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Author Topic: Newbie to X10 Hub  (Read 2001 times)

Flagsteve

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Newbie to X10 Hub
« on: February 08, 2019, 01:53:12 PM »

I've had X10 in my house for at least 20 years, so I was excited to find there was a hub that linked to my smart phone.
But now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have just stuck with the old 'mini-remote controller' (from Radio Shack!).

I liked the idea of being able to NAME each unit, and to be able to program and control everything from my phone.

I wanted to set it all up before we go on an extended vacation to Europe. My problems:

1) our area is prone to short power outages in the summer. as the hub has no back up battery, will this lead to problems while I am away?
2) the hub derives it's time (I think) from my phone, which will, as soon as we land in Europe, show that the time is 9 hours later. Won't this make any programming I've done totally worthless?
3) while flying, and often enough during my travel, I will not have access to wifi. Will this mean that during those times the system will not be able to function?
4) a minor one: when I go to type in the name for a unit it doesn't show in the field where I type it in, even though it shows on the list of units after I've saved it.

Is there a fix for number 4?
Are problems 1, 2 and 3 insurmountable? If so, I want to return the unit while I still can.

Thank you!
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bkenobi

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Re: Newbie to X10 Hub
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2019, 02:38:48 PM »

1) Power outages can cause the SD to become corrupt and yes this could be an issue.  Also, depending on the setup, the system may not come back online exactly how you think it will.  For example, HG can be set up to only send a command if the module needs to be changed.  If it thinks a light is on and you send an on, that may result in no change.

2) No, the time is set on the RPi and has nothing to do with the phone.

3) No, the phone can be used to control the system but it is not required to function.  I go days without using my phone/tablet/PC to connect to HG.  Things just work.

4) Not sure what this means.
[/quote]

dhouston

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Re: Newbie to X10 Hub
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2019, 02:42:55 PM »

If so, I want to return the unit while I still can.
Yes - return the WM100 while you can.
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brobin

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Re: Newbie to X10 Hub
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2019, 03:47:39 PM »

1) Power outages can cause the SD to become corrupt and yes this could be an issue.  Also, depending on the setup, the system may not come back online exactly how you think it will.  For example, HG can be set up to only send a command if the module needs to be changed.  If it thinks a light is on and you send an on, that may result in no change.

2) No, the time is set on the RPi and has nothing to do with the phone.

3) No, the phone can be used to control the system but it is not required to function.  I go days without using my phone/tablet/PC to connect to HG.  Things just work.

4) Not sure what this means.
[/quote]
He's referring to the WM100.

@Flagsteve Return it while you can! It's a failed product with little to no hope of being improved.  Take a look at the PiX10Hub here and use the refund to install the HomeGenie image on a Raspberry Pi. It's a far better solution!
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bkenobi

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Re: Newbie to X10 Hub
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2019, 03:58:17 PM »

Oh, well he posted in the PiX10Hub thread and the questions made sense for that...more or less.  I didn't see anything that said WM100 but if that's the case...I'd drop it in an instant.  I wanted it originally but when I found that it's capability set was basically useless to me I never considered a purchase.
 

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