X10 controls (1 Viewer)

[Dave in va.]

It looks like people have good luck using thier Harmony remotes in conjuction with the X10 units to control lighting. Can anyone give me any advice before I start purchasing?

 

[nolesrule]

My advice is that X10 is a nice starter protocol, but not extremely reliable in the long term. There are better alternatives, albeit a bit more expensive (such as UPB and Z-Wave...stay away from Insteon). Check out some of the home automation forums for advice, and if you really get into it, I'd recommend using a system like HomeSeer as a computer-based central controller.

FYI, you would need an IR543 or something similar to interface an IR remote with the X10 protocol. The IR543 is supported by Harmony.

 

[Dave in va.]

Why do you say to stay away from Insteon?

 

[nolesrule]

Insteon devices themselves are ok, but Smarthome (which started as a home automation RETAILER) developed the system and there are issues with advanced features being widely supported in premium (third-party) home automation software due to a lack of a reasonable SDK. Unless the situation has changed in the last couple months.