Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - X-10, Plug n' Power, etc.

I copied this post of mine from the Home Automation forum, where it got no responses after 2 weeks. I use the Radio Shack Plug n' Power system, which I think is the same or similar to X-10 (they look identical, but I'd be happy to be corrected). I've been using the system for my Christmas lights for 8 years now (the rest of the year it controls one 500 watt halogen lamp and one outside light), with 6 downstairs window lights and the tree on "channel" 2, and 6 upstairs window lights plus spotlights that shine on the house on "channel" 3 (so I can shut off 3 when my daughter goes to bed). My house is a hodge-podge of old knob and tube wiring, plus a fair amount of upgraded outlets, and I find that I often have to move these units around to get them to work as I want. I've found various consumer reviews of these products, including a thread that mentioned "no surge protectors, gfi, etc." between the lamp and the module, but I've got every obstacle you can think of: extention cords, 3-prong adapters, surge protecters, homemade spliced cords, and I've been unable to determine rhyme or reason as to why they work where they do, and why they don't where they don't. Mostly this is because they work for a time, then one night they don't. Change outlets, and they work again. I saw some feedback on the Radio Shack site in which a person said that one stopped working after he replaced the breaker associated with the outlet in question, then, when he replaced the new (working) breaker with an old, working breaker, it worked again. Does anyone know how these products work, which maybe will shed some light on this issue? Thanks.

Perhaps the new electronics aren't compatable with this system.

I've no clue. I felt bad. I did'nt want you skunked in two forums.
But I do find this interesting. Something else to think about.