Has anyone used the x10 home automation/security system? How did you like it? Any problems?
In the early 2000’s it was pretty cool. Nowdays I’d skip.
X10 is very susceptible to powerline noise, and there is a lot more today than 20 or 40 years ago mostly being introduced by the increased number of AC-DC power adapters/chargers that are used in most homes as well as solid-state devices using AC-DC transformers for their circuit boards.
Despite that, I continue to reliably use a half-dozen or so X10 devices and a 25-year-old CM11A controller which are now integrated with my Home Assistant setup. Never worked with any alarm/security components.
I loved this stuff! Had a huge X10 setup 20 years ago. Nowadays I would not touch it. There are just so many better systems now.
In the early 2000s, X10 was 25 years old.
Established is the term you’re looking for
Do I need a dedicated pc for it to work? Or no?
No PC required.
1970’s tech. Worked OK. Ran into alot of interference on the power lines (triggered randomly, or ignoring triggers). Not very quick, but it would do fine turning on and off. I ended up pulling all of mine out and replacing it over 10 years ago. I think I still have the phase bridge installed in my breaker box that I should get pulled one day.
It was fun in its day, being the first sort of DIY HA gear and I used it for years. But there are certainly much better ways to automate a home now.
Been running it in my house for lighting since the late 80’s on but as many have mentioned it is very susceptible to power line interference. In my case it was APC surge/UPS plugged in but once I put them behind X10 filters (or a Tripp-lite IsoTel surge protector) it was reliable again even today. However I do run across odd chargers like the one for my Stihl battery weed whacker that will kill the X10 signals.
Still running a X10 CP290 controller with it’s serial interface communicating with my desktop PC and some software from the late 1990’s that can set events based on sunrise/sunset times giving the house a lived in look. Was handy when I was traveling for work in the past or now if I leave town for a few days.
I had lots of X10 way back in the day. Still have at least 30 devices. I like them because they are so easy to setup. But, like others have said, not the most reliable communications.
I still use them for Holiday decorations to put a candle in the window and have automation scheduled events turn them on / off. Wall relays plugged into outlets. Simple stuff!
I used X10 in my apartment in 1986. I wasn’t aware you could even buy any of that stuff anymore. X10 sent data at the 0V crossover point of AC power and this made it slow and suseptible to noise, and therefore also unreliable.
I’d avoid, TBH. There are so many better alternatives at this point.
x10 is over
The sensors (window, motion, and remotes) are all RF at around 310mHz which are not susceptible to power line noise. But X10 was known for RF range problems. The plugin modules for lights, alarms, appliance modules, etc are susceptible to power line noise . You may need additional repeater (XPCR) and line filters (XPPF and XPF) to get powerline signal to the light and appliance modules and the plugin “powerhorns”. If you have a small place like a small apartment, X10 might serve you well, but a 2000sq ft home, expect to throw more money at it to get it to work reliably. X10 user since 1979 before there was anything else.
I used it back then and was a lot of work with not much benefit.
I still use it – lights and fans plugged in and cron-driven from my central Linux system with firecracker/bottlerocket – but, as others have said, it is rather sensitive to, not only interference from line noise, but changed line reactance as well (such as, plugging in a turned-off vacuum cleaner on an extension cord). There are parts of the house it won’t work in; when something that did work stops working, I go looking, usually to find that someone moved what outlet a gaming computer is plugged into; that’s enough to jam it.
The radio part of it (bottlerocket to receiver-module) is subject to noise too. Here again, the last two decades have seen a substantial increase in interference, in this case from devices on wifi or just radiating switching harmonics: the wallwarts used to all be Type-2 analog, now they’re switchers.
Bottom-line recommendation: go ahead and play with it, setting things up for conveniences. If it works, great. Don’t rely on it; don’t use it for anything mission-critical. Since I prefer not to add to the local QRM (manmade radio noise), my thinking now is IoT using ethernetted ARM boards (an A20-Micro only eats 5W even with HD) to drive devices directly or over USB/RS485 lines. I wish I could tell you different.
