X10 Components

• X10 controls lamp power and dimming. night lamp / bed lamp image by Sid Viswakumar from Fotolia.com

  X10 is a system that controls the power to household devices via the house's built-in wiring infrastructure. X10 is available in several combinations, including the Firecracker kit which includes computer software. X10 controls any household component that plugs directly into the AC outlets. The system takes signals from a remote or computer and runs a signal from receiver to a transceiver then determines the power supply to the device.

Through-Port FireCracker Computer Interface and Software

• The X10 FireCracker kit includes a small device that plugs into the serial port of a computer. After installing the X10 software on the computer, devices throughout the house can be controlled via the wireless interface of the X10 system. The device that is plugged into the computer serial port is a through-port device, meaning that the device acts as a serial port as well as an X10 component. Therefore, you can still use the serial port of the computer for other devices when the X10 FireCracker is installed.

PalmPad Remote

• The PalmPad trademark remote that ships with the FireCracker X10 kit allows you to control X10-connected devices via a remote control. While computer access to X10 devices is powerful and adaptive, it is convenient to have access to X10 components without having to log into a computer. The remote gives X10 access from anywhere in the house.

Wireless Receiver and Transceiver

• These are the essential components of the X10 system. The wireless receiver takes a signal from a FireCracker-enabled computer or the PalmPad remote control. It controls lamps and other X10 devices via the wiring infrastructure of the house.