X10 was the first marketed smart home automation protocol dating back to the late 1970's. They're known for low cost easy to use DIY products and solutions. X10 is a powerline based technology, using the home's wiring to transmit signals to control lighting and appliances. In fact to this day X10 products are basically the same they were in the 70's.
At one time Aartech was one of the largest sellers of X10 products in Canada. In fact it was the first brand we sold. However sometimes it's just time to let go. What was once a solid technology over time has become less and less reliable to the point where we could no longer support it. The home's powerline used to be noise free back in the 70's and 80's but as more and more electronic gadgets were added to the home, the amount of noise kept increasing to the point where started blocking X10 communication. Since X10 doesn't do any hand shaking or error correction, the signals tend to get lost in the noise. Additionally, there isn't any sort of security built in to X10 protocols so it's easy for someone to mess with the system.
These days we are supporting newer, faster, more secure technololgies such as Z-Wave, WiFi and Zigbee that can work in today's homes without getting knocked out by electrical line noise. These new technologies also tend to deploy security and encryption to make the system more secure. These newer technolologies are supported by multiple brands and manufacturers so the production selection is also much more broad.
Aartech Canada is the original smart home automation seller in Canada. We were selling smart home devices before most other stores knew what home automation was and well before the term "smart home" was in play. We've been serving Canadian customers since 2002 and we'd love to help you with your next project! Please check out our Smart Home Automation section if you're interested in researching your next smart home installation. If we can help with anything please don't hesitate to drop us a line using our contact page or give us a call at 1-877-760-3105.