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Author Topic: Software or hardware problem?  (Read 12009 times)

suesloan

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Software or hardware problem?
« on: May 26, 2009, 07:35:35 AM »

I have an ongoing problem with the camera in my office or with Vanguard -- dunno which.

I will be looking at myself on the Vanguard window, and I hear a loud click in my TV audio which coincides with the replacement of my picture with static. I can bring the picture back by moving around (I guess the motion detector sees me). Or if I wait a few minutes, I hear another loud click and the picture is back on. I can also get the picture back by switching to another camera and back to this one. It does not matter which camera I put in my office as I have tried a B&W as camera #1 and a Color as camera #4.

So is this a problem with hardware or software? Or is it doing what is expected? Or is there a setting I can change somewhere?

Sue
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suesloan

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2009, 11:30:50 AM »

Another situation is when I see one camera's picture instead of the picture I expect on other cameras. Usually it is one of my color cameras superimposing in my Vanguard window for other B&W or color cameras. In the attached, camera 3 yesterday "took over" B&W #2 and color #4.

Actually it seems that any problem with one camera will throw the entire set off-kilter. One time the above happened, I had not plugged the camera plug firmly into the power supply connection. Another time I plugged #3 into a GFCI circuit and it cleared up when I moved the plug to another non-GFCI circuit nearby. Still another time I placed B&W #1 out on the front porch and closed the door. It was plugged into a normal dining room plugin, so GFCI was not involved.

My concern here is that I will not be within 1000 miles of this setup to go figure out what is going on. Lets say that one circuit with a camera on it goes out (bad breaker, for example). I think the other 3 will be out also and while I may be able to get a relative to go to the house, I am not sure how to guide them on a solution.

Any comments/ideas?

Sue
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Brian H

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2009, 12:09:09 PM »

Are the Motion Sensors using the same X10 addresses as the cameras power supplies?
Wireless cameras work in groups of four. House Code and Units 1-4; 5-8; 9-12 and 13-16. Turn any one of them on the other three go off.
Also most of the motion sensors have a dusk dawn feature. So if Motion on/off of is set to; lets say C1. The sensor sends a C2 on and off for dusk and dawn. The C2 would turn on and off a camera on C2 and turn off cameras on C1 C3 and C4 whan the C2 was sent.
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raster69273

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2009, 12:16:03 PM »

The loud click is probably the tm751 switching on or off and thus turning the desired camera on or off leaving one camera on due to either a range issue or phase issue or powerline noise not allowing the dominate camera to switch off.
 Try switching the cameras to a different house code and unit code numbers 5-8. Make sure you also switch the tm751 to the same house code.
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suesloan

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2009, 08:42:00 AM »

New problem here. I moved one color camera (I have 2 color, 2 B&W) to another location with better light a few days ago. It worked fine for 2 days and I did not move anything else. Today, the color camera in my office is the only one with a picture. The rest either show STATIC or the image from camera 4. Camera 4 clicks off and I move my hand in front of the motion detector to get it to come on. I have "motion detection" turned OFF.

Solutions tried:
I have moved the one color camera back to where it was working for about a week before I moved it. This did not help.

I have closed and reopened the Vanguard software. Did not help.

Soon I will be > 1000 miles from here so dont tell me to go check all the camera connections. They need to be set up, left in place with the PC turned on and work for months at a time without any attendant.

I can reboot the computer remotely, but is that really the solution?

What exactly causes this malfunction to occur? The only difference today is that it is raining outside and darker than usual for this time of day.

Sue

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suesloan

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2009, 08:47:52 AM »

Are the Motion Sensors using the same X10 addresses as the cameras power supplies?
Wireless cameras work in groups of four. House Code and Units 1-4; 5-8; 9-12 and 13-16. Turn any one of them on the other three go off.
Also most of the motion sensors have a dusk dawn feature. So if Motion on/off of is set to; lets say C1. The sensor sends a C2 on and off for dusk and dawn. The C2 would turn on and off a camera on C2 and turn off cameras on C1 C3 and C4 whan the C2 was sent.

I have had them working for about a week, all on house A, unit 1-4. So I think that is ok.

I know they work in groups of 4, but when I use Vanguard to switch, I expect it to switch. Today it is not doing that -- camera 4 in my office about 4 feet away is showing on all 4 of them (started this AM, worked yesterday)

I do not have the dusk/dawn turned on.

I appreciate any and all suggestions. I need this setup to work without anyone resident to "fix" things starting in about 10 days. I will only have the Vanguard Browser and a gotomypc connection to work with at that point.

Sue
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hawk1

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2009, 09:19:39 AM »

Questions:  Do you have 4 motion sensors?  One for each camera?  What are the house and unit codes for those motion sensors?  Are they the same as the cameras?

Do you still here the "click" when you try to switch cameras?

Can you unplug the office camera and try switching cameras?  Does it work without the office camera?
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suesloan

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2009, 10:12:13 AM »

Yes, I have 4 motion detectors matched up with the cameras (I put the number on the case for each one so I would not get them mixed up)

HINT for the X10 folks: Please provide a place to mark the house and unit assigned to each motion detector!

I seem to have fixed it so that Vanguard switches cameras again -- I "restarted" the computer without turning it totally off and on.

If I have "motion detection" turned off in the Vanguard software, I did not expect the motion detectors to be turning cameras off. In fact it seems the only one doing that is Camera 4 in my office.

Sue
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suesloan

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Re: Software or hardware problem?
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2009, 01:30:55 PM »

Do you still here the "click" when you try to switch cameras?

Can you unplug the office camera and try switching cameras?  Does it work without the office camera?

Yes, the click is louder for the color cameras. Then a louder click when the color camera in my office switches itself off. Looks like the motion detector is doing it since it is at about 1-minute intervals, but I thought it would not switch them off if I disabled motion detection in the Vanguard software.

I unplugged the office camera and the other three still work currently. This is after a "restart" of Windows that let me switch between the 4 again.

Sue
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