x10 captain's tips, tricks and home automation and security ideas

X10 Captain’s Home Automation Tips and Tricks and Ideas:


Tip 1: By setting your x10 dimmers to ramp on slowly, you'll avoid the shock of a sudden harsh light in a darkened room. Click here

Tip 2: Did you know you can watch multiple surveillance cameras' on any TV in your house or view your camera over the internet? Click here

Tip 3: Set up your Home Theatre to have lights dim when you are ready to watch a movie. Click here

Tip 4: Set up a sensor in your bathroom to allow lights to come on at 25 or 50% power to allow your eyes to adjust. No more fumbling around for the light switch. Then the light will automatically go off after a period of time. Click here

Tip 5: Need a high end zoom camera for your business or home that can pan, tilt and record all activity to a vcr or your computer? The Sentinel is the way to go. Click here

Tip 6: Give your family a way to contact someone in an emergency with the personal voice dialer. Click here

Tip 7: Set up a master control box in your bedroom that controls all lights or appliances. Did you forget to turn off a light all the way on the other side of the house? Or, if you hear a noise, you can hit a switch or two and turn on any light in the house for added security. Click here

Tip 8: If you plug your Christmas tree lights into an outlet that can't be reached conveniently, plug the lights into an x10 appliance module, and you'll be able to turn them on and off remotely with a wireless Controller or automatically.

Tip 9: Set up your Landscape lights to turn on automatically. Anyone who has landscape lights already has this BUT what about having the ability to manually adjust them from inside your home or over the internet when you are away from home?

Tip 10: Installing motion sensors with your wireless cameras on your front porch with sensors allows you to record and view who is on your property on TV or over the internet. Click here

Tip 11: With x10’s video sender, you can view any DVD, DVR, VCR, satellite, or cable signal from one source on another TV across the room without hooking up any wires. Set up and watch TV in the garage, kitchen or even your bathroom and even control what you watch with a remote control that is offered for free. Click here

Tip 12: Before you enter your home, use a keychain remote control to turn on the lights in your home before entering.

Tip 13: Set up a webcam which you can use to talk to your friends, family and business. These cameras are much better quality than most of the ones you have used to IM. These pan, tilt and zoom all while offering an incredible quality picture.

Tip 14: Easily program any X10 device to turn on or off with your wireless remote keypad or automatically using x10’s Active Pro software. Do you want to set the coffee pot up to turn on just about the time you wake up? Choose something you would like to control and have fun with it.
Tip 15: Wireless camera uses ( just to name a few):
Front door – See who's there before you leave your comfy chair.
Baby's room – Make sure the baby's still happily asleep.
Backyard – What are the kids up to outside?
Driveway – Keep your house safe from prowlers
Business- Keep an eye on the cash register

Get online from anywhere in the Pan & Tilt your camera left, right, up and down - FOUR Pan & Tilt Bases included
Watch over your home and control your cameras right on your TV, as you sit on the couch
Never miss a moment - motion-activated PC recording ensures all the evidence is recorded
See everything 24 hours a day - two low-light cameras included
See everything in full, vivid color - two full-color cameras included
Easy to set up - get it up and running in less than 30 minutes
View all four cameras LIVE

Tip 16: Save money on your electric Bill

Use the Thermostat Controller with ActiveHome
Control your heat remotely. ActiveHome and the Thermostat Controller work together to let you have control of your home's central heating – even when you're not there.

Did you forget to turn the heat down before you left on vacation? With ActiveHome and MyHouse Online, you can access your home automation controls from any internet-connected computer! Whether you want the heat down during the day or overnight when you take a trip out of town, you can adjust your Thermostat Controller remotely to suit your needs.

ActiveHome and the Thermostat Controller combine to give you the ultimate in home heating control. You can set your Thermostat Controller to activate just when you need it to, or take charge and control the system remotely. X10's ActiveHome and the Thermostat Controller mean you'll never come back to a cold house again! Click here

Lights and appliances can be set up to come on automatically which saves you money. Click here

Tip 17: Set up a complete home security system that monitors a potential problem and calls designated contact numbers to alert the home owner. No expensive set up or monitoring fees, no false alarms. Supplement this with out door flood lights and you have a home security system which is just as good as any expensive system on the market. Click Here

Tip 18: Installing a camera in a location where low lighting conditions can occur? Cameras are available with low light IR sensors.

Tip 19: Installing a new switch or relay? Be sure to cut the power at the main breaker box before attempting to modify any 110V power component.

Tip 20: Lose the original remote control to your TV? Universal remote controls can be programmed to gain back full control of your orphaned device.



X10 Captain’s review of what you can do with X10


There are literally hundreds of uses for x10 automation. I have been using x10 products for over 20 years and always find new ways to use them. User-friendly interface means anyone can master simple home automation and create new routines. It all depends on your needs and your imagination.
Ignite the Passion: Create the perfect mood for a romantic evening with the simple push of a button. Just one touch can dim the lights, turn on soft music, start the indoor water fountain or aroma lamp. With your imagination and Active Home Pro, the possibilities are endless. My impressed neighbor shouted, "The lights dimmed, like in a big theater!" Bring the fun of a big-theater experience to your movie night! Watch how impressed your family and friends will be when all your lights dim as the movie begins. You'll even bring a new level of excitement to intermission as you light the path to your kitchen with the touch of a button.
While our guests laughed in the hot tub, we strolled into the garden: When it's time for outdoor parties and bar-b-ques, ActiveHome Pro is there ensuring the garden lights, hot tub, pond and fountain are all operating, and making sure the fun goes on well into the night. Turn lights on and off on demand or set a timer for night lighting.
Vacations are a time to relax, knowing your home looks occupied: Why leave a home dark and deserted when you're on vacation? ActiveHome Pro can ensure a fun and worry free vacation by turning lights on and off at different times, making your house look occupied.
Never enter a dark house again: We've all come home late at night to a dark house. Is someone hiding in the shadows? Before you step out of your car, use ActiveHome Pro to illuminate your yard, porch and inside lights, ensuring a safe place. ActiveHome Pro can even turn lights off for you a few minutes after you've gone inside. Once inside, with just one touch of a button, you can turn ALL of your lights on or off if needed.
Set up wireless Cameras for easy monitoring: You can set cameras inside and outside the house to monitor the baby, or to know who is approaching your home. Easily record what your camera monitors. Even monitor your home when you are away from home through the internet!
With Active Home Pro, Home Automation is easier than you ever thought possible

Have you ever experienced one-touch Home Automation? Once you do, you'll never go back! Imagine every room in your home timed to your schedule, and total control right in the palm of your hand. Whether you want to never touch another light switch or just control every light and appliance in your home by remote, X10's ActiveHome Pro home automation system is what you need! Imagine your home working for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It knows where you're going to be and when you're going to be there – whether you want to be welcomed in the morning by a brightly lit kitchen and fresh pot of coffee, or lulled to sleep by your favorite jazz station before you go to bed, you can easily program your ActiveHome Pro home automation system to meet your needs!

No more fumbling with car keys in a dark driveway, you'll get out of the car and watch your lights come on all the way to your door and through to the hallway and living room. Come home to a cool house in the summer with fans that come on automatically an hour before you get home, or a well-lit front porch in the darker winter months. Once you've set your ActiveHome Pro home automation system to do what you want, you won't even have to think about it! How you control your home is up to you! Never want to touch another switch? With ActiveHome Pro's PC home automation, you won't have to. You can create customized home automation routines according to your schedule, so you can wake up to dimmed lights and soft music, come home after work to a brightly lit house, and go to the bed without thinking about turning off all your lights – they'll just turn right off for you.

Of course your routine can't be the same all the time, and that's why you'll also get a 5-in-1 Platinum Remote, which lets you control your ActiveHome Pro home automation modules and your whole entertainment system (TV, DVD player, stereo, etc.). Forget to turn off the kitchen light before you sat down to watch that DVD? Remember mid-movie that you didn't turn on the porch light for the kids? Don't get up – you can do it all with the 5-in-1 Platinum Remote! *You can even take your home automation system with you with the Credit Card Controller! It goes right on your keychain, so you don't even have to enter the house to trigger your home automation modules. Perfect for weekends, you can simply get out of the car and turn on your house lights before you even hit the front porch. It really is that simple! *Program a timer or macro and your home automation system will remember it, so you can control your entire home by remote.
*Control lamps, appliances, and wall switches with X10 home automation modules – you'll never have to touch a light switch in your home again

*ActiveHome Pro's dawn/dusk controls do the thinking for you – your night and morning routines can automatically adjust for the changing times of sunrise and sunset throughout the year, so you won't have to worry about reprogramming your driveway lights when it starts getting darker in the winter.

*Home automation control is in the palm of your hand with the Credit Card Controller – the ideal keychain remote, it lets you control up to 4 lights and appliances, so you can turn your lights on before you even enter the house.

*Brighten and dim lamps that couldn't before – perfect for romantic dinners in, or a soothing wakeup with low lights in your bedroom.

*Timed home automation routines are great for the holidays! Set up your home automation system for amazing timed holiday lighting displays – you'll be the most impressive house on the block!

*Use your ActiveHome Pro home automation system as basic home security! ActiveHome Pro can automatically adjust scheduled timers to turn on lights for a random number of minutes when you're not at home, giving your home that "lived-in" look.

It's easy to track home automation routines – ActiveHome Pro software lets you sort by rooms, so you can easily see what's scheduled to happen, and when Home automation software is easy to expand with plug-ins, so you can have the completely customized system you need.

*Set up cameras inside and outside your home and record and view video. Monitor your home while away from home.


I will be adding more Tips and Tricks in the days to come. If you have any tips, tricks or information to add, please email me at benstern@x10captain.com