I think it is fantastic that Authinx is putting some priority on X10 PLC/RF products and is working on this. Wi-Fi control from a phone or tablet via a single embedded plug-in device is something that competing systems have already had for a while. Some are even in retail brick-and-mortar stores. I do hope Authinx is not trying to pack too many features into the initial offering, though. I am all for getting the most bang for the buck, but scope creep is an ugly beast. Developing more features takes more time, and if they are not given enough development time, bugs or design decisions are overlooked and the product performs poorly. There were many examples of this in X10TWI's previous products. I expect that first-time automators who want something more plug-and-play are choosing other HA systems every day because those systems work with their iPhone/Android/tablet out of the box and X10 does not. X10 needs this as soon as possible and it needs to work as well as possible, but it should not try to be everything to everyone. Establish a solid foundation and ship that, then build on it later with a follow-up product.
These are my suggestions for the initial product...
The possibility for firmware updates is a must, as is bidirectional PLC and RF communication. The PLC absolutely needs to implement AGC, collision avoidance (politeness), and preferably collision detection (sensing a received "1" when it is sending a "0" and retrying). It needs to allow the app on the controlling device (phone/tablet/whatever) to create a layout of rooms and devices matched with X10 house and unit codes and maybe 10 macros, and it would be nice for the controller to store that data itself and sync it to apps on other devices. Everything else can wait for version 2.0. Sure, I would ultimately want some more flexibility, and those of us who have used X10 a long time and have our own controllers and software tweaked just how we like it already know exactly what we want. I am always looking to expand my system, but right now I am more concerned about it staying relevant as a serious platform on which vendors can continue to build and sell new devices. The focus of this release should be about reducing the barrier to entry for X10 as a general consumer product. In that area, X10 has some catching up to do.
I see that I may be a little late for the design as a prototype already exists, but hopefully this will be acknowledged as a general philosophy. I have used X10 for many years. Having modified the hardware in many modules and written some of my own software with the AHSDK, I would consider myself an advanced user. But I won't demand that this product cater to all my wants and wishes. Right now, I would be happy with just seeing X10's reputation repaired because that is the best way to protect my investment in the long term.
