Automating & controlling electrical equipment using X10
How X10 works
The existing electrical wiring in your home provides a network of cables which originate from one common point (your electricity meter) and terminate at convenient locations (switches, sockets and light fittings) throughout your entire home. The X10 system uses this existing wiring to send signals throughout the home which can then be used to turn lights and other electrical appliances on or off, and dim lights up or down. Using X10 you can construct a home automation and control system that is tailored to your specific needs, without having to install new wiring.
It is probably easiest to think of X10 in terms of four diferent kinds of components: X10 receivers, X10 transmitters & controllers, X10 transceivers and X10 special modules.
X10 receivers, often referred to as X10 modules, are the part of the X10 system that actually control an appliance (or even an entire electrical circuit). They attach to the electrical circuit and to the appliance and are allocated an address which consists of a letter from A to P (called a house code) and a number from 1 to 16 (called a unit code). Each receiver then monitors the electrical circuit waiting for a signal sent with its address, and when it receives such a signal it takes the appropriate action to control the appliance it is connected to.
It is useful to think of X10 receivers as falling into three functional types:
- X10 appliance modules are used for controlling electrical appliances such as kettles, fans, heaters or televisions. They can also be used for controlling lighting, but only have the ability to turn appliances (or lights) on or off.
- X10 lamp modules are used for controlling lighting and so have the ability to execute "on", "off" and "dim" commands.
- X10 shutter/sunblind modules are used for controlling curtains. shutters and sunblinds. They contain the added functionality required to control the extent to which the curtains, shutters or blinds open or close.
X10 receivers (and some other kinds of X10 component) come in four different formats:
- Plug-in X10 modules are simple adapters which plug into a standard mains socket and then control any device that is plugged into them. As such they are a great way of getting started with X10 as they do not require any modification to the mains wiring.
- DIN rail X10 modules are wired into the main consumer unit and control entire circuits throughout the house.
- X10 micro modules are small receivers which are designed to fit behind existing electrical switches and sockets, making your X10 installation invisible.
- Wall-mounted X10 modules look similar to standard wall-mounted switches but contain X10 receivers.
X10 transmitters & controllers
X10 transmitters and controllers are the part of the X10 system that actually create the signals that are sent to the X10 receivers in your home and represent the interface between you and your X10 system.
X10 transmitters are wireless devices which communicate with your X10 system by sending a radio frequency (RF) signal which is picked up by an X10 transceiver (see below). The advantages of X10 transmitters are that they are freely placeable as they do not have to be connected directly to the mains (and many can be carried around the house with you).
X10 controllers communicate with your X10 system by being wired directly to it (or by being plugged in to a convenient socket). Examples of X10 controllers are timers, thermostats and computer interfaces (which allow you to take control over your home using a standard home computer).
X10 transceivers are effectively a special kind of X10 controller which act as a gateway to your wired X10 network by receiving wireless signals from X10 transmitters and converting those signals to be sent over the electrical wiring.
X10 special modules are typically used when installing or trouble-shooting X10 systems.
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X10 automation & control
Take control of the lighting and electrical appliances around your home without having to install new wiring.
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