Picture-in-Picture & the XCam2
"My TV automatically switches to PIP showing me who's at the door before they even get there!"

Picture-in-Picture & the XCam2 By Arthur J. Dustman IV

I have been using your X10 cameras now for about one year. I originally set up five XCam2 cameras in the soffit (structural arch) of my house to monitor the back yard. I have two dogs that are well behaved, except they run through my landscaping and destroy our shrubs and flowers. I originally bought an underground fence to deter my dogs from entering the landscaped areas. Unfortunately, with two dogs, they would drain the batteries in a matter of a week or so and to replace them cost about $9 for each battery.

We upgraded to a new system in which the dog's collar was rechargeable and we have a remote with a 1/2 mile range. This gave us the ability to give the dogs a small electric pulse and a tone to aid in training. Now, unfortunately we had to keep a close eye on the dogs every minute. This is where I put my X10 cameras to use.

I use the X10 motion sensor lights to activate any of the four individual cameras, and one ActiveEye motion sensor to activate the last camera around the side of the house by the gate. All of the home cameras are tied to my one receiver, and run through an RF modulator on an unused TV channel, as well as one input on my picture-in-picture on my TV. Now I can watch the dogs play and take corrective measures if they run through my landscaping as seen from my TV (even while watching another program through PIP) or any other TV in the house with the RF modulator.

I found the camera so useful I bought more for other things. I have one that activates with an ActiveEye sensor to change to a camera at my front door. I have even taught my 5-in-1 Learning Remote the code to turn on my TV and another to switch to my picture-in-picture on the TV.

Now, with a universal module attached to a modified 5-in-1 Learning Remote, along with ActiveHome software, I can have my TV automatically switch to the PIP on my TV showing me who is at the door before they even get there! I also have all of my cameras running through XRay Vision and Firecracker so I can control and see everything from work.

Arthur J. Dustman IV
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