...The AHP is great in that it can memorize the dusk/dawn times of the actual sunrise and sunset. So what I have done is set up my outside lights as such. The inside light I have set up on a pre-dusk delay of 1 hour, so the interior living room light will come on an hour before dusk. The off time I have pre-set. So I did take things up a notch with the AHP.
... I am still learning and playing around with the AHP though.
It sounds (reads) as though you pretty much have things figured out. Sometimes the forum functions as more of a sounding-board... and as a way to get confirmation (and feedback) from other X10 users.
Well, I am technically inclined and I am also computer literate, so the two things help. The manual that came with the AHP was pretty basic, but it was also well written, so it did help me to figure out the AHP very quickly.
At any rate, I did prefer the dusk dawn settings on the AHP (which is the initial reason I bought it) because I did have trouble with the traditional light/dark sensors in regards to operation in a shaded or indoor area. The light/dark sensor probably would work better if the sensor was more out in the open. That is something I have not tried yet, but I could try it with an unaltered Eagle Eye.
The inherit problem with light/dark sensors is the preset threshold. On a cloudy day, it could force the lights to come on too early...or worse, the sensor thinks it is dusk and it will turn on the outside lights too early. If the sensor turns on later (darker) then it would be ok from an outside light point of view, BUT from an inside point of view, the interior lights might come on too late. So that is why I am somewhat against the idea of a light/dark sensor and would rather go with the sunset/sunrise times. In the event of a cloudy day...I just have to manually turn the one light on earlier if need be.
The only hiccup I can think of using the dawn/dusk timers is what happens with the time changes in the spring and fall? I am wondering if the unit adjusts for that or do I have hook the computer up to it.
My goal is that once I have the AHP fully programmed and tested, is to have it stand alone and do it's job.
I am also considering the security system too. The alarm I have on my house now is still good, but it is mostly passive IR, but I need some window sensors on the basement windows. I have cats down there now and have to keep them in one area of the basement so they don't trigger the IR sensor (which they now do). I basically want my cats to have the full run of the basement...so I need window sensors. Running wires to the old alarm is no longer practical.
Anyway, thanx for the help.
Geo