A new generation of wireless gadgets promises to make home and small business security,
remote child care monitoring, and even the creation of TV video productions affordable
for just about anyone.
Inconspicuous mini-videocams let users monitor any location via the Internet.
You can see who's ringing your front doorbell, who's minding the store, or what little
Johnny is having for lunch -- whether you're in your office upstairs or sitting in
an airport halfway around the world.
But while new technology can bring peace of mind, it also puts privacy on the endangered
list. Balancing safety and invasion of privacy means walking a very fine line.
And some of the newest, coolest cameras are making that balancing act even trickier.
Bargain Basement Surveillance
While surveillance technology has been available for years to those with the money and
time to spare, low-cost products aimed at mainstream consumers are just starting to
enter the marketplace.
For example, the XCam2 from
X10.com -- which is
smaller than a golf ball -- combines a US$79.99 price tag with the ability to transmit
live color video and audio within 100 feet. The device includes a color analog video
camera, a microphone and a 2.4-GHz transmitter (which means it's fairly hard to detect).
Consumers can combine XCam2 devices to monitor multiple locations at once and transmit a
feed wirelessly to TVs, VCRs and Web TV Plus. Users then can "scan" between cameras as
if they were changing channels on the TV.
X10 also lets customers download its free XRay Vision software, which the company said
lets users view live video on their PCs or have images e-mailed at timed intervals from
their home PC to a remote PC that does not have XRay software installed.
Pretty nifty -- but keep in mind that consumers on Epinions.com said while the price is
right and the device is easy to set up, picture quality is somewhat lacking.
Product Snapshots
The X10 isn't the only game in town. But if you want better resolution, you'll have to
pay up. The Advanced Intelligence Spy Shop offers several
surveillance cameras, including the Smoke Alarm Video Camera -- a black-and-white camera
hidden inside a smoke alarm -- that transmits video and audio to a VCR or monitor and
costs $260. The Lamp Video Camera costs $590 and includes a 900-MHz transmitter to
stream video and audio to a monitor.
Spystores.com listed, among other devices, the
$799.95 Wireless Nanny Camera, a black-and-white camera hidden inside a fully functional
boom box. It includes a 2.4-GHz transmitter, 380 lines of resolution and 0.1 Lux for
low-light conditions. (continued...)
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