| Imagine pulling your car into your driveway, late at night. | | | | that are addressed to it. (Actually, this is not completely |
| It's very, very dark -- but with a quick button press on | | | | true. There is a "panic" mode in X10 security where |
| your keychain remote, your driveway floodlight and | | | | you can instantly turn ON all X10 controlled lights with |
| front porch light come on. You walk up to your front | | | | the press of one button. But you get the general idea). |
| door, press your keychain remote again and your | | | | Let's use our late night arrival scenario as an example. |
| house lights come on. One more quick press, and the | | | | Our flood lights and porch lights have been set to the |
| outside lights go off. | | | | same address of A9. Our X10 connected interior |
| This is one example of the powers of X10 home | | | | houselights are set to A10. When we press the first |
| automation. With X10 home automation, you can | | | | ON button on the keychain remote, an X10 command |
| remotely control lights and applicances, schedule lights | | | | sent to A9 and the X10 modules that have an A9 |
| to turn on and off automatically, or turn on / off lights | | | | address will turn on. |
| automatically when you enter or leave a room. Plus | | | | The beauty of X10 home automation is that you can |
| much, much more. | | | | start with a simple system. Many X10 modules simply |
| What exactly is X10 home automation? X10 | | | | plug into a standard wall socket and are ready to go. |
| technology was developed in the late 1970s. It is a | | | | There are also more advanced modules that involve |
| communications system that uses your standard | | | | some basic household wiring -- if you have ever |
| household wiring as its "network". Various X10 modules | | | | added or changed a ceiling fan or light than you would |
| that you simply plug into your household wall sockets | | | | be comfortable with "hard wired" X10 modules. |
| "talk" to each other to make home automation magic. | | | | Want to take X10 home automation to the next level? |
| An X10 command consists of two parts - "what to | | | | Add computer control to your X10 automation. Using |
| do" and "who should do it". The first part, "what to do" | | | | your home computer and X10 computer interface and |
| is usually something like turn on, turn off, dim to 50%. | | | | software, you can create timers for X10 devices, |
| The "who should do it" part needs some explaining. | | | | create macros (basically a series of commands to be |
| Each receiving or listening X10 module has an address. | | | | executed) and lots more. |
| This address consists of a housecode and a unit code. | | | | The beauty of X10 home automation - start slow and |
| Examples of valid addresses are A1, B16, D10. You | | | | simple, then as your needs and interests grow, your |
| can set the address on each X10 module in your | | | | X10 home automation can grow with you ! |
| system. Each module will only respond to commands | | | | |