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Monday, August 25, 2008

X10 Sample Scenarios

X10 Sample Scenarios

By Whome


Here are a few situations that might suit the use of X10 devices, based on my own experience.

Outbuilding lights
If you have a detached garage or shed, or other outbuildings, it can be very convenient to be able to switch the lights on and off from inside the main building as well as from the outbuilding. Normally this would require two-way switching, with a three-core cable run from the house to the outbuilding. This would be in addition to any other cabling you may have installed already. Suppose you have a detached garage about 60 feet from your house, as I do. You have already run a heavy armoured cable from the house to the garage, and don't want to run any more. With an X10 lamp module in the garage you can control the garage lighting from anywhere; no extra cabling is required. In addition, you can install multiple switches in the garage if it has separate vehicle and people doors.

Coupling room lights
Suppose you merged two rooms in a house to make a single large room. For example, in my area, houses have separate living rooms and dining rooms; commonly people knock down the dividing wall to make one large room. But you now have a long room with two doors, and separate light switches. What you really want is for both switches to operate both lights. No problem: just replace the light switches with X10 lights witch modules, set to the same unit code. Either light switch will then control both lights.

Convenience switching
When I moved into my house the lights for the attic were controlled by a small switch in the attic itself. To get any light in the attic I had to get into it and then wander around in total darkness looking for the switch. Eventually I rewired it so that the switch was in the room below. However, it would have been much easier to install an X10 pendant lamp module on the attic light, and then it could have been controlled from anywhere. Similar logic applies to other inaccessible areas.

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