The End of X10

Julie, Im sure you took no pleasure in writing this article after your previous encounter with x10.

Actually, I don’t take pleasure in industry folks losing their jobs. We all probably owe some gratitude to x10. Certainly it was critical to the launch of EH Publishing.

I initially utilized X-10 in the late 1970’s and it was my introduction into “home automation”. 

I still was recommending it to “newbees” to get a taste at a reasonable cost.

Its kind of sad though because its still being used today all over the world. 

I still use it even though I have UPB, Insteon and Z-Wave devices sprinkled here and there.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, many of us cut our teeth on X-10 products.

While many today moan about the quality and efficacy of X-10 stuff, we were calling for the imminent demise of the technology back in the mid-eighties. But X-10 is still here while Unity Systems is gone, Mitsubishi product never made it to market, and 20 other “next big thing” companies have bit the dust or faded into obscurity.

The fact of the matter is that the HA industry never gained the market traction to drive HA into the mainstream.  Yet X-10 and its doodads are still around.  That speaks to simplicity, affordability and the “nifty” factor of the product.

Don’t expect this technology to disappear…

The clip is priceless! I do agree with Spencer where for many of us, X-10 was a starting point. Many have come and gone while X-10 chugged along but technology marches on.

x-10 out 2gig in with there slow techonogly! Hmmmm… I would rather play with x-10 over 2gig’s crap! Sad day for the people who want to enter the automation world but don’t have a lot of money.

Having installed hundreds of X10 devices in my automation carreer, I can say, it was time to go. The demise of X10 was brought on mostly by the demise of the power supply transformer which was the guardian against power line harmonics generated by electronic devices. With todays transformerless battery chargers, Compact flourescent lighting, LED lighting, and let’s not forget TV’s, DVD players etc., the powerline is the dirtiest place in the house. It actually costs more to filter out these goblins and amplify the X10 signal, than the X10 devices themselves. This will reduce the DIY crowd considerably.

How is this such a sad event? Yes, X10 gets a lot of credit for pioneering our industry, but I have never heard anyone speak of fond memories of the X10 days before they moved on to better technology. If X10 couldnt find a way to improve their system to compete, then sorry, time to go. Nothing to cry over (I do have some empathy for people that will lose their jobs). Its the buggy whip again.

As for those DIY’ers that are too cheap to hire a pro, yes, they are screwed. What will they ever do? Oh wait, they still have UPB.

Yes, it’s too bad to see X10 go.  But I can also say it’s their own fault.  When X-10 came out in the 70’s, it was state of the art.  Technology had not advanced to the point that UPB, Z-Wave and others could be implemented at a reasonable cost.  But technology advanced, yet X10 didn’t keep up.  They aren’t the only company to fail due to a lack of innovation after their initial products.

Before we start mourning the passing of X10 (the protocol), it’s probably worth noting that there’s a 40 year legacy of X10 equipment in the wild. X10 (the company) certainly isn’t the only manufacturer of X10 and X10-compatible equipment. With the existing install-base and the continued availability of compatible devices, X10 will likely remain a viable entry point for many years.

While X-10 certainly deserves accolades for it’s success and dedicated base, it unfortunately is in a very competitive market.  I am extremely sorry to see people lose their jobs, or companies fail, or ideas not pan out.  I think people are more interested in reliable solutions that are much easier to integrate.  I am confident that I can fufill every expectation for my customers that want to convert from X10 to another control medium.

The unreliability of X10 was the inspiration for the Arc Fault Circuit Breaker.  Inventor Frederick Blades was ‘scoping his power line and researching noise sources to get his X10 lighting to work when he discovered the various signatures of arcs that made power line communication impractical.

I don’t like wireless or UTP either.  STP, shielded CAT6 and 22p stranded with Beldfoil are my standards.

Thanks for the article. I played a part in the eventual demise of X10. My wife and I wrote a book, Escape from Paradise (selling on Amazon), which included certain facts about the ownership of X10. I sent the book to the SEC, and X10s public offering was withdrawn. They already had a ticker symbol - XTEN.