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Author Topic: Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?  (Read 5340 times)

Kat58

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Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?
« on: January 29, 2007, 01:29:19 PM »

I've had my cameras for a few years now but had moved to a new home and hadn't got around to setting them up again until recently. I have 3 Instant on color and 2 wired Nightwatch B/W cameras.  I have the B/W cameras hooked up to two different tvs,  one with an Audio Video receiver. I have a second Audio/ Video receiver hooked up to a third tv where I can switch between the three color cameras.  I can switch between the three color cameras with the remote but not with the B/W.  Also I am only able to view the color cameras on just the one tv.  Is there anyway to view all the cameras on a single tv and why can't I get my B/W cameras to switch with the remote? ???  Also, I had to put my B/W cameras on different house codes (B1/C1) because everytime the remote was switched one of them would turn off. The color cameras are on A1,2,3 and my door chime is set on D1.
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HA Dave

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Re: Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2007, 07:07:37 PM »

What I have done is transmit cameras to one collective hub.... in the basement, near a window. I run my (some are wired) cameras through a four input auto-switching modulator (it also has video out). I picked it up at Walmart ($25). Two of my wired cameras I extended using CAT5 and phone plug ends that I attached with a tool from a building supply store.

I re-send from this location (different channel/letter setting). The RF seems to travel better through my floors than my walls. I now have reception through-out my house.

I also fished coax from the modulator to the TV in my office. I thought I would need to amplify the signal, because of the length of the coax run, but surprisingly I didn't need to. This same line provides my office TV with the cable TV signal that goes through the auto-switching modulator.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2007, 07:10:31 PM by Dave_x10_L »
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Charles Sullivan

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Re: Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2007, 12:49:49 AM »

Also, I had to put my B/W cameras on different house codes (B1/C1) because everytime the remote was switched one of them would turn off. The color cameras are on A1,2,3 and my door chime is set on D1.

The X-10 camera power supplies switch like radio buttons in groups of four.  E.g., if you have the supplies for 4 cameras set to A1, A2, A3, and A4, then whenever one is turned on, the other three turn themselves off.  If you want two or more to be on at the same time, you either do what you did with different housecodes or else put the supplies into different groups of four, e.g., A1, A5, A9, A13.

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Kat58

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Re: Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2007, 10:48:14 AM »

Yes I understand that but.....ok look.... I have them hooked up to different tvs...if there is a way to hooked them to just one let me know. These are the wired ones with the rca connections.  I can see each one on their own tv but cannot switch from camera to camera. 

Even if I only have just the two B/W cameras hooked up and nothing else, they will not run on the same (letter) house code....well they actually will but.....what happens is when you click the remote to change cameras one will turn off like I know it's supposed to... but... the camera picture does not change.  So I cannot switch camera pictures on either tv

I really need to get something up so I can keep an eye on my house.  We have been having homeless/druggies rummaging through our yard and looking for cans. We used to keep them in the bed of the pickup but now we keep them in the back yard on the side of the house, we even put a lock on the gate.  This past sunday they have gotten braver and hopped the fence.  This was in broad daylight at 10 am (and I was at home!) they took the truck cover off my husbands truck which is parked in the driveway and stole four bags of cans.  I'm assuming they used the cover to hold the bags for their getaway.  So my husband hooked one of the cameras up to face the side of the house where they are getting in.  This camera is hooked to a tv out in my patio. It's a tv/vcr combo but we don't have the remote and without it, it won't record...universals won't work. I want to be able to view this particular camera from inside my house.  Yes I could run the wire inside the house but the spot where we have the other camera going into the house is behind some heavy cabinets and would be a pain to try and remove.

I think what I am going to do instead of trying to mess with all of this is just go ahead and buy a couple of the floodlight/camera combos since they are wireless.  They won't be back for awhile until they know our can supply has built up again so next time I plan on being ready! Thanks for all of your help!
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HA Dave

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Re: Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2007, 11:28:38 AM »

I think I better understand now.

You have already attached on of your wired B/W cams to a video sender, and the TV you view it on has a video reciever (the patio TV). However, you would like to see that camera on another TV inside the house (not the patio TV).

Lets call the camera on the video sender reciever camera A1 the wired only cam A2
On the TV with the B/W wired camera (A2), add a video receiver (for the other B/W camera, A1...you can use the one now on the patio). Use a appliance module (also set to A1) to turn the video receiver on and off.

Pick-up a Y shaped RCA plug combiner (Walmart, K Mart, Radio Shack). It should have two RCA female ends, and one RCA male end. Plug the RCA cords from both the wired cam and the video receiver into the female ends and the male end into the TV.

Now turning ON ether cam should turn OFF the other, and you can view both on the one TV.

KDR> Hope things are going well for you and yours. I am doing my best filling in for you.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 11:34:10 AM by Dave_x10_L »
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Puck

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Re: Switching Between Color & B/W With Remote?
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2007, 04:54:44 PM »


On the TV with the B/W wired camera (A2), add a video receiver (for the other B/W camera, A1...you can use the one now on the patio). Use a appliance module (also set to A1) to turn the video receiver on and off.

I said that

I apologize Dave... I missed that and will remove my post.  :-[
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