Troubleshooting - Swann REDALERT SW242-WDV Operating Instructions Manual

Troubleshooting

Problem: The camera is looking out a window, and at night all I can see is white!
Solution: The camera uses infrared LEDs to see at night. However, infrared light
will refl ect off a glass surface, and bounce-back into the lens of the camera,
washing out the image. It is not possible to use an infrared night vision camera to
look out of a window. If you want to see outside, the camera has to be outside as
well. Note that the PNP-50 is recommended for indoor use only.
Problem: The RedAlert is not capturing pictures/videos when it should, or it
captures pictures/videos too often!
Solution: Your ADVANCED MOTION DETECT SETTINGS need adjusting. Basically,
you can defi ne how the RedAlert will look for motion, and how much motion it
must detect before it initiates recording. Follow the steps on pages 12 and 13 to
confi gure the motion detection settings. If you're using a wireless camera and the
RedAlert is capturing pictures/video too often, it might be the case that there is
enough interference in the video signal to count as motion. Follow the steps listed
on page 11 to try to reduce the interference in your system.
Problem: All I see is a blank screen.
Solution: Check the connections between the RedAlert and your TV - in particular,
check which RCA connection on the TV has the VIDEO OUT cable attached to
it. Many TVs have A/V INPUT channels and A/V OUTPUT channels. Plugging the
VIDEO OUT cable into an A/V OUTPUT will produce undesired results.
Problem: The RedAlert isn't showing images from my camera.
Solution: The RedAlert might be monitoring the wrong input. Press the DISP
button. If this does not work, and the camera is wireless, change the wireless
channel of the RedAlert by pressing the SET button. If this does not locate the
camera, check that the camera is supplied with power. If a wired camera, check
the connections to the RedAlert. Finally, be sure that the camera can see an image:
if the camera sees only black (see other Troubleshooting tips) it might appear that
the RedAlert is not getting a signal at all.
Problem: I can't fi nd right channel for the RedAlert on my television.
Solution: This can be a little tricky. First, make sure you've got the RedAlert
plugged into an INPUT on the television. The plug should be color coded yellow,
the same as the connector from the RedAlert. If this is the case, look for a button
on the TV or remote called AV, TV/AV, AUX, Auxilary, Channel 0, Video, DVD or
something similar. Some TVs have multiple AV channels. If in doubt, speak with the
manufacturer of your TV - they'll know what plugs connect to which channel. If all
else fails, try using a different TV. (Please, don't call and ask us about this one - we
don't know what your TV looks like, nor how to make it do anything useful!)
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