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Author Topic: Vanguard and multiple cameras  (Read 7137 times)

Sysiphus

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Vanguard and multiple cameras
« on: March 25, 2007, 01:14:35 AM »

Hi all.  Thanks in advance for any help you can offer with this!

I have the Vanguard software installed. With the software (and CM19A) I am attempting to get the software to switch between 2 cameras.  One is an XC22A.  The other is a Swann NightHawk which I have plugged into an X10 lamp module. I can view both cameras on my computer via Vanguard (and remote).

The good news is that I can get each of them to turn on and off via the Vanguard software.  HOWEVER, I can only do it through the "setup firecracker" function and sending a test command via Vanguard.  If I just try to switch between the two, It'll turn off the current camera, but fails to turn the other one on. 

I have the transceiver set to house code "H", the Swann/Lamp module to H1 and the XC22A to H3.  I've been beating my head against the wall, reading everything I can find, and I still don't understand what I'm missing.  It works, but only manually via the test commands.

HELP!?  Thank you!
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Sysiphus

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Re: Vanguard and multiple cameras
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2007, 10:11:19 PM »

For future reference in case anyone else has this issue...

I got it to work (with a suggestion from a user on this site):  Set camera 1 to code G1.  Set camera two (powered via lamp module) to G7.  Works like a charm.

Thank you!
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Drews

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Re: Vanguard and multiple cameras
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2007, 04:28:28 PM »

I'm having the same problem, interesting thing, I noticed when I unplugged the TM751 altogether, I was able to swithc cameras no problem in Vanguard using my mouse on screen, but when a motion detector tells it to switch cameras, it switchs from one grid cell (of the 4 grid view) to the next, but the video from the previous cell shows up in the new cell (it didn't switch feed). THis is odd because I was able to switch LIVE FEED (i tested it was live) by just clicking with the mouse. Apparently you don't need the TM751, it's communicating some other way(or maybe not at all just switching the frequency that the receiver is listening to) but doesn't switch when motion activated. Very odd. I expected no camera switching WITHOUT the TM751, and here it worked even better in Vanguard, except when a motion detector tells it to switch. This would go against X10 claim that the cameras are broadcasting on the same freq and that the receiver can't tell which camera is broadcasting, but apparently not, because obviously without the TM751 I can't tell the system which camera to activate, unless my security system is doing the X10 broadcasting over the housewires and the TM751 was creating an echo or something. If that's the case and I am in fact broadcasting an X10 signal over the houseline via my Security system being plugged in, why can I switch cameras manually no problem with my mouse, but the motion detector can't. Again, the motion detector in fact sends a signal to the firecracker and activates the software, but the software changes the grid cell of the 4 view grid but uses the previous camera view.
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MichaelC

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Re: Vanguard and multiple cameras
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2007, 05:14:02 PM »

If you set the addresses in your cameras in Vanguard so that they match the groups used by XCam2 cameras, Vanguard will assume that the X10 camera grouping functions work. If your cameras don't fit in those groups, or are in different house codes, Vanguard will send both on (for the new camera) and off (for the previous camera) commands when it switches cameras.
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Drews

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Re: Vanguard and multiple cameras
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2007, 05:22:28 PM »

If you set the addresses in your cameras in Vanguard so that they match the groups used by XCam2 cameras, Vanguard will assume that the X10 camera grouping functions work. If your cameras don't fit in those groups, or are in different house codes, Vanguard will send both on (for the new camera) and off (for the previous camera) commands when it switches cameras.

I have the cameras set up as A1, A5, A9, and A13. I think I found a glitch in the software. That is, I'm moving to a new group all together and it's never sending the OFF signal to the previous group so when it switches to the new cell, it's still using the old live feed. If I move all of these to the same group A1 - A4 it may work. Odd that it works manually by clicking it the camera grid cell with the mouse but not with the motion sensor. Must go through a different section of code. What it should do it when switching to a new group via the motion sensor is turn off all the cameras in the previous group, which apparently it's not. Apparently if they're all in the same group, a A1 ON will implicitly do a A2 - A4 OFF. Being that they're in different groups somehow messes up when the motion detector send the signal to the Firecracker.

I'm going to try this when I get home, out them all in the same group. I still have to assume my X10 security system is what's broadcasting the signal over the house wiring to switch cams and that the TM751 was somehow interfering with signals already being sent by the security system.
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Drews

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Re: Vanguard and multiple cameras
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2007, 05:24:02 PM »

If you set the addresses in your cameras in Vanguard so that they match the groups used by XCam2 cameras, Vanguard will assume that the X10 camera grouping functions work. If your cameras don't fit in those groups, or are in different house codes, Vanguard will send both on (for the new camera) and off (for the previous camera) commands when it switches cameras.

What are the codes that XCam2 cameras use? I'll try that too.

Thanks
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MichaelC

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Re: Vanguard and multiple cameras
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2007, 07:46:46 PM »

XCam2s work in Unit Code groups of four set to the same House Code: 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16. XCam2s within a group will turn themselves off if they receive an On command for one of the other addresses in the group. If you create cameras with addresses like these groups, Vanguard assumes you are using XCam2s and so it sends only On commands to the camera, not Off commands.
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