X10 Control via the World Wide Web

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X10 Control via the World Wide Web

• By Kenneth C. Peterson
• GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

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What is this project?

• Web interface for X10 home control
• Allow control of lights and appliances from any
  Internet connected web browser
• Display the status of the various devices being
  controlled by the system

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What is X10?

• Remote control of lights and appliances
• Requires no additional wiring
• Communicates through house wiring
• Addressable control modules
• Up to 256 modules per household
• House code A - P and device code 1 - 16
• On / Off / Dim functions

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Project Goals

• Turn lights and appliances on and off dim
  lights remotely
• Configurable through the web interface
• Work with minimum browser (even Lynx)
• Separate hosts for web server and X10 controller
• Portable - Windows and Linux environments

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Similar Products

• Commander X
• www.commander-x.com
• Homeseer
• www.keware.com/homeseer.htm

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System Components

• CM11A X10 Controller
• Home Control Server (HCS)
• User Interface Servlets

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CM11A Interface

• Connects to serial port on computer
• Transmits commands from computer to X10 devices
• Stores macros and timers in memory
• Operates macros and timers even when computer is
  off
• Part of X10 Activehome product

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Home Control Server (HCS)

• Accessed by User Interface servlets through RMI
• Manages devices, macros, and timers
• Maintains status information for the devices
  being controlled
• Each CM11A interface has a dedicated HCS

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User Interface Servlets

• Login Servlet
• Manages user authentication
• Controller Servlet
• Send ON/OFF/DIM commands to devices
• Configure Servlet
• Enable user to add or delete devices, macros, and
  timers

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System Operation

• Login

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System Operation

• Login
• Choose HCS

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System Operation

• Login
• Choose HCS
• Control X10 Devices Macros

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System Operation

• Login
• Choose HCS
• Control X10 Devices Macros
• Configure System
• Configuration Menu

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System Operation

• Login
• Choose HCS
• Control X10 Devices Macros
• Configure System
• Configuration Menu
• Add / Delete Items

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Main Design Issues

• Portability
• Both Windows and Linux
• Scalability
• Expandable to control several locations
• Flexibility
• Work with minimal user interface client
• Communication Technology
• Simple to Implement

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X10 Technology

• Pros
• Low initial investment
• Easy to implement
• Controller had already been purchased
• Cons
• Reliability is questionable
• One-way protocol, no confirmation
• Limited functionality

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Java

• Pros
• Object Oriented
• Portable
• Easy to program Servlets
• Cons
• Relatively slow
• Lack of specific hardware support

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Servlets

• Pros
• Provide user interface flexibility
• Allow any web-enabled browser to be used as a
  client
• Servlets are easy to program
• Cons
• Interactive web-based user interfaces are
  relatively difficult to design

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Tomcat Servlet Engine

• Pros
• Inexpensive (free)
• Easy to configure
• Also in Java and therefore portable
• Cons
• Not robust enough for commercial use
• Relatively slow when used stand-alone (without
  Apache or similar web server)

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RMI

• Pros
• Ability to pass objects greatly simplifies system
  design
• Internet protocols are transparent to software
  development
• Cons
• Not inherently secure

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What Was Accomplished

• System turns lights on and off using web control
• Web server and HCS run separately, connected by
  RMI
• Some editing functionality was incorporated into
  the project
• Username and password authentication

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Things Not Accomplished

• Ability to execute macros via the web
• could not trigger macros via serial port
• Ability to add and delete macros and timers
• Insufficient time to code
• Secure Socket Layer security
• Use of the WAP protocol

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Lessons Learned

• Unexpected snags occur no matter how well you
  prepare or know the material.
• Should have paid more attention to time
  management, both planning and recording.

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Additional Experience Gained

• Setting up a web application with Tomcat
• Designing a user interface for the web
• Gained experience incorporating a 3rd party
  product into a project.
• Dealing with bugs in the product
• Insufficient documentation
• Reverse engineering

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Evaluation

• Found working on the project an enjoyable
  experience
• The project holds enough potential to make
  continued development worthwhile

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References

• X10 Website, Activehome - www.X10.com
• Java X10 API - www.jpeterson.com/rnd
• Java Servlets - www.javasoft.com/products/servlet/
  index.html
• Tomcat - jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/index.html
• Java Comm API - www.javasoft.com/products/javacomm
  /index.html
• RMI - java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/rmi/
• JHome - jhome.sourceforge.net/