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[johnn]

Tigger, Martin and Donald,

Thanks for the suggestions.  The batteries
are new, I’ve shut down the motion sensors
and the activity monitor is indicating a
PLC command rather than an RF command.  I
did shut down every circuit in my home, one
at a time, without improvement.

Tigger, I was thinking along the same
lines.  I purchased some line filters and
have decided my next move would be to set
up a test fixture with the power line
filters isolating the CM-15a/TM751 and a
couple of modules on a power strip (without
internal noise filters).  This way the
power line filter would act in reverse…
that is isolating my test system from the
power line.  If I can get either the CM-15a
or TM751 to control the modules on the
isolated power strip then that should prove
that the problem is on the power line and
not RF.

All, I started another thread on
the “Software Problem Reports” forum to
initially discuss what I believe is a
software problem.  That thread has morphed
into a discussion of this problem.  Rather
than taking up two threads with a single
problem, I would like to suggest we
transition discussion of my power line
problem to the “X10PRO I need help or an
exorcism” thread that way we can return
Dick’s thread back to his original purpose.

This is really a strange and tough problem
and I truly appreciate all of your thoughts
and suggestions.

[dick collier]

1132cu arrived via FedEx this morning.
Following suit with the activities of AHP, it
was installed immediatetly and programming
commenced.

It has only been 4 hours since my last
download to the 1132 but so far things are
working.  I did have to do a hard reset on
bothe the 1132 and my pc halfway through my
programming.  The download just hung.  I will
watch for that in the future.

I have redeployed my cm15a as a whole house
RF transceiver, center of the house, lower
floor, max distance of 40' in this 70' long
house.  Antenna is vertical, no more than 2
walls and 1 floor between us (rf users) and
the cm15a.  It appears reliable so far.  By
the way, a whole house rf tranceiver from
SmartHome (4831k) retails for $109.99 so I am
now thanking x10 for providing me an
equivalent for only $100.

There was almost no transition time from AHP
to Smarthome.  The programs are almost
identical.  Me thinks either the same
programmer hacked this code out for both
companies or both companies outsourced the
requirements to Tata in India and they sold
the same code twice.  I mean even down to the
help functions offering you to buy the module
you need online.

I will continue fine tuning and monitoring
and logging for the next three days and then
report back.  The forth day I'm going to
Galveston for a week so don't expect much
until my return.

[dick collier]

3 days into it and the combo of my 1132cup
with Smarthome Manager Plus and my cm15a as a
dedicated whole house RF tranceiver is
working reliably.  I will need to purchase
another dedicated device if I want to
incorporate video capture.  The 1132cup
package was $100, identical to the cm15a
package with macros.

Downside of the Smarthome manager is it is
Switchlinc centric right now.  Device
selection is either Switchlinc or generic.
All of my switches are Leviton so I'm looking
for a compatible switchlinc device, waiting
for Smarthome to write the Leviton devices or
using generic.

I'm starting to look at this whole thing like
my audio system.  If I want convenience and a
single box I go cm15a or a console audio
system.  If I want custom functionality,
flexibility and better response I go x10
component, RF component, video component or a
diescrete component audio system.  I
understand the cost difference and I also
understand the benefits.  Ya get what ya pay for.

Side bennie to the discrete non proprietary
component approach... I am now considering
flipping the bill for software like Homeseer
and a whole house microphone component and
start playing with voice control of this
homestead.

See y'all in a week.  This guy is smiling
with the final results as I go to hang out on
the beaches of Galveston.

[dick collier]

Smarthome Manager was a disappointment.  Tech
supports responds with "generic or SwitchLinc
only" and no plans for expansion or custom
add-ons.  So much for my investment in Leviton.

So I bit the bullet and bought HomeSeer.  It
took 140 bucks and a couple weeks to get used
to it but with the 1132cup for x10 and the
cm15a for RF the house is now running
predicably and reliably.

The voice interface with Homeseer is starting
to spook the wife but I think she will get
used to it as I ever so slowly introduce it
into the house.

So here's my bottom line.  Excluding the
existing x10 devices throughout the house,
this has cost me:

$100 for Smarthome Pro with macros (-$50 for
the modules that I got for free with the
macro package).

$100 for the 1132cup package with Smarthome
Manager which was a disappointment.

$140 for Homeseer, which has incorporated
both the CM15A and the 1132CUP to work as a
reliable home controller.

Okay, I spent net $290 to upgrade... it
works... it works well.  I am not annoyed by
any of the companies I have done business
with, ya just gotta take the time to make it
all work together.

Oh, almost forgot... my daughter came over
this weekend to help me put up the railing on
the new deck.  It looks really good.  Next
step it the purgula and then we are done.

[dick collier]

Smarthome Manager was a disappointment.  Tech
supports responds with "generic or SwitchLinc
only" and no plans for expansion or custom
add-ons.  So much for my investment in Leviton.

So I bit the bullet and bought HomeSeer.  It
took 140 bucks and a couple weeks to get used
to it but with the 1132cup for x10 and the
cm15a for RF the house is now running
predicably and reliably.

The voice interface with Homeseer is starting
to spook the wife but I think she will get
used to it as I ever so slowly introduce it
into the house.

So here's my bottom line.  Excluding the
existing x10 devices throughout the house,
this has cost me:

$100 for Smarthome Pro with macros (-$50 for
the modules that I got for free with the
macro package).

$100 for the 1132cup package with Smarthome
Manager which was a disappointment.

$140 for Homeseer, which has incorporated
both the CM15A and the 1132CUP to work as a
reliable home controller.

Okay, I spent net $290 to upgrade... it
works... it works well.  I am not annoyed by
any of the companies I have done business
with, ya just gotta take the time to make it
all work together.

Oh, almost forgot... my daughter came over
this weekend to help me put up the railing on
the new deck.  It looks really good.  Next
step it the purgula and then we are done.

[johnn]

Dick,

Glad to hear that things are finally
working for you.  I finally got my power
line noise problem solved and my system is
up and running using only AHP.  While my
system is working, it does occasionally
stop responding and the AHP S/W is still
quirky.    So, getting unbiased experience
with competitive products is most helpful
and appreciated.  For now my system is
marginally acceptable, so, I'll be sticking
with AHP.

I have one question.  Knowing what you do
now, what would you have done differently?

Pergola…. Sounds like quite a deck.  Made
even more special because you built it with
your daughter

[arf1410]

Dick -

Does Homeseer download fully to the 1132 and
work with PC turned off?

[dick collier]

Arf:
No download with Homeseers and the cm15a.
You have to at least leave it active,
minimized and connected to the cm15a.  Tech
support says the download is coming soon.  In
my circumstance this is not an issue.  I come
from the old school of thought that a
computer will die faster if you turn it on
and off (thermal shock) rather than leaving
in on all the time.  Beside that, this is an
old windows 98se system that is used for
little more than a web browser and Homeseer,
it handles both just fine.  After a few years
of home automation experience I am leaning
toward a dedicated pc for it, please read on
to hear my inclination for doing so.

John:
I would not change a thing!  x10 gave me a
whole house RF tranceiver for $50 which after
retrospective shopping, nobody could beat
that deal.  Smarthome gave me a reliable USB
interface to x10 protocol with the 1132cup
which relieved me from having to share my
free serial port between my cm11 and my
digital camera.  Smarthome Manager and AHP
with macros showed me the flexibility I
desired with conditional if/then/else
programming statements which led me to
Homeseer which is pretty agnostic to
hardware, offers the conditional programming,
includes voice interaction, and is just kind
of a hoot to play with.

Bottom line is I am smiling.  As someone much
smarter than myself once said, "it's not the
destination but the journey which is
important".  I concur, this has been a
worthwhile journey and the destination is not
looking all that bad either.

"When you get to the fork in the road, take
it".  Homeseer and other software have voice
interaction included.  I will soon be
aquiring a multiroom microphone/speaker
system to exploit this new facit of home
control.  Speach recognition sessions are
currently taking place with headsets to
prepare for this. (I'm still getting "the
look" from my wife over this).  The voice
interaction is rather cpu intensive, if I'm
running another program and my `puter want's
to speak, it will studder if I am busy doing
something else.  What the heck, a home
controlling pc doesn't seem too much of an issue.

[dick collier]

correction to my last post.  Active,
minimized and connected to the 1132... not
the cm15a.  sorry about that.