Scanning for X10 devices - wardriving

[LittleLarry]

 Does anyone do this? Sort of like wardriving, only for x10 devices instead of wireless networks?

I would imagine this is something that could only be done on 2-way modules, or is it not possible at all?

[steven r]

When I lived in an apartment, I would do an "All lights On" followed by an "All Units Off" for each HC every now and then. I'd then watch and see if I received any signals back. i.e. Someone trying to turn their X10 light back on. Never received any.

[LittleLarry]

When I lived in an apartment, I would do an "All lights On" followed by an "All Units Off" for each HC every now and then. I'd then watch and see if I received any signals back. i.e. Someone trying to turn their X10 light back on. Never received any.

Anyway to setup a device to scan all day long for x10 signals on the line?

I would imagine apartments would be the best bet for finding the neighbors signals. I'm guessing most house signals don't go far enough onto the neighbors line unless it's right next door? Anyone know the range in feet or meters that x10 signals get sent out?

[dave w]

Anyone know the range in feet or meters that x10 signals get sent out?

PLC or RF?

These are "WAGs" based on mostly personal experience, so FWIW.

Range will vary depending up many factors. A PLC signal in an X10 installation using a coupler/repeater will get stopped at the pole transformer. Several forum respondents are sending PLC to barns and sheds greater than 100 feet away. RF is also very dependent on outside factors, but the antennas on X10 transmitters are really very poor (probably by design) and without going to more sensitive receiving antennas or better receivers, I don't think an RF signal from a motion detector or Palm Pad is good for more than 50-60 feet. A good communications receiver and directional antenna could probably pick up an X10 remote transmission from hundreds of feet away, and a direction antenna properly coupled to a Palm Pad could probably transmit for a couple of hundred feet...but there ain't much point in doing that unless you just want to drive your X10 neighbor nuts.      

Dave_X10 probably has accurate guesses for the wireless cameras range.

[steven r]

Anyway to setup a device to scan all day long for x10 signals on the line?
I would imagine apartments would be the best bet for finding the neighbors signals....

Like Dave indicated, an X10 signal, unless diminished in some other way, can go anywhere on one side of a transformer. Particularly in the case of apartments, several will be on the same transformer. In one case, I was able to put Christmas lights up outside my door in a outlet that was on the apartment's meter and control the lights by X10 from my apartment.

[Brian H]

Smarthome has a TesterLinc that monitors the power line all day and stores I believe the last 50 messages in memory.
Also some of the Automation programs keep logs of all activities. Isn't AHP one of them?
My ISY-99i controller also has a running log in it that shows all X10 and Insteon Activities.