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[philliec]

I have been using AHP for about 2 years. Yes I have gone through the frustration of getting things just right, but all it took was a little tinkering. Frankly, that is why I got into this stuff anyway. I have AHP and x10 products installed in two houses where I can monitor my cameras and have automated my lighting to my satisfaction. The wireless cameras are not great, but all in all I can say that I have had a positive experience with AHP and x10.

I did not have that positive on an experience with MyHouse because my company provides our broadband and uses a proxy server config which screws that part of it up. Therefore, I have been using GoToMyPc.com to remotely login to my remote computers from anywhere, and  I mean anywhere.

Now that I have things running well, I see the need to expand into other areas. I would like to monitor temperatures throughout the house and outside too (one home is in Colorado mountains where this is critical bit of data to monitor). I would like to have thermostat control too. I would like to use a higher grade cameras than what x10 has to offer. Basically, I want the flexibility to expand beyond what AHP and x10 has to offer.

Therefore, I have been experimenting with other software. x10_Dispatch works quite well, and I am sure with the scripts that most of my needs are met. However, I have just downloaded Home Domination and find it to be great. It was easy to setup for my CM15A and it has worked very well.

I was particularly impressed that I could load all of my video sources including 2 x10 cameras, a Logitech webcam and even a Hauppage TV capture card. Home Domination is supposed to work with IO boards and sensors that can be attached to it (I do not have the hardware to test this feature). The gentleman that runs the company has been quite responsive to my questions and is actively developing the software. This is a real treat since AHP appears to be stagnant. This has been a very positive experience and I highly recommend it at this point. Now I am looking to expand my x10 experience.

Craig

[Oldtimer]

Thanks for the info.  How about a link to the Home Domination site.

[philliec]

There is a pretty nice website that explains things well plus the IO boards and the temperature sensor too.



http://www.homedomination.com/

[hawk1]

i've tried Home  Domination.  I liked it a lot. Very easy to setup, supports several interfaces, and is pretty sturdy.

The only reason i'm not using it is that i figured i better try to get the stuff i had working since i already bought it. ( on a tight budget). Plus i wanted voice recognition and with Bills Excellent Voice Commander I have it. Thanks again Bill. I might not be able to donate right now, but if I come into some money I will.  Great software.

Yes Harry Strand is excellent in returning your emails.

[irving lamansky]

I bumped into this thread about “third party software” while I was trying to find out if anyone had been able to disable that annoying beep from the vcr commander II during programming.

But I digress.  I was a long time frustrated user of X10 software (Active Home, Active Home Pro) and finally tried out HomeDomination a couple of years ago.  It was great.  I paid up right away.  I even can use my old CM11A interface along with a W800RF32A receiver.  I tried using a CM15A and it worked, sort of.  The activity log in HD kept showing that it was either picking up or making up its own spurious signals.  Hmmm.  I wonder if that is part of the ongoing problem with that unit.
Anyway, I went back to the serial interface and have had zero problems.  The W800RF32A receiver is great.  It can even pick up signals from my door/window sensors and the motion detectors for the Security Console (DS7000).  And those signals can, in turn, start or stop a macro.  Pretty slick.

I have a couple of questions.  First, has anyone dug into the control unit for the commander II and disabled the beeper?  And, second, do you know of any AC powered motion detectors that can transmit any kind of X10 signal?  It is a pain having to change batteries in a dozen or so units.

Let me know if there are any answers out there.  I will be glad to share my experiences with Home Domination.
Irv

[philliec]

Irv,

Thanks for thereply. Unfortunately, I can not respond the VCR commander since I do not have one. Sorry. Possibly you should place this request under another area of the x10 community forum.

Thanks for the update on HD. It sounds like you had a good luck with HD and the  W800RF32A. What is the W800RF32A? Who makes it?

[HA Dave]

do you know of any AC powered motion detectors that can transmit any kind of X10 signal?  It is a pain having to change batteries in a dozen or so units.

I really like the X10 floodlight motion sensor! They are hardwired and dependable. Of course they ONLY send PLS and NOT RF signals. However if you create a simple macro in your CM15A, it can re-send a RF for you.

[azzar0]

Irv,

Thanks for thereply. Unfortunately, I can not respond the VCR commander since I do not have one. Sorry. Possibly you should place this request under another area of the x10 community forum.

Thanks for the update on HD. It sounds like you had a good luck with HD and the  W800RF32A. What is the W800RF32A? Who makes it?

W800RF32A is an RF receiver:
http://www.smarthomeusa.com/Shop/Remote/WGL-Transceivers/Item/W800RF32A/

[Knightrider]

Has anyone else had a problem downloading the demo.  I've missed something.

[Dan Lawrence]

I looked at the Home Domination site and one thing I do not understand is the disclaimer page http://www.homedomination.com/cm15a_disclaimer.html  that claims something about the CM15A and stopping X10 Network Services to run it.   X10 Network Services serves only to pass module status to AHP while it is closed so the user can see the current status when AHP is opened.  Since Home Domination is not AHP why does X10 Network Services even enter into it.

[Tuicemen]

I looked at the Home Domination site and one thing I do not understand is the disclaimer page http://www.homedomination.com/cm15a_disclaimer.html  that claims something about the CM15A and stopping X10 Network Services to run it.   X10 Network Services serves only to pass module status to AHP while it is closed so the user can see the current status when AHP is opened.  Since Home Domination is not AHP why does X10 Network Services even enter into it.

Most users already have AHP installed on their PC  which loads X10 Network Services ! Since Home Domination doesn't use the SDK to comunicate with the CM15A there is a conflict!
(Two files trying to communicate with the device at the same time)
X10 Network Services sees the CM15A as soon as it is connected thats how the SDK works!
Hope that clarifies the issue!
Many users including myself can't get it to run since Harry stopped using the SDK to Communicate with the CM15A!

[Dan Lawrence]

So you should uninstall AHP before installing Home Domination to have it working properly.   Seems the folks at Home Domination should have made that clear.

[Tuicemen]

So you should uninstall AHP before installing Home Domination to have it working properly.   Seems the folks at Home Domination should have made that clear.

No, just disabling the X10 Network Services and having AHP closed should work for most people!
It isn't necessary to uninstall AHP, HomeDomination will either work for you or not!
That's why the disclamer, and them suggesting you try before you buy!
Some users get it to work others can't!

[philliec]

Home Domination actually handles all of this for you. On my PC I I originally had AHP. Then I downloaded HD. Now I use HD exclusively. When I launch HD it does whatever it needs to do, but under the processes it shows that x10nets,exe  is still running. HD is very stable with no shutdowns at all. This, however, was not true about 4 months ago with HD. I think that Harry had a bug with the USB that is now fixed. Now it works perfect.

[philliec]

As an update I have Home Domination running on two homes flawlessly for months and months now. No problems or error messages. Also, there is a series of temperature sensors (inside, basement and outside) and they work great too.

The only issue I have is that you cannot use the CM15A to drive the Ninja mounts. instead, you are supposed to use the CM19A. I actually have one of these, but am concerned about running the CM15A and CM19A in combination. Has anyone ever tried this? Are there any conflicts?

Craig