PowerLinc USB - are these really viable?

[Stevech]

I'm 0 for 2 on the PowerLinc USB 1132U.
Recommended by a guru on this forum as a replacement and improvement over the marginal-at-best CM11A.

#1 died 2 days after receipt- receives but doesn't transmit.
#2 is very prone to false-receipts. It often churns out 2 receive events per second for tens of minutes - mostly repeating the same faux message, such as housecode M ALL UNITS OFF, or some such. (Is M ALL OFF some particularily bit pattern that noise can emulate?)

When it's not doing this, it fails to decode J7DIM - saying, half the time, MDIM.

I wonder if the curcuit design of the PowerLinc USB is proven?

I'd love to hear someone dispute my experience: they're poop.

[rocco]

I can't comment on the PowerLinc. I don't have one. At this point, I never will.

But I can comment on the "M-All Units Off" command message by saying it has a code of 000000001. Are you also getting "M-13" address messages, which are 000000000?

[Stevech]

"M-13"

Nope.

Geeze, if only BSR/X10 had originally put some error detection/correction bits in the messages.

[MRTaylor]

See the UPB forum. You might be impressed.

Michael

[Tcassio]

I've been running the 1132cu for a year now and not 1 problem.

[Stevech]

There's Hope!

[Rupp]

Stevech,
It certainly sounds like you have noise on the power line as erroneous M codes are a sure indicator. Are you running a coupler/repeater? I've also read where a few users have had serious problems when using the Powerlinc and certain C/R. I haven't had a single problem with my Powerlinc but it's one of the original $29 X10 only units. I also run a Leviton C/R.

[Bkphillips]

I have been using one for over a year now it seems.... No problems. Just bought another one to test with.

[Stevech]

I have a passive phase coupler - necessary.
The CM11As I've used have never had this problem.
The HS log has bursts of housecode M ALL-ON and ALL-OFF and E-HAIL ACK.
These come and go. I haven't been able to correlate these to when certain things are on, like Fluorescents or PCs or WiFi activity.

All I can say is that it doesn't seem to be a step forward from the CM11A which is itself quite flawed but doesn't generate all these bogus events.

UPB: I've read mixed reviews on it and it's prognosis for longevity. And I'd have to figure out how much it would cost me to replace a dozen or so X10 modules, some of which are inside electrical boxes and time consuming to replace.