LukWerks video surveillance-in-a-box
By Evan Blass 
posted January 15th 2006 5:30PM
posted January 15th 2006 5:30PM
Sometimes paying a little in the beginning means
you'll wind up paying a lot in the end. Take the LukWerks Starter Kit, a digital video surveillance system-in-a-box
with a super-easy setup (it transfers data over AC from cam to PC via USB adapter) that costs only $299. It sounds like
a pretty good deal, and it may well be if you don't have the money or tech chops to install a better system, but when
you read the fine print you'll find that you can only access your video feeds from the LukWerks site- for only 10
minutes a day! Bumping up to a generous hour-per-day will cost you $8-a-month (but lets not forget, that extra loot
also jacks your per-view limit up from 2 minutes to 15), and extra cams for the system (max: 6) cost $225 each. As you
can see, the dollars can add up quickly here, and LukWerks cams don't even pan, tilt, or zoom (save for the 50 degree
"manual" pan mentioned in the specs). Still, the VGA vid examples looked pretty decent to us, so if your
grandpa needs to keep an eye on his war mementos while he's in the common room for bingo, this could be the solution
you and he have been looking for.
I've spent more hours researching home monitoring systems than I am prepared to admit to. I went the x10/wireless route. It was a complete and total waste of money and time.
Besides the poor video quality, terrible range when you need to transmit through or around a wall, non-existant audio, I found out that my wireless access point/router operates within the same frequency range of the wireless cameras. This means that while the cameras were transmitting, I didn't have wireless internet.
Also, pretty much any surveillance system will require some sort of long term recording device, preferably with motion sensing. Some of the DVR's that they sell with these systems can cost over $1000.00. In the end, these type of systems don't work well at all.
I went ahead and bought the Lukwerks after many more hours of research and now I have great video quality. T
It seems to only cost you when you want to view videos remotely. On your PC, I'm assuming its free.
I have this system and it works very well. It does not cost any money for remote viewing, and with the latest software and direct viewing mode there is no time limitation on remote viewing.
There is a neat little security camera that sets up in only 2 minutes and is very easy to use.
This pinhole cam isn't just tiny, it is wireless, and can be set up to a camera in any area you want to watch. Plug the video receiver into your tv. The signal is automatically sent to your tv (or vcr if you want to make a recording of the action).
This camera can be used for many applications. Nanny cam, front door, backyard, small business surveillance, great for any small area and portable battery use. There are a lot of different cameras at http://www.ahiddencamera.com that could meet your needs.
There is a neat little security camera that sets up in only 2 minutes and is very easy to use.
This pinhole cam isn't just tiny, it is wireless, and can be set up to a camera in any area you want to watch. Plug the video receiver into your tv. The signal is automatically sent to your tv (or vcr if you want to make a recording of the action).
This camera can be used for many applications. Nanny cam, front door, backyard, small business surveillance, great for any small area and portable battery use. There are a lot of different cameras at http://www.ahiddencamera.com that could meet your needs.
I found teh best deals of X10 wireless security cameras check ; There are a lot of different cameras at http://www.homessecuritysystems.net that could use for your HOME.
Is this system compatable with X-10. Will it share the ac line with a home control system? I have a number of X-10 modules that switch on/off lighting via the X-10 protocal transmitted via the ac line....will they conflict?
X10 is junk. Their software is buggy as hell and their analog 2.5ghz signal just has no range. In addition, if it isn't bright daylight, the pictures are useless, etc.
I do wish lukworks had auto pan and sweep, but I wasted alot of money with X10 cameras, then x10 lights to find the lights aren't remotely bright enough. You could then pay alot extra for X10 "low light level" which are black and white...
Only thing missing with lukwerks is integrated Infrared.
N/A
Wow thats a nice rip off. I can do the same for 50$ ROFL
Can' you get a 3-Camera set from X10 for about the same with NO monthly fee ? True, you'll need a video capture card as well, but they're like what...$25 bucks and up ?
I'm sorry, but I simply cannot read engadget's posts since it unceremoniously and unnoticably deleted its inflammatory comments against non-Americans in its story about Wal-Mart's soldiers of freedom.
I'm also sorry, because I am very, very drunk.
Can others provide better solutions for home serveillance? I use fg Engineering p[roducts and their website at the office, but it's too time constraining/overdone to install for my home. Other than X10, any cheap cameras, computer connections, software, maybe Bluetooth :-) ideas that others have tried?
I actually did alot of work on a unix surveillance dvr appliance. There are so many things you can do for home surveillance that dont require a whole lot of funds to start. I have never worked with X10 cams but the features and resolution of a real ip cam (read axis and the like) can be the all in one solution for a home user. If you just want to be able to watch vid of a section of your house, you can just put an ip cam on your lan and punch a hole for it to the outside. Most IP cams worth their weight have some sort of motion detection that can fire off an email or send out an alert of somekind with the frames of interest attached. The company I worked for went under so I will be starting to code my own surveillance suite next month, if I could charge these prices I'd be rolling in it. CHA CHING!
The X-10 Analog 2.5GHz gear is complete crap. The range you get out of it is limited to line of site and going through a single wall will create interference. This Luk Works gear is great stuff - HomePlug 1.0 for the transport and a TI DSP to do the video encoding across the wire. The industrial design is a bit edgy but the functionality of the gear is smart. I saw a demo of it a year ago while it was under development and it was solid. You can't beat the quality, but they could do a better job with the pricing model. Yet another company looking to come up with a "TiVo" ongoing revenue model. Lets hope it doesn't turn consumers away.
Web Cams have been around for a long time and I’m sure many people including those posting could easily hook one up, but LukWerks is not a web cam. If you want to build you own security system then go for it; But if you want a stable system that you plug in and it just works (and do not need a continuous web cam) I have found LukWerks to be a good fit.
I have the system running in my home and it works great. It is super easy to set up as mentioned. Just plug in a power line connecter to USB on computer. Then plug cameras into the wall anywhere in the house including outside (I have run extension cords up to the roof). You can move cameras around at will (just unplug one place and plug in somewhere else) System will discover and re-discover (if unplugged) cameras as necessary. Video is compressed and recorded when movement is detected (or you force record) (It manages disk space by deleting old video to make room for new video). Search mode lets you go back in time and view recorded video using a calendar and timeline. Remote access lets you take a peek on the web with a computer or a mobile phone.
I bought this back in December when it became available and I have 2 cameras now and plan on at least 2 more. The system works great. It is NOT a webcam, it is not cheap X-10 crap. I did the webcam as security camera back in the mid '90s, and I did the X-10 when X-10 introduced their cameras. No where near the same thing. I even tried a couple of Panasonic IP cameras. Talk about paying some $$$!
As far as pay and pay, I don't get that. I haven't paid a cent since I got these and don't see where I ever will. I get all the streaming video over the web that I want. To me, this is the first real easy DIY security camera with motion detection that works for very few bucks.