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Getting Started With a Wireless SystemUpdated 8 months ago

There are a few pitfalls that people can fall into when setting up their wireless camera system for the first time. Here we’ll go through some of the most common to help your setup go smoothly. Some of them might seem obvious but we still get frequent calls because of them. 


Getting Started


Make yourself a hot drink and take your time.
Set aside a good hour to set up a single camera system, and potentially half a day to set up a 4 camera system.


Have a read through the manual.
You don’t have to understand everything as you’re reading through, but you’ll probably find that when you come to setting the unit up, it starts to make sense. A lot of the time the manual will have images too, which tends to be easier to follow, rather than us trying to explain what the screen or option looks like.


Don’t screw anything on to your wall yet.
You might be tempted to get stuck in, mounting all the cameras where you want them, but the cameras might not be configured yet, and they’re going to be a lot harder to work with once they’re 12ft up on a wall. This brings us to…

 

Powering everything up in the same room.
Once you’ve read the manual, start getting everything out, and powering it up while it’s all in the same room. This will make it much easier to fix any problems you might come across. 


So hopefully you now have everything powered up, on the living room floor or on your kitchen table, and you’re getting an image from all the cameras you have.


If you’re not getting an image from all the cameras then they probably need ‘pairing’ to your receiver. If you read your manual you’ll probably remember a section on ‘pairing’. So pop back to your manual, and it will guide you through a few steps, and get your additional cameras connected.


Now we know it is all working


At this point you probably want to make another hot drink, take a break, then have a read through our article on Getting the Best Range from your Wireless Cameras


Now you’ve got all your cameras connected your ready to start test positioning them, but again don’t screw anything to the wall yet, as we might need to tweak the positions a little. 

  • Don’t drill any holes or screw any cameras to the wall yet.
  • You’ll find it easier to get someone to give you a hand at this point.
  • Run some power out the window for now, use some extension leads, it’s just temporary at this point.
  • One camera at a time, ask your helper to hold the camera where you want it, while you check the image on the screen. If you’re struggling to get an image, try moving the camera a little, a foot or so can make a difference.


Drill at the ready!


So hopefully you’re getting an image on all your cameras, now you’re happy with the image and positioning of your cameras, you’re now ready to fix them all to your walls. When mounting them to the walls, try to run any connections through the wall, so they are inside and out of the weather. If you can’t get connections through the wall, it’s a good idea to buy some ABS enclosures, to keep everything protected from the weather. You can usually pick these up from your local electronics shop as well. 


If you're having trouble getting signal on one or all of the cameras, here are a few things to try:

  • Try swapping the cameras around. This is because each camera is given a slightly different set of frequencies to use, so where one camera might not work in a certain spot, a different camera with its different frequencies might.
  • Make sure other wireless devices are as far as possible from both the camera and receiver.
  • Try re-pairing the cameras with them in the location you want them. If they fail to pair then the range or obstructions may be too great.

Need more help?

If you need help with anything else please check out our other guides or get in contact.

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