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[john murphy]

Radio shack camera system - Copy and paste
into browser window
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=49-2534
This is not an outdoor camera.

I did a google search and found this.
http://www.pimall.com/nais/monitorsys.outdoor.html
Similiar to my radio shack model.
Notice the infrared leds around the lens. A
feature that X10 cameras lack.
Unfortunately for your needs, I have not come
across both wireless and battery powered.
I did find this. A portable electric battery
pack. Interesting. Actually a good concept.
http://www.dulley.com/docs/f400.htm

[DS]

Thanks so much for the helpful info, JM!
That power pack looks like it would be great
to have around for emergency use.

[jimmie l]

I personally have been involved with X10
almost since it came on the market. I have
learned that it is important to
understand  how the product works or, more
important  to know what makes it fail
before I pass  it on. I have used X10 in
applications  that  include Nightclubs
(jimmiestewart.com,  select the link to
X10), Restaurants,  Catering Halls, major
corporation  Boardrooms, Churches, Funeral
Homes, etc. I even used X10  when I was
retained to coordinate the  appearance of
President of the United  States
(jimmiestewart.com, select the link  to
GHW  Bush). There are wrinkles with a lot
of the  X10  products. Learning what they
are and  how to  get around them has made
me a lot  of money  over the years. I must
admit that  I lost 2 modules within a 6
month period. I  would have complained
except for the fact  that they were 18+
years old. I still have  modules that date
back to the early 80's  and they are still
working well. There are  a lot of
applications for X10 products that
sometimes surprise even the people at X10.
An example would be the 600  watt dimmer.
How many know how to make the  dimmer work
in a 1900 watt system?

[daniel toner]

That's just it, we shouldn't have to baby
this touchy junk all because it's way too
cheap and way too buggy. Sure, if you learn
the product you can make it work better but
there is a problem with that. After learning
the product and all of it's problems, who in
their right mind wouldn't just say "to hell
with this junk, I'm buying quality equipment."

[jimmie l]

Apparently you didn't get the message from
the list of applications that I selected
X10 for. You do not use "junk" in those
applications. There are standard modules
and there are the "PRO" series modules. Or
you could select the "Crestron" system or
the "AMX" system. For those systems you
will need about a $10,000 budjet. And you
may not believe it but they have their
wrinkles too. I have made a lot of money
figuring what makes them fail also. In the
days before I retired that's what I did for
a living. In your case I suggest that you
vent your frustration, at me if it helps
and then walk away from PLC systems all
together. The ulcers that you will develop
should you encounter wrinkles in the
systems aren't worth
it,...............above all keep smiling.

[jimmie l]

Apparently you didn't get the message from
the list of applications that I selected
X10 for. You do not use "junk" in those
applications. There are standard modules
and there are the "PRO" series modules. Or
you could select the "Crestron" system or
the "AMX" system. For those systems you
will need about a $10,000 budjet. And you
may not believe it but they have their
wrinkles too. I have made a lot of money
figuring what makes them fail also. In the
days before I retired that's what I did for
a living. In your case I suggest that you
vent your frustration, at me if it helps
and then walk away from PLC systems all
together. The ulcers that you will develop
should you encounter wrinkles in the
systems aren't worth
it,...............above all keep smiling.

[jimmie l]

Apparently you didn't get the message from
the list of applications that I selected
X10 for. You do not use "junk" in those
applications. There are standard modules
and there are the "PRO" series modules. Or
you could select the "Crestron" system or
the "AMX" system. For those systems you
will need about a $10,000 budjet. And you
may not believe it but they have their
wrinkles too. I have made a lot of money
figuring what makes them fail also. In the
days before I retired that's what I did for
a living. In your case I suggest that you
vent your frustration, at me if it helps
and then walk away from PLC systems all
together. The ulcers that you will develop
should you encounter wrinkles in the
systems aren't worth
it,...............above all keep smiling.

[daniel toner]

Yes yes we all got it, you use X10 junk for
all the wrong applications. It's clear
quality and performance mean nothing to you.
This is why you're a huge X10 fan, you're the
only kind of person that could be an X10 fan.
Thing is, most of us, we like quality, we
like reliability, and we love performance.

[john murphy]

Jimmie, thank you for sounding off.
Interesting web site. Need a little work on
font color, but very interesting stuff.
With your ET background you do have an
advantage with the products. Just like my DP
(that's Data Processing, not Double
Penetration for some people) background helps
with the software.
But Daniel in his instability does have a
point. With all of X10's propaganda and hype,
when you buy the stuff it should be expected
to work without an abundance of troubleshooting.
As long as they have been around, instead of
pushing their products in mass production
mode, if someone took the time to document or
publish some honest to god scenarios and
troubleshooting procedures, the unhappiness
with the product would not exist.
And perhaps backing off on the misleading
advertising might help also.

[daniel toner]

Thank you. Instead of X10 doing what you
suggested, when you have to call, their
support SUCKS! When I said the wireless
cameras had a terrible signal, they asked "Do
you have a wireless router?" Well yes, I have
a laptop, and I like millions of others have
based my home network on Wireless G
technology. Know what they said? "Oh you'll
have to turn it off, you can't use it with
X10 items." Screw that! To top it off, they
told me I can't use my phone if I want a
decent signal. Oh okay so it seems it works
as long as NOTHING ELSE IS POWERED ON
ANYWHERE IN OR AROUND MY HOUSE! X10 should
have properly notified me about this. Of
course even if they did, what am I going to
do, turn off everything wireless in my home
and ask my neighbors to do the same? Actually
instead of that, I would have said screw X10
right there and they wouldn't have received a
single dime from me. This must be why they
don't properly notify anyone that their
equipment is JUNK!

[jimmie l]

Daniel, sorry for your frustration but if
you think the to road to home automation
has been smooth you are very mistaken. My
homes have been automated since the 60's
there was no X10 in those days or anything
like it. If you read my home automation
story at my site what it doesn't tell you
that there was approximately 13,000 feet of
telephone wire behind the sceenes operating
150+ interlocking relays to make it all
work. How much wire does it take to use
X10? Since the early eighties X10 has come
a long ways, but, it still has a long way
to go.

In my case I attempt to pass on the answers
to problems that I find. This is not
something that X10 or most major
corpoations will admit for obvious reasons.
But if changes are made and the product
gets better for the consumer, fine.

X10's greatest asset in my mind is home
security, a functioning home is rarely
broken into. Both my homes are controlled
by X10. In all the years that I have been
using X10 I have not had a problem, (knock
on wood).

JMurphy, I'm glad you enjoyed my site. I
continually update it but not as often that
I would like to. I am working on a story at
the present time that tells how something
that possibly could have been a career
damaging experience was turned into a
career enhancing move. The next story/s
that I plan to write will involve X10. I
think that anyone who reads
them ,especially X10 users will chuckle a
little. Unfortunately it will be a while
before they are done. Oh, I will check out
the fonts.