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Author Topic: wired + wireless cameras  (Read 5868 times)

birdzeye

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wired + wireless cameras
« on: May 06, 2008, 08:56:28 AM »

Not sure what section to put this question in so here goes...

I have 6 wireless cameras, 4 are x10 and 2 non-x10. I want to add x10 wired cameras to this setup, using y-splitters on my TV and sending the signal to my pc via the audio-video sender/receiver. My question is, how will the cameras switch between wired and wireless --will I have to manually turn one group off and another group on?.
Are there any problems having wireless and wired cameras together?
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Puck

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Re: wired + wireless cameras
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2008, 09:29:23 AM »

You can use a Y-Splitter to combine the signals from your wired cameras and the output from the receiver for the wireless cameras; however, you now have to put the receiver on an appliance module so that you can turn it off when you want to see the wired cameras.

Even when no wireless cameras are transmitting the receiver still sends out a signal that will interfere with the wired cameras signal.
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birdzeye

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Re: wired + wireless cameras
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2008, 01:00:33 PM »

Thanks for the fast reply Puck!

If I want to record the camera activity on my computer using motion sensors to turn on the cameras, then what do you recommend I do to make this work between the wired and wireless cameras? Obviously I won't be there to turn off the receiver for the wireless cameras when motion is detected.

Can the firecracker kit or the AHP software be programmed to turn off the wireless receiver?
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Puck

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Re: wired + wireless cameras
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2008, 01:16:16 PM »

Prior to converting all my wireless cameras to wired, I had the same set up with a mix of both; I used macros in AHP to do the switching in & out of the wireless receiver based on which camera was to be recorded when a motion detector was triggered.

I am not familiar with the firecracker, and without macros, I think this would be a very difficult task to automate.
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birdzeye

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Re: wired + wireless cameras
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2008, 03:35:23 PM »

Puck, thanks again.

Sounds like wired is the way to go. If all cameras are wired, they will not have this switching problem so long as there's no wireless cameras, right?

Anybody have a link to the post on how to convert wireless to wired cameras? ::)
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Puck

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Re: wired + wireless cameras
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2008, 04:12:33 PM »

If all cameras are wired, they will not have this switching problem so long as there's no wireless cameras, right?

You just have to make sure only one is powered on at a time (no different than when you just have wireless).

Quote
Anybody have a link to the post on how to convert wireless to wired cameras? ::)

Re: Can Wireless cameras be converted to wired ?
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EL34

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Re: wired + wireless cameras
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2008, 07:28:55 PM »

Just throwing out info here.

I run a 8 camera mutilplexer.
you can have up to 8 camera's on all the time

The MUX (multiplexer) , only switches the 8 camera inputs to the video capture card.

In other words, all camera's are on full time and all you are doing is switching to each camera to see what it is seeing.

The mux is a very simple piece of hardware that plugs into a pci slot and then a cord plugs into your pc paralllel port.
The switching commands are done via software by issuing commands to the pc's parallel port.

If you are intrerested, the link to the mux I use is on this page, about halfway down the page
http://www.fgeng.com/#Products

I switch the mux via visual basic at 10 second intervals and view all my cameras.
Doesn't matter what type of camera, wired or non-wired, they are all just a camera signals coming into the mux

The mux just channels the signal to your video capture input, like the the AHP USB adapter.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2008, 07:32:51 PM by EL34 »
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