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[petera]

As members on this forum may already be aware of there are a number of different platforms for X10 on the Raspberry Pi and the Raspberry Pi Zero that have now been tested and proven to work very well. Some of them will take a little more time and patience to implement than others but with help and guidance you should get there.

Once you have found the correct platform to work with, once you have the installation completed you will access your new platform through the browser on your Raspberry Pi or from any other device you have available to you.

The real strength in deploying a Raspberry for X10 is that it does not have to have a keyboard, mouse or monitor attached to it. It acts as what is termed a "server" and the device that you use to access it is known as a client. On your client you open a browser and type in the ip address of your Raspberry Pi. You will be presented with the main screen of your chosen platform and from there configure your X10 devices. You will be able to create macros, events and timers and of course if you choose add other elements of home automation never available in AHP.

All this time your Raspberry Pi can be hidden away in the corner with the only things attached being the power supply and your X10 controller. There really is no need for a GUI with this little beauty. In fact for home automation it is recommend that you leave the GUI out. All yor system configurations will be carried out on your other device, the client which can be another PC, a tablet or even a mobile phone.

I really do recommend that you take the plunge and buy a Raspberry Pi and try a platform that suits.

[Tuicemen]

A list of what you have tried,  & used as well as pros/cons of each as you saw see it would be most helpful to X10 users looking to make the leap.
I realize these different platforms are mostly a users preference but knowing before hand what to expect goes a long way in helping a X10 user decide which to try first.

I've only loaded and ran one possible platform of all the options and I do like it. It doesn't matter to me if a platform is no longer being worked on as long as it handles my X10 and the CM15 if it has options to create addons and most do I can stumble through creating one if needed.
I do like to look at other possibilities before I dig in to far.

[petera]

A list of what you have tried,  & used as well as pros/cons of each as you saw see it would be most helpful to X10 users looking to make the leap.
I realize these different platforms are mostly a users preference but knowing before hand what to expect goes a long way in helping a X10 user decide which to try first.

I've only loaded and ran one possible platform of all the options and I do like it. It doesn't matter to me if a platform is no longer being worked on as long as it handles my X10 and the CM15 if it has options to create addons and most do I can stumble through creating one if needed.
I do like to look at other possibilities before I dig in to far.

The majority of the ones I have road tested so far support the CM15 and the CM11 and in a few cases the CM17 (Firecracker I think. Not much use to me on this side of the planet  ) .

I've had a little spare time over the last couple of weeks but now it's back to the "day job". I will post on the working platforms I've encountered, 10 at the last count as soon as time allows.

It would be nice to see a few more members giving X10 a try on the Raspberry Pi if for no other reason than to demonstrate that there is life after AHP.

[bkenobi]

Yes, we need a list of what HA software works and doesn't.  Something that lists things by controller and some high level notes (script languages, forum quality, downloadable plugins, etc).  If someone can come up with a template, I can try to add my attempts at different software (though it's been a long summer and things are getting fuzzy).  I use HG but am planning on a new round of trials when it starts raining and the days get shorter.

[petera]

I was using HomeGenie exclusively a while back and found that it covered most of my home automation requirements but they grew and unfortunately I outgrew it. It’s still very capable I will admit but as development halted I started to look around at alternatives.

I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel so when I installed Home Assistant I found it had everything I needed and more. Very customisable too and when I started to play around with Python that sealed the deal.

The most important factor for potential users is that it is fairly easy to install, has a vibrant community and is very well documented. These factors alone make it worth trying. It also has a Raspberry Pi version but I prefer to install packages like these manually. Gives greater scope to add and remove elements you may or may not require.

I have tried a number of other alternatives purely to see if I could get X10 working on them but wasn’t too impressed with the overall look and feel.

[b0b99]

Life after AHP.
I have been using X10 for a long time with AHP on a dedicated PC. I recently decided it is time to move to a Raspberry Pi to reduce the power usage and hard drive wear of the PC. I tried Home Genie but found it too complicated to program the functions I wanted, mostly having it send me a text message when my garage door was closed. I looked at Home Assistant but was not impressed with it as well. Finally I settled on Domoticz which does all the functions I had with AHP, namely timers on lights, controlling my IP cameras, and macro like functions (using Blockly) to turn on lights when entering the house late at night, sending a text message to my cell when the garage door opens or closes. I have found this to be very reliable, even though we have recently had several power glitches.

[bkenobi]

I failed to get Domoticz running correctly.  The new HG didn't work well for me, so I'm currently using 526.  I have some glitches periodically (mostly in winter due to weather and longer lighting needs).  I plan on using my RPi3 to potentially move to HomeAssistant in the coming months.

[petera]

Life after AHP.
I have been using X10 for a long time with AHP on a dedicated PC. I recently decided it is time to move to a Raspberry Pi to reduce the power usage and hard drive wear of the PC. I tried Home Genie but found it too complicated to program the functions I wanted, mostly having it send me a text message when my garage door was closed. I looked at Home Assistant but was not impressed with it as well. Finally I settled on Domoticz which does all the functions I had with AHP, namely timers on lights, controlling my IP cameras, and macro like functions (using Blockly) to turn on lights when entering the house late at night, sending a text message to my cell when the garage door opens or closes. I have found this to be very reliable, even though we have recently had several power glitches.

Interesting. I installed Domoticz a while back. In fact I think I still have a copy on SD card which uses Heyu on the CM11 as a type of bridge to implement X10. It's a while since I used it though.

Great to see you tried a couple of different platforms until you found one that works. Let's hope others take your approach and experiment a little.

[petera]

I failed to get Domoticz running correctly.  The new HG didn't work well for me, so I'm currently using 526.  I have some glitches periodically (mostly in winter due to weather and longer lighting needs).  I plan on using my RPi3 to potentially move to HomeAssistant in the coming months.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised once you drill into Home Assistant. I'm not sure of your level of experience in Python but it's English language similarity struck a positive note with me. That and the overall layout of Home Assistant will definitely take up a considerable amount of the coming winter months for me.

[Tuicemen]

I have zero experience in python. Learning a programming language is what turns many wouldbe users away from a potential powerful program.
I'll give this ago but suspect I'll stick with HG due to its simplicity.

[petera]

I have zero experience in python. Learning a programming language is what turns many wouldbe users away from a potential powerful program.
I'll give this ago but suspect I'll stick with HG due to its simplicity.

It's not necessary to program in Home Assistant to configure your home automation. It's just a bonus if you can. A bit like being able to program in C# in Home Genie. I find Home Assistant quicker to configure too. Again it's just down to personal choice.

[Tuicemen]

Does HA have a wizard for creating programs (custom macros) like HG?

[petera]

Does HA have a wizard for creating programs (custom macros) like HG?

It's event based. Set up your devices and have them execute based an predefined parameters.

There's plenty of documentation that can be read up on Home Assistant. If for no other reason I suggest installing it on a spare SD card and trying it out. Nothing to loose and it's the best way to evaluate it.

[mike]

Yes, we need a list of what HA software works and doesn't.  Something that lists things by controller and some high level notes (script languages, forum quality, downloadable plugins, etc).  If someone can come up with a template, I can try to add my attempts at different software (though it's been a long summer and things are getting fuzzy).  I use HG but am planning on a new round of trials when it starts raining and the days get shorter.

I gave up on HG on windows as way too buggy, moved back to AHP but bought a Pi zero W and tried installing HG with no success, then installed OpenHab and it runs but is too complex for my willingness to learn it enough to use it. 

I like this idea bkenobi.  Each of you guys have installed all those different HA programs on your SD card, but for a lot of us, the pain of loading the mem card with that foreign linux operating system and also a new HA program to try is a killer - at least it is for me.  If I had more than a spare hour a day to play, it would be different. 

So I like the idea above and ask you all to consider one up on it:   

POST THE LIST OF POTENTIAL HA PROGRAMS AND UNDER EACH INCLUDE A LINK TO A SELF INSTALLING MEM CARD IMAGE.

Then those of us without linux experience, with day jobs, can experiment with them!

[petera]

I started this thread not knowing what, if any experience members had of Linux Raspbian. As far as I can see now that level is quite low now. I’m not sure if anyone wants to take the time or has the inclination to learn the basics of the Linux OS.

Personally speaking and having a day job too I am not in a position to write up one liner installation scripts. Maybe others here do. All I was trying to do was share my experience of X10 on the Raspberry Pi. I didn’t choose the Raspberry Pi OS. That decision was down to the manufacturer.

Maybe at some stage someone will develop a credible Windows OS to run on a Raspberry Pi. That should make life easier for those who find the one click Windows installer easier to manage.

For those who are up to the challenge and wish to have an X10 based home automation system working on a Raspberry Pi there is a wealth of very informative reading on the web to choose from. For those members good luck with your exploits. It can be achieved and a very rewarding learning experience too.

Home automation is a marathon and not a sprint. If you’re looking for a quick fix Linux/Raspbian is not for you no matter how many scripts are written for you. You are depending on the people who write those scripts to maintain them for you.