upgrade or replace?

[Chuck]

Dee Dee,

You don’t have a lot invested in your HA system at this point. X10 is old and dead technology. Sure there are some folks still using it and have made it work somewhat reliably and can live with the shortcomings of the X10 protocol. But if you are going to make a major upgrade then I strongly suggest Z-wave since you already have a Vera Lite. Z-wave is very common and easy to get and is sold at Home Depots, at least in my neck of the woods. It has better range and more reliable than X10.

I have slowly replaced all my X10 stuff and only have a few more switches to replace and I will be done with X10. If you think about it X10 is about 40 years old which is ancient technology using the electronics calendar.

Insteon is also something to consider. It is both PLC and node hopping wireless and there are some advantages to it. You can set up the interface with the Vera Lite. Being that I don’t have a lot of experience with Insteon I can’t really comment much more on that interface.

I think the bottom line is don’t mess with any more X10. It is ancient technology.

Chuck

> On Sep 5, 2016, at 10:53 AM, Dee Dee Sommers <deesquared at mac.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear XTensioneers,
> 
> In my home I do not use a lot of automation.  Basically, we are only currently using two X10 appliance modules/outlets with a CM11A controller.   
> 
> But I DO have plans, hopes, and wishes for expansion and better utilization of home automation.
> 
> One minor project I want to do is to add the ability to control all of my lanai lights from a central location. (currently one needs to visit 4 different rooms to turn on/off a total of: 2 recessed ceiling lights, a ceiling fan w/ lights, and a light outside the door to the bath that opens to the pool deck.  One of the recessed ceiling lights is controlled by a wall switch in two different rooms, all other lights are on single control switches.
> 
> Anyway, the original interface I used was a Smarthome 1132CU.  Until it died.
> For the past few years I have been using the CM11A controller.  It has always thrown frequent Error 35 errors.  And then it will respond again.  I guess that could be that maybe it effectively snoozes or something?  Maybe just slow to respond.
> 
> But the CM11A has been doing that more recently.  The result is that the coffee maker is not being turned on. That’s not acceptable.
> 
> So I was thinking it may be time to either replace the CM11A or something.
> Currently all of my units are X10,  But I am happy to transition to/add other platforms if I need. 
> At the parish, we are using Insteon units. 
> 
> I also have a yet-to-be-used Vera Lite box. 
> Can anyone recommend what I might consider replacing the CM11A with?
> 
> Thank you so much,
> Dee Dee
> 
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