Multiple Speaker Control

[DHHJ]

I'm trying to look into controlling multiple speakers throughout my house via VC. I'm in design mode but here is a scenario:

If I had 4 pair of speakers connected to my audio system via an impedance protected speaker switch, I could then run them through a bunch of relays and control which speakers/combinations would be on. This way, I could have music on in specific rooms of the house or one whole floor or the whole house. Some forums out there suggest that X10 relays don't switch fast/accurate enough and suggest a serial controlled relay.

Does this make sense? Could VC send a serial command out of the COM port as an Action?

[jitterjames]

I don't have a serial plugin for VC yet.  Part of the problem is that I don't have the hardware to be able to test it, which makes development a bit tricky.  EventGhost does have a serial plugin though and it's free, and we can help you set it up.  VC can tell eventGhost what to do.  No problems there.

X10 might work.  The speed shouldn't really be an issue.  Does it really matter if it takes 1.5 seconds for speakers to turn on or off?

the big problem with X10 for me is that sometimes it just doesn't work.  In my case it is my laptop power supplies that are interfering with the signal.  In some cases, if you have neighbors that are on the same power lines as you, that can also cause some problems.  X10 is the cheapest solution though and very easy to set up, since you don't need to do any wiring.

There are other systems that are similar to X10 that are more reliable but also more expensive.  Before buying anything, check if EG supports it.