Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[frenzel]

I have several X10 devices that I use around my house.  It's reached the point where I'd really like to control them from my PC and maybe even my iPad and iPhone.  The problem is that all of the the controllers seem to require a wired connection to a router and an AC wall socket.  My problem is that I don't have these things near each other and having both connections is unfeasible.  Here are some of the things I've thought of:

Is there a controller that can connect through my wireless network instead of by ethernet cable?
Is it possible to use an ethernet port-to-wifi dongle to connect the controller to the router?
Any chance I could use a power strip connected to the wall outlet?  Any economical way to test if this would work?

Any thoughts other than draping the ethernet cable across a doorway would be appreciated.

[bkenobi]

Your router is plugged into power, right?  I'm not really clear what you are trying to do.  Perhaps others will understand, but could you try to restate what your goal is?

[Tuicemen]

I too am confused
What controllers are you using?
A x10 transceiver connected to your PC like a cm15, cm11 or cm19 can be accessed from the PCs wireless connection with the right software.
There are several third party software's listed on the forum here even ones for smartphones.
 

[frenzel]

Thanks for your reply.  My router, along with all of my computer equipment, is plugged into a power strip that is plugged into a nearby wall socket behind a heavy piece of furniture.  So I can't plug whatever X10 controller I buy into both the router and the wall without stretching a wire across the room.
I have not yet purchased the controller because the documentation explicitly says it must be plugged directly into a wall outlet.

One of the options I asked about was to plug the controller into a power strip, despite the warning.  Has anyone tried that? 

The other option is to plug the controller in across the room and use my wifi for it to communicate with the router/internet so I don't have to stretch an ethernet cable across the room.  For that, I'd need a controller that does not need to be hardwired to the router or perhaps a dongle that maps the ethernet connector to wifi. Has anyone tried that?

[Tuicemen]

With out knowing what controller your looking at purchasing we can't give you the specifics your looking for.
What documentation are you referring to?

The cm19 connects only to a PC, no power out let or router.
The cm11 needs power  will connect to a PC but not router
The cm15 needs power and will connect to a PC but not router

I have ran a cm15 from an extension cord with success

[frenzel]

Now I'm beginning to make some progress. I had looked at the CM15.  The computer+outlet combo has the same problem for me as the router+outlet.

So maybe the CM19 would do the job.  I can plug a receiver into the wall about 4 feet from the computer and the CM19 will send commands from the computer to it, almost line of sight.

I currently use a hand-held remote to signal an X10 receiver and I do need to get REALLY close to the receiver with the remote.  Hopefully, we're talking about a more robust signal to the receiver than what the remotes produce

[bkenobi]

The documentation you found indicates that the controller must be plugged directly into the wall.  That may be excellent guidance, but I would suspect that it is written that way to keep things simple.  There is no reason you couldn't plug it into an extension cord of reasonable quality.  I would not plug it into a power strip of any kind since that could have electronics inside it that could cause issues.

The other choice is to plug the controller into the wall and use a longer USB cable (for CM15A).  I was using a standard USB cable with a standard USB extension cable for testing and never had issues.  In that case, the total cable length was on the order of 12' long.  The USB spec indicates that a USB 1.1 device can have a cable length of up to 5m (~16.4 ft) with devices operating at full speed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB).  I don't know what spec the CM15A falls under, but I suspect it's full speed so you should be able to get a pretty long cable or extensions and make it work.  If it was actually a low speed device, you still have a maximum of 3m cable length (9.8 ft).  If that didn't work, you could also use one of a couple other choices.

1) USB repeater
2) USB -> Cat5 adapter

Both of these have threads on the forum that should provide help.

Alternately, you might be able to set everything up within a CM15A such that you don't need a PC at all.  If that were the case, you can simply plug the controller into any outlet once programmed and effectively never think about it again.

[frenzel]

Thanks.
 
A longer cable (or extension cord) doesn't work.  Draping wires across the room is just too unsightly, and there's no way it lends itself to being hidden behind the furniture.   

I'll have to think about programming a CM15, then unplugging it.  Not sure that would work for me; I'll study the documents and see if it covers my needs.

Any experience with a CM19?

[Tuicemen]

The cm19 is a RF send/receive interface it has no memory and isn't programmable.
It needs to be plugged into a PC via USB to work.

[Brian H]

With the CM19A. You would also need an X10  Transceiver. Like an RR501 or TM751 to receive the X10 RF signals and send them back on the power line.
 
The CM15A has an X10 RF transmitter and receiver. Along with an X10 power line transmitter and receiver.

[frenzel]

Thanks for your insights.

I''m still liking the CM19a for my needs. Yes, I already have a couple of receivers I use with my remotes.  If I can get them to work with the CM19a, I'll get a dedicated receiver and put it at a location near the computer.

The CM15a seems a more popular choice, but since it needs power, it will also send (possibly mangled) X10 commends through its power source, which would be a power strip, not recommended.  Is there way I could tell the CM15a to only send RF signals?

What software would you recommend for my PC?  My main application is lights and small motors controlled by appliance modules that I want to set up as a scene for an indoor Christmas display.  As this is kind of a big deal, I don't really want it to turn on automatically; just on command. I also want to turn off a couple of hard-wired light fixtures that tend to turn on every time we have a power failure (FLORIDA), as I'm out of town for several weeks every year and don't want the lights on the entire time I'm gone. I'd just turn them off once per day.  This latter could be a set-it-and-forget it application.


The CM19a could get me started for under $20....  Not much of a risk 

Thanks again for all of your help

[Tuicemen]

The cm15 would be my choice (mainly for the memory built in), with  ActiveHome Pro (AHP) you can tell it to send RF signals.
A lot of  third party software will also do this.

If you already have a couple of receivers and have been getting by that way then the Cm19  will work for you.
AHP as well as most third party software will work with it too.
 

[frenzel]

Thanks to all of you who have responded to my dilemma.  I think you have steered me to a solution that will work with my PC. 

I'd still like to use my iPhone, and that seems to need something like a hub.  My neighbor suggested a way around the wiring problem yesterday: cut a hole in the huge piece of furniture to expose the wall outlet.  Sounds ugly, but not really, as it is a cabinet with doors that could screen the mess....

In any case, my journey has started and will be much more pleasant as a result of your generous help.

Thanks again