upstatemike
Senior Member
I have been struggling to come up with a good migration plan to upgrade about a hundred X-10 devices and possibly my HA controller to newer technology. Fortunately there have been some excellent discussions lately on things like the pros and cons of various new switch protocols and the features (or lack) on new HA hardware and software offerings. After taking some time to digest all of this information I have formulated my best migration strategy. I have decided to transition to an un-automated house. I think this is my best option for a number of reasons:
First, by not migrating a hundred plus X-10 devices to some other protocol I will save a ton of money. Probably enough to buy a really big flat screen TV!
Second, by removing my X-10 devices I will save a huge amount of time that won’t be consumed with filters and couplers and boosterlincs that have to be reconfigured every time I move a TV or computer. This will probably be the equivalent of getting a couple extra weeks of vacation each year.
Third, By getting a plain fire alarm panel instead of one that is HA integrated or HA compatible, I will be able to have several zones of 2-wire smoke detectors and not have to mess with the extra wiring and expense of using 4-wire smokes with end-of-line relays.
Fourth, Even though my RainWise weather station is a leading product in it’s class, there has been no direct hardware or software support for it within the HA community. I currently have to run a dedicated PC to collect weather station data, a Homeseer plug-in to move the data onto another dedicated PC running Homeseer, and a second plug-in to get the data into my Stargate controller. That is too much hardware and software (and too many steps) just to update a wind speed variable! If I use the weather station as a stand-alone product I gain 2 free PCs.
Fifth, I have the Slim Devices Squeezebox which fills the niche once held by the Turtle Beach Audiotron and before that by the Nirvis Slink-e. (Both great products and I own both of them but even an old coot like me knows when it is time to move on!) While the older products are supported within the HA community there is very little direct support for the Squeezebox (except via xAP which itself has limited hardware support). The Squeezebox is such a great product that if it comes down to it vs. a lesser “automation supported†music system, I’ll choose the Squeezebox.
I have been playing around with Home Automation since about 1979. Back then I just had a few BSR X-10 modules and an Ultrsonic Command Console but I was already looking forward to the 21st century and what it would mean for home automation. I envisioned hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hard wired inputs to tell me not only that the washer was running but what cycle it was on. To tell me not only that the Turkey was done cooking but how much electricity it took to cook it. To tell me not only that a toilet had been flushed but how much force had been used to press the handle…
Unfortunately after more than a quarter of a century the reality has fallen far short of my expectations (except for JohnWPB’s LCARS Display system which is the coolest thing I have ever seen!) So if anybody knows where I can hook up with others who are struggling with large scale de-automation projects (automators anonymous?) please send me a link.
First, by not migrating a hundred plus X-10 devices to some other protocol I will save a ton of money. Probably enough to buy a really big flat screen TV!
Second, by removing my X-10 devices I will save a huge amount of time that won’t be consumed with filters and couplers and boosterlincs that have to be reconfigured every time I move a TV or computer. This will probably be the equivalent of getting a couple extra weeks of vacation each year.
Third, By getting a plain fire alarm panel instead of one that is HA integrated or HA compatible, I will be able to have several zones of 2-wire smoke detectors and not have to mess with the extra wiring and expense of using 4-wire smokes with end-of-line relays.
Fourth, Even though my RainWise weather station is a leading product in it’s class, there has been no direct hardware or software support for it within the HA community. I currently have to run a dedicated PC to collect weather station data, a Homeseer plug-in to move the data onto another dedicated PC running Homeseer, and a second plug-in to get the data into my Stargate controller. That is too much hardware and software (and too many steps) just to update a wind speed variable! If I use the weather station as a stand-alone product I gain 2 free PCs.
Fifth, I have the Slim Devices Squeezebox which fills the niche once held by the Turtle Beach Audiotron and before that by the Nirvis Slink-e. (Both great products and I own both of them but even an old coot like me knows when it is time to move on!) While the older products are supported within the HA community there is very little direct support for the Squeezebox (except via xAP which itself has limited hardware support). The Squeezebox is such a great product that if it comes down to it vs. a lesser “automation supported†music system, I’ll choose the Squeezebox.
I have been playing around with Home Automation since about 1979. Back then I just had a few BSR X-10 modules and an Ultrsonic Command Console but I was already looking forward to the 21st century and what it would mean for home automation. I envisioned hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hard wired inputs to tell me not only that the washer was running but what cycle it was on. To tell me not only that the Turkey was done cooking but how much electricity it took to cook it. To tell me not only that a toilet had been flushed but how much force had been used to press the handle…
Unfortunately after more than a quarter of a century the reality has fallen far short of my expectations (except for JohnWPB’s LCARS Display system which is the coolest thing I have ever seen!) So if anybody knows where I can hook up with others who are struggling with large scale de-automation projects (automators anonymous?) please send me a link.