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X10 surveillance cameras.
How to set up your home security system
I have several X10 surveillance cameras
positioned around the house to keep an eye on what is going on.
I also have video receivers in three different rooms so I can monitor
the cameras without having to be in any particular room.
Here is the basic setup:
 My main surveillance camera is in a front room and looks out over the
front yard and driveway. You can see a sample picture to the
left. This has been reduced in size to fit on this page, but it
can be seen full size when viewed on a TV screen.
By the way, I captured this picture using another X10 device called
the
Video USB Adapter (see top picture). This allows you to connect any X10 camera
(or anything with an RCA video output) to your PC so you
can view live video on your computer.
The components in use here are:
- XCam2 Wireless Cameras
- Wireless Video Receiver
- Video-to-USB Adapter (optional)
The four camera views:
There are actually four cameras that I
use with a single video receiver. I can switch between the
different camera views with a remote control, or where there is motion
detected in their view. Here are the four
together.
 |
This is camera 1 looking out on the front yard.
This is a "standard" XCam2 (normal view) that is
shown when there is motion in front of the camera. The sensor is
mounted on the corner of the house. |
 |
This is camera 2 looking
at the front door. For this application I used the "Wide-Eye"
camera (wide-angle view) because it is mounted so close to the
door. When someone comes to the door, there is a motion sensor
that automatically switches to this view. |
 |
This is camera 3 looking
down on the side garage door, with a motion sensor above the door
that triggers this view. I also use a wide-angle camera (to see of
what is out there). You might be able to see one of our cats
in the picture. |
 |
This is camera 4
inside the garage.
This is a "standard" XCam2, but it is mounted on a
pan-and-tilt unit that allows me to move it around to see
different parts of the garage. The picture is dark because the
lights were not turned on. After one minute of no motion, the view
switches back to camera 1. |
How it all happens:
As mentioned above, for each of the four cameras, I have a motion
sensor that is used to control when it is turned on. One of the
great things about the X10 system is that they use "smart" power
supplies that work together (in groups of four). This means that
when any one of the power supplies in a group is told to turn on, the
others in that group are switched off. The result is that only
one of the wireless cameras will be on at any given time and they will
not interfere with each other.
Other options:
One of the other devices I use it called the VCR Commander.
It is used to signal a VCR to record when motion is detected from a
sensor and then stop recording a few minutes after motion ends.
In my case, when motion is detected for
camera 1, the VCR starts recording whatever happens. After a few
minutes of no motion, the VCR stops recording. When I come home
I can review the tape to see what happened. The main benefit
of this device is that it only records on the VCR when motion is
detected. I don't have to look through hours of no activity just
to find a few seconds of motion.
One day I came home
to find that there was a recorded visit by a "salesman" that had come
by. The VCR recorded him walking up the driveway, the camera
view as he rang the doorbell and knocked a few times, and the view as
he walked back down the driveway.
To read more about some of my devices and how I use them, please click
below.
Cameras | Entertainment | Home Automation | Security | Software
We hope this guide has helped with your home networking needs.
If you have any comments or would like to see other topics covered,
feel free to send
email to us at any time. Your feedback is always
appreciated!
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