page_title: X10 (industry standard)
section_title: RF protocol
hierarchical_section_title: X10 (industry standard) / Power line carrier control overview / RF protocol
caption_attribution_description: X10 Radio Image taken by Atlant.
context_page_description: X10 is a protocol for communication among electronic devices used for home automation. It primarily uses power line wiring for signaling and control, where the signals involve brief radio frequency bursts representing digital information. A wireless radio based protocol transport is also defined.
  X10 was developed in 1975 by Pico Electronics of Glenrothes, Scotland, in order to allow remote control of home devices and appliances. It was the first general purpose domotic network technology and remains the most widely available.
  Although a number of higher bandwidth alternatives exist, X10 remains popular in the home environment with millions of units in use worldwide, and inexpensive availability of new components.
context_section_description: To allow for wireless keypads, remote switches, motion sensors, et cetera, an RF protocol is also defined. X10 wireless devices send data packets that are nearly identical to the NEC IR protocol used by many IR remotes, and a radio receiver then provides a bridge which translates these radio packets to ordinary X10 power line control packets. The wireless protocol operates at a frequency of 310 MHz in the U.S. and 433.92 MHz in European systems.
  The devices available using the radio protocol include:
  Keypad controllers ("clickers")
  Keychain controllers that can control one to four X10 devices
  Burglar alarm modules that can transmit sensor data
  Passive infrared switches to control lighting and X-10 chimes
  Non-passive information bursts
caption: A four-channel radio switch and radio-to-power-line transponder
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