X10 vs “Them”
by Dave RyeSome X10 detractors say that X10 has reliability issues (interference, something about 220/110V issues).
Response: There can "sometimes" be a situation where the PLC signal doesn't couple across the phases in a home:
If you are having difficulty controlling a particular module from a particular location, but can control this module from other locations, or if the ability to control a particular module is intermittent, it is possible that the module in question and the X10 controller are on opposite phases of the house wiring.
Most houses are fed from a 220 volt service which is then split into two phases of 110 volts each in the circuit breaker panel. The signals from the X10 controller, which are transmitted onto the house wiring (onto one phase), will normally couple across to the other phase through the breaker panel, pole transformer etc. If however, due to loading etc., you do not have enough coupling, you can couple the signal from one phase to the other by having a qualified electrician install a phase coupler across any 220V breaker in the breaker panel. You can use cat. no. XPCP available from X10 PRO. On this page you will also see other solutions available to fix any noise or coupling issues that might occur.
Note however that most consumers don't need to be concerned about these issues. In most cases everything works fine. If a particular module doesn't work, often you can fix the problem by simply moving it (or the controller) to a different outlet. X10 offers a range of couplers, repeaters and filters, but we don't sell many to consumers (because they rarely need them). They are mostly purchased by installers who put them into homes that they install X10 in, so as to "guarantee" that everything will work after they leave the job site, so as not to get a callback. Note also that these issues are not unique to X10, other PLC systems (like INSTEON) will have similar (or different) issues.
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These nay sayers complain that X10 is limited to 256 products in the home (as a result of the code wheel that needs to be set for each product).
Response: Yes, X10 has 256 codes, but you could have a million modules all set to the same code, so there's no limit to the number of modules you can have in a home. You might for example want to put all your outside lights on code A1, so that 4 different lights all turn on at the time you set for the outside lights to turn on. Also, X10’s ActiveHome Pro computer interface can be set to perform macros. One macro could turn on A1, B6, and F10. Another macro could turn on H2, and L7, etc. So 256 codes is really not a limitation.
Also, keep in mind that this is just the "competition" bashing X10. They like to think that if they have 64,000 codes, they're "better" than X10 that "only" has 256 codes. But ask yourself, is anyone ever likely to want to individually control more than 256 modules in their home? Some people might argue that the number of codes gets reduced in apartment buildings where signals can get from one apartment to another and risk controlling a neighbor's modules. If this situation did arise then X10 has a blocking filter PZZ01 available to stop the signal getting in or out of the home. And in fact these are used when X10 systems are professionally installed in apartment buildings.
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