First Component

The CM-11A for X-10 is quite an amazing device. Sure, it is not a very reliable system, but that one box functions as a computer interface (serial), schedule timer. The CM-11A also acts as a sniffer, reporting all power line events to the PC, and has battery backup. Best of all, it works as a scheduler without needing the PC to be running.

Unfortunately, no one device can do all that the CM-11A does.

After some research, I bought ControlThink's ThinkEssential software with the USB ThinkStick. I'm not sure if it is capable of doing everything I want, but it allows the PC to be part of the Z-Wave network. ThinkEssentials allow the PC to be used as a network configuration tool. A Professional version can even function as a network troubleshooting and repair tool. With a PC running all the time, it can function just like a CM-11A. For customized applications, ControlThink sells a separate SDK.

A Z-Wave network is a lot more complicated than a X-10 network. Instead of codes that can be shared between devices, and simple on / off / dim commands, each device needs to be first included into a network using a master controller. There can only be one master controller in a network, but there can be multiple secondary controllers. If a switch is capable of sending out commands, it needs to be associated with another device so that the target device will respond to the commands. There is much more I am not aware of.

I've not done more than plug it in and fire up ThinkEssential for a look-see. Without any switches and modules, there's really not much for it to do. The USB stick appears to the computer as a HID (human interface device).