Home Hacking Projects for Geeks

6

Part I: Home Automation

to turn on two lamps with a single switch, connect an X10 lamp module to

each lamp and configure both modules with a single address. If you want

all the lamps in a room to be controlled by a single command, they should

all be assigned a single address.

While most X10 devices are one-way because they are only capable of either

sending or receiving, some devices are two-way. For example, one-way X10

light switches can receive X10 commands to enable them to be turned on

and off remotely. You can also use the one-way light switch to control the

light locally, just as you control a conventional light switch. However, when

you flip the switch, a one-way X10 light switch does not transmit a signal.

Therefore, while flipping the switch can turn the light on and off, it cannot

turn on other X10 switches.

Two-way X10 light switches can receive X10 commands, and can also

transmit an X10 command when you flip the switch. This allows you to use

the switch to control both the light and another X10 device simultaneously.

For example, if I replace the switch that controls my kitchen’s under-cabi-

net lighting with a one-way X10 switch, and then replace the switch that

controls my kitchen’s overhead lighting with a two-way X10 switch, I could

turn on both the overhead light and the under-cabinet light by using the

overhead light switch.

Light Switch

In the first phase of ...