Entrance-and-baby-camHow to select
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If what you need is Surveillance of baby sleep and wake up from another room, the same Entrance-and-baby-cam system can be applied to this different task. You have the choice of Color or B&W, wireless or wired solution, whatever makes more sense for the setup you are about to realize.
You can do it by yourself... We are here to help, by proposing solutions to specific problems.
If you are facing similar challenges, our recommendation for an Entrance-and-baby-cam system could be followed with minor modifications as needed. It should be easier than browsing in huge catalogues where you may be overwhelmed by over choice.
For the surveillance of your entrance door or monitoring of your baby sleep and wake up the requirements are fairly simple. A single Color or Black and White Entrance-and-baby-cam is used with live monitoring, the information is immediate, there is no need to record and retrieve images.
Our suggestion is for one of the simplest and most economic Entrance-and-baby-cam systems available. As such the quality of the image may not be perfect, if compared to more complex video surveillance systems, although sufficient for the purpose.
First one has to check if the available illumination is adequate or if it has to be improved upon. To see at night, a lamp should be provided. Alternatively one can select the low light Black and White Entrance-and-baby-cam which needs much less illumination to transmit still a useful image.
Our recommendation is for a wireless Entrance-and-baby-cam set with integral Transmitter for up to 100 ft (30 m), whose mating Receiver may be plugged into the "Video In" of an old TV set.
Important Note: Make sure that the TV you want to use has the same signal as the camera you order. In the USA the TV signal is NTSC, in Europe it is PAL or SECAM, to be specified when ordering.
When selecting the Entrance-and-baby-cam wireless system, your advantage is that there is no need to lay down wires in the house (drilling holes into walls, using nails to fix the wire clips) from the camera to the monitor (TV). Also the system can be easily moved to other locations, should the need arise.
You would need however a standard power outlet fairly near the emplacement of the Entrance-and-baby-cam. If you have a light bulb near your entrance door you can derive from it the power yourself or have it done for you.
We must stress a point coming up time and again from inexpert customers. Being the Entrance-and-baby-cam wireless means that the video signal is transmitted via radio. It does not mean that there are no wires at all.
For one thing this type of cameras are fed with 12V DC. Power comes either from an adaptor connected to a standard power outlet (see above) or from a battery supply (ordered separately) with four (4) AA batteries. (It has a voltage doubler inside, do not worry).
This, at first sight, might seem an interesting solution, except that the life of the batteries lasts for only about four hours in continuous operation, and then new ones must be provided and put in place of the spent ones.
If other instruments near the Entrance-and-baby-cam (i.e. a cordless phone) work on the same frequency (2.4 GHz) there could be some interference, but then a slightly different frequency can be selected (for both transmitter and receiver) by turning a knob (four positions are available).
We list hereafter a few Entrance-and-baby-cam solutions with the options you can choose from:
Three Wireless cameras, [two of which are for Color, (one regular, one wide angle), and one is Black & White, for low light] and two Wired cameras (one Color, one Black & White).
Setup is fairly easy, with instructions supplied by manufacturer.Color, Wireless
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Note: A microphone is included in the wireless cameras so that a baby voice could be heard, if desired. To make use of this facility one needs the Lola Music System Video Receiver (Audio and Video Receiver instead of the VR36A Video only Receiver, commonly supplied in the above kit).
| X10 Entertainment Products | ||||
Another suggested Baby Camera is the following:
Wireless Baby Camera & Receiver, Black - 78601B
But, for general use, not for monitoring a baby's sleep, this subject is controversial and possibly illegal. See Camera Audio.
As already remarked, unless your Entrance-and-baby-cam is set up for baby monitoring, you will probably not need the microphone and you will leave the audio unconnected to the monitor.
In case you decide however for a two way voice answering solution, which is not included in the suggested Entrance-and-baby-cam, a separate intercom may be needed. A simple wireless intercom can be procured from a different source by separate purchase, to let you talk with the person at the Entrance Door, if you want.
REPORTER WIRELESS INTERCOM - 5063
Or, if you prefer a wired solution, you might select
5060 3-CHANNEL DOOR INTERCOM SYSTEM
Each one of the above two solutions would take care of the audio channel.
Special Accessories
At certain times special deals may be offered by this Manufacturer, whereby the package would include also a VCR Commander and an EagleEye Motion Sensor. These accessories might come in handy if one needs to record Camera Images whenever there is action in front of it. However we found that the programming sequence may be quite tricky to set up for non technical people.
Interested readers can easily connect their Entrance-and-baby-cam to their computer. The kit, called Single-Camera XRay Vision PC/Internet Camera Monitoring Kit (VA11A-C-PX) includes:
VK55A Instructions (IN25A)
Xray Vision Software - X10-COM Download (SW15A)
USB Video Capture Adapter (VA11A)
 | Video Capture Adapter (USB) Monitor Multiple Cameras from your PC or over the Internet: With the added USB Transceiver, you can use XRay Vision to capture images from all of your X10 Cameras. Get the security of knowing what's going on wherever you have a camera. Ideal for remotely monitoring |
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Another option, called Ninja, including Pan and Tilt motions (See also Fixed vs. PTZ) for the camera through a movable base, produces an interesting video covering a much larger surveillance area in or around the house.
However we doubt if this is a useful addition to the basic kit. For one thing a moving camera is much more visible and conspicuous, and may call for vandalic or evasive actions. Another objection is that, per manufacturer's instructions, the Transmitter's antenna must be facing as much directly as possible the Receiver's antenna for best reception.
The movements imparted by the Ninja to Camera and Antenna, destroy the careful alignment required, unless an easy way can be devised to disconnect the transmitting antenna from the Ninja moving base, and to install it on a fixed support with the correct orientation relative to the receiver's antenna.
Pan and Tilt
Anyhow the kit includes:
Ninja ScanPad Controller
Ninja Power Supply Information
Pan & Tilt Base
 | "Pan 'n Tilt Robotic Camera Base, Remote" |
The robotic NINJA Pan 'n Tilt Camera Mount (camera not included) allows you to sweep your XCam2 video camera 180 degrees left to right and tilt 32 degrees up, and 38 degrees down, and up to 4 preset positions. The included ScanPad Controller permits to remotely position the camera to view whatever you want.
For future expansion one could consider the usefulness of adding to the system more cameras of the same type. We would suggest however to gather some experience with just one camera, at least for the beginning.
See also Outdoor Surveillance Cameras, and, if you are curious,Indoor Surveillance Cameras.
Note: Interested readers should be advised that it is the policy of our recommended manufacturer, X10 Wireless Technology, Inc., to sell only to customers in the USA and Canada. See their Conditions atShipping Terms.
Additional interesting items can be found in the Product Catalog reachable from the link here on the left.
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Entrance-and-baby-cam could be your first easy project of Home Surveillance, for observing your Home Entrance or for monitoring your baby's sleep and wake up...