In my entertainment room, the can lights can be controlled by a swtich on either side of the room. Is there a certain X10 wall switch i need to get where I can turn the lights on or off, as well as dim them with a remote?

Just about every X10 switch on the market has available slaves for 3-way applications. You will also need an IR543 to convert from IR to powerline control.

Look at this link for switch choices:
[Link: homeautomationnet.com]

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

I'm curious about something - why do Americans refer to a Single Pole Double Throw switch as a "3-way" switch. I know it has three terminals, but the current can only flow two ways and the switch has only two positions.

Confuses me every time as we in the UK refer to this as "two way". I guess you could call it "4-way" as there are four combinations of positions for the pair of switches!

No, that's not confusing enough.

We call the (one or more) switches between three-ways for additional control locations "4-way switches". They do, indeed, have four terminals, and are actually DPDT switches with crossover jumpers, rendering them reversing switches.

I guess we don't have any 2-way switches; the closest we come is double-pole switches, which again have four terminals. Yikes!

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

Yes, we have those, we call them "intermediate" switches.

Whilst I'm here - am I right in thinking that the 220v domestic "two phase" supply you guys use is actually 110-0-110, with the neutral on the OV centre/center tap?

That is correct. Center tap is the grounded neutral. This limits the voltage to ground.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com