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X10 Ninja Cam Kit

RATINGS Quality Geekness

I think the endless stream of tiny Web ads, pop-ups, and e-mails finally brainwashed me. For absolutely no reason, with really no need, I suddenly had an overwhelming desire to get me one of those X10 cameras and watch stuff remotely.

Sure I knew I was going to be viewing the model-quality, college age women that always seemed to be the subject of the camera's ads, but I didn't care. I logged onto the website to get more details and was shocked at the options and vast array of camera packages that were available for sale.

I finally landed a Ninja Cam Kit [Editor's Note: now called "NINJA Pan 'n Tilt Camera Kit"], which comes with the Xcam2 color camera mounted to a Ninja Pan 'n Tilt Camera Mount, which allows you to view 240 degrees left to right and 130 degrees up to down.

I got the device in the mail a few days later. The camera was exactly what I expected: a tiny sleek package with a minute lens attached to an adjustable mount with an attached mini satellite-looking doohickey used to transmit the signal. The whole thing was, in turn, attached to a gray cylinder, about 6 inches tall, which allowed you to swivel the camera around in a half circle or tilt it up and down. A wall mount bracket was also thrown in for mounting the entire gizmo in an out of the way location.

The only initial drawback I saw was that the cam had to be plugged into an outlet for electricity. I guess this shouldn't have been surprising, but it does tend to limit just how covert you can make the camera. Of course for an extra $19.99 you can buy a battery pack, which gets rid of the need for an outlet but limits your viewing time to four hours. Also, the camera isn't exactly waterproof, but it can be used outside if under reasonable shelter.

Of course the first thing I did when I opened the box was separate the camera from the Pan 'n Tilt controller. It was really well designed, and even came with a spool for winding the excess cable when you attach the devices together. It also came with a cool little remote control that lets you control the tilt and pan ... uhm, remotely. Very cool.

After tinkering with that for a bit, and playing around with the idea of dismantling the camera itself, I decided to give it a field test. It took me a few seconds to hide the camera and set up the receiver, another mini-satellite equipped device that plugs into your VCR or TV via an RCA plug. Then it was just a matter of turning it on and watching ... and watching ... and watching.

Suddenly it hit me: without breaking a few laws, moving to a co-ed dorm, or both, there really isn't a lot of fun in using the camera. I ran that by the people at X10 and they gave me some good suggestions: baby cam, nanny cam, security cam. Good points.

Besides X10 is really just about the hardware, it's up to you to provide the content.

The only real problem I ran into was that the camera, which uses the 2.4GHz range to transmit images, would stop working whenever my cordless phone rang. The weird thing was it worked fine when I used the phone, it was just during the ring. Bizarre.

After getting over the disappointment of not being able to watch barely legal teens or Russian babes on my TV, I came to love my little X10.

I also got an interesting application for my PC: X-Ray Vision Internet Kit software, which lets you receive images on your computer, and then schedule upload times so the PC will send out pictures to a Web page or e-mail address. The software comes with a tiny little USB converter which captures the images from any X10 camera and loads them onto your computer. Basically, you can set the software to send updates from every 10 seconds to every two hours. You can even tell the program to just shoot off shots when it detects motion. Pretty nifty stuff, and it worked like a charm. The software and converter sell for $69, which is well worth the price.

Conclusion
Before writing this review I scoured the Web for similar ramblings. Mostly what I found was a bunch of disgruntled people--reviewers kept complaining about the quality of the images. Really, I don't think this is fair. Sure, your picture isn't going to look like you used a camcorder, but the fact is this isn't a camcorder--it's a tiny, very inexpensive, covert cam. And for what it is, it does a great job. I had no problem seeing what was going on--even facial expressions. And the plethora of little add-ons available for the tiny gadget makes the X10 the Swiss army knife of cams.

The only reservation I have is that, while a very clever and well-built device, there isn't as much use for it as you would expect. I played around with the idea of using mine as a security cam over my front door, but decided it just wasn't worth it. True, as a nanny cam it proved invaluable, and I can imagine all kinds of neat things I could do with it, like attaching it to a remote control car or my dog.

Bottom line: if you want a covert cam, the X10 is for you. It's a great value, has a decent image, and enough bells and whistles to quiet any die-hard Geek.

Ratings Defense
The X10 Ninja Cam Kit gets 4 out 5 Geekheads for Quality--I think 4 is fair. The image is a bit grainy, and in low light situations the camera is next to useless. But again, for the price and size it's a great buy.

I love playing around with the XCam2 and the Ninja Pan 'n Tilt. I think the geekier you are the more fun you'll have tinkering with it. There are little cables, remotes, software, add-ons, etc. It's just too geeky for words. Thus, a perfect 5 Geekheads for Geekness.

The X10 Ninja Cam Kit earns a Geek.com Pick.