CM11A - Works in one room, not another.

[sportera]

I have (3) workstations located in home and want to run Homeseer on my home office PC vs other PC's. Problem is that X10 will only control "some" rooms when I have CM11A plugged in home office outlet. Controls all rooms with no problem when plugged into outlet in another room using PC(running same HS config) in that room. I've installed a http://www.x10.com/support/x10trou.htm, but no help.

Currently I have to run home on my Media Center PC in living room. Really want to run on home office PC. Any other thoughts or help on this?

[TrOjAn]

I have (3) workstations located in home and want to run Homeseer on my home office PC vs other PC's. Problem is that X10 will only control "some" rooms when I have CM11A plugged in home office outlet. Controls all rooms with no problem when plugged into outlet in another room using PC(running same HS config) in that room. I've installed a http://www.x10.com/support/x10trou.htm, but no help.

Currently I have to run home on my Media Center PC in living room. Really want to run on home office PC. Any other thoughts or help on this?

its of no help to you but..... in my house there are 5, yes five sockets that just will not work with x10. Its just one of those things.

There are boosters but you need to decide if you can justify the cost?

TrOjAn

[Rupp]

You need a coupler/repeater. You've only done the coupling. You also need to be repeating these signals as well. Most coupler/repeaters boost the signal when they repeat it and this is the boost that is needed to cover most moderate sized homes.

[Jim Doolittle]

I have been pretty lucky being able to take advantage of known "sweet spots" for plugging in devices like my CM11A or Powerflashes. I had two outlets where I could not control lights via HS (X10 remote worked). I purchasedsome of the X10 Pro lamp modules with APC (improves signal strength for that module) and the lamps now work fine.

Using this approach, I have 100% coverage using my CM11A with no couplers/repeaters or filters (other than the additional electronics within the X10 Pro modules. However, this may not work for everyone. I have a dro ceiling in the basement so I have managed to run extension cords (power or, for the CM11A, serial cable extension) to go from the "best" outlet to my HS server.

[AutomatedOutlet]

Jim, wouldn't surprise me if you've spent more on extension cords than a phase coupler would cost! I agree with Rupp, every house needs a phase coupler or a coupler/repeater. It's a cheap investment to make sure stuff works.

[X10joe]

Cm11a at breaker box

I solved my problems by installing an outlet at the breaker box and plugging in the cm11a there. I made a phone wire extension cable to extend back to my Homeseer server. Every thing works great. Another helpfull tip is to tighten all of the neutral and ground wires at the breaker box and (carefully) tighten the screw terminals on each breaker. I found if there is a certain outlet that does not work replacing it with a high quality outlet fixed the problem also.

[sportera]

Wow! Thanks for the help. I guess I may need to weigh buying a repeater vs running the CM11A on my Media Center PC (which has no problem controlling everything), but I'd hate to buy yet another device only to find in doesn't solve the problem. My "unused" box is getting full of devices I've purchased that didn't work and my wife is gradually getting conscious of my HS investment and questioning the payback.

[Gogs]

Very Interesting, as they say!

Has this problem got to do with the States working on 110V and phases?

240V Single Phase sounds a lot simpler.

[goddard99]

Interesting!

Good observation Gogs, I left the UK 10 years ago and still have problems trying to understand the wiring system here in the USA. There is not a split in the UK, do you have any problems throughout your house? As I remember it the house on two stories is split into two for the outlets but only one for the lighting. So do you find there is a problem between the upstairs and lower level? Just curoius!
Mike

[Gogs]

In my case the upstairs has one ring mains for the socket which is through a different fuse (circuit breaker) from the one down stairs, the lighting is also seperate upstairs to downstairs, but all on the same phase and 240V.

I have never tried the CM12 in any of the upstairs sockets, but all X10 devices work upstairs and I have never had any problems with the signal reaching them.