04/11/2002

Webcams are all over the Internet. You can find them looking at just about anything you can think of, from someone's fish tank to a sock drawer.

Many of today's Webcams are quite small, around the size of a golf ball. Most 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 multiple Webcams. And while that 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 Webcam that offers a 60 degree field of vision. It pans horizontally 240 degrees left and right, and tilts vertically 130 degrees. Operating on the same 2.4-gigahertz frequency used by cordless telephones, the Ninja covers four times the area of its regular Webcam, X10 says.

Using the included Scan Pad Remote software, you can remotely control the movement of the camera over the Internet to monitor whatever is in the viewing area. The tiny motor provides 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 among the frequencies of up to four cameras, allowing you to see and control four Ninja Webcams with a wireless range of up to 100 feet from the computer.

The Webcam kit costs about $80. Additional options are available, such as motion control sensors that activate the camera only if motion is detected and software that can send an e-mail alerting you that a camera has been activated.

Check the Web site at www.x10.com/ca.

Craig Crossman, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service