WEB CAMERA OFFERS REMOTE CONTROL
Any video camera that transmits its
images over the Internet for remote viewing is referred to as a
"webcam." Webcams are all over the Internet. In fact,
you can find webcams looking at just about anything you can think
of and then some. Examples of webcams I've seen include cameras
looking at someone's fish tank (fish cam), watching street
intersections (street cam), staring at the contents of someone's
refrigerator (fridge cam) and sock drawer (sock cam), checking to
see what's being offered and what's left in a vending machine
(vend cam), poised over a litter box (kitty cam) and on it goes.
Whether it's interesting or not, it seems that people just love
pointing webcams at just about anything and putting it up on a web
site for anyone's viewing enjoyment. Just try doing a search on
the word "webcam" and you'll be amazed at what you can
be watching at any given moment. Webcams are like little animated
windows to the world.
Aside from the frivolous and
sometimes ingenious locations one can find a webcam, you'll
discover they can also be quite practical. Properly configured,
webcams offer a high tech yet inexpensive method of remote
surveillance. For example, webcams allow parents to remotely watch
their children at home. And many schools now offer webcams so that
parents with the proper passwords can monitor their children from
home and at work.
Many of today's webcams are quite
small, around the size of a golf ball. Most webcams come with
software and connect to a computer via the USB port. Some models
are cordless and can transmit their images to a receiver that
connects to a computer. But until recently, if you wanted to cover
a larger area within a room, you needed to place multiple webcams.
And while that always remains an option, X10 has come up with
something that enables a single webcam to see more of what's going
on. X10's Ninja Pan 'n Tilt Xcam2 is a cordless color web camera
that offers a 60 degree field of vision that will pan horizontally
240 degrees left and right and tilt vertically 130 degrees.
Operating on the same 2.4 gigahertz frequency used by cordless
telephones, X10 says the Ninja provides 4 times the area of their
regular webcam.
Using the included Scan Pad Remote
software, you can remotely control the movement of the camera over
the Internet to monitor whatever is within the viewing area. The
tiny motor provides a movement that is virtually silent and very
smooth. Via an ordinary browser, you see a directional arrow on
each side of the video image. Simply click on the arrow and the
camera moves in the corresponding direction. It couldn't be
easier. A nice touch is the addition of a "Center"
button that will automatically return the camera to its original
centered position. The single receiver unit that attaches to a
computer can discriminate the frequencies from up to four
different cameras allowing you to see and control four different
Ninja webcams with a wireless range of up to 100 feet from the
computer.
Additional options are available
such as motion control sensors that will activate the camera only
if motion is detected, and software that can send an email
alerting you that a camera has been activated.
Check the X10 web site for pricing
and available options. |
