Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[donald landstrom]

I have had the push button wall switches
throughout my home for several years.  Now
they seem to be failing one by one to
respond to on-off commands but still work
to turn lights on or off from the module
button.  So far three have failed in this
manner. (one unit will respond to an off
command but not to an on command)  Will I
have to eventually replace all of my wall
switches? is this a common place happening
after one or two years in place for these
mondules?  Are the new wall switches any
better than the old ones or should I just
give up and replace with conventional wall
switches?  Replacing these units one by one
as they fail adds up to quite a bit of
MONEY.

[Brian H]

Any changes or additions to the home. Like a
new computer tv or other electronic gadget?
If so try the problem switches with the
devices unplugged. Some make so much line
noise in the X10 signal area they can stop
X10 devices from working. If so an X10 type
filter maybe needed for the device. Also do
you have a phase coupler to couple X10
signals across the phases in your home. Have
you changed the bulbs on the switches to a
CFL type?

[john bowden]

Donald:

I have had exactly the same experience as
you.  First one wall switch failed to work,
then another and another.  Then the command
module stopped working altogether.  Now I
find that the external security lights turn
on almost at random and won' turn off.  I am
about ready to rip out all of the X10
products, cut my losses and go back to
standard switches/lights.  I have called the
help line numerous times and they have
pretended as though this is the first time
they have ever heard of this.  And yet in
various internet forums, I now discover that
this is not unique to me at all.

When you first purchase, there is no mention
of the need for X-10 filters!  Nor is it
reasonable to suggest that this product will
no longer work if you change a light bulb or
plug in a different appliance.  In a few
parts of the world, power companies are
transmitting telephone and TV signals across
power lines, so how X-10 cannot handle a
noise within one's own home I don't
understand.  If the technology is not that
robust, then I think it is time to switch to
something else - maybe wireless, that is not
affected by power line noise.  I see that
Lowe's is now selling wireless modules (for
outdoor security lights) that would work in
place of X-10.

If you manage to fix your problem (other than
through random trial and error, which I
resort to) then please post here how you did it!

[lee]

This is exactly the same problem I discussed
in another forum. I have installed a phase
coupler and it has made no difference. I,
too, am getting a disillusioned with my X10
ActiveHomePro system with the faults
happening when nothing in the electrical
system has changed.

[donald landstrom]

Two more of my wall switches have failed
since I first described my problem.  The
replies I got from X-10 are of no help at
all. I have had three encounters with
the "help desk" and all three tell me to
try the wall switch in a different
receptacle.  They don't seem to "get it"
that the wall switch is wired into a
circuit and would burn up if taken out of
the wall and "plugged itno a receptacle"
Do these "experts" know anything about the
items sold by X-10.  I think not.

[lee]

Unfortunately, X10's support is very
unsatisfactory. When I was a beta tester for
AHP, the service reps were very helpful but
when the program was completed, the
knowledge base of support suddenly
disappeared. It appears that X10 is more
focused in flashy advertising and
selling "deals" than supporting their
products after they are sold.

[paul]

I just installed ActiveHome Pro and I am
having trouble with the RWS17 decorator
wall dimmers that were sent (in lieu of the
WS12A but supposedly identical in
function).  The switches will respond to
lights OFF (if the lights are manually
turned on at the switch) but not to lights
ON.  Once they're off, they're off for good
until the switch is pressed by hand.  The
other controls (lamp module, appliance
module) are working fine, on and off.  I
tried in 3 different locations, even in the
same room/circuit as the controller, but
with no luck.  The wiring instructions on
the printed paper are different than on the
device itself, and the web page PDF
instructions.  They have the line and load
reversed.  I tried both ways and regardless
it exhibits the same behavior.

[ChrisB]

I installed mini controller and wall
switches in a customers home about 6 months
ago. Now, 2 of the wall switches will not
respond to turning both on and off from the
controller. Just on on one and off on the
other. I replaced both switches but no joy.
Still not functioning properly. Is there
anyplace else to find tech help, fourms,
and alike?

[Mike from Tewksbury]

I am having problesm with this as well.
Finally unplugged ActiveHome module from
wall and wnet back to my original
Clock/Timer and the switches work perfectly.

[bingo]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one
experiencing these phenomena. My latest was
last weekend, when I decided to swap two
switches because the one for my front porch
lights was only responding to manual
control - no response to either the remote
or the computer. At the same time, I put my
christmas tree on a lamp timer. When I
powered the circuit back up both the module
and switch responded to commands from all
sources. YAAAY!

Three hours later, all the outside lights
except the front porch came on. Also, the
tree lights failed to come on. I tried both
the remote and the computer with no success.
Now I'm starting the trial and error process
of checking for interferences.

Like many of you, there have been no changes
to my electrical system, stuff just quits
working and I'm getting PO'd. Is there
anything out there that performs better than
X-10? I love my home automation, but it's
got to be more reliable!

[dave]

I have had the same problem with my GE Simon
alarm system.  All of a sudden the light
stopped going "on" would turn off no problem.
Every now and again it would work as normal.
I tried a module and that works perfect.
Damn annoying.  I want to get more switches
to wire to the alarm for when I get home, but
I dont want light randomly not working.
Tried the module on the same phase. That
works just not the switches. arrrggghhhh

[dave]

I have had the same problem with my GE Simon
alarm system.  All of a sudden the light
stopped going "on" would turn off no problem.
Every now and again it would work as normal.
I tried a module and that works perfect.
Damn annoying.  I want to get more switches
to wire to the alarm for when I get home, but
I dont want light randomly not working.
Tried the module on the same phase. That
works just not the switches. arrrggghhhh

[george s]

I had similar symptoms.  One wall switch
would turn on but not off.  I tracked it down
to one of those high efficiency fluorescent
screw in bulbs.  I am going to try to swap it
out with one from another mfg to see if the
problem goes away..

[Brian H]

Me too. On the CFLs. I had one brand that
made so much X10 noise it stoped some of my
modules from working.

[terry c]

I too had a problem with my light switch
not working correctly, when I first
installed it, everything was fine.  Then
after a few weeks, the slave switch would
not turn the light on, it would turn it off
fine. All the other functions with the
switch was fine including off and on with
the remote.  After a little research on the
forums I discovered that if you switch the
black and blue wire on the master switch it
might fix the problem. I tried this and it
is again working fine.  Also I had a couple
of switches that would not work remotely,
tried to think of what I might have plugged
in that would cause this.  Discovered that
one of my computers was the culprit, I
unplugged it and now everything is fine, Im
going to try a new power supply for that
computer and see what that does.  Just
putting out this info because it doesn't
seem to be much in information about what
you might can try to fix your promblems,
hope this helps.