by Mark Brownstein,
Special to PC World
September 29, 1999, 6:00 a.m. PT
XCam Anywhere is from X10.Com, the makers of DVD
Anywhere and MP3 Anywhere, which reroute computer music files to play on a stereo system.
This $169 unit expands that premise by capturing video and audio, then broadcasting it
through a choice of devices.
XCam Anywhere includes a color camera, a 2.4-GHz wireless transmitter, and one
receiver. Without even leaving your desk, you can use it to see why the dog is barking.
Just mount the camera at the front door and route the broadcast to your PC.
You must connect the camera, which includes a monaural microphone, by wire to the
wireless transmitter. The connection uses RJ48, an eight-conductor networking cable that
looks like standard network cable or wide phone cord. You can route the cable around
doorways or through other narrow areas, and its small size makes it relatively easy to
string from an outdoor camera to a power source and indoor transmitter.
The transmitter has a range of about 100 feet, and can broadcast both audio and color
video signals from the camera. Both the transmitter and the receiver support four
channels, so you can use multiple units to monitor several locations. You can also use a
second transmitter to connect a VCR, DVD player, stereo sound system, or other audio or
video source, then broadcast video and sound to other receivers.
X10.Com is positioning XCam Anywhere as a device for monitoring front doors, children's
rooms, swimming pools, or other locations. You can view the video and hear the audio on a
TV set. When you connect a receiver to a computer's video capture card, you can watch the
monitored area on your computer screen. For people who spend a lot of time at the
computer, the ability to see who's at the door or whether the kids are sleeping without
having to leave the desk can be a terrific productivity aid.
You can also pair the product with other X10.Com products. With several transmitters
hooked up, you can sit at the computer and switch between the monitor at the front door
and a movie broadcast from a connected VCR. You simply choose which frequency to tune
into. You might want to enhance the sound quality by routing video or audio transmission
to your TV with DVD Anywhere.
