alpine0000

The trigger input also goes low if the power goes out or flickers, too, right? I'll give it a try one night this week after work and see how it goes I have a couple of 12v power supplies from my old analog cameras that I can use for power.

How do you do a "1-second" trigger on the relay without a timer? Exacq vision doesnt let you control how long the trigger output is, i dont think, and sometimes its hard to turn it on then back off again via the iphone app. It sometimes takes me like 5 seconds to turn it back off. That's why a timer works pretty well, so that *after* i turn off the trigger, THEN it times the 1-second signal to the garage door. Is there a better way that I could consider? Hardwired: I dont have a home alarm.

So then that means that the relay is energized all the time, until I send the trigger from the camera... OR my power goes out or flickers, at which point the garage door opens (garage door motor has a backup battery). If I run this setup, then I'd have to move the garage door wires from the N.O. position to the N.C. position on the timer, which means that if the relay loses power, the relay contacts close and the garage door opener wires are constantly being touched together until the relay has power again. I'd hate to have my power flicker at home and then my garage door opens . I'd rather not have the relay energized until I want to open the garage door. Is that possible with what I'm working with here?

The trigger of the timer module is activated when it gets +12volts. So, if what you're saying is true, this means that the timer module will be triggered when the camera output it NOT triggered?? That sounds like the opposite of what should be happening here

Oh okay. Cool. So PIN4 is going to the trigger and the GROUND of the camera is going to ground, then, correct (dont see it labeled on your diagram)? Or does it not matter much?

Hardwired: I started working on this tonight and noticed a few inconsistancies with what you told me and what I am trying to comprehend from the manual and I wanted to run them by you to see if you agree Line 5 of the installation instructions says (see timer instructions here: http://www.altronix.com/products/installation_instructions/6062.pdf): Thus, I am assuming I do the opposite of what you said, since I am using a N.O. trigger? (GRD to trigger and PIN4 to +) Nex thing... According to the same Line 5 from above, it looks like I only have to use a resistor if I am connecting to a N.C. trigger, right? Since my trigger is N.O., then I don't need a resistor I'm assuming? However, in the Axis manual, it says "if used with an external relay, a diode must be connected in parallel with the load". So, on the diagram below, where would I install a diode? Also, please tell me if what I have wired up looks correct, too (something still doesnt seem right to me about how I have it wired up, since the trigger input on the relay says it needs a positive voltage in the manual). I havent tried anything yet since I dont have the diode connected. Thanks!

Just out of curiosity, what VMS would you be using? Will the Avigilon ONVIF for the PTZ protocol work with pretty much any VMS?

You're awesome. Thanks for that help! One thing of note -- pin 4 is a grounded output. So you'd be hooking up two grounds to the timer in your example. Wouldn't I have to hook up pin 2 (constant +3.3v), then pin 4 which is the switched ground when the alarm output is triggered? But when I hook up a volt meter to pin 2 and 4, I'm only getting 3.3v on alarm. Pin 1 and 2 are constant power. If you ground pin 3 it makes the alarm NC I think, instead of NO. Correct me if I'm wrong...

That looks nice. But it says in the link below that the trigger voltage range is 7-12 volts, and I'm working with 3.3 volts http://www.altronix.com/products/installation_instructions/6062.pdf The link you posted earlier to the other relay says it will trigger down to 3volts. Wonder if they have an ultra sensitive one like that with the features of the second relay you posted?

Hah. How did I miss that??? That look perfect. Thanks! Now, is there a way to get a soft trigger in exacq to just be momentary? Or am I just going to have to open and close it real quick?

My thoughts exactly Just have the 3.3v output on the camera go and trigger a relay that will close two contacts to short the wire at the garage door opener button on the wall. I have a bunch of 12v relays that are used in automobiles (i used to install car alarms), but the 3.3 volts out of the camera isnt enough to trigger the relay. So i guess i need to find a relay that can be triggered by 3.3v DC and the Normally Open contacts would have to be able to handle the garage door opener voltage, which I think is 24 volts AC? Maybe radio shack? Simple and easy hook up for me, once I find a relay that works with 3.3v.

Razer: I set up that trigger in exacq, and I hooked up a volt meter to my Axis 3346-VE output, and when I turn the soft trigger on, it outputs 3.3 volts DC So that is working. Now, on to the more tricky part. I don't think my garage opener uses 3.3 volts, its probly more like 12 or 24 volts, I would assume? And also I'm not sure yet if the garage opener uses DC or AC power. The garage opener hasnt actually been installed yet, which is why I cant test it right now for voltage type. It is getting installed next week. I've been trying to find manuals/diagrams online for garage openers to see what kind of voltage they use, but havent found anything yet. The other thing is, can I set up the trigger in exacq to be momentary? The post-trigger thing, if it set it to 1-second, doesnt do a 1-second momentary signal. It stays on for 1-second AFTER you turn the trigger off. So, currently, I have to turn the trigger on, then off real quick, which isnt that hard from the client software, but sometimes laggy/tricky using the iOS app, and I found myself often not able to get it to turn back off very quickly (sometimes took 3-5 seconds, which is probably too long?). It'd be cool if we could just have a momentary button, and choose how long it sends voltage out. So I guess my two questions are: can we set a momentary trigger in exacq, instead of one that you have to turn on and off quickly, and does anybody know the voltage that most garage openers use (12v?), and what type of voltage it is (DC or AC)? Most likely, I will just end up hooking up a relay to complete the circuit, like the button in the garage does.

Yea, I think most garage openers are contact closures. But the trick is, how to get the contacts to close (or, more precisely, send the correct voltage to the wire going to the motor) remotely? Hmm. Interesting. I'll give that a look.

Well you'd need *some* kind of voltage to trigger a relay or do that for you remotely, right (even if it's just low-voltage, which it is)? The wires won't touch themselves together Even if wired to an automation panel, that would then have to send voltage to the opener of some sort, I would imagine? I wasnt talking about 120 volts or anything. I had asked if it was the same voltage, thinking that maybe the garage door opener is 12v and perhaps the camera alarm output is only 1.5v? Wasnt sure if they were on the same page as far as voltage or not, and as far as DC/AC power. Neat! I'm on their website. They have so many products. Which one are you using? And do you use it for other things in your house too?

You are correct. Momentary is what I meant, but I incorrectly called it 'pulsing'. Sorry for the incorrect terminology. Pulsing would indicate multiple pulses, instead of just one momentary short burst. With that out of the way, can exacq do that? And my previous questions: Would I need a diode? Is the voltage the same on the garage door opener and the alarm outputs on a camera? If not, I guess I'd need to use a relay. And would anybody care to go into more details about actually setting up exacq triggers to do this? Thanks again

Yep. Got it. Exacq can do pulses, right?

Thanks razer. I do not have an exacq-built server. I built my own; it's a dell poweredge. However, I think my cameras have alarm outputs. I have an Axis P3346-VE and a P3367-VE. I also have a Vivotek 8161. So, if these do have an alarm output, would I just run a wire from the camera to the garage door opener? Would I need a diode? Is the voltage the same? I'm new to alarm outputs and triggers, but *very* well versed in electricity and computers

Hey Mike! Has anything changed since last year, in the sense that Avigilon could only do a pixel search if you were using Avigilon cameras? I have Axis and Vivotek cameras, and remember testing the software last year and couldnt do a pixel search, and thought I remembered you saying that you had to use Avigilon cameras for that feature to work. Is this still the case? I think pixel search is *very* powerful, but was disappointed to find that it wouldnt work with the 6 cameras that I already had in place, unless I replaced them with Avigilon cams. Thanks!

i tried it out and its pretty cool

I dont have an answer for your problem, but I'd go ahead and send an email to Exacq support. I have sent them several support-related emails the last 2 years, and they have never asked for remote access. They've always been pretty speedy with their answers, and have been pretty helpful. Give it a shot! Good luck...

Had these on my computer and figured I'd share them. I recently replaced my Panasonic WV-CW484S analog dome camera with an Axis P3346-VE megapixel IP camera and had some day and night shots of each. Admittedly, the Panasonic definitely could've used a bit of tweaking and adjustment, but I didn't want to fuss around with it before uninstalling it. Enjoy the screenshots anyways. You can click on them for the full resolution to see the real difference. Day time Panasonic: Day time Axis: Night time Panasonic: Night time Axis:

resolution: 1920x1080 compression: 5 15fps h.264 everything else is still on default (except the focus/zoom), as these screenshots were taken *right* after the camera install before any major tweaking took place. however, i don't believe you can set a specific shutter speed on this camera. there is an "exposure priority" option, and you can choose 'default', 'motion', or 'noise' from a drop down menu. mine is set on default, but there is no way for me to know the actual numeric value of my shutter speed I guess, unless Axis releases that info for each of their pre-determined modes? EDIT: I just found this in the users manual for the camera: 'Exposure Settings' below allow you to configure the exposure settings to suit the image quality requirements in relation to lighting, frame rate and bandwidth considerations. Exposure value - Click in the bar to fine-tune the exposure. Exposure control - These settings is used to adapt to the amount of light used. Automatic is the default settings can be used in most situations. The shutter speed is automatically set to produce optimum image quality. Flicker-free 50 or 60 Hz is used to remove flicker which can be caused by fluorescent and other light sources. The Hold current option locks the current exposure settings. Enable Backlight compensation - Enable this option if a bright spot of light, for example a light bulb, causes other areas in the image to appear too dark. Exposure zones - This settings determines which part of the image is used to calculate the exposure. For most situations, the Auto setting can be used. For particular requirement, select a predefined area. Exposure priority - When Motion is prioritized and maximum Shutter time is set to a small value, motion blur in the image is minimized. This can be useful for recognition of moving objects such as people and vehicles. However, prioritizing motion may cause an increase in image noise, especially in low light situations. When Low noise is prioritized and Gain is set to a small value, image noise is minimized. The file size is reduced, which can be useful if storage space

Yea, one of my biggest concerns was that if I went megapixel, my night time performance would get worse. I was shocked to see that it is now MUCH better, night and day. It will do up to 30, but I think I have it set on 15. It could use some adjustment, but that post light in the front yard really messes things up for me and makes it difficult. I need to do something about that. The image is still very usable, though.

Axis P3346-VE (click on photo for full resolution) via Exacqvision:

sold.