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[steve l.]

Nope, not allowed to use the 50 dollar
smartmacro coupon on the AHP/CM15A, as it is
a "red" labeled order number or some such
stipulation.  Red must mean special sale item
or something.

[russ]

Guys, I have decided that until the company
(x10) starts providing what they advertise,
I am not buying anything from them and
advising others to do like wise yep
BOYCOTT!! This means full functional
software available for download
including "smart macros" as no where did it
state I had to spend an add. 50 dollars to
get the unit to work and do all they said it
could, They made sure smart macro package
was not listed in the software section also.
So I say  BOYCOTT until this cost them
something they will continue this errant
behavior. BOYCOTT BOYCOTT BOYCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!

[ray anderson]

I agree with a lot of what I am hearing. No
doubt home automation is an exciting concept,
but a $50.00 purchase should not lead to
$500.00 worth of crap from X10. Between the
pop ups, the junk emails, terrible warranty
service, short longevity of a lot of their
products and the constant hook they try to
get in you to buy more of the same or make
add on purchases, this company is a cash cow
that doesn't give milk. I'm glad they don't
sell cars. I'm afraid I would still be
looking for the seat covers.

[robotmakermickey]

Humm, I would gladly pay the additional
cost for the conditional macros. However, I
do learn from past experiences. I finally
had to abandon Pro for my old, somewhat
reliable CM11A, which I’ve had in my house
for about 5 years now. After doing a
tremendous amount of troubleshooting and e-
mail notification to X-10(with only one
reply “upgrade”) about the Pro, I finally
came to the conclusion that they must
operate like the controls company I work for
(note name exclusion) and farm the code out
to Canada or India. I troubleshoot that
krap, I mean code to make it work, or
abandon it completely and re-write it. I
then come home and have to troubleshoot Pro
for X-10 and just get further frustration.
So for the time being, my CM11A works fine
and when the major bugs are worked out of
the base Pro version, and I see minimal
complaints about the Smart Macros, I will
cough up the $50 to X-10 for the additional
features so I will be able to do in
software what I’m currently doing in
hardware and give it a chance. But for now,
the Pro is sitting on my floor and my cat
plays with on rare occasions. Be nice
Kitty )

[SteveRF]

Hey ROBOT !
Don't let the cat get too wild with the CM15A..
I'll send you a brand new $20.00 bill for
it... It will be perfect when I get the
antenna mod done... I'll use it way out in
the Mother-in-Law house... now that will be
fun !  I can just see her now, just stepping
in the shower when CLICK..hehe

[robotmakermickey]

Hey SteveRF,

How’s your mother in laws heart? I could
stuff my CM15A into the body of  one of
those “realistic” babies(Mickey shutters)
you see in the Sunday papers. We could make
it all bloody and put tons of cat nip into
it and while my cat gets stoned and is
hacking up the CM15A along with the baby,
we could send an RF signal and turn on a
sound player with a baby crying. Your
mother in law would hear the baby crying
and her motherly instincts would take over
and she would have to walk in to assist the
crying baby. When see sees my cat hacking
at the Baby(CM15A), she’ll have a heart
attack and, well, SteveRF is free from her
horror…4Ever… Don’t even think the boyz &
gals on CSI could ever figure out that a
visual horror causing a heart attack )

[donald mcmow]

Hey ROBOTMAKERMICKEY - I resent that
comment we Canadians do have a lot of GOOD
programmers and people. Alot of your people
have come from Canada - There are quite a
few excellant games that your companies
have supplied to the public. Other
industries have prominent Canadians
involved in them as well.

[robotmakermickey]

Hey Donald McMow,

I do apologize for my open-ended statement
to both Canada and India. However, I do
stick with my original view which I
attribute exclusively(in my case) to lack
of experience especially field experience.
Originally, I worked with in-house
engineers who have experience from the
field. Now, I work with engineers who are
pretty wet behind the ears and have no
field experience and virtually all
communication is via E-mail. Lost is the
face-to-face contact and as I’m sure most
of us are all aware, face-to-face
communication best presents the issues
because you can immediately interact.

I’ve dealt with X-10 for years on issues
and short e-mails(because we all know that
if it’s lengthy, it probably won’t be read
completelymay not convey detailed
information accurately.

I’ll keep my comments to the forum subject
and intent and keep my soapbox in the
closet…

[stoop]

Someone wanna tell me the filename for the
Smart Macros?

Thanks

[Tad]

Here is a secret X10 doesn't want you to
know about. Its called Consumer Protection.
Type-   consumer complaints  -in search box
and you'll find several areas to voice your
complaints. Including the F.T.C. and here is
there web site-
http://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?
Z_ORG_CODE=PUO1    

[P_DuBois]

Actually, X10 advertisements (once one as
found out that Smart Macros Software is
needed to do anything involving simple
decision making steps) say it all:

ActiveHome Pro: “Macros are powerful mini-
routines that you customize to do *powerful
tasks*”
Smart Macros: “For example, lets say you
want to automatically turn a room's lights
on when you enter but only if it's dark
outside. Makes sense doesn't it? Well,
*believe it or not, that simple decision-
making step was not possible - Until Now*!”

So X10 publicly admits that even a *simple
decision-making step is not possible with
ActiveHome Pro* the way it is sold (without
the extra $ Smart Macros Package!

Basically it's like downloading a FREE
crippled shareware program and having to
buy a code to get it uncrippled, except
that X10 make you pay to download the
crippled software in the first place!!!

This is totally unacceptable to me and I am
asking for an RMA, unless I can get a free
download of SmartMacros! Then, I am going
to put the box full of X10 modules I have
on eBay.

[tony]

In case anyone is interested in what was
said in P.C. Magazine about CM15A on
11/02/04:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1675067,
00.asp

[tony]

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Re: Do I have to buy smartmacros?
Tony  2/27/2005 04:48 PM
In case anyone is interested in what was
said in P.C. Magazine about CM15A on
11/02/04:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1675067,
00.asp
P_DuBois:  For the record the X10 eagle-eye
sensor (MS14A) has a capability to send
On/Off commands only when it is dark so
without any software for approximately the
last 3 years that function has been working
in my basement.

[P. DuBois]

Tony, I totally agree with you about the
MS14 light/dark function. I have used it as
well for several years. My point though is
that X10 advertises a macro editor which
allows to write macros for *powerful tasks*
and the name "Pro" implies a better product
than the basic ActiveHome used to be. The
macro editor in the Pro edition does not
really allow to build *powerful* macros,
only basic ones similar to the regular non
Pro version, as there is no conditional
language available without the plug-in.
It's only with the Smart Macros plug-in
that one can really make *powerful*
macros...

It is that lack of macro power in the "Pro"
program that I find deceiving and
misleading! Reading this thread, it seems I
am not the only one...

[andy p]

The CM15A was going to be my third-
generation controller.  (I started with the
computer-interfaced mini controller.)  I
really don't care about the interface, I
tend to modify up my config once a year.
It was the macros (what-ifs) that I was
interested in.  But if I have to spend
$49.99 (save $50) for the box and then hand
over the $50 I (supposedly) saved it just
isn't worth it.
So what does everyone say to the idea of
writing an open-source replacement for the
X-10 software to be distributed as
freeware?  I shouldn't be all that tough.