XCam - reasonable price, reasonable picture
Written: May 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap, easy to use
Cons: Included camera module is hard to focus, poor image quality, plastic optics.
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| caradoc's Full Review: X10 XCam Anywhere |
We've all seen this thing advertised via banner ads *everywhere*. One can only wonder how the guys are making any money on this, since the camera itself probably costs around $40-$50 to manufacture, including the transmitter/receiver pair. Paying for the advertising *has* to really mess up their margin, so I'm betting that they're using the XCams as a "loss-leader" to get you to buy into the rest of their home automation hardware.
The camera module itself is a CMOS-based imaging device, with a fixed aperture. It doesn't appear to have a robust auto-exposure, so it doesn't perform well in low light *at all*. In light levels between about 3 and 5 lux, the image begins to wash out. At 2-3 lux, the camera's barely usable.
In addition, the CMOS sensor gives a fairly nasty picture anyway - it's comparable to the absolute low end of color surveillance cameras. Definitely not what you want to make home movies, but usable for what it's intended: as a surveillance or observation camera. The plastic optics used in the camera module can sometimes cause "smearing," as they act as prisms to separate the colors a bit.
By removing the CMOS camera module, and replacing it with a little CCD-based camera (available through just about any electronics catalog, including the "discount" and "overstock" catalogs like Heartland and Damark for about $100) I've turned the receiver/transmitter pair into a decent webcam (http://www.neta.com/~caradoc/postalcam.html). Using a CCD instead of a CMOS camera means that I can get a *much* better image, better color, and the camera performs well down to about 1-2 lux.
Range for the 2.4GHz transmitter/receiver is about 100 feet, under good conditions. Running a washer, dryer, microwave oven, electric drill, or having a ham operator living near you will *severely* degrade your signal, but since there are four channels available you may be able to find one that doesn't have as much interference as the other three.
If you're into that kind of thing, you can completely disconnect the camera and use the transmitter/receiver to let televisions in your house "share" a signal - home dish users might benefit from this, but I've only got one TV.
The XCam performs well for its price, but it's hardly a high-end imaging system.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
caradoc
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Member: John Groseclose
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Reviews written: 182
Trusted by: 133 members
About Me:
System admin, technology addict, knife thrower, and dog "caregiver."
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