X-10 history

The X-10 technology was developed between 1976 and 1978 by Pico Electronics Ltd, in Glenrother, Scotland. Its main purpose was to transmit data via the electrical line at low speed (50 bps in Europe and 60 bps in the United States). The name X-10 is due to the fact that this is the company's tenth project.

The patent was subsequently acquired by the company X-10, Ltd (which adopted the same name as the protocol) and maintained until it expired in 1997. The X-10 is now an open protocol, and there are several companies that sell products based on this technology. A huge variety of X10 modules and interfaces, the use of the existing electricity network as a means of transmission, the low prices and ease of installation (most modules are Plug & Play) contributed to the rapid success of the X-10 in the USA and Europe.