replace 3-way switches with?

[teststrips]

Just bought a house that was built in the 70's... was built by an electrician, so every light in the house has at least 2 switches - some have 3 and 4. I prefer to ALWAYS press UP to turn on a light and DOWN to turn off a light... These 3-way switches are backwards most of the time.. I'm annoyed enough to replace them with something digital. (if something exists)

The only protocol I know is X10 - I have several plug-in X10 devices - but they are not reliable - the microwave - my laptop power adapter and my cell phone charger all bring X10 to its knees... simply does not work or I have to press the button 2-3 times with those devices plugged in. - I want something reliable for my lighting.

So suggestions??

edit: I don't mind having to do some re-wiring - but if there is a alternative that can use the existing wiring that would be a plus.

edit#2: Most lighting has Ceiling fan - Flouressent (spelling?) or outlets switched... I don't need dimming.. simply on/off - that can handle fairly high loads.

 

[acdcelectric]

I think you should take a good look at UPB. Think of it as x10 with a signal that is ten times as strong (around 50 volts) on the powerline.

It can handle ceiling fans, florescents and the standard switches are capable of up to a 900 watt local load. They can directly replace the existing siwtches with just a few changes in the connections (must have a neutral wire in each box), and can be configured to operate more than one load by programming links. They can dim or snap to full brightness. They also have controllable outlets that have one half live at all times and one half switchable.

The programming is not difficult to learn and you can add aoutomation features at a future date as many major controllers can handle UPB.

The only downside is cost, around $70 per switch on average.