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[SteveRF]

David K.,
You said "Camera pictures on X10 website are
obviously not from XCAMS!"
How abut yours, are you satisfied with the
resolution, picture quality of the cams you
use ?  Do you have any of the B&W low light ?
I am considering X10 cams but am not really
understanding of some of the quality comments
I hear.  I want to view the yard area but I
really want to be able to tell what I am
looking at... Wondering if they would really
be lear enough.  The Nina options are
interesting... Still looking..
Appreciate all of your comments !!
Regards,
SteveRF

[ykz_pilot]

I purchased my first camera in a little
bundle and once I tested it, have since
bought many multi-camera bundles.

I don't know what X10 cams others are using
that have poor quality, but I have the
Xcam2 Instant On, and I find the quality of
the video quite good ... and I have done
wedding videos and a lot of paid
photography.

I have a wide-angle that covers not only my
side yard but my neighbour's side yard as
well ... which I needed to record his
activities.  This alone has been worth the
investment of all of the cameras.

The cameras basically show what you would
see if you were standing there.  The colour
is good, and the sound is excellent.  The
low-light clearly show the people at the
doorstep at night with the regular 60w
porch light.  The low-light are B&W cameras.

The motion detectors are necessary not only
to start the recording, but also to turn on
the camera, and if dark the associated
light.

I would not recommend wired cameras so that
you are not stuck with wired installations
and hardware costs and the need to power
all the cameras all the time.

I can walk around my property at night, and
each area lights up as I go, and records
and stays on for the duration programmed.
The wireless have so many options and can
be expanded easily by just plugging in
another camera.

[ykz_pilot]

I can monitor any camera from any TV in the
house and in the garage and the workshop
(from all the receivers I got in the
bundles).  Also, I can monitor from any
computer with a receiver, and I can monitor
and move the cameras through the 'net.

For all this functionality, it was
surprisingly inexpensive, and it sure
impresses people when you can show them all
the cameras around your house from their
computers, even moving the Ninjas, and
turning on and off lights remotely.  The
sweep feature on the Ninjas is really
nice.  Because they are moving, you cannot
use picture changes to activate recordings
or it would record everything ... you need
a motion detector.

I would suggest you buy a single camera
bundle, as I did and then return it within
the warranty period if you don't like the
quality.

Complaints:
FloodCam does not have a microphone

Chime is too long.  Should be programmable
to a single note/sound.

Remote access is dependent on X-10 staying
in business.

[Noam]

I have two NightWatch cameras, one mounted
on the wall above my daughter's crib, and
the other on a tripod that I can move around
the house. I have the receiver plugged into
a ChannelPlus 3025 multi-room modulator, so
I can see the output on channel 120 on any
TV in the house. My only complaint is that
the "low light" cameras aren't "low light"
enough. We have a 25-watt lamp in her room,
and that is barely enough light. A true "low
light" camera should have an Infrared
illuminator on it, so that it can work in
the dark. I tried to use the IR illuminator
on my camcorder, but taht didn't help any.
The NightWatch must have an IR filter to
block that out.

[ykz_pilot]

Actually, they are not advertised as
infrared, or "no light" cameras anywhere.

They work well for us in low light.  If you
need infrared then don't try to use a
camera that is not designed for total
darkness.  If they were infrared they would
be called "no light" not "low light".
Clearly light is stated to be required.

You can either increase the light source
that is actually hitting the crib, or
better still, put the light source on a X-
10 lamp module, then you can remotely
adjust the light to the level you want
while you monitor.  Also, make sure the
light is hitting the area you need to see,
and not shadows.

Or you can get an infrared camera that is
designed for "no light".  

[Noam]

I never said that I expected the camera to
work in total darkness. In fact, before I
bought the cameras, I called X10, and spoke
to them about it. I just would like to see
the cameras work in less light than they
currently do. If I move the lamp closer to
the crib it works better, but my daughter
has a harder time falling asleep. So, it is
a trade-off. If I dim the lamp, we don't get
enough light for the camera to see. I do
plan on playing around with other lighting
options, such as a very low wattage bulb
directly over the crib, but I haven't had
the time to play with that yet.

[ykz_pilot]

OK, I used mine in a similar way, but I
used it as an audio monitor, and when I
wanted to see I would increase the light
more and then lower it again - all
remotely.  You might want to see all the
time, which means keeping some light on or
investing in an infrared solution.

I hope it all works out for you ... !

[SteveRF]

Barrington,
Many thnaks for your comments concerning the
X10 cams !  Are you satisfied with the
picture quality of the Xcam2 and teh low
light b/w cams ?  I have seen a lot of posts
from folks that indicated they were not that
happy with the picture quality.  I'd
appreciate your comments ...
Regards,
SteveRF

[rich]

Barrington, You have done exactly what I am
looking to do, setup 4 to 6 cameras on a PC
that can record and also have access to the
cameras online. For an example, a pre
school, has a setup so that the parents can
be at work and watch their kids at the pre
school. What would I need for this type of
functionality.

[barrington]

I can't really say I have a complaint about
the low-light cameras.  They are black &
white but with a single outdoor lamp
(triggered on the same ID that turns on the
camera) it shows people clearly.  It is not
colour, but you can certainly see the
people and who they are.  I don't expect hi-
res colour quality, just want to be able to
see who is there, and if I know them.  For
this it is fine.

For the daycare scenerio, you will have to
check to see if more than one person can
monitor at a time.  When you are watching
the cameras, you can control and move them
through the 'net, but you go through an X-
10 server (portal).  I would presume it
will only allow one person to connect at a
time for one location, but you can check
that.  If so, you may still be able to get
around it by having a single computer
connect to X-10 and then have that computer
given shared access to the internet.  Check
with techie people.

The Pan & Tilt Pro works well, and you can
turn lights on and off as well.

I haven't tried i-Witness yet.  I was going
to buy it but then started getting these
insulting e-mails from X-10.

Sheer stupidity.  

[rich]

Barrington, IF I was to use cameras that
you could that did not move or had no zoom,
this would help the situation right?

[barrington]

Not that I'm aware of.  You can check with
the tech people at X-10 but going through
the portal I would think it is a one at a
time thing.  It would be easy to test ...
set up one PC accessing the camera and then
try to log in with another one.

[willy wong]

wondering if there is anyone who has
successfully link the video signals via
internet to a remote station where one can
see what is happening in real time?  is
there accessories for doing this?

[geekasaurus]

willy wong, you can get x-10s MyHome Online
or use active webcam. I paid for a web
service with Active Webcam for $24.95 a
month, but now have MyHome Online which
doesn't cost anything besides the software.
With the X-10 setup you can control the
cameras from a remote location, not just view
them. I have had problems with the video not
sending the whole time with it though. We'll see.