The Socket Rocket can change your light switch flipping habits forever! Start controlling those light fixtures remotely, or automatically with the X10 Mini-timer.

The Socket Rocket is easy to use and it’s compact so it fits in smaller, tighter spaces. There are no code wheels to bother with either. Here’s how it works:

1. Screw the SocketRocket lamp module into the the light fixture socket.
2. Screw a light bulb into the SocketRocket lamp module.
3. Turn on the power (flip the light switch to ON).
4. Send a code from any X10 Controller. Send the same code three times.
5. When SocketRocket receives the same code three times, it will turn on the light to let you know it has learned the new code.

That’s it. You are done! Just remember to keep the power to ON all the time. Now you can sit back on easy street and use your X10 remote or X10 Mini-timer to switch the light OFF/ON.

Get your own Socket Rocket.

You may have heard the term “smart home system.” Smart home systems allow you to control and manage your living environment from devices such as keypads, telephones, handheld remotes, touch panels, or voice recognition. These devices allow you to control a preprogrammed CPU that connects various subsystems in your home. You can think of these systems as a home network, with many devices networked together to provide you with a more convenient and efficient lifestyle.

Home networks can be complicated and have special requirements such as structured wiring. This provides a base for all the subsystems in your home. You have wiring for devices such as telephones, television, and audio that runs to a centralized hub. The centralized hub also connects other services, such as computer networks and security systems. Structured wiring allows you do such things as plugging your telephone into a jack or plugging one computer into a jack to be instantly connected to another on the network in the same home.

Automating all this activity takes a little more work. Using structured wiring as a backbone for its connectivity, an intelligent controller links all your various sub-systems together through interfaces and protocols. This, in turn, allows you to control and/or monitor everything that the controller is linked to.

Controlling your environment is fun, exciting, and costly. Many new homes today are built with home control systems in mind, and have the proper wiring installed before the walls go up. If the walls of your home are already up, rewiring is a major project that requires careful planning and professional installation.

To get started with low cost home automation, X10 devices or INSTEON are a good choice.

• Remotely control lights and appliances
• Preset your household lighting schedule
• Built-in buzzer alarm clock
• Security mode turns lights on/off at a slightly different time everyday to give your home a lived in look

This X10 Mini Timer is an upgrade from the previous mini timer. You control up to eight X10 lights or appliances.

I own the previous X10 Mini Timer which has a slightly different look than this one. As a proud X10 Mini Timer owner, I can tell you that I have not turned a light on or off in years – the X10 Mini Timer does all the work for me. It’s convenient and I don’t worry about walking into a darkened house when I get home. My favorite feature is the security mode. If I have a light set to turn off at 11 PM, the light really turns off any time within the hour of 11 PM. Every day it’s different.

The X10 Mini Timer is also convenient to keep next to your bed in case you need to get up in the middle of the night. You can turn lights on downstairs before you even get out of bed. Much safer then groping around in the dark.

With the backup battery power, your programmed times are protected for up to 48 hours in case the unit is without power.

Oh, of course you’ll need X10 Lamp and Appliance Modules to enable your lights and appliances to work with the X10 Mini Timer.

The X10 Mini Timer was surprisingly easy to setup. If you do not have X10 lamp or appliance modules already set up, the complete setup will take you a little longer.

But it’s so worth it!

• Lights
• Appliances
• Audio equipment
• Video equipment

Besides being convenient and fun, the 5-in-1 Learning Remote is perfect for someone who is not able to be mobile due to physical restrictions.

And, this Learning Remote has a sensible layout of all the buttons. It’s easy to learn. The Remote works with your existing X10 system and transceiver to control up to five devices. You can control just about any light or appliance in your home, even if they are in another room. (If you don’t have an X10 system, all you need is the Transceiver Module and any lamp or appliance module or wall switch to get started!)

With too many remote controls in my living room, I decided to go for the Learning Remote to solve the problem. For starters, the remotes I have include the Palm Pad remote for lights and appliances, DVD, TV, and cable. Way too many! Sitting down to actually watch something also meant lining up the remotes for the individual devices.

The day the Learning Remote arrived, I couldn’t wait to set it up. The instructions are straight forward. I started with the lights. I already had my transceiver and lamp modules set up so I was able to easily set the this Remote for the same house code. And voila! it worked.

On to the next step which took a little more doing. I decided to conquer the cable box first. I went through each device. The setup was simpleI really like this new remote and plan to get another one for another room in the house.

I would recommend the 5-in-1 Learning Remote to anyone who has lots of things to control around the house. Oh, the 5-in-1 Learning Remote doesn’t control your kids – for that you are on your own.

Here’s  fast and inexpensive way to get started with home automation.

If you are just getting started with home automation, consider using X10 devices. X10 is a power line carrier protocol that uses the existing wiring in your home. X10 works with up to 256 coded addresses. X10 modules consist of the following:

• Receivers: Devices are plugged into receivers and respond to signals from a transmitter with the same code.
• Transmitters: Can send up to 256 coded, low-voltage signals over existing wiring.
• 2-way Receiver/Transmitter: Can both transmit and receive signals.

X10 devices are controlled from a variety of wireless remotes, wall mounted key-pads, or touch screens and tabletop keypads.

With X10, you can easily control and adjust in-home temperatures, door locks, lights, security, music, video, or anything that is electrical.

Take a look at a simple example of how X10 works:

1. Set the house code on an X10 transmitter module. The transmitter module pro-vides you with 16 house codes to choose from. For example, set the dial to “A” to enable the X10 transmitter to communicate with X10 receivers with the same house code setting.
2. Plug the X10 transmitter module into any wall socket. The transmitter module includes a small antenna.
3. Set the unit and house code on the face of an X10 receiver module. You can choose from 16 house codes and 16 unit codes. If you set the house code on the X10 receiver to “A”, then the X10 receiver responds to the X10 transmitter with the same house code. Set the unit code to “1″. The X10 receiver responds to a controller that is set to send a signal to house code “A”, unit code “1″.
4. Plug a lamp into the X10 receiver and then plug the X10 receiver into any wall socket.
5. Get the wireless remote, set the house code to “A”, and then press the button that corresponds to the code you set on the X10 receiver (in this case, “1″). The light turns on/off.

X10 is fast and inexpensive method to get started with home automation. If it runs off of electricity, chances are you can plug into an X10 module and begin tak-ing control right away.

Now that you have an idea of how much your home is already automated, and a few tips on making your home even smarter, what will you do with all your free time?

Head over to SmartHome for your Wireless X10 Controls!