Print

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

[lhntx]

I got the basic 4 wireless cams with motion sensors, USB video convert, remote control pad (don't need or use), video signal receiver, and the signal sender (USB unit with thin flexible antennea on the top), transceiver, and the vanguard software. I live in a small 1500 sq ft stucco home(stucco has been suggested as the problem since it has metal mesh in it) and wanted cams at basically each corner.  I can NEVER get all 4 cams to be received at the same time. I't nearly impossible to bounce signals from four different corners at a single flat one sided object and there is no way to avoid appliances and mirrors and tiled walls (metal mesh supports) and a/c ducts (metal) and the like as has been suggested.  I've moved my dedicated laptop do different places and plugs in the home to try and fix. I've tried switching from A to B circuit.  I bought another transceiver as suggest by tech support. I tried 2 cams on A and 2 on B.  Nothing changed.  I now have an issue where one camera wants to overide all 3 others on the vanguard display. If I unplug it 2 of the others display correctly. The third is only static.  If I plug the overiding cam back in it overrides all 4 windows again.  In all of the different configurations that I've tried I've NEVER been able to get a motion detector to switch the camera on.  I bought the system to automatically notify my of potential burglars - but I've also NEVER been able to get the system to email except one time when I got an email that there was a camera problem of some sort (the email made no sense at all).  Each time I call tech support I get someone different and sometimes they are great and knowledeable and sometimes useless. I'm about ready to throw in the bag and ask for my money back.  It's now been 3 months of trying to get this system to work as advertised

[Brandt]

You need to either have an antenna in the attic, as there is no stucco on your roof (is there?) or you need to run it to an outdoor antenna.

[Brian H]

Since the turning on and off of the cameras is a power line function. You may have a power line signal problem to the one camera.
All of the camera power supplies are on the same house code ans in one group of four unit codes? 1-4;5-8;9-12 or 13-16.

[yancy]

I can NEVER get all 4 cams to be received at the same time.

Are you wanting to display all 4 camera views simultaneously?  If so, that is not doable with the configuration you have, and I'm not sure that you can do it without significant additional expense.  There are plenty of additional threads on this forum to give more detail, but here are some basics:
The Receiver can only be set to one channel, A, B, C, or D.
The cameras must be set to the same channel as the Receiver.
The receiver is not smart, meaning it doesn't discriminate between the different cameras. It will display anything it receives on the Channel it is set to.  Multiple devices (cameras) transmitting on that channel will create a scrambled picture.  Only one camera can be turned on at a time.
If setting the cameras to the same House Code (A-P), and one of the 4 Unit codes in the same group (1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-16), turning one of the cameras on in that group will turn the other 3 off.  This is a special design of the camera power supplies.  (Any other interference on your house wiring may not let the On signal propogate to all the camera power supplies.  You can learn more by searching the forums.)
I have 10 cameras total in my setup, but can only see one at a time.  I have macros that make sure all the others are turned off when I turn one on.

[lhntx]

I understand that only one cam is viewd at a time. My wording was not clear.  Sorry. I can never get all 4 of the cameras to be the active camera when each is separately instructed to activate.  I have Vanguard setup to display 4 panels and cycle through the 4. Actually, I should not say never, I have been able to get all 4 to display during their "turn", but if it rains or is cloudy or a bird flys by at least one will not display during their turn, or the same camera will display on more than one panel.  I have them set a1,a2,a3,a4. I tried b1,b2,b3,b4.   I bought another transceiver and tried have half as A's and half as B's or both transceivers as A or both as B. Yes, I switched the code on the power supply to the camera to match.  Sometimes I will actually get the 4 different camera displays (maybe 5% of the time), but mostly I get static or the same display in more than one panel even if I manually click to turn on a1, a2, a3, a4 in Vanguard. Right now I get the same camera in all 4 panels.  If I uplug the camerra that is displaying on all 4 panels then I get 2 of the other 3 and one static screen.. 

I have tried my laptop in the different places in my home and have had the same results in each. Since the off/on is supposedly sent through the house wiring and the video is sent over the air, then technically that should mean that the power of the video signal should not matter since only one camera is turned on at a time, but... the one camera that is overriding all 4 panels right now is inside my home. The other 3 are outside.  That makes me think that the distance from the transceiver also has some effect??

I was reading the replys (thanks! I appreciate any help or hints), but I don't understand about putting an antennae in the attic.  What type of antennae???  The one plugged into my laptop now that receives the signal?  That would mean a very long usb extension and usb power booster.

[dave w]

Sometimes I will actually get the 4 different camera displays (maybe 5% of the time), but mostly I get static or the same display in more than one panel even if I manually click to turn on a1, a2, a3, a4 in Vanguard. Right now I get the same camera in all 4 panels.  If I uplug the camerra that is displaying on all 4 panels then I get 2 of the other 3 and one static screen.. 

That makes me think that the distance from the transceiver also has some effect??

I was reading the replys (thanks! I appreciate any help or hints), but I don't understand about putting an antennae in the attic.  What type of antennae???  The one plugged into my laptop now that receives the signal?  That would mean a very long usb extension and usb power booster.

I think Brian H is correct. You have powerline noise problems. Your camera power supplies are not getting the ON-OFF signals. Try the tranceiver in other outlets. How far is the tranceiver from the CM19A?

[lhntx]

I have the transceiver and the video receiver and a dedicated laptop on my kitchen counter and TWO signal senders (I forget the numbers) in the next room, one on each side of the room in separate plugs.  I have also tried have them on the same plug and another plug in the same room, but saw no difference, but I would guess that they are less than 10-15 feet away with a wall between them as I have them now in my dining room.   Camera one is outside about 15 feet away.  Camera two is in a bedroom on the others side of a wall from the kitchen, so maybe 12 feet?  Camera three is at the back of my home outside on a screen porch with a fridge, bathroom with a mirror covering half a wall, and then another room (approx 20x20) between them. Camera 4 is outside on my garage at approx the same distance as camera 3 and it is under an an aluminum carport that covers the area between the garage and the house.  Many of the interior walls in my house have shiplap (wood) behind the sheetrock since I have a 1930s bungalow.


 

[dave w]

I have the transceiver and the video receiver and a dedicated laptop on my kitchen counter and TWO signal senders (I forget the numbers) in the next room, one on each side of the room in separate plugs. 

Gee whiz, in your original post you call what I believe to be a CM19A a "signal sender" and now you say you have two "signal senders" in another room, so I don't have any idea of what you refer to. X10 does not have a "signal sender" defined on their web site.

If you have a PLC problem you can probably identify it as such by using a TM751A TRANCEIVER and your "remote control pad" which I assume is a "Scan Cam" remote, to manually cycle through the four cameras. When you find a camera not turning OFF, move the TM751 to a different outlet in the home and try the Scan Cam again (stay near the TM751). If the stuck camera does now turn OFF then you probably have a power line signal problem (noise) and not an RF problem.

[lhntx]

I have no idea what the hardwire number names are.  I bought a second white units that plug into the wall, has an antennae that can be move in/out/up/down and is what I believe sends the on/off signal through the wiring.  I can do software all day long, but remembering hardware names is my downfall. 

[lhntx]

what does one do to remedy a power line signal problem??

[Brian H]

http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
http://www.act-solutions.com/PCC/uncle.htm
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=l2v2t8pnj3cr5fgm3ej6i3igm3&topic=19252.msg107493#new
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=fia4somvt646m1f9ar60hogk94&topic=7951.0

[dave w]

I have no idea what the hardwire number names are.  I bought a second white units that plug into the wall, has an antennae that can be move in/out/up/down and is what I believe sends the on/off signal through the wiring.  I can do software all day long, but remembering hardware names is my downfall. 

Understand. But you aren't going to get much help if we don't have a clue what you are talking about. The two white units that have antennas and plug into the wall are Transceivers, and you called them transceivers in your earlier post.  If they are TM751s, you can not use them on the same house code. The 751 will blindly transceive the RF signal to the powerline with out checking to see if any other X10 powerline signals are already on the line. With two TM751s on the same house code, they will just fight each outher  You probably also have noise and/or phase copling problems. If during your setup you saw a picture from each camera, you don't have a "stucco" problem.  Brian's links will help.

[lhntx]

thanks for the help.  The x10 tech support suggest getting a second transceiver, so that's why I did.

[dave w]

thanks for the help.  The x10 tech support suggest getting a second transceiver, so that's why I did.

Interesting. Did they mention anything cautions about using them on same house codes?

Anywho, try moving the TM751 around to try to get all your cameras to resond to ON-OFF signals (unlikely they will repsond all form the same outlet). If you can get them to all respaond by using different outlets then it means your problem is likely to be noise, or phase coupling, and the links Brian H sent, cover these problems.

[lhntx]

Thanks for the links.  Some of them are extremely technical (electrical engineering?) and I don't know what half of the stuff is.
I've had my laptop in three different places in my home. I decided to move the system back to the original location in the middle of my home because that was the only place that I was ever able to get signals from all 4 cameras.  I moved it from that location because I could not get the motion detectors signals (I assumed that distance or stucco walls was the problem since they are powered by batteries of all things!), but none of the other locations worked as good as the original as far as receiving the video.  I have a 1930's homes, so the number of outlets are limited even though the wiring has been replaced.  I now can get no signals at all - just rolling lines on the display.  I have now tried 4 different outlets for the transceiver(s), all of the transceivers are plugged in directly and not on power strips,  and tried all A, or AB mix and all B, and C settings on the 4 cameras and transceivers, tried reinstalling software, drivers, removing all but one camera, readding cameras, moving the video receiver and paddle to as many locations and directions that I could to see within the limitations of the wires to see if I could get ANY signal at all,  but no video from any of the cameras.  I was getting the same camera on all 4 windows when I first moved the laptop back to it's original location, then I started getting the rolling lines about 3 days ago, then except for a fleeting moment a few days ago when I got 2 of the outside cameras, I've gotten nothing but rolling static since.  The locations available to sit the laptop and hardware is limited so I am out of optional places to move it.  So, I've now gone from partial working to completely nonworking. Is it possible that one of pieces of hardware is no longer working, specifically the video receiver?  All of the settings on the receiver, transceiver and cameras have been double checked and all are correct and I've tried using different configurations of the USB slots available.   

One other thing that I thought about is that I have the internet in my home being sent through the house wiring to a remote wireless sender to get around the bathroom and fridge that was causing wireless signal problems.  I have had this setup for a few years and this setup was being used since day one of trying to setup the x10 system.