X10 is an open standard for controlling home electrical equipment remotely. It works across home power lines and is extremely low-bandwidth. This communications protocol can control lights, appliances, and other electrical devices, and be used to implement a custom security system. This protocol has the virtue that it is simple to set up, flexible, yet at the same time can create a very sophisticated home control system at a low cost. By using X10 components you can control one company’s modules using a different company’s controller.
The purpose of this article is to identify useful open source home automation control software that uses the open X10 protocol.