Any local reefer use x10 to monitor temp & water leaks

[ggomez]

I am a newbie reefer with a little x10 & computer experience.
All I want to do is monitor water leaks & temperature & get alerts via cell phone text-messaging.

From reading it seems like the only reef-safe x-10 controller is the Neptune Systems Aqua-Controller which is not cheap.

Does anyone use X10 to monitor their aquarium?
If you do please list the sensors & probes & cost of each item.
Also do you use any software to keep a database log.

Do you find the database log useful?
Is your X10 reliable or do you get a bunch of false alerts?
How many times has it saved your aquarium?

Thanks,
Gilbert Gomez

[nickoz]

X10 just allows you to turn devices on and off via remote signals. The AquaController makes use of this functioality and allows you to setup when devices turn on and off but also allows you to make decisions based on readings for Temp,PH and ORP probes.

To answer your question, you dont use x10 to monitor your aquarium, per se. The AquaController and the Octopus both send x10 signals.

I wrote a JAVA program that I wrote which talks to an X10 Firecracker (http://www.x10.com/automation/firecracker.htm) and I can turn a moon light on and off based on calculations of the moon rise and set. I am currently re-writing it to allow me to do otherthings like lights, fans powerheads, etc.

I find x10 very reliable. There a problems that could arise with X10 installations but most can be resolved by noise filters, signal boosters or other devices.

Here is a link (http://www.smarthome.com/about_x10.html). If you do a search on google.com for x10 you will find alot of resources.

Back to your questions..
-I belive the AquaController has something to send data to a database or log.

-I know of a couple people who said their AquaController prevented problems.

-I dont know if either AquaController or Octopus will monitor water leaks. I could be wrong but I dont think so.

-If you could get your computer to monitor temp then sending an email to your phone would be easy. There are ways to monitor temp via computer. There is a chip that can gather data from a probe and send the output to a serial port. You have to do the electronic work but it could be done. Ill see if I can find a link.

[ggomez]

I have used X10 for home automation in the past. I have seen pool or pond thermometers that will trigger events when the temperature gets higher or lower than a set temperature yo uset. The trigger can either turn on a fan or turn on or off a light or your x-10 software can collect a database of all alerts and you can have these triggers send you a e-mail or text message to your cell phone. I want to do this but I don't want to spend $500 dollars on the Nepture AquaController & another 75 on the thermometer probe. I'm hoping to use a old laptop as a x10 server & hopefully find standard x10 temp probes etc.

What do you think?