An Example

Let's look at a practical example to try and understand the needed components. Say we have installed an X10 driveway sensor and we want that to turn on our Z-Wave light switch to illuminate our driveway when we come home after dark. The driveway sensor would send an X10 message to the X10 PC controller, which would then relay the message to your software. This is where the logic engine comes in to play.

The software allows you to react to events in specific ways based on the logic you tell it to perform. For example, you would write a logic statement such as "WHEN driveway is On AND after-sunset is True THEN turn lights On". The logic engine allows you to accept input from one type of device and react by outputting a message to another type of device. Thus, the communication gap has been bridged.

A more expensive, but just as effective, solution to bridging the communications gap is to use hardware controllers. Hardware controllers such as the ELK M1 Gold also contain logic engines that you, the installer, must program. The advantage of using a hardware controller is they are typically more reliable and consume less power than leaving a PC on.

There are other hardware solutions in development that will likely be less expensive than those I've already mentioned. One of these is the Wayne-Dalton X-10 Bridge Controller, which, according to the company, is coming soon.

Figure 1: Wayne-Dalton X-10 Bridge Controller

The ELK M1G is a fully functional home security system that can replace your existing security system, while allowing you to keep your existing security sensors. If you don't have an existing wired security system, don't worry; the ELK M1G also supports the use of many different wireless sensors including X10.

To work through this tutorial, I am going to assume you already have an ELK M1G installed. If this is not the case, then follow these video tutorials from Interscience International to learn everything from how to properly unpack your ELK to programming the logic controller.

What You'll Need

• ELK M1G (ELK M1)
• Various Z-Wave Devices (On/Off/Dim Switches)
• Primary Z-Wave Controller with group replication (ACT HomePro ZTH100)
• ELK-M1XZW (M1 Z-Wave Interface)
• ELK-M1DBHR or ELK-M1DBH (*OPTIONAL* - M1 Data Bus Hub)
• ELK-M1XSP (M1 Lighting / Thermostat & Serial Port Expander)
• W800RF32 (X10 RF Receiver)
• Various X10 (DS10A Door Contact, EagleEye Motion Sensor)

ELK Products has done a good job documenting the installation of all of the above components. (The above hardware is listed in the order it should be installed.)

Tags: Home Control, X10, Z-wave,

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