Recent content by Carson

BSR, thanks for the offer. I'll probably wait until after the holiday hustle has calmed down. By then, I hope to have some funds budgeted to buy a 'decent' camera, along with some time (and patience) to snake some cables through the attic (With my low-pitched roof, this is something I want to...

Yes, repackaged/rebadged/renamed X10 components seems to be a standard operating procedure for Radio Shack, and with the reputation that X10 has built with their pop-under campaign, I can see justification, though this has been the case since before that whole fiasco. Indeed the X10 components...

Skibum, thanks for the suggestion, but even with AO's excellent pricing, most of the models available, that fit the ticket, really don't fit my current budget. I'd just as well buy one of the video baby monitoring outfits that include the monitor. I was looking at the Q-See cameras as they...

I'm not really sure if this fits into Security, but it involves using a surveilance camera so I hope it isn't too far out of place. My wife and I were considering a video baby monitor to keep tabs on our light-sleeping little son (just to make things difficult, our old house is all hardwood...

I think we'd be fools not to be at least interested in security tools. On that note, Grisoft's AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is also toward the top of my free favorites list. http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/

Yes, I was glad to see that after shutting off power to the circuit to replace some other switches after testing the SwitchLincs (after all, I had to replace the other standard style switches in the room with Decoras) that they had retained their programmed house code. I was also pleased to...

That Wizmo is very cool. I showed to a couple of collegues and perpetuated my geek status among them. I've got to say that the 'damit' variation of shutdown is very effective. In terms of my own favorites, it's hard to choose just one, so I'd have to say that Mozilla's newer products are my...

Hello all. I'm a 28 year old computer consulting analyst, though the title is deceiving as most of my time on the clock seems to spent programming. I share a house with my wife and our one year old son. Our house has a handful of X10 components. Trapped inside for the winter, my projects for...

I ended up going with SwitchLinc. I installed a 2384 and a 2382 companion and I have to say that I am satisfied with the value for my dollar. They do everything that I need, installed without a hitch (though I can see where they might be a pain in small boxes), setup easily, and provide a...

On a related note, I was wondering if anyone could confirm or deny the myth that circuits on opposite sides of the panel are on different phases. By this logic, it appears that I can control devices, in my house, across phases on certain circuits, but not others. Thanks, Carson

Indeed. I recently put in my first order with AO and was very impressed with the price and delivery time. I ordered late Sunday and had the package at my door by noon Wednesday. As a home automation novice I am not truly qualified to rate any products yet, but as a consumer, I would rate...

Thanks to all who gave their feedback and provided links. For the immediate future, it looks like my components will all be on the same phase (how lucky). However as my automation projects expand to include other parts of the house (ones with rooms with outlets on different phases), this...

After doing some more research, I am starting to lean even more heavily toward the SwitchLincs for several reasons. There is an availability of different models with features to suit individual applications. Excellent pricing is available through Automated Outlet. A look around Smarthome's...

Maybe I should dust off my wiring texts for this, but what is the best way to determine which wire is neutral in existing wiring? What is the proper method? What tools will I need? Doesn't the neutral generally run directly to the load? I know which one is neutral in all of the circuits that...

These are part of the Leviton DHC product line? Is DHC essentially Leviton's term for X10? I.e. can I control Leviton DHC receivers with my X10 controllers? It looks as if the Leviton DHC dimmers can be used in both applications with neutral wiring and those without (wire differently for...