The Next Wave in Home Control Systems

I really enjoyed the article. I am interested in the details of the projected growth of z-wave by 2009.

There is no x10 interference. X10 uses the 0 and 360 degree angles of the 60Hz power line to send its signals. So in other words x10 uses your homes power lines to communicate with other x10 devices.

Z-Wave is a pure RF technology and does not use the powerlines to communicate.

The two technologies live in their own little worlds. Not to mention that z-wave uses digital signals with unique house codes in the protocol to prevent other z-wave remotes from interfering with your network. So there is no truth to the x10 cause issues for z-wave.

I would second the comment that busto963 has posted. Let me give you an example, although extreme, that illustrates the point. Back in the 1920's and 30's radio transmission stations existed that were not under the control of the FCC like it is today. There were stations in Mexico that were set up so that the FCC could not intervene with them that transmitted very high-powered AM transmissions that could even be picked up in Alaska reliably. Some folks living close to the transmitters had lights in their home the glowed because of the power of the RF transmission. There were people who could hear radio coming from fences and even some who heard them in the filling in their teeth. The electronic reason for this phenomenon is that any physical junction, for example, the fence has a rusty connection to ground through the staple on the fence post, that acts like a diode and that diode junction can rectify the RF to so that you could hear the AM modulation of it.

The RF world is similar to a laser light show and fireworks display all at the same time. There can be unpredictable events when two signals, even of low strength can affect each other enough that a receiver no longer can detect it's intended signal.