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It's only been around since the '70s.

https://www.x10.com/x10-home-a...

Nest and their ilk have their origins here. If you want the sexy package and no nerdy electrical/software engineering work, you buy Nest. If you want to geek out and spin the solution yourself you build from X10.

X10 went bankrupt in mid-2013. The current reincarnation purchased the name and IP at auction. So far they seem more professional, but time will tell if they can continue to build and improve the product line. http://www.x10.com/about-us/

Have you looked into X10?

Reading your post, all I can think about is X10 Cameras that used to have those godawful pop-up advertisement back before browsers could block them well. I keep thinking "Why would a crappy web camera need a light bulb, and why did so many Slashdot users click on those popups, buy something, and then admit it?"

(Yes, I see it's some sort of home automation standard too.)

X-10, Z-Wave and Insteon are all also equally incorrect in that they generally put the control at the point of the switch, instead of the fixture.

X-10 SocketRocket, X-10 Pro inline soft start module
The former puts the control at the fixture in janky old X10. The latter is what you would put inside a fixture to make it X10 Pro. I found lots of references to Z-Wave certified fixtures, which sound like they would have the module built in. You can definitely get them for Insteon.

The reason the stuff in the store installs at the switch is that with new home construction you have time to order out for what you want from a catalog; the store is more likely to sell equipment for a retrofit than for new construction, and the switch is designed to be easy to service, making it the logical place to make changes in such a case.

Personally, I would love something like that at home, or just a big frickin red button near each door to the house (especially the door to the garage) that would kill all non-essential outlets in the house, turn off lights (except maybe one or two on a timer) and knock the thermostat down (or up in summer)

Isn't that what X-10 is all about?

I was thinking that if the home's appliances could talk to the meter, say over the homes power-lines, like the x10 controllers, themselves to get electric-grid condition updates, they could be programmed to operate in various degrees of power-saving modes or even have your plug-in hybrid go into a sell-back mode.

CFL fail miserably when using X10 controllers. They seem to have some current pulse that occurs after turnoff that makes the X10 controller think you are trying to turn the light back on using the local switch. Press X10 off -- click -- light off -- click -- light on! Press off again -- click off -- click on! It's like a video game, how many times do you have to press "off" to get them to stay off, and how short can you get the 'on' times to be?

They usually work by passing the signal through the filament in the bulb. The problem here is that CFLs don't have a filament.

Sometime back around 2000 or so, I modified some X10 light switches to work with fluorescent lights. IIRC, the modification involved a bit of rewiring and the addition of a resistor. This sounds about like what I did. The modified switches worked reliably every time.

X10 stuff is cheap but pretty easy to tinker with. A number of years ago I bought an X10 Firecracker kit. They occasionally have it on sale for around $5 without warning, so if you keep an eye on that site you might be able to get it really cheap. I hadn't used it in years but a little while ago I figured it'd be cool to be able to remotely turn my porch lights and other devices on/off from my smartphone (I have an iPhone). Since I have a linux box at home hooked up to a cable modem this was a fairly straightforward exercise. I used the BottleRocket software to control the X10 devices from the linux box then wrote a very simple bare-bones PHP interface to it. Poke a hole through my firewall to allow incoming connections (via authenticated HTTPS of course) and now with a couple of clicks I can do things like turn on my exterior lights when I leave work or a friends house. For anybody who is interested, I wrote everything up on my blog and posted the PHP code as well.

What about INSTEON? If you have a Mac, you can use Indigo to manage it -- even from an iPhone.

I've also heard about Control4 -- and don't forget X10, even though I can't tell if their home page is advertising porn or home automation products. I'll let you automate my systems, baby!

--' The debate over whether the state or 'private' enterprise should run things is completely irrelevant because, in the UK at least, the business and political elite are in collusion, and in many cases are the exact same people.--

Same in US. Haven't caught up to your level of spy cameras but are gaining quite rapidly. I assume the brits have figured ways around these schemes. I see a lot of destroyed video camera pictures from the UK here in the US on the net. I think there are site just dedicated to that.

We have millions of X10 cameras everywhere that are wireless, no encryption, cheap junk to watch the watchers with I guess if you can buy them there.

http://www.x10.com/

Beware of Link above

That sounds much like the X10 system which has been around over 30 years. I use the wireless remote for tuning on/off my powered subwoofer when I want/don't want to piss off the neighbors, and for my 4' blacklight that has no switch of its own.

What about the notorious X10 company.

http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm

One word: automation
One site : http://www.x10.com/

I'll make this brief. A company called X10 (specifically here) has everything you need. Good quality stuff at reasonably affordable prices. Browse the site, you'll like what you find.

I'll make this brief. A company called X10 (specifically here) has everything you need. Good quality stuff at reasonably affordable prices. Browse the site, you'll like what you find.

Wireless video sender ?

That link you have is actually to products by Smartsight. They were bought by Verint, and the product line renamed to Nextiva.

Their stuff works very nicely, though it's tailored more for security applications. They have an S1100, which is wireless, though it will set you back 2000$ per endpoint(TV).

The other poster is correct, unless you have need for the serial connection or alarms, going with just wireless video is great.

If you want cheap, X10 has a package for under 100$

For that it had better bring the crooks back wrapped in duct tape. I remember someone made a tiny wireless camera for a heck of a lot less.

Hey, sex sells. If you check the x10 site today, you see a bunch photos that are very similar to your link.

URLs for the hardware I talked about:

Clicker: http://www.x10.com/automation/x10_kr22a.htm

Reciever: http://www.smarthome.com/4017.HTML
Computer Interface: http://www.smarthome.com/1132U.HTML.

Mr House software for Linux would also be a good start- it's very scriptable and would eliminate the need to write your own drivers.

This sounds strikingly similar to what X10 has been doing for a long time. Using a special outlet plug-in, you can control various fixtures (lights, fans, etc) via a remote control, as well as using a timer and motion-detectors. A friend of mine has been using X10 motion sensors in his house for a while now, so that his kitchen light comes on whenever anyone enters, and turns off 2-3 minutes afterward.

I'm not up to par on the technology used in the X10 devices, but it can't be all that dissimilar to sending any kind of digital "internet" signal over the power lines as well. Actually I'm surprised it took this long to surface (granted I haven't been scouring the net looking for this information either.)

Hasn't x10.com contacted you already?

I too found this article lacking in evidence that sites do this. I know it happens, but it's pretty rare. One place that uses a practice like this is good old X10.com (please don't buy from them). The one day only ad you see on the homepage real expires in one day. Of course if you delete your cookies you get the day back.

X10 is still in business.

Maybe you are referring to their filing of bankruptcy in order to avoid paying ~$4M in punitive damages to the "owner" of the pop-up/down/over/under ad patent(?) Boohoo...

Check out a NEX ia+

1. $69 for base unit. It runs on CF1/2 (or Microdrive) so that's extra of course.

2. Plays standard MP3s (up to 320 kbit, incl. VBR), and there's rumors of an OGG firmware upgrade.

3. No DRM whatsoever.

4. The batteries (2xAA, so you can carry rechargable spares, so you never ever run out) last a long time.. no moving parts (like a HD unit) helps with that.

5. Get a flashcard reader, use your CFs like floppies.

Other goodies:

- Built in FM radio (lousy reception tho)
- Built in microphone
- Line-in jack
- Any of the above three inputs can be encoded on-the-fly to MP3 (64 kbit).

Disadvantages: Much more expensive per GB than a hard drive unit, and your size is limited (but CF goes up to 8GB last I checked)

I specifically bought this unit because I was looking for a DRM-free MP3 player that ran on Compact Flash, and standard AA batteries. It was the only one I could find, there may be more now.

You are (understandably) confusing the company X10 with the X-10 protocol. Unfortunately, people only seem to remember those vastly annoying pop-ups. And the hot models, of course.

The similarity of their names is further compounded by the fact that the X10 cams are compatible with the X-10 protocol.

X10 is what? If you're not afraid of supporting heavy pop-up advertisers, and you have a disposable email address, they've still got quite the deal from time to time on random electronic closeouts.

Yes they do visit http://x10.com they advertise like hell on there own site. And here is a tip if you buy from x10.com get a email just for spam. They send 3 to 4 emails a day.

HP focuses on paparazzi-proof cameras

So let me get this straight...after this incredibly hypothetical situation comes to pass where all the governments have agreed to mandate this technology, barring of course the millions of security cameras which would have to be exempt or useless (and god knows no one would ever abuse a security camera), and the billions of old fashioned cameras have been rounded up and burned...oh yes and of course all the professional photographers who STILL use 35mm have been convinced that they have to go digital...we still have Leo Di-Caprio preventing anybody in a 2 mile radius of himself from taking a picture of anybody else because cameras still have !@#!&# telephoto lenses?!?? I hope celebrities don't hang out in too many scenic areas.

Wouldn't it just be easier to pass a law allowing people to sue the Paparazo who took their picture (and/or the tabloid that published it) and published it without their permission? Is banning camera phones from locker rooms such a horrendous inconvenience? If your phone calls are so damn important you can't wait five minutes to exit the locker room, maybe you should think about...oh..wait...it's coming to me..buying a phone WITHOUT A CAMERA IN IT!??!?!?!?

Yes, I did RTFA, and I noticed the line about HP not actually expecting ever to use this patent. None-the-less, they paid a nice chunk of change for something they don't think they'll ever use.

Just get an X-10 firecracker set, download the BottleRocket X-10 linux controlling software, and write a cgi to run on your webserver that allows users to turn the lights on/off. Going through the whole hoax thing sounds like MORE work..

http://www.x10.com/

I agree. A better link might have been this: X10 Protocol or Intro to X10

story author probably wants to spy on his neighbor's teenage daughter(s).

Probably, but since it seems those babysitters are always popping up on shows like "When nannys attack" on Fox, and having two kids myself, I can understand the uneasiness.

In either case though the quickest way may be to go with an X10 setup (yes, THOSE guys). For under $200 you can get 3 wireless color cameras setup (cams, receiver, transceiver, remote, batt pack, motion sensors, etc) that will record when motion activated to either your PR or VCR.

The cams and sensors are totally visible though, which can be a detterent in and of itself, but if you're looking for something you can hide, a quick Google search will bring up thousands of companies. I looked at the ones who bought the keyword ads, and some have some pretty cool stuff for around 200 bucks.

There is also third party software out there that allows you to look in on what your cam sees by sending a snap shot to your cell phone (proper Net connections required.)

But they spam my browser too!

In addition to an outdoor camera, you can get a motion detector and camera kit that turns on a VCR when triggered and also has a German Shepherd voice synthesizer, virtual Robo Dog. All kinds of gagets for a geek, and pretty simple to install even if you aren't. If you want to go for broke you can get the whole security system and program it to turn the lights on after the second time the robo dog barks. Or whatever -- be creative. Smart Home also has stuff (although some of its the same) if you want a 2nd source.

Finally, if you're in Bush Country, just go door-to-door with your good buddies Smith & Wesson (grin).

In addition to an outdoor camera, you can get a motion detector and camera kit that turns on a VCR when triggered and also has a German Shepherd voice synthesizer, virtual Robo Dog. All kinds of gagets for a geek, and pretty simple to install even if you aren't. If you want to go for broke you can get the whole security system and program it to turn the lights on after the second time the robo dog barks. Or whatever -- be creative. Smart Home also has stuff (although some of its the same) if you want a 2nd source.

Finally, if you're in Bush Country, just go door-to-door with your good buddies Smith & Wesson (grin).

In addition to an outdoor camera, you can get a motion detector and camera kit that turns on a VCR when triggered and also has a German Shepherd voice synthesizer, virtual Robo Dog. All kinds of gagets for a geek, and pretty simple to install even if you aren't. If you want to go for broke you can get the whole security system and program it to turn the lights on after the second time the robo dog barks. Or whatever -- be creative. Smart Home also has stuff (although some of its the same) if you want a 2nd source.

Finally, if you're in Bush Country, just go door-to-door with your good buddies Smith & Wesson (grin).

As someone who has overcome most of those obstacles myself I have to say your objections are, while not necessarily trivial, not insurmountable for the average hardware hacker either:

how about the fact you need to interface tons of input sensors and occupancy sensors (not motion detectors)
Motion sensors actually do help with that, the trick is to pay attention to the IR level as well as the state change.

plus be able to RELIABLY control the important things like heat? a RS485 thermostat is $300.00 for the el-cheapo one. the X10 thermostat from RCS is an absolute piece of junk.
Reliability on X10 is difficult, I must admit. The key here is to use the more intelligent modules from Leviton and read the current status back after you send a command.

plus you can easily overwhelm your X10 system in the house if you have lots of modules and command consoles..
How big is your house dude?!? Unless you're trying to do something insanely stupid like real-time streaming data from a full-fledged weather station over X10 or something?!? Send your streaming data over 802.11b and let X10 do what it was designed to do...

oh and you had a $200.00 bridge and repeater installed right?
Err, no, all you need is a $10 capacitor from your friendly local electronics surplus place to bridge your phases. (X10 even has instructions on their site fer crissakes).

X10 doesn't work work a crap without that.
The $10 capacitor has always worked for me and I've done this with several peoples' houses now. Just Google for it and you'll find several dozen sites all telling you the same thing.
Err, you have tried solving some of these problems, right? Or were you just posting to see if somebody would respond...?
(Okay, moving right along before somebody decides to mod me flamebait. :)

Let's add in the weather station so the house can wake you 30 minutes early because of the snowstorm last night or alert you that the cover on the hot-tub has blown off because of high winds.
The weather is picked up from the Internet free, and anything physical you care about that much (like the garage door :) just needs a sensor or two with a polling cycle. (Never trust X10 to receive an unexpected signal reliably. Always purchase/fab sensors to be pollable!)

a few X10 modules and misterhouse is NOT a home automation system.
Well okay, you are technically correct here, but a few X10 modules and Linux box can be! :)

No, it's apparently still in business.

sounds too much like the X10 camera and reminds one of those horid pop-ups?

The serial protocols for controlling both the CM17A FireCracker wireless transmitter (and the MR26A wireless receiver) and the CM11A ActiveHome Power-Line Carrier transmitter are available from their website, as well as documentation for the X10 protocol theory in general.(http://www.x10.com/support/support_manual s.htm -- bottom of the page)

The CM17A protocol is so simple, its apparently not uncommon to fire single commands from a shell prompt or simple script.

Erm, no. The art of overlaying a signal over your home AC line in sync with the zero crossings of an AC signal actually is patented by X10. While you may see other devices out there, they are all either made by X10 and rebranded, or licensed.

X10 the company has a special AC interface box you can by that just sends and receives raw data; the purpose of purchasing this box (as it says) is so you legally license the patents.

For more information, check out the USPTO and at least patents 4200862 and 4638299.

There is no difference between the company X10 that cells the wireless remotes and X10 the company that advertises its wireless cameras all over the place.

Their full name is X10 Wireless Technology. They are also the same company that makes all the home automation software (that was sold for a while by Radioshack).. It's pretty neat stuff. You can hook it up to your computer and control all your lights, etc.. Check it out. You don't need to use their software or interface either, there are plans around, and even Linux software.

You're kidding right? Do a quick Google and see how much you can control right now. Don't forget the obligatory X10 devices for home automation either. You can easily tie in a Sharp Zaurus to most of these setups and you could also use VNC from the WinCE devices, if that's what you have.

If you wanted to control your appliances via PC or PDA you could do it, right now. You just have to put in a little effort initially.

T

. . . built-in X11

Ok, so it has built-in X11. But does it have a built-in X10 Camera???

- why no links on X10 ?

Because they are misinformed. They are thinking of X10-the-company, which is notorious for pop-under ads. But what they really mean is X10-the-protocol [scroll down a bit for a good introduction], which is used by many companies.

- which maxim is obvious ?

Maxim is a "gentleman's magazine" that has been pushing the limits of how much semi-porn you can include without getting banned from shelves. Recently this and competing magazines went too far for Walmart.

this is bettah dude