electron said:
I believe you have to buy a special receiver in order for the HomeLink buttons to be X10 compatible, but it has been a long time since I researched this, so if I am wrong, someone please correct me. I am curious myself as to what protocol the RF signal is.
Many Homelink related questions are answered at www.homelink.com/home/faq.tml
The RF is proprietary, operating between 288 and 399 MHz and up to 418MHz with some exceptions having to do with frequencies used by the military or emergency services (I think).
Pretty much every vehicle manufacturer has selected a different operating frequency.
Most of the bridges seem to be Homelink <-> X10. Lutron also has some compatible devices including RadioRA. My understanding is that Wayne-Dalton/Intermatic is also producing some sort of HL<->Z-Wave bridge.
I think the actual Homelink protocol is owned by Johnson Controls although I'm prepared to be wrong about that.
And as a final note, this is from our most recent newsletter:
Wireless interference is not only an issue between devices in unregulated spectrum
Last week there was a quiet report of some 300 homes in Colorado Springs whose garage door openers stopped functioning one weekend all at the same time. No one is 'fessing up to interfering with the 390 MHz garage door openers, but the cause is a foregone conclusion. No, it was not little green men, but the Department of Defense using their Land Mobile Radio system, designed to ensure military and civilian public service or first responder communication. The military is mute, placing the responsibility on the garage door manufacturers, and the garage door manufacturers are pointing to the Land Mobile Radios as the cause. The result is that 300 garage doors could not be opened without assistance from the local service company...
George West
www.wtrs.net
P.S. If anyone wants the entire article or newsletter, drop me a note. Due to the length I didn't want to post the entire thing here.