I have used some X10 modules in the past and they work like magic, just plug in the module and you have instant remote control of lighting and appliances. In my case I was controlling the boiler of a 30 suite apartment block and it worked great. Robert Oschler shows us that there are more possibilities when it comes to X10 if you use the SDK, it allows your programs to control your devices using your own software. In this case Robert demonstrates how he can make an X10 Camera Turret Face Tracking system.

“The ActiveHome Professional SDK provides you with OCX server DLLs that run on Microsoft Windows PCs. This allows you to script or program the CM15A transceiver from any scripting or programming language that can interface with ActiveX controls. I used Borland Delphi Professional 6 for the utility I created for this article.

X10 commands are simple English text strings that begin with a command type, followed by a module ID, and then by a command verb—although sometimes there may be a few other parameters after that. For example:

sendplc A1 on
sendplc C1 on
sendrf C1 CamCenter

The command type here for the first two commands is “sendplc” which is used when you want to send a power line command. For the third command it is “sendrf” since the X10 camera turrets respond to RF for movement control. This script would be handy for turning on the lights and the camera and then centering the camera in one fell swoop, possibly for remote viewing at night.”