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[HA Dave]

…. I’m not ready to abandon X10, but I suspect that the WM100 is my last X10 purchase.  The times they are a changin'.

Yes... the times... they are most certainly changing (link to YouTube video of Bob Dylan singing the song, 1964). But then again... when were the times not changing.

I recently upgraded and improved my Home Theater. Although I retained my ability to play Blue Ray and DVD's (I have a collection of about 1000) now I mostly plan to play on-line streaming media. As others have found out... when streaming content it is best to have fast hardwired gigabit connections. So I fished CAT6 to my player/theater. No more buffering.

But the Theater lights are still controlled by X10.

Phones, computers, thermostats, cars, neighbors, coffee makers, refrigerators, ovens and microwaves..... what the heck isn't tying-up my broadband now-a-days. Oh wait..... I remember now. The old X10 PLC and RF use otherwise un-used ways to communicate. I think there might be... at least for now... an advantage with X10. As long as I have power (and a palmpad in a drawer)…. I have some amount of remote control.

X10 is still a very practical, dependable and useful technology. I just placed an order on-line Sunday night at X10.com. 

But I am no Luddite either! My X10 setup is totally integrated with Amazon's Alexa... I use 3 echo devices (and other flavors of Home Automation devices too). And like others here at the forum... I am still looking for even better ways to use X10 in my automation setup.

[brobin]

Many of us here have been using X10 for many years (since 1984 in my case) and have lots of X10 stuff that works well enough so as not to force us to change.  I once converted a home, that I've since sold, to Insteon when it first came out and they offered 50% to introduce the product but now I'm still using using X10 since I'll likely never have to buy another module.  While I'm still an X10 user, I'm not a revenue generating customer. The problem for X10 is to attract new users and, frankly, they're doing virtually nothing to make that happen.  Z-Wave and the various wifi flavors have captured the market and X10 can't even come up with an Alexa Skill or resolve bug fixes quickly.  I'm not moving on anytime soon but I'm not making X10 any money either.

[Gismo]

I’m a user from the 80’s also,  But I bought most of my x10 stuff when their prices were at an all time low.
I keep an older computer just for the software for the  CM15A. I don’t think they will ever have new software. I can’t wait to trash that old computer. And your talking to someone that just got rid of my old Commodore PET Computer 1978 with a lot of software that I wrote myself. (Yeah I’m old)
I never had luck with my ActiveEye Motion Sensors, to many false triggers, batteries don’t last.
The black and white x10 cameras are useless.
No more having to reset my CM15A when it looses connection. No more unplugging chargers that stop my x10 modules from working. It was driving my wife nuts.
Don’t get me wrong X10 was great but times are changing. (Yeah I also don’t use my slide rule anymore lol)

[HA Dave]

……….. X10 can't even come up with an Alexa Skill …..

To be honest.... if it wasn't for the generosity of racerfern sending me his old Homeseer Hometroller.... I might have found another solution myself.

I had already jumped on ihome devices (the very day) when an Apple update added WiFi automation. Then I discovered Alexa.... and... thankfully that's when racerfern hooked me up with Homeseer. Homeseer communicates with BOTH my X10 and Alexa.... allowing me full integration.

Honestly.... I was shocked and surprised that so many here at the forum are "cloud shy". I myself am so pro man-machine integration... even when I weight myself nude... I hold my iPhone in my hand.

But now I am experimenting with a Raspberry Pi and open source software (as are others here) hoping to help bring the entire X10 world along to the cloud-based AI world of automation. There is nothing to lose here! It's all win, win, win.

[brobin]

I'm all for cloud based but things can & do happen. In fact it just did. We left on a 3 week trip 3 weeks ago (got back last night) and a few days after we left (of course) I could no longer remotely connect to any of the things like the HA controller, t-stats, garage doors or cameras. Couldn't even access the router.  The Xfinity app showed that the modem was connected.  First thing I did on returning lasting night was investigate and found that the fairly new Cyberpower 625 UPS that only the router is plugged into died.  I haven't cracked it open yet to check the battery but the reset button and power switch do nothing.  I do know that some UPS systems will shut down if the battery is bad even if line power is available.  While I couldn't access anything remotely, the Stargate, Lutron and Honeywell t-stats, all having minds of their own, continued to run their schedules.  The security system has its own cellular communicator and was not affected.  Why does this stuff always happen while one is away? 

[HA Dave]

I'm all for cloud based but things can & do happen...….

We are in full agreement! I am always amazed when people are "surprised" when their car breaks down... their PC gets a virus... or they get sick themselves. Everything breaks.

Most of us here are old enough to trade "used-to-could" stories about how quickly cars tires used to wear out, and don't forget new sparkplugs and tune-ups (back in the day). Or stories like..... the time I tied up the phone line for 4 hours... downloading the new (25 megabyte) Netscape Browser.
 
Of course there will be problems with all new.... and OLD technologies. And if there was a way to somehow break-proof our lives... we'd all jump at the chance. But no such world exists. Fear of change is common.... and crippling.... for individuals, families, businesses, industries and even nations. If we can't discard our fears.... we can (and must) compartmentalize them. The future will be here in the morning (if not in the middle of the night).

[VinRin57]

My only .02, as a newbie using X-10 since 1993, is that Authinx has dragged their feet every inch of the way. They dangled a carrot for 3 years? to release the WiFi unit (maybe more, I have the emails somewhere). It has taken months to release an app update to correct one issue let alone an update that would include suggested improvements....  It speaks volumes that they are either not interested or underfunded.  And during this time period they probably lost a lot of customers to other companies who jumped on cloud automation.

My only concern now that I finally have the WiFi unit is, in the event something happens, then what happens to the server?

[HA Dave]

…...Authinx has dragged their feet every inch of the way.…

Yes. Yes they have. But... don't forget this technology has been very fast in changing. I was surprised when Apple put Home Automation features on their iphones. And... Alexa was a total game changer. Most people did not see it coming... and were NOT prepared for all this change... .Authinx included.
 

My only concern now that I finally have the WiFi unit is, in the event something happens, then what happens to the server?

I cleaned my "Man Cave" closet a few weeks ago. Originally, the Man Cave was my Home Office, then it was called my Nerd-Nasium. I had a closet full of outdated, defunct tech devices. I had 2 different brands of Bluetooth/phone app-operated IR remote extenders. They burned through batteries like a Christmas toy. And as sales dropped their apps weren't updated and could no longer function with the latest versions of my phones OS. They became useless.

And like lots of other now outdated tech.... I threw them away. Briefly (I imagine) I knew the heartbreak that a hoarder tries to avoid.

[Noam]

Why does this stuff always happen while one is away?

I returned from a trip recently to find out my A/C wasn't working. I actually found out a few hours before I got home (I landed at my connection, opened up my thermostat app, and saw that it thought the system was running - but the temperature hasn't come down at all after 12 hours). By the time I finally got home about 5 hours later, I'd used enough of my remote tools to determine that the outside compressor unit wasn't running, but the blower (part of the furnace in the basement) was working.

A few minutes with a multimeter led to my suspicions that the dual-run capacitor had failed, and 5 minutes later I had it changed out (that's why I have spare on hand), and the system was running again. I was away for 2 weeks, and the A/C failed the last day of my trip (it had gotten hot enough to kick it on earlier in the trip).

[dave w]

I can’t wait to trash that old computer. And your talking to someone that just got rid of my old Commodore PET Computer 1978 with a lot of software that I wrote myself. (Yeah I’m old)

Me too. I almost bought an Osborn, could only afford Atari 800 and Commodore 64. 

[HA Dave]

…. Me too. I almost bought an Osborn, could only afford Atari 800 and Commodore 64.

I had a Vic-20 (….1980-81?). Only recently.... have I completely given up on keeping a desktop for myself (although my wife still prefers her desktop). But... I have considered forgoing the laptop for a tablet. And more and more.... my phone is getting closer to all I need.

[Brian H]

I built and used a Heathkit H8. Then a Heathkit H89.

[lviper]

I built and used a Heathkit H8. Then a Heathkit H98.

Now you bring back memories. I remember sitting there watching my dad build a Heathkit computer when I was a kid. I don't remember the model but it was sometime in the early to mid 70's. I remember it ran tiny basic and you saved the programs on a cassette tape. He also built many other Heathkit things like scopes, meters and ham radio equipment.

Gosh, thanks for bringing back all those great memories.

[JeffVolp]

I built and used a Heathkit H8. Then a Heathkit H98.

I go back further than that.  My first computer was based on the Motorola MC6800 development kit using a teletype and paper tape for I/O.  Then I built an expanded version similar to the SWTPC 6800 with a CUTS interface to store programs on an audio cassette.  1's and 0's were different frequency tone bursts.  I was going to build my own monitor from scratch, but then Heathkit came out with the clunky H9 and then the H19, which was a significant improvement.

When floppy drives became available (at $450 each), I built an interface board and bought a copy of the FLEX operating system, which was similar to DOS.    That computer was my workhorse for many years until I bought an Epson XT clone.

I also purchased a Atari 400, which I modified with "real" keyboard.  Four of us developed "Powerstar" for the Atari 400/800, which may be the only graphic adventure game available on a 16K cartridge:

  http://www.atarimania.com/game-atari-400-800-xl-xe-powerstar_4079.html

Now we have 4 tower computers and 2 laptops.  Most are running Win7 Pro, but two towers still have XP to run the older software.

I started using X10 products around the time I built that first computer.  Computers have evolved a bit since then, but X10 devices are essentially the same.  How is that for some history...

Jeff

[docbell]

How is that for some history...

Familiar... the '70s. I built laboratory data acquisition systems using the Microware OS-9 RTOS (not to be confused with OS-anything else) running on 6809-based, SS-50 bus boxes from Smoke Signal Broadcasting (an inauspicious name, if there ever was one). You could program in "real-time" Basic, but if you needed a driver, you just fired up the assembler...