RS232 to X10 or UPB

[EmeraldW]

Has anyone messed with the X10 or UPB automation tech? If so, how hard is it to transmit RS232 to control the hardware?

 

[ella]

You have to provide the whole project information. Each of the mentioned interfaces RS232 , X10, UPB have a number of layers from physical to application. The solution depends on the desired layer adaptation. Not all of them possible. You can not for instance take a byte from RS232 and simply resend it via X10 because X10 has more sophisticated low layers

 

[EmeraldW]

**broken link removed**

Above is a UPB to RS232 device. We are looking to use custom software to control either X10 devices or UPB using RS232. There are also USB controllers but other parts of our system uses RS232 and would like it all to work together.

Do these type of interfaces allow for simple RS232 commands and then coverts them to either X10 or UPB?

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

UPB documentation is hard to find. A vendor that uses these modules has had a difficult time communicating to the X-10 portion because of how they handle the protocol and how the module handles X-10 communication.

I haven't talked to the vendor to see if they developed a solution yet.

X-10 and UPB are usually combined. The other protocol is Insteon.

 

[EmeraldW]

Insteon appears to be a bit more expensive but I am willing to work with what works.

Stupid question, if these protocols transmit through the grid, wouldn't other devices in a neighborhood receive the commands? Or does the transformers on the mains kill the signals?

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

It's not a stupid question. X-10 dies pretty quickly and couplers may be required to couple the X-10 signals across split-phases

UPB has passwords that are assigned to the network, thus your neighbor bay receive the signal, but you can't activate his/her stuff. When commissioning the devices, you have a certain amount of time to commission it similar to pairing a bluetooth device.

I believe Insteon is not strictly a powerline protocol. It uses wireless too.

X-10 is not the way to go for a new system.

UPB has some interesting modules.