhoang]

Just remember:

There's the tinkerer newbie, and then there's the plug and play newbies who has never tweaked or had a desire to tweak anything in thier life.   

I've always seen X10 as targetting both.

I'd like the forums to help those who have difficulty interpreting the instructions properly as well.

Things that are obvious to tinkerers do not apply to plug-n-play'ers.    They key is to move the p-n-p'er over
to the tinkering side (the dark side of X10), by guiding them, even through the obvious.   

Don't get too hung up on rules or repeats.   It's not that bad...

[jkarney]

Being a Newbie I thought I would reply; 

I got my AHP back in July as a gift with all the plugins from my brother in-law. Cool! I set out on my X10 journey of home automation. As with most I ran into a slew of problems (trust me; I had them all). I found this forum and did extensive searching and reading and found all my issues had been addressed at one time or another. I finally decided to register as a member of this forum in September and have since logged just more than 8 hours on line (reading posts and learning). OK I'm hooked or should I say swallowed the hook. As of this writing my house lighting is fully automated and the AHP could not be working better. I know AHP has it's issues but if your willing to tinker; these issues turn out to be a fun challenge.

OK enough rambling; I would like to thank all you X10 veterans who contribute to this forum. I could have not gotten so far with X10 and AHP without the wealth of knowledge posted here.

I do agree newbies should take the time to search the posts!

This I know will save you guys alot of time on re-posts.

Well I've said my peace; back to searching and learning.

Thanks Guys. 

[KDR]

Welcome to the community jkarney. Glad your enjoying yourself and its good to hear your system is working for you and these here boards have helped you.