Really Old News

The news below is updated with something every day, well, every other day. It was updated just before you got here.

Christmas is almost here, been busy, nothing exciting in the monthly sales section, so I have not bothered to post anything. I hope you are all enjoying this warm weather. Been working on a new website, in the shopping basket format, which should make both of our lives better. Time for the sarcastic shopping basket !!

From all of us to all of you, have a safe and Happy Holiday season

A Christmas Wish from all of us

All of this warm weather is presenting us Canadians with a problem. Usually we know spring is in the air when people start driving their cars, snow mobiles across the frozen lake ice and they fall through, it's the Darwin Awards at work, but its been so warm this year that the lakes have yet to freeze over, this will be interesting. Keep drinking that beer Billy-Bob.

Just got in a shipment of 9 volt battery powered smoke detectors, 10$, I love them, cheap, and they work SF200 9Volt Smoke Detector

Ahhh December has arrived, Christmas, for some people. A happy time, joy to mankind, a time of much spending. What has this got to do with this website ? I think your wife really needs a 6500 watt gen set, the perfect gift Imagine, no more power shortages on Christmas Day, a meal on time.

Just got these files in from DSC, explaining their T-LINK TL250 IP Internet Communicator. These should either answer all of your questions or just confuse you more... TL250.ppt and the 48 page manual: TL250-300.pdf

We have a problem Houston, when you plug a string of LED lights into an X10 module, the lights will be ON, although dim, when the unit is OFF. It would appear that the parasitic load of the X10 modules is enough to power the LED lights. Yet another unpublished feature of X10, but, thats why you come here, for the real truth. Not sure as I type this how to get around it, but my people are on to it

November 26th 2006 Leviton U.S. is out of stock on part number 49563-TRE , which is a LED NiteLite with a Christmas Tree, we have over a thousand available for shipping. Canada a country where we export Anne Murray AND Christmas Tree Night Lites. Don't delay, get yours today ! Here is a PDF of other Leviton Promotional Products. How about a Sailboat and Lighthouse LED Nite Lite ? all on page 3

X10 Pro is having a special: 5 lighting kits, with good savings over the single pieces X-10 Kit Specials

Generator conversions: A 1hp motor will generate 746 watts of power. Now you can size your generator. Think of a 300 h.p. car going down the road as being a 200,000 watt light bulb.

These guys build little metal brackets, boxes, stamped, small runs 100 pieces, great company to deal with Custom Components Mfg. Co.

DSC just shipped me a series of CD's full of everything you ever wanted to know about their product line, about a gigs worth. It will take me a couple of days to figure out whats what, and posted on this site. Copies of relevant infomation will be shipped with every DSC order. The "How to Install & Program DSC Products" CD is quite interesting, as is the "How to use your DSC System featuring the PK5500Z" DVD, not what you think it is but still pretty good if you know nothing . Got to hand it to them, DSC is a slick product with great presentation, not to be confused with this site.

If you have a car with the HOMELINK RF system, you can use it to transmit X10 commands from your car to turn on lights. Check this link to see if you car is equipped

Put the November Specials up, some great deals on the new DSC keypads, got to like the microwave motion sensor with the 1000 foot range, wonder if you can use it to warm up your dinner ?

Welcome to November. Time to roll the system again, got the new DSC products ready, give me a couple of days to get everything up and running. X-10 Canada has hinted at a price increase in the new year, DSC and Leviton pricing is stable. Smarthome is continues to undercut their distribution network with sales and lower prices, getting a little tired of this, great products, bad distribution.

Purchasing a generator can be fun Think of a generator, sold at retail, as being disposable. If it runs at 3600 rpm, which most air cooled gensets do(not to be confused with 1800 rpm water cooled) they are large lawn mower engines. A 3600rpm genset will run for about 1000 hours, max power. They cost about $1.00/hr to run in depreciation, at full power. To make it last much longer, understand their power rating They have two values, max power and Rated AC Output. Max power is the amount of power they will put out, but for only a few seconds, for startup surges. Rated AC Output is constant running. Most gen sets are advertised with the max power rating, the bigger number. For example, the LT6500CLE is sold as 6500watts output, the Rated AC Output is 5500 watts. Loading at 80% of this, or 4400watts. A possible power spec rating for this model: 36Amps @ 120VAC, continuous, with a 20% reserve.

Just as a head scratch, there was more traffic from SWEDEN last month than there was from CANADA ! Go Figure that one, eh So, as we Canadians are a fun loving, beer drinking, peace keeping, diplomatic country (Santa lives here), we offer:
10% OFF on any shipments to SWEDEN

To get around the confusion of the new DSC boards and keypads being made available, and what price you have to pay, assemble a list of the parts you want, send it to me and get
10% OFF any DSC order over 500$

If your last name is HARPER or BARAN: 10% OFF
I know, just me being picky, picky, but your last name has to match the name on your credit card
If your last name is Baran-Harper, you are a lying toad

If you use your American Express Card, add 10%, only joking, it's only 3%, and I am serious

X10 Pro has just released their new 2007 Catalog , first new catalog in 4 years !! They got wise this time, no year is printed on the front page, a timeless publication. They have added a new timer, area controller and a outdoor mounting plate. I have ordered them and once they get here I'll take them out for a test drive and let you know

More Old News

Now this looks like an interesting product in the land of Alarm Integration: from this Link you can get the PC5401 serial interface open source software setup, but for linux Got the go to sell Generators, is that a Google keyword or what ? this should be fun. Have put up a price list Special prcing, just for you is here The distributor website is called Power on the Go Made in China by Launtop, copies of Honda motors, certified to CSA spec for sale in Canada. Parts, service available. Distribution is available to the US. This is the Full Product line of power toys available from them. I like this one..., about 1500$C. I was told that you can run these diesel units on cooking oil and other oils, anybody done that ? e-me

Smarthome is doing a recall on some of their products: 2456S3, 2856S3B, 2856S3. I would like to have been a fly on the wall for this meeting. If you have these modules and wish to get them replaced, Click here

I am not exactly sure what the story is on this, and it appears neither does SMARTHOME, but they sell a switch called a 2876DB, which, if you read the docs says it is rated for 300 Watts. I have some on the shelf that are rated AND stamped for 600 Watts top right corner and label on the back According to Smarthome they are dropping in 600W Triacs instead of the 300W Triacs......BONUS !!

Everett, the big guy from X10 Canada dropped by with the latest X10 news:
The DM10A wireless outdoor motion has been discontinued, with no sub.
The CM11Aserial computer interface has been discontinued, the CM15A currently only available through X10.com is to be available as an X10 PRO product in the next 30-60 days.
The PHT02 Timer: discontinued, replacement with the XPMT1 ( page 6 of the new pro catalog ) but is actually stamped PHT03, go figure, but it does more.
The TR16A, TR551, PHC05 (all the same thing) telephone transponders have also gone disco, with no sub

Reloaded the files, that was interesting, added the new Leviton Price List 37N, they deleted over 1000 items and added over a thousand new ones, time to get more pictures......Still have to add the new DSC Product line, going as fast as I can. I think its about time to add a new file called 'discontinued items'

My Friday rant...... As I get older I wonder how this world functions, how did we get out of the cave ? I think it all boils down to chaos. I'm amazed at how many web sites you can go to that are stale, links that don't exist, or better still you send them an inquiry for product and they never reply ! Whats the deal where they sell things, but you have to phone for pricing, what is this ? Lets Make A Deal ? Is it a secret ? How does that help me @ 3 AM ? Here I am, as a consumer, trying to purchase things off the web, these sites exist, but the lights are out. NOT HERE FOLKS, the lights are burning, inventory is ready to be shipped. I want your money, sure as heck not doing this fun. All e-mail is answered, might not be the answer you want, but you do get a reply, prices are as marked, shipping is charged on a cost basis only, no 'handling' fees, product is shipped as fast as possible at the cheapest rate. There, I feel better now, thanks, so you want how many of those ? to scare all the little kids, eat to many candy bars, and go see the dentist, not to mention Thanksgiving. Do you ever wonder why the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving on a different day than us ?

Got a busy month lined up, Waiting for the October Sales from DSC to arrive. The Smart Home Switchlinc section is going to be reduced, and the INSTEONproduct line will have some price reductions to match the fall of the US dollar/rise of the Canadian dollar, the LEVITON Everything Else Group is going up about 5% across the board and the DSC groups will have the new Powerseries added, Kit Prices are going up a couple of dollars and last but not least, the Diesel/Gasoline Generator sale will come to an end

Welcome to one of the more sarcastic distribution sites on the web. If I don't like something, I'll let you know. This is a one man show, and my name is Doug Harper, a grey haired over 50, old fart, just having a great time with Google. Odds are you got here via google Over 9000 items are listed, your job is to find them. My job is to ship them to you, and debit your credit card. This site is basic, low tech, probably the most Mickey Mouse order entry screen you will ever use, but it works. No charge for the spelling mistakes. No room full of pretty people answering the phone, just me, on a cell phone, drums on my back, harmonica in my mouth. If you phone and get voice mail, sorry, just one of those days. Located in Canada, a small non descript beer drinking fun loving country a little north of the United States. The home of Santa Claus. We have our own flag, currency, 20% of the worlds drinking water, and a Prime Minister with the same last name as mine. Some of us read, write, and speak English, some don't. Have a look through the site, enjoy the pictures, buy early, buy often. If you have a question or a comment, good or bad, drop me an e-mail, or give me a call @ 905-294-6473, I may answer it. Cheers

The deal here is that if you see an item without a picture, like this, you get 5% OFF. You save on the product and I get my pictures, we both win. You may notice a lack of descriptions about some of the items. But as Rod says "Every Picture tells a story, don't it ?" or at least thats the plan. Some pictures are crisp and clear, others are fuzzy, depends how the day was going.

I have a lot of inventory, but probably not the pieces you want. I try to ship the same day the order arrives. Supply lines from DSC are excellent, next day usually, great product, great people. All X-10 comes from Seattle WA. and more than once they have "lost" the order, not sure how they do that, must be the rain. I keep a ;ot of X10 in stock. Then we have Smarthome, the Wal-Mart of Automation, just trashing the market place with low grade innovative wall switches. Got to like how their 2380 wall switches and 12074 area controllers reset to A1 after a power surge. They admit they are defective, return them. I had them in my own house, no time for this horse feathers. Next on the list we have Leviton , the large, professional lumbering along, monopolistic electrical supply company. If they make it, I can get it for you, takes about 4 days to get anything in that is not in stock. The quality of the product is a level above the rest, it really is, sure you pay the extra bucks, but it works, just like a Timex (thats for the old folk).

Its hotter than (&* in here, I need an air-conditioner, must be getting old..... So how can you gain from my misery you ask ? sssssssssh: Use the words 'air' and 'conditioner' in the comments section when placing an order and I will give you 10% OFF. When I make enough money to buy one of these units, the sale ends. Got to love Capitalism, remember: buy now, buy often. Cheers !

Leviton has released a new revised pricelist called the 37N. Remember I warned you of the impending 4% price rise, well, here it is. Working on this one. The price increases do not affect the Leviton Structured wiring section, but the remaing 5000 or so items will be up about 4% overall, but there will be some 'gotchas', always. Working on it.

Ahhh Canadian weather, just think in another 90 days we will be raking leaves and freezing, not to be confused with the current weather. For those of you with pools, I have a computer controlled roof solar water heating system, an x10/hard wired hybrid. Priceless, worth every penny, payback in only a couple of years. What they manufacturers fail to tell you is that your roof is now cooled down to 95F from 150+F, so your air conditioner does less work, even with 2 feet of insulation in the attic. Big difference. Now you know.

Yes, I have actually updated the monthly specials Got some great deals on Outdoor Heavy Duty motions, some speakers, cameras, good deals on the motions.

Welcome to July, Hope you all had a Great Canada Day, and to South, a safe and happy 4th.

If you have a pool and a gas heater, you may be having fun controlling them both. To correctly shut down a pool pump with a heater ON, you should shut down the heater 10 minutes before you shut down the pump, to cool down the heat exchanger. You can control your 220V Pool Pump or a 120V Pool Pump quite easily. The heater, if electric start, can be controlled with a Smarthome 23885W Wall switch. You could use this switch to run a 120 Volt pool pump, but I would not. Anyhow, the 23885W is a 2 way X10 switch, such that when you turn it on it sends its own address, essentially, you know when it is ON, or OFF. Preset the pool to the required temp, and just turn the heater on an off by booting the electrical circuit. question ?

One just has to sit back and marvel at the internet. If you have an idea, or want something, it's already posted. I'm sure it gets a lot of companies and even countries upset, and they are powerless to stop the situation DSC 50hz to 60hz Conversion

We are getting a lot of demand for smoke detectors and monoxide detectors. Openned up a whole section of them, listed above. I'm filling in the blanks. It would appear that the technology on the monoxides has changed quite a bit. They used to be real power pigs and made it expensive to put them on to a security panel (had to add a new power supply). This has now changed and the things only consume about one tenth of the power they used to need. It will probably take a month for the smokes section to be loaded, send me email if you have any questions

June is turning into a most interesting month. Leviton Canada has implemented a new high speed order entry/picking system to speed up their order processing. In the past it would take 5 days to get something from them, it now takes 10 days, guess they have some wrinkles to iron out. DSC is doing pretty good, they just have a few back order situations. X10 Canada is reducing their inventory position and are taking their time on order filling. Smoke alarms, no problem. Not sure what the action is in the land of Smarthome. Everything else is fine, put an order in before noon, we generally ship that day. Had my 50th birthday, patience is a little thinner. Don't bother calling up to say you are a real estate developer. If you are in the Toronto area and want to pick something up, move to plan 'B' look here

June, Got lots of new items from DSC, prices down a titch, X10 and Leviton steady, Smarthome all over the map, call for availability on Smarthome.

DSC appears to be bringing out a revamped Power Series product line, at least the catalog is printed, lots of toys, but they do not exist. They are bringing online the PC1616, PC1832 and PC1864 motherboards, lots of new keypads, this should be an exciting year trying to figure it all out. Work with me on this

On enrolling keypads: 'Sometimes the keypad will not react. Press # for 3 seconds, then press digit 1 The LCD fixed message keypad will show "open". You then assign the keypad to a slot, usually it is slot 1 by pressing *8(installer's code) 000 0 11 ## . There we go, for all of humanity to read

This is a really good link to a DSC/Security forum. They are my competition and cheaper, so don't forget to come back and buy from me, in Canada, in mud igloos (no snow - global warming')

This is a pretty basic site, purpose built. Lists of manufacturers item numbers, some images, pricing. Shipping is at cost, we ship the best way considering the package size, destination. They do not get lost, arrive at your door, new and working. If you want to purchase something listed, I'll sell it to you. The order entry form needs to be filled in, this way shipping errors are reduced, and we both have a record of the order. Basic, simple, cost-effective.

The exchange rate for the US Dollar is low, expect higher US Dollar price conversions next month.

May, a wonderful month in Southern Ontario, a month where we can have 3 out of 4 seasons in a week, a signal to the Polar Bears to go North

Thanks for all your comments about the missing images. This months sale is: 10% OFF anything without a picture MAY ONLY SALE Thats right, if you order something like this you get 10% OFF. What a concept, you save money, we get more pictures, my ISP charges me more for disk space. Just think, the item you purchase will be visually immortalized for free on this website

It's Friday, April 28th. Hope all is well. The sun is out, the snow is gone, the birds are busy, I'm outta here Will not respond to email till Monday, phone me if you wish 905-294-6473, I'll answer, and we can laugh.

This is a great series of sales tips for contractors to provide a more functional security system, and of course make more money. The tips are good and they are real, contractor or not, they make sense: April Tips , May GlassBreak Tips Selling Tips How Motions Work New DSC Keypads with Low Temp Sense

Rex is dead !

Yes, we are sad to say that the last known "Rex The Barking Dog" has left the big retail kennel after a record life of 10 years, scaring away unsuspecting intruders. Yes, REX, also known as PK9000 is no longer with us, and will be missed.

Tuesday, actually in the office, as I type this, the sun is out, the birds are chirping, a great day to be alive. Got in an updated SmartHome 'whats available' list, hope to get that online today. Adding pictures, got a question ? e-me.

Pictured below is a 6 channel X10 based board that we built here. Will add more details when I get all the paperwork, but essentially you plug into this a Two-way interface PSC05 and a power supply (12VDC) and you can control the six 2A relays. The interface to the relays is through the CAT5 connector, 6 Switched lines with 2 commons

It's Friday !! It's like de-ja-vu all over again, This was a fun week, lots of great conversations, no orders for smoke detectors to Nigeria. Some of you have commented on the spellling mistakes on the site, no problem , no charge, enjoy

How to Import/Export: Whenever possible, use the Postal system. Canada Post, or USPS. Send as Express Post/Priority Mail Generally, globally, you can insure anything in a box up to 1000$(except to Nigeria). Express post to the US is about 3-5 Business days. You have Insurance and a tracking number. Make sure all of the labels are hand written, person to person, not company to company, this avoids duty and taxes and handling fees. The actual shipping cost is based on the physical weight of the box AND the dimension of the box. Some companies do not understand this concept. It all started because a very large global retailer was shipping via UPS empty pre-assembled boxes. One company I deal with out of California will send you 1 cu ft of merchandise in a 3 cu. ft. box, full of airbags. It costs about 30$ to send a cu. ft. of air from California to Toronto. Small, heavy, well packed boxes - got the idea ? This is good: If you send a box across an international border with UPS/FED-EX as 'Ground' they 3rd party broker it, which means they send it out to another company who clears it through customs. Usually you get a bill in the mail, up to 60 days later for brokerage fees which can be 15-20$US plus tax. If you send it Next Day Air, it costs more, BUT they clear it internally and you get no subsequent bill in the mail, so it is actually cheaper. The Postal system is the best way, but get insurance and a tracking number. If you do not get a tracking number, and insurance, the box 'never' arrives, funny how that happens, you get a phone call from the customer to say where is the box, usually around the day it should arrive, and they want their money back, amazing. Another one: If you are using your credit card to pay for something outside your country, read your credit card statement. Some Credit card companies (Visa) charge about 3% to do the transaction, which you will see on the exchange rate they give. And finally, if you return a product to a company, do not get upset if they charge you a handling fee. If you purchase product for 100$, 3$ goes to the credit card company for doing the transaction. If you return the product for a refund, they nail the merchant again 3$, thats 6% of the total transaction. You are now an expert international shipper. Small heavy boxes, in the postal system, with a tracking number, with the correct product, goes like jack-the-bear through customs

March was fun. Winter is leaving Canada. We know the ice is leaving the lakes when you hear about people sending their cars, trucks, snow mobiles through the ice, a Canadian tradition. Good thing full beer bottles float, otherwise it would be a total loss.

Got in the April Specials, will be posting in the next couple of days, adjusting the price lists to reflect new pricing, deleted items. I have a special om whole house TVSS Units, 51120 series theses are about 25%OFF Posted prices 51120-1 and 51120-PTC, let me work on the presentation of these items, but the sale is on ! These things are Power Surge Suppressors for your whole house, mount at the main fuse panel.

It's Friday again, I am not receiving e-mail, the guys at the bottom of the page have their people working on it. Will reply and confirm orders when the mail starts flowing... Think I'll go add some pictures..

The things you find on the web. If you are looking for Cat5, Cat6 jacks, media plates, this is a great link: Leviton Structured Media Directory

If you have a minute, a coffee, and a high speed connection, click for Flash from Leviton, the virtual tour

I just had a super conversation with Smarthome regarding the availablility of their X10 based product line and between you and me, I'm confused. I need Joan "Can we talk" Rivers here...... It appears to be somewhat safe to say that anything found in the SmartHome Mfg Switchlinc (X-10) section is either obsolete, is going obsolete, or maybe not !! It appears to vary, as does their pricing, and their policies. To put it another way, if you purchased a SmarthomeMFG wallswitch, which is still under warranty and it dies, they cannot replace it with the same switch. Think about that when ordering pieces, either order extras, or purchase another product line. I really don't know whats going on with these folks. If you want Smarthome devices, request a quote for availability from us and I'll find out what really exists. If I was designing a layout for a house, I would be vary carefull speccing the SmarthomeMFG product line. The product line was/is excellent. After nearly 20 years in the business, Smarthome finally developed a product line that uses the complete X-10 protocol, and is backwards compatible with native X-10 devices The curb appeal is excellent, with colour, and an agressive price point positioned between Leviton and X-10 PRO. If you are doing a project, map out all the devices in a list. Determine if you have 3 wires or 2 wires available at the switch (line/load/neutral) and if over 500 watts. List the function, dumb/intelligent and now go match up those requirements with the SmarthomeMFG product lineup. Get spares, which means if you are a installer and on the hook for failure replacement, estimate a 1%-2% failure rate per year of the system, which on smaller systems will not show up, but on the big ones, take note. I hope this paragraph is politically correct, I think it was

On the topic of warranties, pricing, and product, here is another approach: LEVITON. If you look at a Leviton price list on this site you will see some items that are "**" in the first 2 columns of the description field. This means that either the product is obsolete or is about to be obsolete. They give you about a 1 - 2 year heads up. If you purchase a LEVITON product, and it dies within its warranty period of say 2 years, it will be replaced with the same product. They maintain inventory on the product till the warranty expires on the last date sold. This method, as a specifier/designer, allows you to configure your system knowing that when the project is a go, the product and the price will be the same

DSC on the other hand, just keeps pounding out great reliable solid product, never dies, just works and works, like the Eveready Bunny. Prices also stable

Can't leave X10 out, Everett, the big guy from X10 Canada dropped by the office to show me a new metal bracket they will be bringing out that is essentially a sheet of metal, cut/configured to snap into an empty Intermatic timer box allowing you to install 2 Leviton Decora Switches, like the XPS2 for controlling outdoor devices, such as lighting, pool pumps. This is great, simple idea. Pictured below is a beta model - A Candian exclusive ! I've been told that the production model will have the DECORA plates vertically aligned and not horizontally as in this model below. Click for a larger image

Added a map of Canada at the bottom of the page, from those fine people at the Weather Network For those of you that don't know this, Canada is just a little North of the United States, Santa chills here.

For those of you with a soldering iron, swop out the RED LEDS on your security products and replace them with BLUE LEDS, looks pretty weird at 3 am. I Just modified the Visonic Motions ( on sale in the March specials ) They look like Aliens.

It's turning out to be a busy month: 10% OFF on any DSC orders from FRANCE, MEXICO, or SWEDEN till the end of March

Some good security specials, Speakers are on sale, Leviton prices go up 4% this spring, after staying steady for 3 years, great company great product. Smarthome pricing is going up, they dropped their Distributor program, product line is being reduced. Nothing new from DSC or X10, Smoke detector pricing is dropping a few precentage points

Added a herd of new Leviton part numbers, not to many pictures. Working on it. Smarthome has a new revised price list, the Insteon product line is increasing and the SwitchLinc series is shrinking. It appears the DSC audio system PC5936 is defunct. its expansion board is.

The new longer format catalog numbers from Leviton has been loaded. These should more closely match their published catalog numbers. Misplaced some image links along the way. Looking at the Leviton price list: a ** at the start of the description field indicates a dead or soon to be dead item

January 9/2005, a Monday, here we go again, updating the price lists today, loading 9000 htm programs, that ought to give Google and Yahoo something to do. New item numbers in the LEVITON section

Welcome to January, so far so good, hope you had fun over the last couple of weeks. The pressure is off !! On the shipping side SMARTHOME is back online with the 1132CU controllers. Backorders have been released. No January Alarm Specials available yet, Leviton just sent over a revised price list, with descriptions, this is good. New Pricing will be online sometime this month. All prices posted are correct, or pretty close. DSC is still not shipping the PC5936 audio board, not sure what the story is there these days. The Discounts on the DSC alarm products stays till further notice, which is a really sweet deal. Dicon Smoke Detector subs are in good supply - replace them all FREIGHT is going up, not much, but going up. If you are ordering from the US, its almost the same price to ship 1 smoke as it does 3. If you are replacing a 10 year old smoke that came with the house, then so is your neighbour, as they will have the same DICON 330L unit as you do. I'm going to go get a coffee and work on this Leviton Price List, send me email if you have a question

Our motto here is: "If Leviton has it then so should you"

Click Image to enlarge

March, like February. A good month to paint the kitchen. Just for you : A FREE Leviton Decora Snap-On Single Gang Wallplate with every order. Retail value 87 cents, Savings Galore ! We go all out for our customers ! These clean up easily, Snap on. Snap off also. A little boxier than some Leviton plates, but they look great. Dishwasher Safe ! The picture on the left is a 3 gang unit, makes for a good compare of the two formats. Available in 1-2-3-4-5-6 gang formats, and in colours. Super idea from Leviton.

This is fun, if you got here via Google , great, probably had no problems, BUT if you got here via Yahoo , then you have to laugh at the linkage system used: 47609-EMP, a Leviton part, under a Yahoo search links to the wrong product number. They tagged the links with the wrong URL

Canada, 9 months of winter, 3 months bad snowmobile conditions..........

If you phone me, I'm on a cell phone, it would appear sometimes that call waiting does not always work, best bet is to send email

Tuesday, We have a new Prime Minister, and thats the end of any political discussion from this site, other than his last name is Harper, which I think is a great name.

Today is Elections Day in Canada, at the national level. This is where all Canadians have the chance to freely elect people to mis-manage the country and lie to you at the same time. Just remember: vote early, vote often

Smarthome prices are lower, updating the files now.

I have been watching this site in the Netherlands over the years, quite the setup, its brilliant The Automated House

Its Friday again, glad you made it, welcome to the site. The Olympics has started. This time its in a place called Torino, in Italy. All the news here folks. Good to know that the official mascot for Canada is the Beaver. Yes the Beaver, the buck-toothed wood eating swamp building rodent of the the forest is our mascot. Warms my chorbles. Not the majestic powerfull polar bear, nope, not us, but the beaver. Well, it does make for some good jokes, eh Billy. You ask "What does this have to do with Automation ? Nothing at all.

For those of you ordering the INSTEON programmable controllers and require software to drive it, the reply from Smarthome is "No INSTEON plus software yet -- next version due out late March. Lots of third party software from companies like HomeSeer, HAL, Indigo, Power Home Automation. " I do not sell any of the above packages, so you are on your own on this one. I do however have the 1132CU's in stock with software, and I do have the INSTEON 2414X in stock

Its another fun day on the web, full of laughter. I thought I would share some of this with you I just got another order for 250 smoke detectors for Lagos, Nigeria. Now for those of you that do not know this, Nigeria is a fun place to do business with. For example, to ship to Nigeria, you have to take the goods to the UPS depot in person, and pay cash, no cheques or credit cards, just CASH, and you pay a boatload for freight and insurance. The alarms should already be going off in your head. First question of course is what would you do with 250 smokes in Nigeria, especially when they will only work with an alarm panel. I know, detail. So they order these things, any cost will do. I like to quote back 99.99$ each, special price, sure enough in comes a series of credit card numbers, complete with names, expiry dates AND the 3 digit code on the back of the card, with a suitable excuse as to why the names are different etc etc. These cards of course never clear. The real fun begins when you inform them they will not clear, 'thankyu muchly kindly' and you get a rather amusing excuse as to why. No problem I say, I trust you, I'm Canadian, we invented peace keeping. I'll just ship them to you and you can send me the money when you get them. Well, just wait 48 hours and watch the purchase orders that arrive, different names, different street address, same postal code: 23401. Just got to love the internet. OK break times over, back to work, check out these screwless wall plates below.

Well, thats Christmas done with, if you can read this, you made it, congrats. Now for New Years !

O.K. guys, 2 days left till Christmas, a fine pagean rutual, time to make that list of presents you need to get for your loved ones: radial arm saw, drill, pliers. Usual stuff the wife appreciates. Enjoy !

OK, some people have too much time: Christmas House.

I'm getting lost in the Christmas rush. Getting a little behind in quotations and answering some of your questions. The processs of the day is to fill the orders that arrive as orders, then the e-mail orders, quotations and then the questions. I answer all e-mail sent, it's just taking me a little longer this month. Smoke detectors are on sale. If you have a Dicon smoke, it should have died 5 years ago, replace them all. Have a safe Christmas

You may have bought some of those LED Christmas lights. You can control them with X10, BUT since ALL X10 receivers are always energized (ready to receive a signal) they bleed electricity, which is enough to power the LED lights, depending upon how many you have on a string, so OFF is not really OFF, its more like ON and DIM.......Now you know

Got a little carried away with the delete key...... if a file is missing, please let me know

Canada, 9 months of winter and 3 months of bad snowmobile conditions

Migrating Polar bears ate the roof off my igloo last night : crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.... will be out of the office for a couple of hours fixing things, call me, or send e-mail and I'll get back to you later today

5% off DSC this month, 10% off when you get a Kit.

What a great deal, It's Christmas, great stocking stuffers, buy early, buy often, let me know what you want, I have this nifty spreadsheet. Cheers !

December 1st, first of many days of madness. I'm in the office, send me e-mail if you have a question Doug Harper

10% OFF DICON SMOKE DETECTORS DECEMBER ONLY

X10 PRO has annouced the availability of a 220VAC 20A Wall Receptacle XPR2WGood for plug in pool pumps, spas, blowers, things that require 220V. Put one of these on a 1 horse pool pump and run it 50% of the time...pays for itself in 2 months, actually 1, but you would not believe me

When laying out your lighting control system, note that Smarthome does not offer a 2 wire construct in the new Insteon line. This means you will have to move to a Smarthome 2 wire switch, or X10 retail/pro

The picture below shows a collection of Smarthome and Leviton Switches. I just went to replace the discontinued Smarthome 23883W with the new Insteon 2476S, and was doing it live. Don't try this at home kids, just fried a 2476D when connecting the wires....it went pfzzzzzt and is now in the garbage. It would appear the Insteon switches are not as robust as the Leviton/X10 product families. Although not as much fun, you really do have to power down the circuit first. Doh !

Oct 17 Just to let you know, Smarthome is no longer shipping the 1132CU controller, they are currently in back order mode as we await the introduction of the Insteon controller, which is also not shipping.......I have a few 1132CU's left in stock, and thats it

The joy of this business is adjusting the price lists. Exchange rates, wholesale prices go up and down, and items get discontinued or renumbered. Work with me.

Making changes to the site, moving around billions of files and directories, if something goes away, it's ok, our people are trained professionals, and they can be fired in the morning, we can do that.

October, has arrived, the specials are in, cameras prices are dropping

Just got in some newer pricing on the Smarthome INSTEON product line, will be posted when the site is updated.

September in Toronto, Start of the rainy season.....If your indoor X10 based wall switch, which controls an outside lighting system, that has been working all summer now fails to work all the time. Either a connector has worked loose, or you have water in the fixture. If the problem goes away after a few days, its water. Sockets pointing skyward can collect condensation, failed gaskets

LIN QuickPort modules: On large Qty, short supply for the next few weeks,

Just did an install in a 6000 sq ft 3 phase commercial building. This gave me a chance to play in a 3 phase environment. Interesting results. Not exactly sure what is going on, But it appears that Smarthome products only send X10 signals on 1 phase, not 2 or 3, such that a 12074WW area controller will only talk to a 2380W for example if they are on the same phase. Leviton Area controllers, such as the 16400 for example broadcast on all 3 phases. The X10 Maxi Controllers also broadcasts across all 3 phases. This is not to be confused with the phases being linked, but more with the DATA that is squirted out on to the wire. This would explain why SMARTHOME promotes their phase couplers and repeaters so quickly in their documentation. These devices suck in the 1 phase data stream and squirt it out in a 1-2-3 phase format. Are you with me on this ? Lets now imagine you are subbing an "old" 16400 with a "new" 12074WW and it fails to communicate with an existing, working switch down the hall. You then connect a maxi controller and the light down the hall works, AHA ! you say, this is a dead 12074WW, nope, not the case, the "data" is not on the wire. Interesting phone calls ahead.

I have noticed that the Smarthome Slave 2382W is made from a different grade of plastic then say a 23885W wall switch or a 2380W dimmer. The slaves are White, but a gray-white, when mounted against the other switches or when compaired to a leviton decora wall plate. The 2380W is perfect. The 12074 type series appears to be whiter, but thats ok You may want to take this colour shifting into account when laying out a plate system, locate them in lower profile locations

If you live in Canada, we can get for you SMARTHOME.COM products for the same price you see posted on their site. With a few exceptions. We have special pricing on the SwitchLinc and INSTEON product lines. It may take a week to get it, but then it will from Smarthome also. We clear it through customs, cheaply, and you pay less on freight per pound.

INSTEON pricing has been added, no pictures, text, just catalog numbers and pricing. Got to start somewhere

There are other people on this site with you

This is the Price List, with some pictures	This is the related Leviton Manual, and they are big, have a coffee
LEVITON Decora Home Controls Pice List(150 Items)	LEVITON DHC Product PDF
LEVITON Integrated Networks Price List(2000 Items)	LEVITON LIN Product PDF
LEVITON Everything Else Price List(6000 Items)	LEVITON L504 Product PDF

Leviton has started to phase out the HCM061TW and HCM101TW line of dimmers and are replaceing them with a new line that are 100% X10 compliant. The new code numbers are HXM061TW and HXM101TW where the "X" makes them X10 Enabled. Not tried them yet, but will let you know how they go

DICON SMOKE DETECTOR XREFF

We ARE having a lot of weather this year. Getting phone calls from people that have taken electrical hits to their homes and have to replace electronic hardware. You may hear the words SURGE SUPRESSION mentioned. If you are looking to protect your home from electrical spikes, you use a multi-tiered approach. If you don't, you are wasting your time and money, serious. Main Panel Primary piece and ONLY piece if you run X10 is the 51120-1 which goes on your main panel, anything else will chew up the X10 signal. To become an expert, check out these pdfs. TVSS PRODUCTS TVSS Ref Manual If you are going to do it, do it right the first time

Been having problems with the Smarthome 1132CU programmable interface. It would appear that it does not like to be programmed under Windows 95 or 98

Our prices on the Leviton Intergrated Networks products has come down about 12-15% across the board

DSC appears to be phasing out the intercom systems. It would appear that the chip inside the main board is no longer available. Items such as the main board PC5936 and the intercom stations PC5921R, PC5921E, PC5921I are also in short supply. I would order them now and take the 6 week wait if you wish to finish your system

Smarthome has announced that the 1623 X10 to IR Link and the 1623PC PC to IR Link have both been discontinued

For this of you looking for the MN140, MN240 family of DSC smoke detectors, forget it, they have been discontinued and replaced with the 210 AST and 410 AST product line

August, a great month, in less than 30 days from now your kids will be back at school, if you live in North America. Hope you are all enjoying the heat this year.

Just added a list of Smarthome Controller Manuals

July 14th Just letting you know; It appears that some SmartHome 1132CU controllers fail to update their Sunrise/Sunset Logic correctly. Anybody else having this problem ? Doug

Smarthome is pushing their latest product lineup known as INSTEON to augment their current smarthome lineup. They have released A SDK package, which can only be purchased from INSTEON by you personally, otherwise, I'd get you one

Swimming pool season is upon us in Southern Ontario, ice is now gone. For those of you with pools pondering water heating solar panels, consider: If your pool water is at 86 degrees, then your roof cooling system is at 86 degrees, so is the attic which means you air conditioning system is not working as often. Super heat your pool during the day, but the house stays cool. Run the panels at night, which supercools your pool. It works, honest, your A/C system cycles less often, house is cooler

The DSC ESCORT 5580TC is on sale this month List 144$C, this month 100$C

July, Canada, has to be a joke in there somewhere, where your lawn grows a foot in a day, dies the next, no polar bears in July. Added some more pictures, Smarthome pricing is going up, currency fluctuations and freight from LA, 3%, will be in effect as soon as the system is rolled, Send me email, if you have a question, I'm on a cell, and air charges are killing me, I do exist, in the office working, You will get an answer in minutes if I'm online, might be cryptic, Canadian English, doin my best. DSC is is good supply, value kit 6 is the winner by far, Smarthome is in good supply, other than the currency flux. If you want something from Smarthome.com, and are outside the U.S., we can get it for you for the same price, send me their catalog number on the order form, the catch is you have to wait for it to arrive in our next shipment, may take an extra week, you save major on the freight/customs. The 10% off on DSC special has ended, it will be back, but not next week. Will advise. Out. I'm going out for a coffee, talk with you later....Doug

Aha! Smarthome Approved. Here we are at the bottom of the page

For those of you that have the Philips Pronto Remotes Their new site

Busy month, thanks, generally in the office 9-5 ish. Send me e-mail and you should get a quick reply. Maybe. Missed the June Specials, so,
10% OFF all LEVITON Network Products. Starting July 1st
Now I'm ahead of schedule

June in Canada means late spring, rain. snow. X10 Hint: If your outside whatever that used to respond to the inside whatever no longer communicates, check for water, outside fixture, check for a voltage leak to ground. "It worked 2 days ago..." Did it rain ?

The DSC PC5936 is no longer available. gonski, nada, nyet. DSC may have a problem in getting part of the chipset. That was suitably vague. The piece cannot be sourced anywhere world wide, that mad rush was 2 weeks ago. I will let you know when it does become available

I know its June, I'm working on it, ignore the May sales, pricing is more or less the same on everything else, Smarthome prices will change on this months revisions, changing US/Canada dollar, will go up. Leviton has changed the catalog numbers on some of their DHC pieces HCCS7-1TW is now a HXC7S-1TW and all HCC**-1TW become HXC**-1TW, or in other words their area controllers. Reason is that they are now X10 enabled. Not sure what this really means until the next shipment arrives. Busy month, thanks for the orders, getting Smarthome products in as fast as i can.

Here we go, another month of whats-next. DSC pricing appears to be moving upwards on some items, while Leviton is holding the line as their June/July Price list rolls out, always an interesting read. X10/X10PRO continues to morph, but with no new products and have back order situations. Lost track of which Chapter X10.com is in. Smarthome appears to be having some issues on the 1132CU programmable controllers. The system clock goes for a hike and messes everything up. This has resulted in a rather high spike in returns for the item. We have been trying to figure this out here and perhaps if the 1132 series is close to a large source of noise, it may get creative. A common source of noise is your DSL modem power supply, routers. Last year it was power supplies on new computers. I'm keeping an eye on these and it now appears they have got this issue out of the way - June 24 Returns are a pain all the way round in mail-order. Funny how this works, but Smarthome and others all have noise blocks, currently the 10A unit is the most popular: 5A plug in, Smarthome, 10A plug in, Smarthome, 5A plug in from Leviton, 5A Wired in from Leviton, and 5A plug in from X10

All Leviton pricing is current and is sold as marked, no need to call me and confirm this. Items purchased in the LEVITON Everything Else Price List section is ordered in, I do not have 6000 different items on the floor. Delivery time is about a week. Some of the L.I.N. parts are in stock, but it's 2,000 line items. The Leviton DHC product line is mostly in stock

Canada: I’ve never been any place before where they have four seasons in one day. I’m wearing out my body changing clothes.
~ Bob Hope - quoted on a spring visit to Toronto in the 1960's

Spring in Canada has arrived, the Cookies are in

FREE, Yes A FREE box of GIRL GUIDE COOKIES on every order over 500$C This works well. You spend 500$ and get a 5$ box of cookies, thats a 1% savings, WOW ! This then supports the Girl Guides of Canada and makes a little girl the star sales person in her troup AND your Dentist gets to replace the differential controller on his Hummer from the Dental work he just did for you. Everybody Wins What a Deal !

If you are looking for a Structured Media Cabinet and system, I have two listed here, one by Leviton and the other by DSC. It's a toss up for which to go for. Leviton Cabinets have hinged doors with locks, DSC has a panel cover, like on a fuse panel. Leviton uses a plastic snap in mounting brackets, DSC uses metal plates. The general consensus is a big panel box is better than a small one, as you will fill it with hubs, routers, splitters, and so on

Here are a couple of manuals for the PC5401 Serial Data Interface Module from DSC Developers Guide and Install Guide

New, Lower pricing on SmartHome dimmers, area controllers and plug in devices Smarthome Pricing

DSC structured wiring pricing and images are working Concourse Structured Media

Remember: *Monthly Specials* , only last for the month, no longer

Welcome to May. Best way to get in touch with me is to send email. I'm generally online from 9 am to 4 pm. New month, new pricing, new specials, here we go again

The DSC Catalog of Products Here you go, everything you wanted to know to specify a Security System in one PDF. This is the latest North American catalog. Read this and you will be an expert. Click here....

The DSC Concourse Structured Media Cabinet Catalog This is so new a catalog that the hard drive is still spinning. Most comprehensive catalog I've seen so far on the structured media cabinet enclosures Click here....

What a busy month this is turning into, the snow is melting, spring is only 4 months away. If you are looking for a LEVITON part in the U.S. and your supplier can no longer get the part, let me know, Leviton Canada may have some in stock, this has happened more than once this month, same with DSC products. Speaking of DSC....900MHz wireless alarm pieces no longer exist

This is important to know, well, maybe, but if you run a North American DSC Motherboard which uses a 60Hz AC power feed in a 50Hz enviroment, say Sweden(Europe), for example, another cold country, the DSC system clock will not work slow, unless of course you configure: "1st bit on 701 set to On" This may help you out, or at least be on time for a change

For those of you touring the web looking for parts, go to GOOGLE or YAHOO and enter in the part number only, such as 2380W for example

The Leviton Integrated Networks Catalog explains the various building blocks that constitute a “Leviton Integrated Networks Home System,” including Structured Media™ components and systems that deliver the bandwidth and speed that today’s and tomorrow’s information and entertainment technologies demand: Home Controls and Security Systems, Lighting Controls, Power Quality and Lighting Control products. Here you will find part numbers, styles, colors, features, benefits, product specifications and application notes, and anything else you will require to choose or specify product. It's also a really nice catalog.The pricing for the LIN system can be found in the main pricing section of the site....all 2000 line items Click here....

Welcome to the website. I can sell to you any product supplied by Leviton, SmartHome, X10-PRO, DSC Alarms and a few more vendors. Your job is to find it. These Price Lists, $C,$US,$EURO contain X10 Retail, X10 Pro, Smarthome, DSC Alarms Leviton Decora Home Controls AND the Leviton Integrated Networks, all sorted by their catalog numbers. The LEVITON 2004/2005 Price List contains the remaining 6000 Leviton Line Items such a colored wall plates, receptacles, dimmers, non X10 based

Ahhh March in Canada, only 5 more months of good snowmobile conditions left.......

DICON Smoke Detectors: We have a new supplier of the U.S. versions of the Dicon smoke replacements , about half the price

Good News/Bad News....And the bad news is DSC has announced that they will be dropping the sale of the Meridian line of smoke detectors...MN140/240 series and their assorted variants. The good news is that they have a new series to replace them, same price, new look, new box. These are called the FSA series FSA-210AST and FSA-410AST

For those of you ordering X10 from offshore North America....X10 appears to be in a bad inventory position and is shipping substitutes for ordered items. I know that in some cases the power supplies internally vary from product family to product family and cannot be modified easily. When ordering items, specify no subs, and you will get what you require, otherwise I will ship accordingly

Freight charges to Europe are about half of what they are from California/Washington State to Europe.

This site is not set up as your usual shopping basket of glossy pictures and fancy sales promos. I've used the approach of letting my suppliers list and describe their products as they see fit. I produce lists of prices, based on these manufacturers product numbers. By using their numbers, your product selection is made easier, my effort is reduced, and my pricing is lower, due to less overhead. Most items are in stock, or are sourced within 24 to 72 hours. If you have a problem and require a solution, send an email to me and I'll do my best to help.

Under the "things to consider" category, you may want to look at the Structured Media Enclosure Systems. This is a method by which all of your phone lines, computer lines/routers/tv/video/ and any other low voltage cable you can think of goes into one box, with a door. Still a mess inside, but it has a door. The two suppliers I have are LEVITON and DSC, both of their .pdfs are below. DSC being an alarm company, is more focussed on a broader picture than Leviton is. Leviton on the other hand have all of the wall plates and connection points. You may wish to install a DSC Concourse panel in the basement, with Leviton fittings throughout the house. As a word of caution, get the biggest enclosure you can. 14/28/42 inches high is the format, 14.5 inches wide - stud ready, get the big one......you will fill it

X10 appears to be having some delays in shipping basic product, a lot of items are going back order. The chapter 11 of X10.COM may be the issue, or at least thats what I'm hearing. I'm sure they will pull out of it, but in the meantime add an extra week or 2 to for large single item orders, or call first to confirm

If you are looking for a visual summary of the Decora Home Controls product line, then check out this .pdf linecard DHC Linecard

DICON SMOKE DETECTOR XREFF

Not sure what to say here, other than amazing, but IF you are looking for code to drive the SmartHome 1132 Series of controllers from SmarthomeMFG then off we GO

If you are looking for a good listing of Decora Home Controls (DHC) by Leviton then Click Here

Now This is a Promo I'm offering A FREE, 1 WEEK VACATION IN CUBA on every order over 7,500 $C (not including taxes/freight). Check This out , Note: NO Igloos, YES Palm Trees NOW is the time to increase your order from 1 keyfob to over 700 or 2 D3200 systems from Leviton !

X10.COM has just released a new fancy, good looking Timer/Controller in the USB format, that receives all 256 RF channels..... CM15A ....sounds Canadian eh ? The word on the street is that its another fine piece of garbage from X10. We do not support or specify this product at this time. I was informed DEC 20th that X10 PRO will be shipping them, so we should have some in stock at the start of the new year, although it still appears that X10 is not supporting the product, and neither am I, I will ship you the product for testing, but I will not accept any returns

Masters and Slaves: Leviton no longer usese slaves in the HCM061TW / HCM101TW series, you transmit to the master via an area controller or a single address transmitter - or any other area controller. If you purchase the HCM061SW or HCM061DW series then you can use the slave MSR00W Pro and Smarthome still use slaves in 3-way applications.

If it's made by LEVITON, We can get it The Largest Selection of Wiring Devices for Construction and Maintenance (17.5mb)	Get the .PDF now LEVITON 2003/2004 Price List
Leviton DHC (Decora Home Controls) DHC Technical Reference Manual A complete Guide to Decora Home Control Components including Wiring Diagrams and Technical Information, Plus Real-Life Applications for Field Use. 57MEG FILE	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Introduction This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 2.5MEG	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Receivers Trouble Shoot Guide This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 4MEG	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Network Integrity This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 8.2MEG	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Receivers Ancillary Devices This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 5.5MEG	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Receivers Applicatons This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 5.5MEG	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Receivers Technical This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 2MEG	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Receivers DHC Technical Reference Manual Receivers This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. May want to get this first 13MEG FILE	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Controllers DHC Technical Reference Manual Controllers This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. May want to get this next 13MEG FILE	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Product Testing DHC Technical Product Testing This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. May want to get this next 1MEG FILE	Get the .PDF now
Leviton DHC Back Cover Notes DHC Technical Reference Manual This is a sub .pdf of the complete catalog above. 1MEG FILE	Get the .PDF now
Day and Night Designer Collection Discover the Artistry of Almond... the Boldness of Black	Get the .PDF now
D3200 Architectural Lighting Control System Customizable, Integrated, Networkable Dimming and Scene Control	Get the .PDF now
Night and Day Designer Collection Discover the Boldness of Black... the Artistry of Almond	Get the .PDF now
Mural II Collection Advanced All-Digital Decora Style Dimmers With Preset And Scene Capable Models	Get the .PDF now
Centura Fluorescent Dimming & Energy Management System Advanced Programmable Lighting Controls For Greater Worker Productivity and Increased Energy Savings	Get the .PDF now
Surge Protection Part 1 Whole House Surge Protection Protect home computers, stereo equipment and today's electronic appliances.	Get the .PDF now
Surge Protection Part 2 Application Manual and Reference Guide for surge protection and line conditioning products.	Get the .PDF now

I am adding Advanced Control Concepts to our price list. ACT is the industrial arm of the the X10 system. They also carry a European line ACT-EURO which you may find interesting

Send me your FAX Number, and I'll send you a FAX Send me a FAX

Leviton DHC Main Index	Leviton DHC Catalog	Master LEVITON CATALOG 12M PDF
Samsung Cameras		Don't click this
Old News	Don't click this	Maybe click this

In Home Security/Automation Installation in the Greater Toronto Area

Listed below are companies staffed with qualified people in their respective trades. I know these people and trust them to know their products. No messin here

If you want to walk in to an electrical supply outlet and purchase Smarthome lighting controls, then Give Supreme Lighting a call at 905-477-3113 and ask for "Domenic, at the counter

Northern Light Electric is in the Barrie area, covering commercial and residential applications from Toronto to the Muskokas. Fluent in X10 and the products integration, besides being a certified electrician. Call 905-715-5061

In the Toronto area, if you want a custom lighting control by LEVITON then BRENTVIEW ELECTRONICS is a company to consider. They know their stuff, and have been around for a long time

Muskokas , Lake St. Joe and thereabouts, Phil Sifft is the man for Leviton/X10 skills, nice guy to work with, certified electrician, 1-705-774-1685

Ottawa Valley Need an automation solution, call RON WILLIAMS, great guy, known him for years, knows his stuff. No web site, but he can be reached at 1-613-226-8975

Networks For those of you that require Network cable installed, Computers connected, implementation of media hubs, you may wish to contact ONI-RAM for a quote on the install. Ask for Angelo. MS Certified.

December 2004: X10 has announced that the CK11A computer kit and the DS7000 alarm system have both been discontinued

January, only 6 more months of good snowmobile conditions left..........

Getting hit up with a lot of questions about Smarthome products working with X10/Leviton products. I've set up a test panel to see how X10/LEVITON/SmarthomeMfg relate. The Leviton 16400 body with a 164504DW 4 on/off + dim faceplate when used with a Leviton HCM061DW dimmer actually sets the preset dim level when you turn on and dim from the 16400 area controller. This is not good. On the other hand, a Smarthome 2380W dimmer sends on and off commands when turned on and off manually, which turns on and off the leds on the 16400 controller, which is a good thing, as you will be notified when the switch is turned on and off. HOWEVER a 2380 when ramped up and down manually issues an off command at max dim but does not issue an on command at max bright - unless you tap the top of the rocker, which is not a normal action. So far they all work together, but they are all special. This ON command at max bright is not picked up by the 16400. The Smarthome area controllers do pick up the ON/OFF commands on a slow ramp up and down

Freight outside of Canada has gone up. France is about 30$ for the first pound, England 25$, Chile 40$C. (second pound cheaper) Restrictions on freight dimensions and insurance to the U.S. More Paperwork for customs. We are not in the business of making money on freight, however the Canadian Post Office has added a 'Fuel Surcharge' on TOP of the postage rate, so you see a 8.95$ stamp, but the actual cost is 9.75$...plus tax So now you know. It took me a while to catch on to this one. 4 business days to Europe

I have another rash of X10 XPPF noise filters going out......it looks like there are a lot of duff power supplies on computers these days. Sometimes the XPPF does NOT kill the noise. This is NOT a defective XPPF, you just have a bad power supply. Read my lips people: REPLACE THE POWER SUPPLY. A bad power supply - which is usually not CSA approved - will chew away at your motherboard and kill it. I've seen it done, many times. You have been told.

I have this catalog in front of me and it seems to answer all my Smarthome piece selection questions. Fun numbering scheme. The cross reff tables are excellent. I want one also

If you are looking for door contacts and the such try AMSECO

If you are looking for European Home Automation Products: Starting to stock a product called ACT/PCC. It looks/behaves like Leviton. Its a long story, but the product is 120/240/277 volt ready, full lighting control/switching, Industrial strength X10 protocol products with descriptions like: "Dimmer 300w - Plug-in, 120v, Euro plug (Netherlands etc.)" I've been assured that the product does exist and is shipping. Let me get a price list together and online. I like this stuff, it's in your face, rugged. No Blue LEDS in this product line. In the meantime, here is a PDF of some of the product line. Click for ACT PDF Check out this site for product specifications, check out the specs on the RD224 Euro plug using extended code, two way, complete enchilada PCC Spec Frame It takes a few months to bring on a new product, so if you have any questions, fire away

I found these PDF's that you may find of use for selecting SmarthomeMFG products: 2380 Wall Dimmer 2382 Slave 2387 Wall Dimmer 600 Watts *NOTE* The 2387 by Smarthome has nothing to do with X10 and this is just the greatest cross reference I've seen in a long time Smarthome Product X REff

Canada: I’ve never been any place before where they have four seasons in one day. I’m wearing out my body changing clothes.
~ Bob Hope - quoted on a spring visit to Toronto in the 1960's

Somebody has been busy: Found a MAJOR chunk of information here on the X10 Industry 1996. The tech information, patent numbers, history, how it works, is amazing. Everything. Serious information that still applies today X10 Home Automation

Got a question: "The furnace is an Armstrong Ultra V (95% efficient/Variable Speed Fan/GE). Armstrong units are made by "Lennox" This unit generates noise and knocks out a phase in the house. Lennox/GE of course say it's not their problem." I have heard of this before, so which one of you was it ? E-Mail Please

DICON smokes.....get a lot of phone calls, mostly from the U.S. looking for these things. It would appear there are whole subdivisions done in these, that are now 10 years old. Their life/warranty is 10 years. For the sake of staying alive, replace them all, not just one of them, as they should all be replaced. Your insurance policy, not mine.

FAQS, you look at those things and never find the answer you are looking for So in response to this I have created Babble, which is me ranting away about something that I always get asked. So to start this off, a Babble on X10 Piece Selection

Welcome to November. At the end of October every year we have halloween, where all the little children, and it would appear not so little children, run from door to door dressed as scary monsters yelling "trick or treat", where we give them candy. November, therefore, is a month where the children are on a constant sugar buzz, and the local dentist is getting the final upgrades done to his Ferrari.

Just got in some SmarthomeMFG Wall Switches 2380W and the 2382W . Nice products, competes well with the high curb factor of the Leviton product line. Not sure about that clicking sound yet or if it will pass the "Honey will break her nails test". Serious. Think about it. Nails, home grown or store bought are expensive. If a nail can get caught, you have trouble, and it will get caught. Just to update you on this switch, Honey was impressed, tolerances are close enought that nails won't get caught....remember you heard it here first SmartHome Wins

In the wisdom of freight management, is it volume or is it weight(?) we have a new twist: Shipping from Canada to the U.S. ONLY the minimum box size is 12x6x6" sent Exspress Post, which is the same as the U.S. Priority Post. SO the minimum freight is about 11$US, not me folks, this rule is brought to you by the U.S. Postal System. Exspress Post to the U.S. is the cheapest and fastest way to move freight under 1000$C. No duty, No taxes, no customs bills 60 days later

Fixed the image-link problem, pictures are back. For first timers, you may find the site a little rough around the edges. Content can get a little thin. Not to heavy on the ooooh-ahhh flash factor. We do exist AND answer the phone. The products exists, and we ship. We use manufacturers part numbers. Our suppliers, LEVITON, DSC etc all have excellent sites to promote their products We are a Canadian Corporation, ship anywhere in the world, including Canada, eh. We sell to anybody with a valid credit card. Pricing is based on volume. We do not make money on freight. If you have a complete part number and can't find it on the price list, send e-mail.

When selecting a wall switch, consider the following: A 500Watt switch by itself, in the wall, will control a 500Watt load forever. If you mount two in the wall together, de-rate them each by 20%, such that the 500W will now only control 400W each. If you have three in a row, they will each switch 320Watts. Got the picture ? failing this, the switches may go thermal over time. The solution is to use a higher wattage switch, as in the case of the LEVITON 600W and 1000W dimmers.

Search Query

Ahhhhh September, the kids are back at school......Hope you all had a great summer, all 2 hours of it. September is a great time in Canada, signals the start of another great snowmobile season, polar bears come into town, the usual nonsense.

This is now a SECURE SITE Have a look. If you don't see a lock, let me know

Outside Canada and require 347 volt receptacles ? We can ship them to you.

Demand for the X10 pro parts is soft as it would appear more of you are moving to the LEVITON and SMARTHOME designs and features. Supply lines are good, product non-stocks can be sourced in a matter of days. Security products from DSC are going down a bit in price... If you are looking for an alarm panel, check out the DSC 864 ove the 832, its worth the extra couple of dollars. Smarthome pricing is a little high campared to some of the US distribution houses, But if you live in Canada, its cheaper due to less freight. X10 PRO/RETAIL is competitive across the border. DSC is also close, with the odd exception. We do however blow the doors off everybody on the LEVITON product line

Speaking of LEVITON.....when ording parts from their catalog...please get the number correct....with the correct colour, if it applies. Some of these items cannot be returned

It looks like some of the descriptions in the database are a little mixed up. Looking into it

When going into the order entry screen, you may be prompted to accept/reject an UNKNOWN security certificate. We are looking into fixing this, but it works.

X10 Canada has just informed us that the XPNR and XPNS are now certified for the Canadian market

Looks like since X10.com went for chapter 11 earlier this year they have toned down their operations, my inbasket has stopped being filled with the deal of the minute, and they have changed their product line by adding some non X10 products. Move over BEST BUY

A new price list has been loaded

Loading the Smart Home "Linc" products. Pictures to arrive shortly. This is an interesting product line, a little on the high-end range, but a nice product. Going towards a more high-tech look. SmartHomemfg

DSC has just released their Information disk, V7.5, full of the complete DSC product line of information. This disk will be shipped free of charge with every order.

When sending E-mail, use a message desciption of X10, LEVITON, DSC or some other buzz word such as the part number. Messages that start with "Hi" or "hello" have special inbasket

X10 Pro has just released a CSA approved verion of a 220VAC 20A wall switch. Catalog number XPS2. This is the look alike same as the LEVITON 6371. We have them in stock for shipment. Ivory only, but for their application, looks is usually not the issue. This is a good switch for pool pumps, hot tub control and some furnace control applications. Over the years this switch has dropped in price from over 150$C each now down to 59$C, which is a good thing.

Starting to load the SwitchLinc Catalog. About 100 line items. 400 Pictures. Their site is SmartHomeMFG These switches are 100% backwards compatable with the X10 protocol. They have some very slick features , but expensive. Our product lineup will be SwitchLinc,LEVITON, X-10 PRO in order of cost. Watch out for the features required in a switch, both cosmetics and functionality. In general, PRO does the job at hand, for how long when over driven can be an issue, HEAT KILLS. Then you have the look and feel problem. LEVITON, has always produced a quality switch in the area continues to raise the bar in both the action of the switch, dim up/down etc, and in the finish/appeal. Currently they are going with a glossy low profile white look, as well as other colors. Good curb appeal switch. But beware, it has some "special features", for example, do not equate "2 Way" as being X10 protocol conforming. SwitchLinc I'm not quite sure on yet, nice blue LEDS, A backlit information panel, complicated, serious functions Big sticker price. Its a Hi-tech cross of LEVITON/X10.

The snow is melting, or as we like to say in Canada, bad snowmobile conditions

X10 Pro has just released a CSA approved verion of a 220VAC 20A wall switch. Catalog number XPS2. This is the look alike same as the LEVITON 6371. We have them in stock for shipment. Ivory only, but for their application, looks is usually not the issue. This is a good switch for pool pumps, hot tub control and some furnace control applications. Over the years this switch has dropped in price from over 150$C each now down to 59$C, which is a very agressive price structure. The XPS2 is not documented on our system till the next upload but can be ordered via the quick order screen

Ok, I'm back, going through the email, orders, All orders will be replied to by tomorrow as to confirmation and status

There will be no shipping of product from our offices the period of February 14th to 23rd. Email will be answered and orders can be placed but nothing will be shipped.

Until further notice, 5% OFF on all LEVITON orders over 1000$C

Starting to load the SwitchLinc Catalog. About 100 line items. 400 Pictures. Their site is SmartHomeMFG These switches are 100% backwards compatable with the X10 protocol. They have some very slick features , but expensive Our product lineup will be SwitchLinc,LEVITON, X-10 PRO in order of cost You have to watch out as to the features you require in a switch, both cosmetics and functionality. In general, PRO does the job at hand, for how long when driven hard, and then you have the look and feel problem. LEVITON, who has always produced a quality switch in the area continues to raise the bar in both the action of the switch, dim up/down etc, and in the finish and curb appeal. Currently they are going with a glossy low profile white look, as well as other colors. Good curb appeal switch. But beware, it has some special features. SwitchLinc I'm not quite sure on yet, nice blue LEDS, A backlit information panel, complicated, serious functions Big sticker price. Its a Hi-tech cross of LEVITON/X10. Will get back to you on this in March. Email for quotes.

LEVITON has sent us their new price list. DHC Prices have dropped . We have two price lists, the Long Form , which is everything, and the Short Form , which is the DHC lighting controls If you need LEVITON, send us a list of your pieces required and we will quote

If this site is sending you here www.madomotique.com WELCOME what can I help you with ? Doug

This is now a SECURE SITE Have a look. If you don't see a lock, let me know

Outside Canada and require 347 volt receptacles ? We can ship them to you.

We just took delivery of the BaranHarper 20A X10 based motor controller unit with an intergrated Analog X10 TW523. Measures current, 2 temp sensors, ON/OFF 20A relay, builtin on board TW523, and a serial port. EEPROM on board, allows you to control a motor, monitor its temperature and load, all via X10 using the 29 bit format extended X10 Code.

Cick to enlarge

HMV300 Specifications

DSC information can be found at DSC.COM or here for just the manuals. It's a great place to reference whats new in the DSC product lineup

Everything you wanted to know about the LEVITON HCC series switches in PDF format, 750K

X-10 Software Upgrades

X10 Pro has a great deal going where if you purchase 750$C/500$US(approx) you will receive for Free their Pro Design Manual(50$). If you spend 1000$C you get the test kit which is worth over 200$. The rules are simple, put in a purchase order for 750$ or 1000$ worth of X10PRO pieces. We ship you the product with 2 copies of your invoice. Keep the first for your records and mail the second off to Pro. They ship you the manual or test kit. The process works. This link is a .doc document detailing the process. Free Offer (3.5M)

Getting several "light worked last week, can turn off once on, but can't turn on ". This could one of many possible issues. HOWEVER, turn on your stove or oven, try it now, if it works, it could be phasing, get the leviton HCA0210E. Turn off your oven. OR Disconnect your computer(s), as in unplug, or anything else just "added" to the house. Fix problem, or use a X10 PRO Block, XPPF. Usually the new computer is the problem. Failing that, toss breakers at panel one by one until the problem stops, search for noise on the offending breaker/circuit. OR My favourite, switch is controlling outside lights. This is water, outside, in the fixture, shorting to ground.

We have in stock a limited number of the WLS915 900Meg wireless door contacts. These have been discontinued by DSC but they do get some in every once in a while for warranty purposes, we have some. About 80$C each, new stock.

To receive promotional e-mail, request flyer

The COMPLETE LEVITON price list is now available in the selections above. This is the 2003 version, over 5,000 items listed by catalog/SKU number. Takes about 5 days to get any product in we do not have on the floor

X10 UKwent live October 3/2003. Now you to can enjoy the marvel of this technology in living dynamic colour in you own currency.....but hurry, only 23 hours, 10 minutes and 15 seconds left to get more pieces of product than you ever wanted. So tell me, if you call them, is Tom running the intro special ? What a great company they are. In one fell swoop they knocked out their UK distribution market !!!! But hurry, prices can't last !!

If you are looking for a DSC product and you can't find it listed on this site, drop me an email with the part number and I'll get you a price

Have been purchasing X10.COM products for you, delivery is rather swift, just never know whats in the box. I don't know if you have the same amount of fun as I do ordering the parts, EVERYTHING is on sale, it like 'Lets make a Deal', Monty, buy this, get 10 of these for FREE. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at their meetings.....what will Tom have on sale next week ! If you want X10.COM products shipped to you at the same price as shown on their site, let me know, but most important, tell me what the SKU/Product number is. As a word of advice, if you are offshore North America and require X10.COM product, consider getting extra pieces

If you are looking for European modules, check this site out X10 Europe

DSC has dropped the DELTA VISION line of cameras. We therefore will no longer be able to get them, or warranty items. Our new supplier is SAMSUNG. Hang tight as I straighten this mess out, but we can still get cameras and other video products

Received a Total Secure DVR Kit to take out for a test drive It will do 4 cameras at 30fps total per card. Comes complete with software and has a serial port 4 channel input card in the RCA format. Been experimenting, has some interesting features Geovision is another system thgat has come highly suggested I've been looking for one of these for quite some time, taking this out for a test drive for a week to see what it does. Price, 623$C, software plus video card

You read it here folks, X10 has filed for chapter 11 for not paying its internet bills, this should prove to be rather amusing. Product is still flowing. Perhaps their web site and pop ups will slow down a bit But hurry X10.... only 14 days left to re-org the business !!!!

DSC has some of the 900MHz receivers in stock. Not to be confused with the current 433MHz series. You cannot mix and match the two series

Everyone work with me on this: For a limited time you get a FREE box of Girl Guide Mint Cookies with every order over 500$C. You are making a little girl very happy, not to mention your dentist. I feel like X10.COM Hurry !! only 93 boxes left !!

Just imagine, every plug (appliance) in your house can have a DSL connection to the internet, over the AC ! scary stuff, think of the toys that can be built ! DSL Hydro Part 1 (100K) and DSL Hydro Part 2 (100K)

I have been told know that X10.COM has gone Chapter 11, not just going, but going going gone. News Please do not confuse this with X10 the corporation, which as I was once told is "A series of Bermuda registered corporations". I'm sure thay have covered themselves on this one. Product is still shipping, but not sure for how long. The X10 Pro line and Retail line are not affected, as they are not the .com division

If you have a MOOSE alarm system by SENTROL and you need parts forget it, they have stopped making them for 3 years as of 2003-10.

New DSC cellphone link for your alarm panel SkyRoute CL3050

X10 Pro has a great deal going where if you purchase 750$C/500$US(approx) you will receive for Free their Pro Design Manual(50$). If you spend 1000$C you get the test kit which is worth over 200$. The rules are simple, put in a purchase order for 750$ or 1000$ worth of X10PRO pieces. We ship you the product with 2 copies of your invoice. Keep the first for your records and mail the second off to Pro. They ship you the manual or test kit. The process works. This link is a .doc document detailing the process. Free Offer (3.5M)

Summer has arrived in Toronto. Moved the month above ahead to August, got that out of the way. Its been hectic, product is shipping, good inventory position. Have several X10.com pieces on the floor, cameras, receivers,let me know if you want any. All new

• CM17A FIRECRACKER SERIALPORT, 25$C/14$US
• CR12A CAMERA REMOTE, 5$C/3$US
• MS14A HAWKEYE OUTDOOR MOTIONS, 23$C/12$US
• TM751 RF BASE, 25$C/14$US
• UX23A VCR COMMANDER, 40$C/24$US
• VA11A XRAY VISION USB PORT, 40$C/24$US
• VK74A PAN/TILT UNIT,60$C/36$US
• VR36A RF 2.4 GIG RF VIDEO RECEIVER, 40$C/24$US
• XX16A RF 2.4 GIG RF VIDEO CAMERA, 35$C/22$US
• ZB11A BATTERY PACK, 20$C/12$US
• CR13A CAMERA REMOTE, 5$C
• VT38A CAMERA+FLOODS+MOTION,OUTDOOR, 95$C/60$US

If you are outside North America, and want X10.COM products, we can get them for you, same price as shown on their site. X10 does not ship outside Canada/US. Send me the Catalog number/URL.

Getting several "light worked last week, can turn off once on, but can't turn on ". This could one of many possible issues. HOWEVER, turn on your stove or oven, try it now, if it works, it could be phasing, get the leviton HCA0210E. Turn off your oven. OR Disconnect your computer(s), as in unplug, or anything else just "added" to the house. Fix problem, or use a X10 PRO Block, XPPF. Usually the new computer is the problem. Failing that, toss breakers at panel one by one until the problem stops, search for noise on the offending breaker/circuit. OR My favourite, switch is controlling outside lights. This is water, outside, in the fixture, shorting to ground.

OK, so this site is not the flashiest one on the web, but we do have product on the floor, know how it works, and we answer all of your questions, basically what more can you ask for ?

Talk about a great deal !!! a FREE box of Girl Guide Cookies with every order over 500$C while supplies last !!! If you have never had a Canadian Girl Guide Cookie, are you missing out on a delight. Approved by 9 out of 10 dentists We only have a few boxes left, which is good, my sugar diet is over. They can be addictive.

We have in stock a limited number of the WLS915 900Meg wireless door contacts. These have been discontinued by DSC but they do get some in every once in a while for warranty purposes, we have some. About 80$C each, new stock.

Current status of he DSC 832/64 Serial interface that connects to the COMBUS interface. Shipping Mid March. DSC Serial Interface

Latest X10 Pro Catalog X10 PRO 2003 in .EXE format, self extracting to .PDF, 12.2M

Latest DSC Catalog DSC 2003 in PDF format, 2.2M

Everything you wanted to know about the LEVITON HCC series switches in PDF format, 750K

X-10 Software Upgrades

Spanish/German/French/Italian text based Translations Esto va a hacer vida mucho más fácil.

Refreshed the DSC manuals section with new files, they somehow get corrupted. If you need a manual, let me know, will post. Images are being loaded, 57% of active skus have images, 81% descriptions

We have just picked up the ELK product line. The companies produces discrete control interfaces and devices. Their products link to X-10 and Caddx Security systems. Find a part ? email me, will supply pricing.

Work is progressing on the DSC ComBus/Keybus interface. Connect the 4 keypad wires to the unit, plug into the laptop serial port, run hyperterminal, bingo, EVERYTHING on the screen, push 3 on the keypad and FFFFF87FFFF data appears. Watch the arm/disarm codes go through. This is V1.0, no software, write your own application. Board to be shipping in some form towards the end of the month. Let me know if you want one Doug Harper

Wholesale pricing across the board remains constant. Leviton is now shipping the Toscana - HCCPG-1TW and associated switching devices. All suppliers have good stocking positions. If you are dealing with X10.COM I suggest you match your purchase order with the Credit card debit. It can get creative.

As Mr. Bush said, a sad day.

Our site is being converted from .gif to .jpg file formats. It's a mess. Pictures are being added daily. If you see something without an image, let me know and I'll get it to you.

February, great snowmobile weather eh !

Leviton is now shipping the Toscana programmer/timer. This is the first .pdf we have available Download

The camera market is heating up as better product at an affordable price is being introduced. DSC Alarms, available in 64 countries world-wide has a well put together site that you can link to: DeltaVision to see whats available. If you see something you want, need system pricing, general info, then email me the item number and we can go from there Doug Harper

For those of you calling offshore and wish to make a direct deposit click here and get the details.

We have taken delivery of the prototype DSC832/864 Alarm panel Serial Interface

Airmail shipments to Europe right now are really fast, about 4 days, customs seems to be blasting everything through

Humour of the day: We all know about these plasma TV's on the market, the thin ones. Well I just had an installer in that knows a client that ordered a 17,000$ TV and the delivery people left it in the garage for a few days. Well, these things are not allowed to freeze, as the plasma screen will crack, and this is Canada, where we have 6 months of winter and 6 months of poor snow mobiling weather, you can figure the rest out.

Cameras: Yes we do have them and can get them, but it's not as simple as it sounds. You get what you pay for. If you think you can spend 50$ on an X-10 camera and all of a sudden you are James Bond at 400 yards(133m) FORGET IT. Cameras, real ones, start at 200$C and got up to 2000$C. Send me a note on your requirements: range, purpose, B&W/Colour, indoor, outdoor, and where you live in the world. In The frozen wastelands of Canada you need to encase the camera with a heater and blower, but if you live in San Diego this is not required. Expect to see a complete section on Cameras in the new year, little busy right now.

X10.com orders are shipping real quick, about 3 days turn around. Get the catalog numbers from their web site and let me know. All off-shore orders shipped AIRMAIL post, but to some countries insurance cannot be had, or there are limits on the amount of insurance available. Generally, stay below 1000$C on any order

Into the box below, cut and paste http://www.baran-harper.com/index.htm , select a language to translate to, hit enter. It may take a second. It Does get lost in the translation

December is that panic month, getting bogged down with email. When asking about a suitable wall switch you want, I have to know what the total wattage/load is on the switch, ie: 300 Watts, and the type of load: a motor, a halogen light, HID Sodium etc.

DSC has informed me that the PC3000 system is being dropped, keypads and boards are in short supply.

Just got in 5 25A/220Volt contactors, 24VDC primary. Great for controlling electric baseboard heaters. Great combo is the dialer PHC05 that answers the phone at the cottage/office, broadcasts a signal to an appliance module AM466 with a 110 to 24vdc stepdown transformer(Radio Shack) that drives the contactor. The problem with using the PUM01 or the UM506 universal modules is that they can false trigger. Appliance modules do not. Great for controlling pool pumps, lot of uses 25$C each, part number PRD7DYO-24-DPST-NO-25A-24VDC. I have 5 in stock Doug Harper

December here in Canada is always interesting, as we shift gear from rain to freezing cold and snow. Christmas lights are abounding. Rough math, each bulb is 7.5 watts, one per foot. 1000 watts is 8.6 Amps @ 110VAC. 3 Pin Appliance modules and Wall outlets are the ones to use for switching lights, both rated 15 Amps @ 120VAC. Drive them to 80% rated power, therfore 12.75A max load, which is about 1500 watts of lights. You can also control them from a Wall Switch, rated at 20 Amps ON/OFF. About them working in the cold, it's OK. All X-10 devices consume a standby power in the area of 7-10 watts, which is more than adequate to keep the electronic internals warm and working. If you lose power for an extended period of time on a cold day... they still work.

Still the rainy season. Outdoor lights that worked fine all year are now going to pick up moisture and might not come on, or go off, when you want them to. Photocells: now is the time. The best X-10 based one is the Leviton 6308 or the plug in the wall unit by X-10 Sundowner SD533

DSC seems to be saying that this could be the end of the line for the 900MHz pieces. Inventory is getting hard to source. You have been warned. Nov 25th

I found this site that sells a custom designed I-O board to control hospital style motor driven beds such as Invacare, Hillrom etc. The board has 6 relays that are grouped into pairs (up/down) to control up to 3 motors. The relays are assigned X-10 addresses. The unit has custom designed software specific to the control of these beds Contact JANTEK

If you are shopping for a DSC alarm panel and live in a 50HZ environment then do not purchase your panel from anybody in North America. Keypads and other devices are all OK, but the main panel can no longer be set to detect a 50Hz power feed. The result of this is that