X10
Hardware and Software Review

Imagine this: You're driving slowly toward your house at dusk. As your house comes into view, you notice the outside light isn't on. Hmmm, I wonder what's broken? There, it's on now! Perfect timing!

As you open the front door, the living room light comes on. You drop your briefcase on the floor next to the couch and head to the bedroom for some comfortable clothes and a shower. As you walk down the hallway, the bedroom light comes on. After a refreshing shower, you head back to the living room. As you walk down the hallway you see the bedroom light go out behind you and the living room light come back on ahead of you.

After an evening relaxing, reading, and doing some reviewing of the tasks for the next day, you head off to bed. As you approach the bedroom, the light once again comes on, but at a soft glow. Oh no, that means it is after 11 PM, and you have an early meeting tomorrow! Just before you drift off to sleep you see the bedroom light fade to darkness.

What is the marvel behind all these automatic light shenanigans? A $1000 dollar electronic marvel system? Nope. Just a $250 collection of X10 home automation components and some creative macros.

Hardware:
CP-290, Computer Interface $69.99

CM-11A, ActiveHome Computer Interface $49.99

CM-17, Firecracker Computer Interface $39.99

All interfaces require a Macintosh serial cable or adapter ($10.00 - $19.99 if not included in kit). Firecracker requires a custom cable available from Always Thinking.

All interfaces from X10 (USA) Inc.
http://www.x10.com

Software:
MouseHouse, MouseHouse Electronics $69.99
http://www.mousehouse.net
XTension, Sand Hill Engineering Inc. $99.95
http://www.shed.com
ThinkingHome, Always Thinking, Inc.
http://www.alwaysthinking.com

Not the X-Files
X10 is a standard for device communication, multiplexed (overlaid) over normal home electrical wiring to activate devices such as lamps or applicances. It can be used for a home automation system consisting of a controller box (which may or may not be interfaced with a computer) and individual modules for controlling appliances or other devices.

For clarity I had better define some basic X10 terminology:

Device or Module - A light, appliance, or other thing you want to control (output devices), or a thing that sends information to the X10 system such as a motion sensor or a door switch (input devices). Lights and applicances are controlled by plugging them into an X10 module such as a lamp module or an appliance module, which is then plugged into an electrical outlet.

Event - An action involving a device, such as turning on a coffee pot or dimming a light to 60% brightness.

Macro - A set of instructions to perform one or more events that can be triggered by you or by a device such as your computer clock, a motion detector, a rain sensor, a door switch, or a light sensor.

The controller module sends signals to the device modules over the house electrical system wiring, either under your direct command, from stored events that trigger at set times, or under computer control and triggered by remote sensors. Appliances may be turned on or off, and lights may be turned on, off, or smoothly dimmed to intermediate levels. More exotic equipment such as video cameras or garage door openers may also be controlled. And with some of the controller modules, input devices such as motion sensors, moisture detectors, or door position sensors may be used to trigger events.

By combining input devices with output devices and software macros, some very complex behaviors can be constructed, such as the macros I referred to in my introduction, which sense the direction of a person walking in my hallway and activate the appropriate lights ahead of them, or set the brightness of lights based on the time of day. And someone who does not know AppleScript at the outset CAN write these macros, as I did.

Transceiver modules (which plug into an electrical outlet, but also have an antenna) allow motion sensors, remotes, and other modules to send their signals without hardwired connections. The transceiver receives the radio signals and forwards them to the controller via your home's electrical wiring. And one interface, the Firecracker, also works solely via radio signals to a transceiver. This means that portable home control using a PowerBook or iBook is doable today!

X10 is a fairly old technology, dating back more than a decade This means there is a wide variety of equipment and software available, from the very simple to the very complex.

At its simplest, X10 is just a way to control lights and appliances from a central location. At its most complex, X10 is a way to automate your home so that one signal can put into action a whole sequence of events such as opening the garage door, turning on outside floodlights, activating your stereo system, turning up the heat, and starting a pot of coffee brewing as you drive up to your house.

X10 devices are made and sold by a wide variety of companies, and so are widely available.

The Main Actors
I reviewed three computer interfaces for X10 systems:
CP-290, the oldest X10 interface (I have had mine since the early 1980s).
CM-17, Firecracker, the newest X10 interface
CM-11A, Active Home (CM-10 - the IBM Home Director and CP-10 are similar)

I reviewed three Macintosh programs:
MouseHouse, from MouseHouse Electronics
Xtension, from SandHill Engineering
ThinkingHome, from Always Thinking, Inc.

Hardware capabilities:
CP-290 Computer Interface - Supports one-way communication only. Does not support macros. Does not support groups of events. Stores scheduled events in the interface (computer can be disconnected). Stored events may be read by the computer.

CM-17, Firecracker Computer Interface - Requires a radio transceiver. Supports one-way communication only. Does not support macros. Does not support scheduled events.

CM-11, Active Home Computer Interface - Supports two-way communication. Supports macros. Supports groups of events. Stores scheduled events and macros in the interface (computer can be disconnected).

Software capabilities:
MouseHouse - Requires interface to be connected at installation. Uses AppleScript for communication. Allows events to be downloaded to controller. Supports limited macros.

XTension - Does not require interface to be connected (has a "Monitor only" mode), which allows one to develop and troubleshoot events and macros offline. Uses AppleScript for communication. Does not allow events to be downloaded to controller. Supports unlimited macros.

ThinkingHome - Does not require interface to be connected, which allows one to develop and troubleshoot events and macros offline. Uses AppleScript for communication. Allows events and macros to be downloaded to controller. Supports unlimited macros.

Impressions
I have had a CP-290 X10 interface for about 15 years, so I was very familiar with its operation. This is a dependable interface, though somewhat limited in functionality. (Echo, an X10 program, was the first program I bought for my just-released Atari ST.)

The CM-11A ActiveHome is a very capable interface, but none of the software that I tested used its full capabilities. Every software package was limited in some way, either not supporting all the possible macro capabilities, or limiting download capabilities to the interface.

The CM-17 interface is very limited in what it can do, and is dependent on location since it transmits all commands via a wireless signal.

MouseHouse is the most limited of the software packages I reviewed, having only recently adding support for storable macros. However, it's probably the best software for a beginner or a user who does not want to have to learn AppleScript. MouseHouse uses a control panel type interface for constructing macros, so it's very easy to construct them, but this same interface limits the capability of the macros. MouseHouse also has a very annoying text advertisement that repeatedly flickers at the bottom of the application window about every 15 seconds when the software scans the system status.

Xtension was my favorite software due to its flexibility and power. The example macros have some bugs (they gave non-fatal errors when run), but the technical support is superb, and I was able to resolve even complicated problems easily after one or two email exchanges with the developer. This is the software package that I used to set up the macros that determined direction of movement in my hallway to turn lights on ahead of the family member's movements.

ThinkingHome software is very capable, but is still in final development, and so has some quirks and bugs. It is the only current X10 software for the Mac OS that supports the Firecracker (CM-17) interface.

There are many more control modules and devices available, such as remote wireless security video cameras (color, with sound, which we just purchased), garage door controllers, home stereo control systems, DVD control systems, and even MP3 broadcasting and control systems so you can listen to your stereo anywhere inside or outside your house. Visit the X10 website and also search for links to other home automation sites to see the full range of devices and systems available.

Getting up to speed
With any X10 system it is best to start out with direct control of your devices, just to familiarize yourself with the operation. Then try setting up some simple timed events, such as turning on your outside lights at 7 PM. After you're comfortable with these controls, read the section of the user's manual pertaining to macros. Examine the macros that came with your software (if any) to see how they should be written. Then edit the example macros. (This can be a complicated process with the more powerful macros, so allow youself ample time.) Congratulations, you're now a home automation guru!

Summary
X10's website has specials regularly, so unless you just have to have a system immediately, you can get some very attractive discounts on very useful package deals. This is a great way to get a cheap start in home automation. You should also check the SmartHome site at http://www.smarthome.com. Their prices are higher than X10 in most cases, but they have a much greater variety of equipment available.

I recommend that beginners and non-technical users who can accept limited capabilities get MouseHouse, and that anyone who needs power and flexibility get Xtension or ThinkingHome. At this time I would recommend only the CM-11A interface. The CP-290 is very old and is very limited in capability. The CM-17 is OK if you really want the wireless capability, but until software starts making up for its limitiations, you would need a CM-11A for more flexible or powerful control.

CP-290 Rating: MacMice Rating: 3.5
CP-17 Rating: MacMice Rating: 2.5
CM-11A Rating: MacMice Rating: 4
MouseHouse software: MacMice Rating: 3
Xtension software: MacMice Rating: 4
ThinkingHome software: MacMice Rating: 3.5

David E. Price
david@mymac.com