X.10
I heard about this stuff years ago, but thought the X.10 system to be a little too much of a gadget: why would anybody want to turn a living room light off from their bedroom, talk about the height the laziness. Recently I've changed. Sort of born-again, you know "lost and now I'm found; blind and now can see" sort of thing.
It all started when my car got broken into. Too bad I didn't check it out this time, maybe while carrying a gun, because I coulda caught the m**her-f**ker red-handed. I bet I could have gotten them to sh*t their pants too. It would have been a victory for average mostly-law-abiding citizens everywhere. But I sat in my office engaged in doing my job (telecommute day) and didn't have time to be interrupted. Gosh, if only I had a camera, I could have found out who did it. Maybe it was a neighbor, or one of the gardeners. "It would have been worth having him do it just so I could catch him doing it."1 X10.com sells those inexpensive cameras: they keep bombarding me with ads. I remembered when I looked at them about a year ago nobody could touch their price. I wonder if their prices are still low, or if that time I checked them out was just a fluke. I looked again and found it wasn't a fluke. You might say: "Well, why not just set your car alarm?" Because with the cameras I can get a view of anybody messing with my truck, or loitering on my property, or whatever.
So far I've ended up purchasing the 3-camera wireless camera kit, home security system, extra window sensor, extra key-chain remote and entertainment anywhere. For those purchases, which were already very reasonably priced they threw in free: 4 HawkEye motion detectors, black & white infrared X.Cam, X.10 screw-in lamp module, and remote-control for computer with BOOM software. This stuff was incredibly reasonably priced.
Entertainment Anywhere
This thing is awesome. Best thing to come around since a better mousetrap. I'm buying another one. Hook it to the computer to send MP3 (or DVD for those of you late-adopters that are DVD-impaired. Me? I've got two DVD players hooked to my home-theater system) to your home stereo. Or send video and stereo from your massive home-theater system to a TV in another room.
3-Camera Kit
Included 3 wireless cameras with built-in microphone and X.10 controllable power supplies, wireless receiver, X.10 remote control to turn individual cameras on or off (or any other X.10 device for that matter), VCR controller to start recording on tape when motion is detected, X.10 receiver and 3 HawkEye motion detectors. Total for this was $199. I've seen WIRED cameras without power supplies, without microphones, without cases for $120. A quick scan around the Internet showed that similar products went for $250 to $450 for ONE wireless camera & receiver, and without all the other goodies.
I installed this 3 camera setup easily. Really surprising. This is more than cool. The extra feeling of safety is well worth the money. I'm going to get extra receivers so I can put more monitors in. I got a little 5" black & white TV from J&R Electronics for $25. You can leave the TV on all the time, since it only takes about 10 watts.
Security System
So far, so good. Other online retailers were selling this for between $180 and $299. $75 from X.10.com after instant rebate. Its a basic supervised (supervised: main console monitors sensors and flashes LED for appropriate sensor if it doesn't report in after 4 hours, like if its broken or the battery is dead) system with voice-dialing capabilities.
Combined with the cameras, I figure someone trying to break-in to my house will get to have their face videotaped as evidence, then the alarm goes off pissing-off all the neighbors, the dog goes nuts, and the thing starts calling me and friends/family I've told about the system. If I'm home, they get the pleasure of a "cap" in their butt. At least in theory. I figure worst case scenario is they poison my dog, cut the power (the alarm will still go off because of battery backup) and phone, break-in and steal the video-tape along with my Madonna CD collection, and now I'm out one dog and have to fill in a stack of insurance claim forms. Or they can just go to my neighbor's house and steal their Back-Street Boys CDs without any hassle. Hey, if you were a thief, which would you pick? A bunch of hassle for not a lot of loot, or no hassle for not a lot of loot. Most of the burglars I know are pretty lazy (when they're not on drugs). Otherwise they'd just work for a living instead. My experience is they want easy pickins, and all but the most professional burglar will go for the low-risk easy, nobody-notices kind of theft. I'm way too low on the reward/risk ratio scale to warrant any attention from the real pro's.
1. Q. Tarantino
Last Updated 09/01/01