Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[jhoski]

I'm having trouble with my X10 camera working consistently. It will not work in some 3rd party apps like PC Companion.
When it stops working the software still sees the camera but all you get is noise in the video (black and white bands).
The OS is XP SP3 on a dedicated Home Automation computer that I try and keep as clean as possible. Only HA programs allowed.

Here are the situations I've tested so far:
1. Works in AHP. Whenever it breaks re-starting AHP standalone is the only way to get it going again that I've found.
2. Launching PC Companion either stand alone or with AHP running breaks it.
3. Works under Home Dominator if it was working before startup. If it was broken it stays broken.
4. About 50/50 with several other softwares, like Active WebCam which worked for awhile and is now perminently broken.

Any thoughts?

[jhoski]

If there are no suggestions, I'd like to hear from anyone using alternate video capture cards or devices.

It looks like there are too many to choose from -- 4 port cards as low as $15 to really high end $1000 stuff.

I'd like to eventually get 4 cameras at once and I'm about ready to give up on the VA12A device.

[HA Dave]

When it stops working the software still sees the camera but all you get is noise in the video (black and white bands).

Is this a wireless camera?

[jhoski]

Yes, the signal chain is
XCAM2 w/ Ninja Mount -> VR36A -> VA12A

[HA Dave]

Do you think the noise and bands could just be interference in the cameras video and maybe not related to the computer or software? Sometimes just getting the video receiver a bit away from the PC can resole an interference problem.

[Brian H]

Also 2.4 GHz. cordless phones and computer wireless networks can sometime interfere with the cameras signals.

[jhoski]

No its not interference. There is a software or driver interference problem somewhere.

As I said it works fine in AHP and Home dominator. It goes south when I launch several other programs programs I'm testing, like PC Companion.

I just don't know how to proceed to diagnose.

[Tuicemen]

I'm guessing that since it is a USB capture device Windows in having the issues with it!(not signed)
Not sure why it won't work with PC Companion unless AHP or some other video software is running! (Two apps can't use the same USB capture card at the same time)
AHP access the VA12a on program start up  Companion doesn't until you try to access the cams!
Not sure which version of PC Companion your running. 3.0.0.5 allows you to specify a USB capture device, previous versions only grabbed the first one Windows had installed!
X10 has not updated the SDK since the VA12A was released so it is possible there is something there as well!
The VA12A was built for AHP and Vanguard most likely why launching AHP fixes it!
Nice to hear Homdomination works for you I could never get it to see my CM15A
I don't have a VA12A to test so it looks like it is next on my list of devices to get!
 

[jhoski]

I agree, I think it is a WDM issue.
Things that work list the X10 Camera directly as the video source,
Things that don't show Microsoft WDM Image Capture as the video source and list the X10 camera under the WDM control.

Debugging and fixing it is beyond me however.

I'm in test mode now deciding on the products that I want to include in my system.
In the long run I'm contemplating a multi-port video capture card. Any opinions or experience with this solution?

http://www.fgeng.com/video-surveillance-systems.htm#4camsys

Thanks for the reply.

[Tuicemen]

jhoski
The only thing that most likely won't work with that is AHP (but you have the VA12A for that)!
I don't have  a multi-port video capture card to play with but I would think most programs will see it (PC Companion included)!
Price is reasonable at least and it comes with software!
Maybe if some donations roll in I'll get one to play with!