Good quality for the price
Written: Sep 06 '00 (Updated May 02 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good value
Cons: needs lots of light
The Bottom Line: I would recommend these cameras to anyone that is on a budget and uses them in direct sunlight.
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| brewmaster's Full Review: X10 XCam Anywhere |
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Update 5-2-01
To see the quality of my camera images, go to http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/birdcam
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I have ordered items from X10 in the past and have been pleased with their products price and performance. Recently, I ordered the X10 XCam2 three camera system with XRay Vision. I was a bit concerned after about two weeks because it had not arrived yet so I called customer service. Before I even gave them my order information they asked if I had ordered a product with XRay Vision. They said that product was on back-order but it arrived that day and they were shipping them as we spoke. I received my package three business days later. Everything was very well packed and nothing was damaged in shipment.
I tested out the system shortly after it arrived and I believe the quality of the picture (in daylight) and sound is very good for the price. It is a different story in a well lit room with no sunlight. These cameras definitely work best in direct sunlight. I will be using mine outdoors most of the time so this not much of a problem for me. I found the transmitting range to be close to what was advertised; 100 feet. Each camera came with an addressable power supply with ample cord. The receiver has both a coaxial RF output and RCA audio and video jacks so you can connect it directly to your tv or your computer via the USB converter.
The USB to video adapter has an s-video connector in addition to the normal RCA video connector. This impressed me because about a year ago I purchased a Nogatech USB video adapter with no s-video connector. It was the same price as the entire X10 three camera system with battery pack, receiver and USB adapter!
I received a battery pack for one of the cameras and noticed that it works well when stationary but considerable noise was encountered when walking with the camera/battery pack in hand. I am not sure if this is a problem with my specific battery back or all of them.
The system also came with a remote control which is very similar to the standard X10 remote except the dimmer buttons are scan buttons for the cameras. I could not get the scan feature to work either from the remote control or the XRay Vision software. The XRay vision software is very easy to use and the server feature worked well. I set the system to e-mail me a picture when the camera detected motion and it did so without any problems.
Overall I think the X10 system I bought was well worth the price. I would not recommend this system to anyone who wants to use it for a serious indoor security camera. They have a new NightOwl camera which might do better.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
brewmaster
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Member: Mike Snyder
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Reviews written: 34
Trusted by: 11 members
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