My Home automation system recently stopped working. My bedside lights didn’t come on at sunset, and I couldn’t turn them on with the remotes either. Something blocked the signal!

But after some research through the xTension mailing list archives, and a quickly delivered XPPF plugin noise filter from PIGS Electronics http://www.pigselectronics.com/ my system is now working great again, and the problem is just a bad memory

I’ve been using X10 home automation gear for a few years now, first on the PC, then under OS X after I switched to the MAC Feb ’04.
I run a small automation system, using the XTension software (http://www.shed.com/) It autostart the coffeemaker at 5am, turns on some lamps based on Sunrise/Sunset events.

I just recently upgraded from a CM10 to the newer CM15 controller, and upgraded to the newer version of xTension (thanks Michael!). I did run around the house taking pictures of all the lamps and devices in OFF and ON mode, but I haven’t created any views or room charts to use them with – so far I’m running strictly events and scripts.

In February I started having a problem where I couldn’t control my bedside lamps. They wouldn’t work from the Palmpads, from the trimline remotes, or from scripts on the Mac. Its very annoying to have to jump out of bed just to turn off the light on a cold winter night!
I had recently gotten a Philips HDTV, and since the TV room is under the master bedroom, I had a hunch it might be related to the new TV. I found the xTension list archive and did quite a bit of reading, then did some troubleshooting, and I found that when the set was completely unplugged from electricity, the bedside lamps worked fine.

I did some more research and found out about line noise and filters – and decided to try the XPPF (X10 Plug in Filter) to isolate the problem. I googled for XPPF and I found a local (Baltimore, MD) vendor for X10 parts, PIGS Electronics http://www.pigselectronics.com/ . I ordered it from them Saturday afternoon and asked them to let me know if it wasn’t in stock because I had a pronblem. Gary wrote back that he had it in stock and would ship priority-mail, and it was in the mailbox Tuesday afternoon! Thats service!

I plugged it into the wall, plugged the TV into it and bang – everything is working great again.