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[jstoddard]

I've got young twins who like to get up and party in the middle of the night. They turn the lights on in their room and just go to town. We've tried incentives, etc, but what we found worked well was simply unscrewing the light bulbs in their overhead light fixture. Problem mostly solved during the summertime hours when it was light later. Now that it is getting dark much earlier, I'm trying to find a way to keep their bedroom lights on until they go to bed and not allow those lights to be turned on until morning.

I have been using x10 switches in my house for years, so I'm not a total newbie.

I think what I need is some sort of inline module wired in to the lighting fixture along with a x10 switch which could be programmed to control that light fixture. I'm not sure how I program it so that the light switch only works during certain hours. I do have some extra socketrockets, but I don't think they will work in this situation as when the traditional non-x10 lightswitch is switched off, it will cut the power to them and then they will no longer receive x10 commands.

I have ActiveHome Pro if that is any help.

Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff

[dave w]

I think what I need is some sort of inline module wired in to the lighting fixture along with a x10 switch which could be programmed to control that light fixture. I'm not sure how I program it so that the light switch only works during certain hours. I have ActiveHome Pro if that is any help.

1. If you have a standard switch in the twins room (non dimmer, non X10) you could add an in-line appliance module (X10 Pro) at the fixture and have AHP turn the module OFF between certain times.
or
2. You could replace the wall switch in the room with a Smarthome.com model that transmits status when switched. Use AHP conditional macro to turn the switch back off when between certain times. The twins will turn the switch back on and AHP will turn back off. The twins will turn the switch back on and AHP will turn back off. AHP will be able to keep this routine up longer than the twins.

Obviously in either sceaniaro you would need a second X10 code to override and kill the macro execution when you need the light to operate normally.

[jstoddard]

Dave - thanks for the reply. I've got a few clarifying questions to your helpful suggestions

1. If you have a standard switch in the twins room (non dimmer, non X10) you could add an in-line appliance module (X10 Pro) at the fixture and have AHP turn the module OFF between certain times.

To do this, I assume I'd need to rewire the light fixture as I believe that currently power comes in to the switch and then to the fixture, meaning if the switch is off there is no power to the fixture and therefore no power to the inline appliance module. In this scenario, we'd need to keep the switch on when we wanted it to be able to be controlled by AHP. If I did rewire to put power to the fixture/appliance module first, could I still use a standard wall switch (non-x10)? How would the wall switch be wired? I'm no electrician, but I've been able to figure most of this out in the past.

2. You could replace the wall switch in the room with a Smarthome.com model that transmits status when switched. Use AHP conditional macro to turn the switch back off when between certain times. The twins will turn the switch back on and AHP will turn back off. The twins will turn the switch back on and AHP will turn back off. AHP will be able to keep this routine up longer than the twins.

Great idea on the macro. I've not used macros before, but in reading up on it, the x10 smart macros may do exactly what I need. And I believe I already have the module.

Obviously in either sceaniaro you would need a second X10 code to override and kill the macro execution when you need the light to operate normally.

Dave - I'm not sure I follow this for the first scenario. Also in the second scenario if I used the smart macro (assuming it works the way I think it does), I'm not sure this second X10 code would be required. Am I understanding this correctly?

Thanks so much for all your help!

[Brandt]

Use an inline module or socket rocket (depending on how many bulbs there are) and replace the standard switch with either a Leviton 16400 or an XPT switch that is set to a different house code than the fixture module. This is called mapping and can be done in AHP and use a macro that only maps between certain hours.

[Dan Lawrence]

Also, if there's either a wall switch or a lamp/appliance module in the kid's rooms, they have to be disabled (removed from AHP, so back up your .ahx files first before doing that) or the kids can just turn the lights on again no matter how many times they are turned off.

[Mellowmark]

Boy you have options. what you want to do is put an inline or control switch on the line side of the room switch. Like at the panel or maybe you could follow the power up the stairs and add it next to the hall switch or something like that. If you can find out how many things are on that circuit and where the line comes and goes.  with alittle snooping you might find the lights are fed from a plug in the room you could replace the plug with a switch behind the bed even. first thing to do is turn of the breaker for that stuff and see how many things are involved it may not be to bad.

[dave w]

To do this, I assume I'd need to rewire the light fixture as I believe that currently power comes in to the switch and then to the fixture, meaning if the switch is off there is no power to the fixture and therefore no power to the inline appliance module. In this scenario, we'd need to keep the switch on when we wanted it to be able to be controlled by AHP. If I did rewire to put power to the fixture/appliance module first, could I still use a standard wall switch (non-x10)? How would the wall switch be wired? I'm no electrician, but I've been able to figure most of this out in the past.

Dave - I'm not sure I follow this for the first scenario. Also in the second scenario if I used the smart macro (assuming it works the way I think it does), I'm not sure this second X10 code would be required. Am I understanding this correctly?

Yes suggestion #1 is problematic. I was just playing off your mention of a in line module in the OP. You would actually want the in-line module to feed the wall switch, likely hard to do.

I think you are understaing correctly.
You need some way to disable the macro in order to make the light operate normally when the in-laws visit and take over twins bedroom.
I no longer use AHP, but in Homeseer your trigger would be the wall switch ON (remember you will need a Smarthome or Leviton wall switch that transmit status when switched locally) and the first condition would be the time window being true and the second condition (the permissive to enable the macro) would be a second HCUC being ON. So when you want the switch to operate normally set the second HCUC to OFF from any X10 controller, thus stopping the macro from ever executing. Might be an easier way to do it, but I need to sleep on it.

[Brandt]

my suggestion is the best 

The XPT or Leviton 16400 wire the line and the load together to provide constant power to the overhead fixture which will need either socket rocket(s) or an inline model such as XPDM or XPDF.

Then say you put the switch on house code M (for macro) and the fixture on house code (L)

Then you create some macro in AHP:

If M1 ON is received between 8am and 8pm, then turn L1 ON.
if M1 OFF is received anytime, then turn L1 OFF.

To make things more flexible, you could carry a KR19a keychain remote to toggle a 'state' such as (K1) Kids Sleeping ON and Kids Sleeping OFF

Then you would modify your macro a bit:

If M1 ON is received AND K1 OFF is true, then turn L1 ON
if M1 OFF is received anytime, then turn L1 OFF

[Knightrider]

I agree. Brandt's idea is best.  If there were a fire or something else, you could always control the lights when needed.

For what it's worth, my idea was to set a timer to turn the light off every minute all night long.

[dave w]

my suggestion is the best 

The XPT or Leviton 16400

Yup, I agree also. I did not think of using a transmit only switch. Good solution, but you will need a neutral in the wall box.

[jstoddard]

Thanks everyone for your help!! It is much appreciated.

One more question - is there something comparable to the XPT or Leviton 16400 that looks like a traditional decora rocker lightswitch?

Thanks - I really appreciate everyone's help.
Jeff

[Brandt]

Not that I'm aware of

[Brian H]

Closest thing I have seen would be a Insteon 2466SI {Ivory} or 2466SW {White} ToggleLinc. If you want to go with a toggle style.
It can have a single X10 primary Address added to it and will send an X10 on or off when locally actuated.
It has a load connection that could be capped off.

The toggle paddle is not quite what one normally would expect. It points straight out and when you push it down it goes off and up it goes on.
It is also quite large for a switch. Just scraped by in my old homes small sized electrical box.

For Decora the 2476S SwitchLinc or the lower cost 2876SB Icon could be used. Again you would cap off the load lead and add an X10 Primary Address to it.

Cost maybe a factor as being an Insteon modules they are priced like one. 

[HA Dave]

I think Home Automation gets complicated when you want to do more than use a remote control. It may be a good time to jump in [to Home Automation] with BOTH feet.

But... If you only want to recognize if there is a light on [in the room] an old fashion Eye-Sensor can tell you that. Use the dusk/dawn function of the eye sensor with a night light in a SocketRocket. Set the nightlight to turn on at dusk and off at dawn. It will let a parent know if the kids turned on ANY light in their room.

Or use the same dusk/dawn function to trigger a module in AHP. This could even allow a short time delay for emergency's... before lights are automatically switched off.

I like the idea of using AHP with a Home Automation Computer running as well. That is when the setup really gets smart. Heck you could even add Voice Warnings (using BVC) to the nighttime setup.

[Brandt]

these remote controllable switches such as X10 or Insteon switches are momentary switches, this is so that they don't get locked into and on or off position allowing it to be controlled by remote.

Closest thing I have seen would be a Insteon 2466SI {Ivory} or 2466SW {White} ToggleLinc. If you want to go with a toggle style.
It can have a single X10 primary Address added to it and will send an X10 on or off when locally actuated.
It has a load connection that could be capped off.

The toggle paddle is not quite what one normally would expect. It points straight out and when you push it down it goes off and up it goes on.
It is also quite large for a switch. Just scraped by in my old homes small sized electrical box.

For Decora the 2476S SwitchLinc or the lower cost 2876SB Icon could be used. Again you would cap off the load lead and add an X10 Primary Address to it.

Cost maybe a factor as being an Insteon modules they are priced like one.