X10 CM15A Owner's Manual page 2

I
NTRODUCTION
Welcome to the world of Home Automation.
You now have the power to control your whole home from your
computer! With ActiveHome Pro and your X10 Modules you can
create schedules for your lights and appliances, set up groups of
commands for your daily life, and keep lights and appliances off
when they're not in use. Use ActiveHome Pro to make your home
more comfortable, and more secure.
The X10 ActiveHome Pro software, in conjunction with the
Interface, lets you control lights and appliances around your home
when used with X10 Modules.
When you purchased the X10 ActiveHome Pro Computer Interface
you received an e-mail containing a link entitled "New Software
Download Link."
Important: Please download and install the X10 ActiveHome Pro
software from the link in the e-mail you received before you plug in the
Interface.
This Owner's Manual shows you how to get started with ActiveHome Pro,
get the most out of its advanced features, and see what X10 Home
Automation products can do. Because ActiveHome Pro is frequently
updated, you might be notified that new versions are available when you
run it (if you're connected to the Internet). Use this Owner's Manual as a
guide to get you started, but be sure to read the new help information after
you install updates, since it will always be more up to date.
2
Controllers and Modules
The first thing you need to understand is that there are two different
devices you need to control your home - Controllers and Modules. Any
light or appliance that you want to control is plugged into a Module and
that Module is then plugged into a standard AC wall outlet.
Modules receive commands from Controllers. Examples of Modules are
the Lamp Module, Appliance Module, and Wall Switch Module.
The ActiveHome Pro Interface is a Controller: Controllers are also plugged
into standard AC wall outlets and send commands to Modules over your
existing electrical wiring in your home, without affecting your electricity in
any way.
The ActiveHome Pro Interface is also a Transceiver: When it receives a
command from a wireless remote control it sends digital signals over your
existing house wiring to Modules that receive the signals and execute the
command.
The ActiveHome Pro Interface connects to your PC's USB port and then
plugs into a standard AC wall outlet. The ActiveHome Pro software tells
the Interface what to do. The Interface then sends digital signals over your
existing house wiring to Modules that receive the signals and execute the
commands sent by the Interface.
With your ActiveHome Pro Home Automation Interface and software,
your PC becomes a very intelligent Controller for all of your home
automation tasks.
Introduction
3