Possible Uses For X10
X10 has become very popular with consumers who wish to use home automation to make life easier. The technology was developed for just this purpose. It has steadily grown as product ranges have expanded, and as demand for more functions has increased.
The interactive example on the previous page was a very simple demonstration of what is possible with the technology. Depending on your budget, there are some very hi-tech approaches that can be adopted. For example, touch-screens to control X10 devices within the house are now quite affordable. These can easily be flush-mounted into a wall, and are less intrusive than a desktop computer sitting in the corner of a room. This gives complete control of X10 devices around the home via one simple interface.
Applications to Home Care
A similar approach can be used for home care depending on the circumstances. Suppose an elderly person wishes stay in their home but has limited mobility - X10 could be used to make life easier. A remote interface could be provided so that lights and other appliances can be turned on and off. This could avoid having to bend down and do it at the socket.
The technology is very simple, and can be easily added to any existing household with minimum expense. It is basically a plug and play system, so qualified electronic engineers are not required for installation. This allows care assistants or family members to easily set the system up themselves. Simplicity makes this a viable alternative to more technical solutions.
However, there are limitations to what X10 can do. X10 does not have the ability to communicate with devices any further than using the simple control codes that were shown earlier. This prevents the use of sophisticated sensors and other forms of communication between electronic devices within a network of this type. For a serious home application where different services need to be run over a network, a more advanced software based solution will be required. This is more likely to found with the UPnP or JINI technologies that are discussed later.
