Communications Home Security System User Manual

444
Overview
Congratulations on your purchase of the RedAlert! This single channel video
recorder is a terrifi c value for money security solution, as well as being easy to
install, use and transport from location to location. Practically fi tting into the palm
of your hand is a neat feature as well!
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of learning how to install, confi gure and use the
RedAlert, let’s just take a moment to discuss its features, strengths and limitations,
so you can get the most out of your RedAlert.
How it Works
The RedAlert will record video or still images directly to an SD card, and it can be
confi gured to do this whenever it detects motion in the view of its camera.
It is an ideal monitoring solution for guarding specifi c security vulnerabilities
around the home or small offi ce. Some suggested applications include monitoring
the front or back door, a main hallway, or a courtyard or balcony. If there is a single,
specifi c location that you wish to safeguard, the RedAlert is the perfect solution.
By correctly confi guring the motion detection settings, and using a 1GB – 2GB SD
card (available separately) you can get the RedAlert to function autonomously for
up to months at a time!
A few key points to remember:
The • RedAlert can use SD cards up to 2GB in capacity. It will not work with
larger SD cards, as these conform to the SDHC standard, which is incompatible
with the RedAlert. This is not much of a limitation, really. A 2GB SD card will
record over 3, 500 ten second videos, or more than 60, 000 still images.
The RedAlert can monitor a maximum of two cameras at once (one of •
which must be wired, the other one wireless) but can record only one.
Savvy users might have already noticed that the RedAlert has four wireless channels
– the RedAlert is not recommended for multiple wireless cameras! See page 11 for
more information about why we’ve included multiple camera channels.
Though it is remarkably effi cient hardware for its size and cost, the • RedAlert is a
miniature, self contained, entry-level video recording unit. It will (unfortunately)
not operate like the mythical technology shown on television shows like CSI
or 24 (we really wanted it to, but it turns out that sort of technology costs
millions of dollars and doesn’t really work that well in real life, anyway). Bear
this is mind when placing your camera(s): the closer the camera is to the
action you want to capture, the more detail you’re going to get. For
example, if you want to capture a vehicle registration tag, you’ll have to have
the camera within about a dozen feet (about 4 meters) from the vehicle to
capture the required detail.
The • RedAlert is a single channel recorder. It will only record one video/
image at a time. It can display two cameras at once, but, due to the limitations
of the speed at which it can process images and write them to an SD card, it
can only record one channel at a time.
If you’re using your • RedAlert with a wireless camera, be sure to read the section
on page 11 on interference and how you can avoid it when you confi gure your
system.
17
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!)