X10 presentation given at Liverpool LUG meeting on 3rd October 2012

1. Home Automation
with
X10

2. What is Home Automation?
Controlling devices around the home
With or without human interaction
Part of the "Internet of Things"?
The other side of "The House that Tweets"

3. Home automation systems
X10
Z-Wave
Lightwave RF
CEBus
C-Bus

4. Advantages of X10
Inexpensive (relatively)
Confined range
Well established
Open standard
Open source software available

5. Disadvantages of X10
Range can be limited
One way communication
Limited number of unique devices
Relatively slow

6. History
Developed by Pico Electronics in Scotland
Started in 1974
Idea came from remote controlled LP changer
Developed with BSR
Named X10 because it was their 10th product

7. How it works
Sends signals over power lines on a
120kHz carrier
Each signal contains an address and a
command
An address is a single house code
followed by one or more unit codes

8. How it works
16 house codes - A to P
16 unit codes - 1 to 16
256 total addresses

9. How it works
Normally use one house code, giving 16
addresses
A command may be sent to several different
codes at once, but only one house code
Multiple devices may have the same unit code

10. How it works
Most devices are receive only, although
some two way hardware is available, at a
price

11. Types of hardware
Modules
RF transmitters
Controllers

12. Modules
Appliance module
Lamp module
Built in modules

13. RF modules
Transceiver
Remote controls
Motion detector

14. Controllers
CM12U
USB or serial
CM11A

15. Software
Heyu
Web front ends
Android clients

16. Heyu
Command line
Control or daemon
Control directly
Run scripts
Upload macros

17. Web
Misterhouse
Domus.link

18. Mobile
X10 Commander
Domus.link
Coversal
Tasker
iStuff – probably, but who cares?

19. Suppliers
http://www.letsautomate.com/
http://www.laser.com/