Is there better stuff than X10?

Is there anything better than this cheesy X10 stuff, something that is
_not_ RF based like zigbee would be, and still affordable? The X10
protocol is not good and the modules are IMHO utter junk.

 

A company called Eaton Holec has developed the A10 protocol based on
the X10 protocol. See http://www.bwired.nl/How_xanuranew.asp for some
info.

 

Thanks but it's Zigbee, not so good:
http://www.control4.com/documents/briefs/Control4-WirelessDimmer.pdf

And only sold through installers at sky-high prices:
http://www.asmarterhome.net/494/557.html

This market really needs some new players.

 

Pretty horrible web site but interesting. However, it looks like 230V
only and not sold in the US :-(

 

No kidding.
http://www.edn.com/article/CA6576137.html?nid=3351&rid=689244861

Regards,

Michael

 

I've only seen patents from them. But if I have to roll my own wusing
some specialty chip I'd rather do it from scratch, MSP430 or PSoC. I
don't have a lot of trust in powerline comms companies anymore.

 

I had the same experience. Left me in an extreme state of disgust that
company making those "products" would have audacity to sell them
knowing how bad the quality is.

-Le Chaud Lapin-

 

RF in this house is going to be a nightmare. The builders wanted to be
extra good and insulated all inner walls with aluminum backed fiber.
Anything past a few hundred MHz doesn't get any range here.

Which means you have to have repeaters and they must be on circuits that
are always powered.

Personally I don't trust the company behind it anymore. They sold timers
which always failed in the same way and then refused to sell the simple
plastic gear to fix them. They didn't even answer multiple inquiries.
That gets rewarded with a loooong ban in this house ;-)

 

In this super RF-tight house that would translate into maybe 15m indoors
and outdoors only if there is a window more or less directly in the
path. Abover 433MHz it gets really bad.

Plus I don't want any Intermatic products.

The other thing that puzzles me: The EPA and all kinds of agencies push
CFL yet most of these home automation guys don't seem to get it. They
still sell dimmer modules that cannot be turned into a non-dim CFL
compatible mode.

 

Could be tough here. The boxes are metal and then there is another layer
of aluminum-backed fiber behind them that you could only rip out by
busting through the drywall. That methods has a very low WAF ;-)

I've had that: Transmitter in the office, other side in the kitchen next
to it. No signal :-(

Yep, like one chip mfg that starts with "M" ...

Very few. The powers to be in that market simply don't seem to realize
where the trend goes. And the liability that comes with it should uncle
Leroy climb on that old ladder and screw a CFL into the socket where he
technically shouldn't.

 

The 2nd one

At least I am not using their stuff, seen too much grief WRT unobtanium
situations.