Your
Automated
Home
By Troy
Dreier, PC Magazine
November 2004
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X10 ActiveHome Professional
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 Anyone who's been put off by X10's
salacious online ads might be surprised to hear this, but the
company's starter kit for home automation is one of the best
around. Selling for as low as $99, ActiveHome Professional excels
with its extensibility and friendly software and is a strong
choice for those who don't need web access.
"One of the best around"
The ActiveHome Professional
comes with a lamp module, an appliance module, a PC interface
device, a universal remote, a keychain remote, and software (this
new product was being finalized when we tested it, so the contents
may vary slightly). Using a screwdriver, you set dials on the
modules so that each has its own alphanumeric
 code.
The PC interface connects to your computer via a USB cable and
sends stop and start instructions to your modules through your
home's wiring. The PC interface also has an antenna so that it can
catch radio frequency commands from the universal and keychain
remotes.
X10's software is colorful, easy to
understand and well designed. You create different "rooms" to
represent the rooms in your house and then establish links to the
modules in each. Once the system is set up, you can turn all the
lights in a room on or off at once, design macros, and schedule
repeated events. Macros bring a lot of power and versatility to
the program, letting you build routines like slowly dimming all
the lights and running the sprinkler in the evening.
The only thing X10's software does not
offer is an online connection, but at least you'll have the
universal and keychain remotes to control modules while you're
home. The universal remote can work not only on your X10 devices
but also your home entertainment center, and the keychain can turn
two lights on or off within 100 feet.
The X10 ActiveHome kit offers far more
extensibility than other kits, with a wide variety of additional
modules available, such as motion-sensitive outside lights, and
screw-in lamp modules. Extra modules sell for between $13 and $50.
Requirements are for Windows 98, Me, 2000 or XP.
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