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[Marshallrams]

Hi, I have 4 X10 wired camera's, two color, two black and white. I'm having problems getting the third & fourth camera to come in. I can get two camera's to come in fine, but sometimes, the pictures on the first two camera's get a lot of interference where I have to unplug the camera and plug back in, which is a pain, when I'm away from home for several days, and now can't watch what's going on due to the interference.

I plugged in two of the tm751's near the first two camera's and it made the first two camera's pictures come in a lot better but still experience interference where the picture will be gone until I unplug and plug back in.

I read where the V572 will make all 4 camera's come in? Will I also still need to use the firecracker?

My computer is a desktop PC using windows XP so my computer won't recognize the firecracker & now am using a laptop that uses windows 7 so this laptop recognizes the firecracker so I'm able to use the X10 camera's but I need to take my laptop with me when I go out of town, so because my PC doesn't recognize the firecracker, I'm unable to use the camera's unless I leave my laptop at home. I'd really like to get all this connected to my PC that uses XP.

Will the V572 solve my problem in being able to view all 4 camera's, and not have to use the firecracker? Also, what will need to be connected to my computer using the V572?

Will the V572 help with turning my lights off and on also? I am having problems getting lights that are far away in another part of the house to turn off and on. X10 told me to order more tm751's which I did but still unable to get lights to turn off and on in other parts of house. X10 told me to order two more tm 751's for the other two camera's that won't come in and that would help so wondering if this V572 will solve my problems with all 4 camera's and the lights.

Thanks for any help you can give me as when I ordered this, I told X10, I wasn't real computer literate, and if this was user friendly, and of course, they told me, I should have everything up and running in 15 minutes....been working on it now since end of June!!

 

[dave w]

Let me understand this. You have four WIRED cameras and X10 Support wants you to use a total of four TM751s??? It is a very bad practice to use more than one TM751 in a system unless your system is very large (in square footage). No TM751 at all if you are using a CM15A or a RR501 as a transceiver. 

If in your post, you actually ment you have four WIRELESS cameras then I understand what the TM751s are doing. I assume X10 explained this but you can only have ONE wireless camera on at a time. You should still only use one TM751 because they transceive blindly and can step on each other so no X10 signals get through to the cameras power supplies so you have more than one camera on at a time, hence the interference.  Whoever at X10 is telling you to use multiple TM751's tell them to go ask Dave Rye if this is a good practice.

Yes a V572 with the powerline interface may help you. although one transceiver and a  X10 PLC signal repeater (XPCR) might do the same.

[Noam]

Don't forget, the X10 wireless cameras work i groups of 4, so they need to be on the same housecode, and within the same group (1-4,5-8,9-12,13-16).
That's how the cameras turn off when one of the others in the group turns on. Otherwise, you'd be trying to send multiple wireless video signals at the same time, which certainly will cause interference.

[Marshallrams]

Thanks so much for the help. My 4 camera's are wireless not wired, sorry... and I do have them set to B, different than my lamps, and set B1, B2, B3, B4. I can turn off one camera, turn another one on, but then the other two camera's, will not. One time I did have all 4 turning off and on, but then when I tried to access them again, only two would work. Yes, I was told to try the TM751 on each camera so I'm glad I decided to post and ask for help! Do you think I should try the RR501 & see if this helps, or just go ahead and order the V 572? Since I'm having problems also with some lamps turning off and on, maybe the V 572 will help my camera problem along with the lamp problem? I really don't know much about setting this up then troubleshooting so any advice would be appreciated & if you were me, what exactly would you order to make the camera's and lights work?
Thanks again!!

[Brian H]

Sounds like you have power line communications problems and X10 recommending all those TM751s was a band aid reaction.

Have you done any power line communications testing?

Some common problems are. Devices absorbing signals {Signal Suckers}, noise makers and the fact that most homes are split single phase signals getting to the other half of the homes wiring.

Will a V572 help? Maybe if the problem is the RF from the remotes being received. It will not fix power line signal problems to areas where the V572's power line signals have trouble reaching.

http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm
http://www.act-remote.com/PCC/uncle.htm
http://www.davehouston.net/

[Marshallrams]

Thanks so much for the advice. I am a novice when it comes to all this, so I will check out the websites you indicated and see if I can figure this out before ordering anything!! I appreciate it!!!!

[Brian H]

Feel free to ask as some of the data maybe technical for some new users.

[Marshallrams]

I don't know if this will help you, help me, but I did try turning the oven and dryer on, but still 3 of the camera's will come in one at a time, but the 4th camera won't so the oven & dryer made no difference. I can turn all 4 one at a time on when I use the palm pad & then go into the active home app on my computer, all 4 camera's will come thru, but then without using the palm pad, when I go back onto my computer & click on all 4 camera's one after the other, only 3 will show up. If I try to just click on each camera on the computer, then only 3 will show. It's the same when I use the Iwatch app on my cell phone,  once I go into the app on my tv or on my phone, only 3 of the camera's will come in if I do not use the palm pad. The 4th camera without the palm pad comes in with static & no picture. I tried moving the TM 751's to different wall sockets, but it made no difference. So, with the palm pad, all 4 camera's come in, but if I don't use the palm pad, just clicking on each camera on my computer without the palm pad, only 3 camera's come in. Any idea what is going on? Do you think the V572 will help? Or should I try a RR501? The square footage on my house is 2000 sq ft. Now, the 4th camera that isn't coming on unless I use the palm pad is a camera that is outside. I have two camera's outside & it's usually one of them that will not come on without the palm pad. Thanks again!!

[Brian H]

What interface are you using on the computer. The CM15A or the CM19A?
The CM15A would be talking to the cameras addressable power supplies through the power line.
The CM19A, that is RF only would have to go through a transceiver. Like a TM751, RR501 or the V572A.

If you are using the CM19A. It is possible the RF signal from it. Is not reaching a transceiver that also doesn't have a power line problem to camera 4.

[Marshallrams]

Yes, I have the CM19A, and using a TM751. So, do you think the V572A would help?

[Brian H]

Well now we know why X10 recommended the TM751's.
All your commands have to go through a transceiver. As the CM19A does not do power line signals directly to the cameras addressable power supplies.

If you have RF reception problems between the CM19A and the area of the home where the camera is. The V572 may help.

If you have a power line signal problems in the home. The V572s power line signals may still have a problem getting to the problem cameras.

Where you able to try some of the troubleshooting tips. That may show power line signal problems.

[Marshallrams]

Thanks again!! I think I'm going to try to V572 which apparently will help me turning lights off and on, and maybe will help my camera problem. Will let you know what happens....thanks again for your time and advice!!!

[Brian H]

OK. Keep us in the loop.

[dhouston]

You should still only use one TM751 because they transceive blindly and can step on each other...

I disagree. The TM751s made in the last 10-12 years will almost never have power-line collisions. Earlier TM751s waited for a rising edge ZC so they were certain to interfere if on separate phases. A few years back, I did extensive testing of the newer models without once seeing a collision.

Even when used with a RR501 or CM15A they should be OK as the latter devices will sense collisions and wait for a clear power-line. Multiple RR501s can have collisions because X-10's design does not back off as long as they should. It's been too long for my ancient brain to recall exact details but I think they back off a random number of half-cycles between 3 and 9. You are certain to see collisions with seven similarly intelligent transceivers and the likelihood of collisions is a function of the number of such transceivers and of the available starting slots.

You might see a collision if the RF were to arrive at one TM751 a microsecond or two before ZC and at another TM751 a few microseconds later but RF travels at the speed of light so even this would require a bit of physical distance between TM751s.

[dave w]

You should still only use one TM751 because they transceive blindly and can step on each other...

I disagree. The TM751s made in the last 10-12 years will almost never have power-line collisions. Earlier TM751s waited for a rising edge ZC so they were certain to interfere if on separate phases. A few years back, I did extensive testing of the newer models without once seeing a collision.

OK. This is good input. You are saying that IF two TM751s or a CM15A and TM751 receives the same RF command, they will not conflict?