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Tips & Tricks: Getting the most out of your ADW-340
Where you can place your cameras, how far they'll see and how they transmit images...
Q: How far will my cameras transmit images?
A: Under ideal circumstances, the maximum transmission range of the cameras is about 50
meters, or 165 feet. This figure assumes an environment with minimum signal obstructions
and few wireless devices using similar frequencies or other sources of radio noise.
We assume you don't live in a field, and you've probably got WIFI in your house - so, realistically,
the most effective maximum range is about 20m / 65ft before you'll start to see some slow-
down in frame rate.
Q: What's radio "noise"?
A: Similar to audio noise, but only radio receivers can hear it. In the same way it's hard to hear
someone in a noisy room, the receiver can't isolate a camera's feed if there's similar signals
originating nearby. Devices such as microwaves and WIFI equipment will compete a little with
the transmitted signal, so avoid placing the cameras or receiver too close to these devices.
Q: What will happen when the receiver loses signal?
A: As the signal from the camera gets weaker, the receiver requests that the camera slow its
information transmission rate. It's a bit like asking someone to slow down and speak more
clearly - they're easier to hear over the noise, but they take longer to say the same thing.
This translates into a lower frame rate - rather than appearing smooth and fluent, everything
will seem staccato, or jerky. Try changing the location of the camera or receiver or adjust the
antenna position if this happens - it can help.
Q: How does the receiver "sense" movement?
A: The ADW-340 doesn't see the world like we do. The camera's image is seen by the receiver as
a large number of pixels. To detect motion, the receiver compares one picture from the camera
to the next one it sends, and counts up how many pixels have changed their colour or tone,
and by how much.
By adding up all the "differences" in the pictures (typically taken only a few dozen milliseconds
apart) the receiver can tell how much has "moved". The number of pixels that have to change
before it counts as "motion" is set by the Motion Detection Sensitivity setting in the
Recording Settings menu.
Because of how it looks for movement, some actions (which aren't 'movement' as we'd think of
them) appear to be movement to the ADW-340 unit. Occurrences such as a light being turned
on or off, the sun emerging from behind a cloud (or vice-versa), reflections of car headlights,
can all trick the ADW-340 into thinking movement has occurred. If there is something in your
picture that is constantly moving and creating false triggers, read Setup Masking Area on
page 15 for information on how to exclude sections of the picture from the motion scan.
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