Print

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

[TerranJerry]

I just purchased the wireless camera/receiver (Nightwatch black and white wireless camera) combo and the USB interface and have the camera working reliably with my AHP software.

However, I have noticed a disturbing issue.  When my network interface on my computer (also a wireless device - Netopia USB dongle NIC) is active (aka communicating with the WAP), I get random horizontal interference patterns in the video signal from the camera.  Without NIC activity, there are no lines and the picture appears stable.  With the NIC active, I can definitely correlate the occurrence of network activity on the NIC with the interfering signal on the camera's video.

As you can imagine, this issue makes it quite impossible to watch the camera in AHP from a remote computer because the inherent network activity required to remotely access my AHP computer creates interference for the camera....

So, obviously the NIC is interfering with the wireless camera but what can I do about it?

I have located the video receiver with its USB interface to the computer as far away from the NIC as I can get it but they both have to hook up to my computer.  So, I'm looking for ideas for how to work around this.  I saw some older threads on similar topics involving wireless phones but that is not the problem I am experiencing.  Any help is appreciated.

Jerry

[Brian H]

Wireless networks also are on the 2.4GHz band and are known to sometimes interfere with cameras.
Have you tried all four of the Transmit Channels the cameras can be set to {A-D under rubber cover on camera and a switch on the receiver}? Sometimes you can find one that is clear. Sometimes you can also change the channel on the wireless device to also clear up interference.

[TerranJerry]

I will give those things a try Brian.  Thank you.

I was trying to switch to code B this morning but wasn't sure if it was a selector on the power supply to the camera or somewhere on the camera itself.  I figured out later it must be on the camera because changing the Letter/Number on the power supply only appears to change the address of the camera for AHP purposes (like A10, etc).  So I will look for the selector under the rubber cover as you mentioned.  Does that happen to be underneath the camera (I have it screwed down to the wall at the moment lol)?

In the process of doing that and changing the selector on the video receiver, I got the camera and receiver in a mode where the video would not sync up (just gave me a bunch of horizontal black and white bars).  I finally hooked the video receiver up to my TV and saw the same thing so then I powered off the video receiver (had done that before) and this time when I powered it back on, the picture came back.  I'm not sure why this didn't work when I power cycled the video receiver earlier (it was hooked to my PC via USB then) but at least this time it worked and I was able to hook it back up to the PC and it worked there too.  Seemed odd that the camera and video receiver could not seem to get back in sync after I changed the selector on the video receiver to B and back to A where it had been working before.  Odd.

Also, I haven't figured out if there is a way to turn the camera off/on in AHP.  It always seems to be on.  If you know how to do that, I appreciate you sharing the idea.

Thanks,

Jerry

[Brian H]

The channel A-D switch is on the front of the base so you don't have to dismount it. The instruction sheet shows it neat the pivot for the camera under a small rubber plug.

The camera power supply is on by default and turned off by a power line command.
In multicamera installs they work in groups of four. All on the same House Code and Unit Codes 1-4;5-8;9-12 and 13-16. Send an On to any in the group of four the other three go off.
Did your kit have any remotes or power line controllers in it? I am thinking no if it was a single camera kit. As X10 probably felt on all the time is fine for one camera installations.
To turn it off. You will need a way to send an X10 power line Off command to its address.
The USB dongle you got is the V12A for video maybe?

[TerranJerry]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the info I'll check out the things you mentioned.

Also, I'll try to answer your questions...

I have the AHP software and a CM15A for getting computer commands to the wireless and power-line networks.  So, I would think I should be able to devise a command to be sent from AHP to the camera to turn it off but I'm not quite sure how to do that yet.

Did your kit have any remotes or power line controllers in it? The USB dongle you got is the V12A for video maybe?

- Nope - I just got: the B&W camera, the video receiver and yes, the V12A for composite video to USB

Also, if you have time for one more question (I guess not related to this thread) - I have as I said just the AHP and a CM15A.  It seems to be able to hit my universal module in almost any room in the house except my living room and family room.  I initially attributed this to the circuits being on two different phases but then I purchased from SmartHome the passive cross-over device that plugs into my dryer's 3-prong 220vac power socket and still I am unable to control the universal module in those two rooms so I think now it must be signal strength issues.  Indeed my CM15A (and computer) are in my upstairs bedroom - probably at the limit of one 110vac leg but that's kind of where I need the computer to be located.  I was wondering if you know of a wireless signal repeater option?  What I wish I could find is a receiver that would pick up the wired or wireless commands from the CM15A connected to my computer and in turn send them out over the power-line network.  That way, I could have it on the other circuit and it would pick up the wireless commands from the CM15A and put them into the wired network into which it is plugged in.  However, I'm guessing this does not exist as people spend so much time on phase couplers and couplers with repeaters which seem to have their own problems due to the extended codes.  I have not as yet installed any kind of coupler at the breaker panel.  I guess I can do that next if I absolutely have to but I was trying to avoid that (hence the purchase of the passive coupler installed at the dryer).  I solicit your comments on any of this that you could share as well.  Thanks SO very much!

Jerry

[pconroy]

jerry,

I don't have wireless X-10 cameras but I had some other wireless cameras that overpowered and effectively disabled my wireless router. After playing with the X-10 settings, you might try changing channels on your router.  (I'm guessing you're on an 802.11g or better device).

You might find a wireless channel that minimizes the interference artifacts you're seeing.

[TerranJerry]

Ok, thanks for the suggestion.  I will try that. 

Do you know if when you change the wireless channel on the WAP if the clients (laptop/desktop computers) will automatically change their channels to match or do I have to go around to each of them and change the wireless network settings?