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[Scott T]

For several reasons I would like to have the
ability to turn off the RF receiver on
CA15A.  While the limited range helps with
stray signals from other x-10 homes, I would
like to just turn it off completely.

I’m new at this x-10 stuff, but I feel there
is little to no security for the RF
signals.  Anyone with an x-10 remote can
turn off and on your modules.  It’s true
they need to know your house-code (all of 16
possibilities) and then rotate through the
unit codes.

If I am miss reading this PLEASE help me
understand!

[ken]

You're not missing anything.  You describe
the reason that I removed a Universal Module
from my garage door opener that I originally
installed for convenience.  Placing a module
outside the locked doors of your house (in
the garage) risks exposure of your housecode
but as you say it's easily guessed anyway.

Disabling the RF reception doesn't really
stop anybody from plugging an interface into
an exterior outlet and playing with your
modules anyway.  It's not designed to be
entirely secure.

I use X10 to control lights only, and a
mischievous person can "play with them" to
their hearts content for all I care.  No real
harm done.   I have "OFF codes" at various
times on the more obvious modules to prevent
them from being left on 24 hours.  The CM15A
has sufficient memory to allow me this.

Maybe it would would better to wish that X10
incorporate Security+® technology in their
remote transmitters.

[Scott T]

This picture is slowly becoming clearer as I
move through the learning curve.

As far as security, another technology is
Keeloq.  This is the same technology the
garage door manufactures use.  It would only
add about $0.50 to their board and provide
the feature of code hopping.

[ken]

A tiny bit of reading tells me that Keeloq
would be perfect for X10 transmitters.  If I
were paranoid, I could deal with the exposure
of an exterior power outlet passing X10
powerline codes in the clear, and the
addition of a Code Hopping Encoder like
Keeloq would sew the thing up pretty tight.  

[X10 Pro]

You can turn off transceiver functions in the
CM15A by de-selecting all the House Codes
listed in Hardware Configuration under
Transceived House Codes. The CM15A will still
receive commands, but won't do anything with
them.

[ken]

Sheesh, should have figured it out.
Embarrassment.  Thanks for the response.

[steve l.]

"You can turn off transceiver functions in
the CM15A by de-selecting all the House Codes
listed in Hardware Configuration under
Transceived House Codes. The CM15A will still
receive commands, but won't do anything with
them."

According to the in program Help
documentation under HARDWARE CONFIGURATION,
"If there are House Codes you don't want
ActiveHome Pro to send on to the power line,
un-check them in the Transceived House
Code(s) listing. This might be useful if a
neighbor is also using X10 remote controls on
a different address, or if you only want to
allow certain devices to be controlled remotes."

So which is it?  A total functionality
explanation with an example would be fantastic.

[roger1818]

Steve,

It is both.  Any box that you uncheck will
have the coresponding house code disabled.
If you uncheck all of them they will all
the house codes will be disabled.

[steve l.]

I just tested this out.  I unchecked
housecode "C", saved, wiped interface,
downloaded, exited program, restarted
computer, restarted the program.  Sent a
software ON to C5 via the program and it
showed up in AHP activity monitor AND the
garage overhead lights on C5 turned on.

So even though I unchecked the "C" house code
on the transciever list, it still sends
out powerline commands, which is NOT what the
online documentation states.

"If there are House Codes you don't want
ActiveHome Pro to send on to the power line,
un-check them in the Transceived House
Code(s) listing."

If the documentation stated that: If there
are House Codes you don't want ActiveHome Pro
to recieve via RF and then repeat onto the
power line, un-check them in the Transceived
House Code(s) listing.  That would make sense
and dovetail with what X-10 Pro stated.

[roger1818]

Steve,

I am sorry.  I misunderstood your question.

It sounds like a misprint in the
documentation to me.  The transceiver is
the part that converts RF signals to power
line (PL) signals.  In my mind, disabling a
house code on the transceiver should not
disable the CM15A's ability to generate PL
commands on that house code (just the RF to
PL conversion).  This is exactly how it
works and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I currently have a single house code
transceiver plugged in and set to house
code B in a different part of the house.  I
disabled house code B on the CM15A
transceiver so that the two transceivers
won't fight with each other.  I still want
the CM15A to generate PL commands on house
code B though.

Just out of curiosity, why do you want the
ability to disable the transmission and
reception of all PL commands for a specific
house code?

[steve l.]

I don't.  But from looking at the
documentation, I thought that if I turned off
"C" in the transciever hardware
configuration, I wouldn't be able to
send/recieve PL activity on the CM15A from
that housecode.  I have a Stanley/Homelink
Garage door sensors on Housecode C and so I
need to have the RF reciever (looks like a
RR501 but with slightly different guts) for
those Garage Door Sensors to work with.  I
didn't want collisons with two different RF
recieve devices putting commands on the line
for the same housecode, but I still wanted to
be able to see the activity in the logs and
~crosses fingers~ in the future have the
ability to have a configurable extended code
module to have a graphic icon of open/closed
garage doors in AHP for conditional checking.

I'm glad it works the way it works, thanks
for the insight.

[roger1818]

Steve,

I assume you have tried using the CM15a
instead of the Stanley/Homelink receiver?

[steve l.]

Yes that is the first thing I tried, but
without the Homelink model 30001 Vehicle
Interface Module (the RR501 looking
transciever, but with a "run-install" switch
instead of on/off) the extended codes never
show up in the AHP Activity Monitor and the
Homelink Model 30003 Garage Door Status
Indicator module that plugs into the wall
never recieves the data to change its open
(red), closed (green) lights.

I think it has something to do with learning
the transmitter attached to the actual garage
door to the specific Homelink Transciever,
following is the Install directions if you
are interested:

"Vehicle Interface
The HomeLink communicates with the Vehicle
Interface (module with antenna)
to activate home lighting.

Programming

1.. Move the RUN-INSTALL slide switch to the
INSTALL position.
2.. Turn the red HOUSE rotary dial to
position "A" and the black UNIT
rotary dial to number "1."
3.. Plug the Vehicle Interface into an
outlet, preferably in the garage.
4.. Press and hold the Universal Transceiver
button chosen to activate
home lighting, releasing when an audible tone
is heard from the Vehicle
Interface. (If no tone is heard, the vehicle
and the Vehicle Interface may
need to be closer to each other during this
procedure.)
5.. After the tone is heard, move the
RUN-INSTALL slide switch to the RUN
position.
The Vehicle Interface is now programmed and
can be moved from one outlet to
another without losing any programming as
long as it remains in the RUN
position.

To erase all programming, unplug the
interface and move the RUN-INSTALL
slide switch to the INSTALL position and plug
the Vehicle Interface back
into the outlet."

I don't think they make/sell these things
anymore, so when it fails, its not replaceable.

[roger1818]

Steve,

I thought you would be interested to know
that you can still buy the Vehicle
Interface directly from HomeLink
(https://secure.homelink.com/secure/shop.taf
).  It is sold as an interface for HomeLink
equiped vehicles to control lights.  I
don't think they sell the Garage Door
Status Indicator though.