Vanguard software & multiple cameras problem

[Faz]

Hopefully someone can help. I have the 4 camera X10 system (2 color, 2 B&W) with the USB video transceiver and Vanguard software. I can cycle through all 4 cameras on my TV with the remote control just fine. However, Vangard will only display one camera, no matter what channel I set the camera or software to. I have the cameras on C1-C4, and configured the Vangard software with 4 X-Cam2's on channels C1-C4, but no luck. I still only get one camera. If I open up the logging window and try to change to a different camera, the logging window keeps saying 'switching to camera C1'.

Any ideas?

[sashley]

I'm having the same problem and I have the same system (2 b/w & 2 color) using the vangard system connected to a PC. It only shows 1 camera at a time and no matter what I do, only one camera will work, even though I have followed the instructions to the letter (I've gone over the setup completely 3 times) with no luck at all. I have it set to A1-A4 and the vanagrd system setup shows the exact same settings as well.

Pretty frustrating..

[-Bill- (of wgjohns.com)]

Are you using wireless cameras and a single wireless camera receiver?

If so, you can only view one camera at a time, as to be received by a single receiver, they must all be transmitting on the same frequency and will interfere with each other if more than one is transmitting at the same time.

[sashley]

I'm using 4 wireless cameras and it's using the one reciever that came with the kit. Now on the power base of each camera, they are set to a different frequency each (A1-A4). So what you're saying is, I need to buy an additional 3 receivers in order for me to use all the cameras that came with kit? that doesn't seem right to me, why would they sell you only one reciever with four cameras as a kit if you couldn't make it work with just the one reciever?

Or do I need to set them all to A1 and let the vangaurd software cycle to each camera? On the software I see the one camera image appear and the other 3 views have an image that says "accessing image" and looks like some kind of old time color bars.

Overall, I have the system set up and the got the motion sensors working and accessing the images over the internet from my PC, just need to get the cameras to show thier respective views.

I also have a wireless router, but it's frequency has been changed to not interfere with the cameras frequency.

[KDR]

The cameras power supplies, one set to A1 the next A2 then A3 and the last at A4 are designed so that if A1 is switched on the software sends a OFF command to the other 3. If you turn on A3 then the software will send on OFF to A1, A2 and A4. Only one camera can be viewed at a time. To get 4 wireless cams to show live all at the same time you would need to have each cam set to a different frequency, 4 receivers and the receivers then feeding into a quad processor to produce a single video screen showing all 4 images live at once. It is much easier to achieve this using wired cams and setting the power supplies to something like A1, B1, C1 and D1 so that the software won't shut down the other cameras. I haven't tried this but you could also set all the power supplies to the same House/Unit code. This would allow all of the cameras to be on at the same time.

^{----------------KDR}

[sashley]

Hmm, I see what you're saying and I don't mind the cameras switching one off and another on in a cycle. But what's happening is that there is only one feed from one camera and it's not alternating to the different cameras, just showing A1 and nothing else. The software has an option to cycle through the different cameras, but when it does, it always shows the same one camera view, over and over again.

Sorry if there was some confusion is what I was experiencing.

[KDR]

The camera that is powered by A1's supply has a channel switch on the cam itself. I think it is marked A, B, C and D. If A1 camera is working check what channel it is on and be sure the other cameras are on the same channel. My camera system is all wired cams so I might be limited in how much I can help.  I do have some nonX10 wireless cams and those also have the ABCD channel settings. Oh and I don't use Vanguard software but that shouldn't matter at the moment since it doesn't sound like a software problem at the moment.

^{----------------KDR}

[sashley]

Well, tonight I treid to troubleshoot the problem again. I replugged the cameras in and fired up the system with vanguard. I didn't touch a thing and the whole system started working and cycling through to the different cameras and began recording when the motion sensors were tripped. I didn't mess with any settings since I last posted, it just started working. I was anticipating a night of troublshooting and instead wound up turning in early with the security system running. Thanks guys for all your advice, I do appreciate it!