The spy movies of the 70s were packed with unbelievably far-out technologies. Things like cameras that saw through walls or cameras that were small enough to hide and spy on the bad guys’ meetings. These were the stuff of dreams, and of course it would never really be possible to produce any of those cool gadgets. And I was convinced that even if they ever did make it into reality, they would only be available to government agencies or huge corporations because of the sheer cost.

Boy, was I ever wrong!

The folks at X10 (www.x10.com) (automated and remote control for everything in your house) have combined now-standard technologies in the XCam2, so it’s now possible to view images from a remote camera over your TV for less than $100. And for another $30 you can broadcast the remote camera from your PC to the Internet.

What it is

The basic Xcam2 is a small video camera with a built-in 2.4 GHz transmitter. It can run from the included power supply (AC adapter) or from an optional battery pack. The wireless connection is good for up to about 100 feet and makes it unnecessary to run a cable between the camera and your TV set or VCR. If you opt for the battery pack, you can simply plop the camera down nearly anywhere and let it broadcast for up to four hours on a set of batteries.

The receiving end of the set consists of a matching receiver and cable connections. When the combo is used with a TV or VCR, you get decent video and audio. Imagine if James Bond had had this when he was spying on Goldfinger! He probably wouldn’t have been caught, but then he never would have met up with Miss Galore either. Oh well.

My test version came bundled with the USB connector and Xray Vision. The USB connector plugs the Xcam2's receiver into a USB port on your PC and makes the camera another video source on the computer. You can then configure the software to do a variety of things, including sending periodic updates to a website, e-mail shots, or even respond to a request from a remote PC to start transmitting.

How it works

I was able to set up the standard Xcam2 in about 10 minutes. I spent most of the time in finding an outlet for the remote cam. I gave up on that and used the battery pack. I plopped the camera down in my back yard, then plugged the receiver into my TV set in the house, tuned to the cam’s channel, and there it was! Definitely a no-brainer.

Next I connected the receiver to the USB adapter and to my PC, downloaded the XRay Vision software, and was able to watch the scene on my computer. You can use the camera just as you would any webcam with NetMeeting or other videoconferencing applications. But if you use the client-side version of XRay Vision, you can control your PC and Cam combination from almost anywhere, forming a kind of closed-circuit channel.

Though the camera and its connectivity are pretty amazing in themselves, the XRay Vision server and client software really make the system. Once the Xcam2 is connected to your PC, you can set up the system to periodically upload time-lapse clips to a website. This lets you keep bandwidth use down when you’d mostly be looking at a pretty boring nonmoving scene 98 percent of the time. It’s even possible to set the software to actively monitor for motion (and only when a specified amount of motion is detected), then start recording and sending images. The remote Client software also has a facility to dial into your home PC and initiate transmission. Hopefully, we’ll soon have "always-on" connections and won’t need to do this, but till then here’s a way around it.

Quality

Truthfully, the video quality of the image is what I would call "passable." As you can imagine, lots of compromises have been made to get this unit to its current state. It really is acceptable or even good for watching your house or the baby, but it wouldn’t cut it for reading the details of a secret map.

The quality of the actual hardware and software are at least as good as other webcam I’ve seen. And with no moving parts, it’s pretty easy for it to stay that way. The receiver unit is the same as used for other X-10 remote products and works as advertised. There are small, flat antennae on both the camera and the receiver. They have to be roughly pointed at each other, but close is good enough. It isn’t like aiming a satellite dish. I had no trouble using the connection by simply pointing each antenna in the general direction of the other unit. And the software did what it was supposed to do. I’m not sure there is any higher praise for software today.

My use

I had the XRay Vision set up in the gazebo in my backyard. Some time ago I ran an electric line to the gazebo for lighting. I actually never thought of running a video or Ethernet cable. So, I have the camera mounted under the roof looking out. The receiver is in my den, attached to my PC, and lets me see the view from the gazebo even when I’m at work or traveling. You may ask just what is the practical use of this. . . well, just getting a little glimpse of my home when I’m away justifies the effort and cost of the installation. And maybe someday I’ll capture a shot of a bad guy trying to break into my house. . . at least until the dogs discover him.