So, I started reading this forum a couple weeks ago... I read as much as I could and decided to take the plunge and order some stuff from x10.com to play around with. I'm currently using:

A1 transciever from the activehome kit (living room)
A2 lamp module (living room)
A5 3-way switch (basement)
A7 RCA switch (bedroom)
A8 RCA switch (office)

The house I'm renting is pretty old and the entire upstairs (including the bedroom and office) is on a single (15-amp no less!) breaker. Ugh! Switch A8 seems to be isolated (doesn't respond to commands), but it doesn't seem to be due to a phase coupling problem, since switch A7 is on the same circuit and it's fine. Changing house/unit codes doesn't help.

Now, it gets better. If I plug the activehome interface into an outlet that is pretty close (5 ft) to the A8 switch, I can control it, but nothing else :( Plugged into the same outlet (via a power strip - not a surge protector) are 2 PCs, monitor, ethernet hub, and a couple other peripherals.

If I plug it into an outlet across the room, I can control everything but A8.

Turning on the 220V dryer or stove makes no difference.

Any suggestions? Sounds like maybe installing a noise block on the PCs is worth trying? Hm, wait, if that's true, then turning the PCs off should make A8 work, right? I can test that after I send this... Assuming that that doesn't work, then what?

thanks in advance,

todd.

Try unpluging the PC, not just turning it off. If that does not help, try truning off all the breakers except those needed to control the X-10. If it works, slowly turn them back on and test after each time. If you get to one that caused problems, flip off all except that one and the X-10 one. If the problem is still there, what is on that breaker that could be causing noise (if noise is even the problem)?

How big is the house? Have you thought about a amplifier or amplified coupler?

Do you only have the Activehome to control the X-10 or can you try a handheld remote or other X-10 transmitter? Sometimes the signal from the CM11a interfaces are weaker than other transmitters. This won't help you much but may tell you that the switch is to blame.

Have you tried to reverse the switches to see if the problem follows the switch or is the location the problem?

Chris Couture

Are any X-10 modules/transceiver/interface on the power strip? Sometimes the signal won't get to the module on a powerstrip, especially an extension cord. I experienced it myself when the outlet was behind the dresser and I tried using an extension cord.

How does the following affect A8?

Controlling via remote (e.g. PalmPad)

Controlling via ActiveHome macro

Controlling via ActiveHome icon (click on/off)

Or maybe try this... instead of moving the interface, try moving A8 module to see if it works in a different room.

A friend of mine had problems with a set of lamps in the family room not working by timed macro (it did work fine by remote though). Even turning on a 220V appliance did not affect it. He tried installing a signal bridge, and unfortunately, did not solve the problem.

Could it be just some funky wiring anomaly?

Roland

BTW, Chris, you're up late helping the X-10 needy. You deserve a humanitarian award or something. Hehe!

Thanks for the suggestions. Unplugging all of the computers didn't seem to help. I guess I should check for a bad switch before doing anything more complicated - hopefully that will take care of it.

The house is pretty small, about 1000 sq. ft. I did think about an amplified coupler, but as I said, I'm renting (hopefully buying this spring), the house and wiring are pretty old, and I don't want to spend a lot of money or effort. While I do feel comfortable wiring wall switches myself, I'm not as keen on venturing into the breaker box. Plus, it's expensive - I want to make sure that I really like X10 before I spend that kind of cash.

The main thing that made me think it wasn't the switch was that the activehome controller could control it when plugged into that one outlet. Maybe the switch just needs a stronger signal than it should or something...

My other controller is an RF remote; the transciever is on a different breaker but as I said, it has no problems controlling anything else including A7 which is on the same breaker as A8. I can also move the transciever around to see if it works.

thanks again,

todd.

OK, tonight I changed my primary housecode to E (just paranoia...). I also added a transciever on O1 and a lamp module on O2 to control some outside lights. And all of it works fine except for my old friend A8 (now E8).

But - I swapped the E8 switch with a new one and now it works intermittently IF all 3 computers are off. It seems to always work if they're all off and I unplug the power strip that my primary desktop system is plugged into. Alternatively, I can turn the power strip off, or unplug all of the components from the strip - same effect. The more things I have plugged into the strip, the less reliably E8 seems to work, but there doesn't seem to be any one component that has a bigger effect than any other.

I did find out, though, that there is more than one circuit upstairs. E7, E8, and the computers are on the same circuit. If I plug CM11a into that one, I can control E7 and E8 but nothing else. If I plug CM11a into the other circuit (outlet on the other side of the room), I can control everything except E8.

Suggestions? I'm thinking of trying the 'plug in noise filter' on the power strip, sound reasonable?

I'd try the filter. If it doesn't work, return it.

Chris

I found my noise problem was actually coming from my pc's monitor and not the pc itself. I put a filter on the monitor and haven't had a problem since.