X10 Signal Absorbers

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This page lists particular household electronic devices that have been found to interfere with X10 signals. Having the device listed on this page does not mean that the device itself is defective in its design since X10 signals are not part of the specification for normal household power. Listing simply means that certain instances of the listed device have been found to be incompatible in some circumstances with reliable use of X10 home automation. Whether you will experience problems will depend on many factors, including whether the device is on the same circuit or phase as your X10 transmitters or receivers, the combination of effects with other devices, and whether you are using filters and similar techniques to mitigate the interference or absorption.

When you find a suspect device and confirm that it is causing your problem (by unplugging it and checking if the problem persists), you can usually address the problem by using an X10 power line filter placed between the plug of the suspect device and the wall outlet. I recommend either the 5A FilterLinc or the 10A FilterLinc™ Plug-In X10 Noise Filter. Another option is the XPPF filter made by X10.

Please send mail to info@hmtech.info if you have experience with devices not listed, or if you have additional information regarding any of the devices that are listed.

General Categories

The following classes of devices often present problems for X10 signals and may require filtering. If you are having problems with X10 signals in your house, try uplugging all devices of these type, test your setup, then plug back in devices one at a time and test until the problem reappears.

Televisions
Computers

Specific devices

The following devices have been found specifically to cause problems for X10 signals. The problem can usually be solved by installing a filter between the device and the power outlet, but you should check the device yourself before taking this step, as the conditions in your house may be different and the device might not cause a problem. To check the device, when you have an X10 problem, unplug it and see if it solves your problem.

Ionic Breeze Quadra - In my house, this device has caused problems for X10 transmission. Installing a filter solved the problem when the Ionic Breeze was on a different phase as the transmitter, but when on the same circuit as the transmitter, even with a filter, I occasionally had problems.