🖥️ActiveHome Pro > iWatchOut/iWitness
Eagle Eye motion sensor not triggering
captainjerky:
Hello all-
Well, color me frustrated, but I've reached the breaking point. My wife keeps asking me "when will it work?" And you know what? I have no answer for her. I finally got my macros to work (motion sensor sees movement, turns on camera, takes, pics, shut off), but when I installed the camera and motion sensors by my front door "in place", nothing works. I've checked the activity logs, and most of the time it sends and receives all the commands that should be making it work. (I do jumping jacks in front of hte motion sensor until I finally see the red light, run in and find out if the PC received the signal) However, something gets lost on the way- my macro only sometimes makes it to the PC that's controlling the Activehome setup, and on only 1 out of 8 times did it actually trigger a series of photos. There's no lead walls between the motion sensor and pc, and it's about 15 feet or so from pc to camera/motion sensor, maybe only 10 feet from cam/sensor to the nearest CM-15A.
I've heard it all from tech support, from trying all the house codes to "you must have a poltergeist." Not very reassuring, since I paid $170 for cameras that only record video when I manually tell them to. Not much good at 3 am.
Is there a way to make my signal stronger? Should I be doing a CM-15A antenna mod?
Can anybody help me with this? This is just ridiculous. I don't have time to waste hours each day trying to get my security setup to work one tiny bit at a time. As far as I can tell, the system thinks it's working, but obviously not.
Please, please help, I'm at the end of my rope...
captainjerky:
ps- I have a timer for the lights that are located directly above my camera and motion sensor, and the timer works every day, never fail, so the signal is getting from my CM-15A to the lights without getting lost. I realize that a video macro must be stored on the pc, but somebody must have some advice.
Maybe I should just ask it this way- how many people have a WORKING security cam setup? Motion sensor triggers camera, camera records video or pics, activehome doesn't crash?
Frustrated,
Ryan
glacier991:
Ryan... as you have figured, the motion detectors send an RF signal. Sometimes that signal just doesn't make it reliably to the transceiver plugged into your computer.... (and the antenna mod will help ... some). What you might try is putting a plug in transceiver into an outlet closer to the motion sensor, set to the code for the motion sensor. (I put my cameras on Housecode C). Then you can more reliably receive the signal via house power lines. I recommend using the RR501 transceiver, it is better than the 751 IMHO and you can POLL it.
I will tell you as well that I have some startling variations between various modules of the same item... quality control is not the best sometimes... and sometimes just trying a different sensor can do the trick. Supposedly the x10 pro line is a little better quality control wise, although I cannot vouch for accuracy of that statement myself.
I have an older X-10 RF repeater, now apparently out of stock and no new ones out there that I know if... that can help if you can find one, but it does not guard against collisions like the RR501 does.
And, thanks, I am glad to know I am not the only one who has done jumping jacks in front of a motion sensor.
Hope this helps.
Chris
Brian H:
The antenna mod may help. Try a temporary reversable one as a test. Take some wire and warp it around the CM15A antenna with maybe an added 9" above the original. That way if it doesn't show a improvement. You have not physically done anything to the CM15A.
Standard question these days. What version of AHP are you using?
Could you give us more details on your exact setup.
Bill59:
Try the passive radiator antenna as discribed by J Volp. Rubber band a piece of wire to the motion sensor. I used 9.5 inches which is 1/4 wave, This worked for me. I also did the antenna mod on the cm15.
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