X10 Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|
| Low Price | Somewhat Poor Reliability |
| Well Known | Relatively Small Address Space |
| Availability in US, Europe and Asia | Subject to Interference |
| Easy of Use and Easy to Install | No Security |
| Suitable for Retrofitting | Slow |
Issues:
- Modules coming on all by themselves (presumably from line-noise). Even if you have a server checking status and cleaning up false positives, it won't be quick enough to prevent some brief period of light.
- Status querying only works with certain modules, and status querying is limited to on/off status, and cannot be used to determine the dim level.
- Most modules don't announce when they are toggled, so the only way (if possible) to determine status would be to do a constant polling of status.
- Slow, 50 bps max. The average single on/off command takes about one second to react.
- No acknowledgment to commands sent, send it and pray.
- Many sending devices do not handle collisions well.
- Confused X10 modules may mistake commands as another command if a collision occurs.
- New appliances can cause X10 to completely or partially stop working. Examples are: a TV set, stereo, PC, UPS, VCR, or DVD player.
- You must wait until the last command has been successfully sent before starting the next. Most X10 devices do not buffer the last command.
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