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[jwd0695]

After reading all the comments here, I just cancelled my order on the following:
 
SKU: XX11A-ED-MAXKIT-0306
1 camera with motion and software

So is this equipment that bad?  I know you get what you pay for, but after reading all the comments, I back away before I got more feed back.


Thanks
Joe

[dave w]

So is this equipment that bad? 

Well I guess you'll never know.

[jwd0695]

I guess I was to blunt, I deserve that answer.

[lodtrack]

The bottom line is the stuff works....but be prepared to invest some time in getting it to serve your purpose. This forum has a good record of helping people that demonstrate that they want to get it working. Bear in mind the equipment/software is not top of the line gear but provides a solution commensurate with the needs of most home users. The old axiom"you get what you pay for" applies in this case.

[jwd0695]

lodtrack, thanks for the tip. I guess what I was getting at, it appears that you have to know your stuff before you make your purchase, and I sure don't know all the technical aspects.  They make it sound like anyone can hook this up without any problems.  I can tell this is a great forum.  Some of the stuff I'm reading just puts a big IF in the purchase.

For example about the Pan and tilt camera's.  The plastic gears where out within a short amount of time, then you have to go to a Hobby Shop and try to find metal gears.

The wireless camera itself can be issue's.  They say 100', but it all depends on how many walls you have to go Thur.

I guess the software that comes with it, is bad.  So you have to buy other software that cost about as much as the whole system.

Thanks for listening to my concerns.  Now if anyone else would like to chime in please do so, or point me to a site where I can find a complete system to where I don't have to pay big $$$.

Once again thanks   

[lodtrack]

A final thought...the stuff you are looking to buy from X10 in your description will cost less than $100 if you catch them on sale. The comment made regarding Ninja gears may have been made by a person trying the camera in panning mode 24 hours a day. In normal use , the Ninja will last a long time before it wears gears. These days no on sells equipment without some parts made of plastic.I bought one last week for $29, so I will throw it away when it wears out.(time will tell how long it lasts) Any Rf camera  you buy out there will have it's signal impacted by barriers. X10 offers a wired version with 60 feet of cable if you want to ensure quality. It's on sale today at $29...still cheap for a camera. The software works once installed properly, although it may go good for you be prepared to seek some help if required. Remember, people come to this forum as newbies when they have trouble.All the people that have installed it with no problems, probably don't know the site even exists.
You really don't need to be an expert to install the equipment. I suggest you map out on a piece of paper exactly what you want to do(camera location and function required, sensor location , Pc you will run it on etc) There is enough info between the X10 product information and this forum to help you decide if you want to proceed. As to other systems, you will find the cost to be a lot higher. You will have to weigh the cost difference and decide for yourself if it is worth it. Good luck....

[jwd0695]

You hit right on the nose.  You sure made me look at it in a positive way.  I guess I read to much into it.  I guess I'm just little scared on the unknown.   

Many thanks for your time and comments, now its up to me.


Again thanks 

[dave w]

I guess I was to blunt, I deserve that answer.

Sorry jwd, when I read your first post, I thought you were sending everything back, without trying. I just mis-read your post.

I think I am just walking in lodtrack foot prints, but it is worth restating.

The wireless X10 cameras are problematic in their initial set-up. Distance, number of walls the cameras is transmitting thru, wireless routers and noise on the powerline (the way the wireless cameras are turned ON and OFF) all influence ease of setup.

X10 makes it sound like it is all "plug-n-play", but it ain't. However the folks that get everything to work properly first time out of the box, don't write in to the forum. So it is easy to think the worst when reading some of the camera posts.

One thing that can't be fixed is: the X10 cameras use old CMOS video sensor technology. Picture detail, and light sensitivity are not as good as CCD or newer CMOS technology. But they suffice for typical security needs.

Keep us posted!

[jwd0695]

OK, guys I did it. I purchase the Swann ADW-300 plug&play.  I took the easy way out.  Hook it up everything works great (phew).  It comes over to my PC with no problems.  Now here comes the issue.  I want to be able to view it with my smart phone.  So some how I have to up load to a site some where I think.  At one time was able to use my web cam and used a site called camstreams.com.  I had to use the Windows Media coder.  Not much luck there. 

So here is the bottom line, how would I do that?

Thanks 

[lodtrack]

Logmein.com sells an app for smart phones etc. that allows you to view and control remote pc's. The Ipad version costs $29.95 and works well.