The big decision anyone new to home automation faces is, “Which technology is best?” The choices can seem overwhelming. X10, A10, UPB, Z-Wave, and ZigBee are some of the most popular technologies. A novice user might gravitate toward X-10 because it has been around the longest. While it was useful in its day, it was slowly replaced by more reliable protocols.

X-10 was at the forefront of powerline communications and was considered the father of modern home automation. Plagued by problems with poor performance, distance limitations, power phase limitations, and sporadic reliability, several manufacturers picked up the gauntlet and worked to improve the reliability of powerline communications. Some manufacturers, such as Advanced Control Technologies' A10, attempted to improve upon the X-10 signal, while others developed their own proprietary powerline protocols, such as Powerline Control Systems' UPB protocol.

The easiest way to overcome the inherent problems of powerline systems was to go wireless. Protocols like Z-Wave and ZigBee challenged X-10 systems with higher reliability. As wireless technologies grew in popularity, third-party manufacturers rushed to join the growing market. X-10 powerline systems faded further into the background.

While there are still few pure X-10 systems in use, hybrid systems consisting of X-10 devices used with Z-Wave or ZigBee wireless products are still popular. The reason is simply that there are still plenty of X-10 devices around, and few home automation enthusiasts are ready to throw them away. Anyone who follows the release of new home automation products will quickly notice that the majority of new product development is in the wireless space. It won’t be too many years before X-10 devices join the ranks of 8-track players, as newer wireless technologies replace these outdated devices through wear and system upgrades.