Simon Says: "It's X10's Turn!"

June 13, 2001 - Stuff. That's what life is made of. We all have stuff, and some of us have lots of stuff. We have so much stuff in fact, that we have to buy houses to put our stuff in. Once we have our stuff in our house, then we have to protect our stuff. And as we get older, we accumulate more stuff. Some of our stuff is just stuff, but other stuff is quite precious for a number of reasons, including sentimental value, monetary value, or posterity value. So when all that stuff means so much to us, and those we intend to leave it to, we need to protect it.

Randy Mueller is a contractor who designs, among other things, security systems. He had one particular customer who lived in a four-plex condominium in a condominium neighborhood. As he told us, "Many of the occupants in the area are seasonal." That means that they've got stuff in two separate places. Randy's customer felt she a needed a security system to protect that stuff, so she contacted Randy to put one together.

According to Randy, "I conducted a sight survey of her home and set up the ITI SIMON security system." But Randy thought of some great integration ideas. "I then went on to explain we could integrate some home automation into this security panel to make a good thing better."

"Using a 4 button key fob, 2 buttons are used to arm and disarm her security system. I used the 2 remaining to automate one lamp, add a chime/alarm to her upper office area and open and close her garage door! The coolest part of this is the garage is subterranean, as are some of the other components!"

Now Randy's client can do a number of things from one 4-button key fob. She can arm and disarm her security system, she has a personal panic system if she needs it, she has a Universal Module to open and close the garage - "We used the X-10 Universal Module. When activated, it sounds a warning, then 3 seconds later the door activates!" Randy also set up lamp modules to turn on and off the living room lights, and he set a timer in the security panel to "simulate somebody being home by turning the lamp on and off by its internal timer."

He also put a chime in his client's upstairs office set up to motion detectors to announce any kind of motion, such as doors and windows opening. "This is very handy when she watches her grandchildren," Randy told us. "She knows when a door is opened!" But it also serves as a second alarm siren near the sleeping quarters."

Randy has really set up the home of the future, and his client is very happy. She's safe, her stuff is safe, and her grandkids are safe. "The point is," Randy reiterates, "I only used 3 X-10 Modules to do all this cool stuff! Keep in mind, some of this equipment is underground!" Then he adds, "What a great product! Do not be afraid to experiment - I DID and have been a VERY satisfied customer!"

Just the type of testimonial that we here at X10 like to hear.

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