X10 components “talk” to one other using your home’s existing wiring. A transmitter located in one part of a house or building sends an X10 (PLC) signal through the existing wires in your walls to a transceiver in another location. Then the transceiver responds to the information by telling another component - attached to your light for instance - to do one of four things: turn on, off, dim or brighten. This means all your lights and appliances can be adjusted individually or at once. X10 technology has been the trusted standard in home automation since the 70’s and continues to be as reliable now as it was then. As new fad technologies rise up and die away, X10 endures unchanged. Plenty of companies have tried to duplicate the reliability and functionality of the X10 protocol, but none have succeeded in creating a home automation format that’s as simple and reliable as ours.

Since your existing wires act as the conduit through which X10 communicates with its components, you won't have to rip your walls apart . A fully functional X10 transceiver on its own, or ECU sends information to your lamp modules  telling them to act on commands. All you have to do is plug them in and let them do the work for you. There’s no new wiring to worry about.