A camera system can provide a form of security for your home or office that is more immediate than any alarm. You can install a camera system yourself without the need for wiring by using a wireless system. The wireless camera will transmit video to a receiver through a self-created wireless network -- you will not need technical expertise, nor will you have to involve a computer or existing home network. You can buy the wireless camera from select hobby stores and electronics shop and it does not require any special tools to set up.
Instructions
1. Decide on the location where you want to set up the wireless video camera, for example, in the hallway leading to a front door or a window that overlooks the front or back yard.
2. Place the wireless video camera in the corner of the room so that the lens aims toward the area that you want to see -- while allowing the camera to be inconspicuous to the casual viewer.
3. Mount the camera on the wall with wood screws using a Phillips screwdriver. If you don't want to mount the camera on the wall, place the camera on a tripod or on an end table or other surface where it won't be disturbed.
4. Plug the camera's power cord into a wall outlet -- you can use an extension cord if the distance between the outlet and the camera is too great for the cord. Press the power button or switch to turn the camera on. If the camera has no button or switch for the power because the camera is on whenever there is electricity flowing through the power cord, ignore this step.
5. Adjust the external antenna on the camera, if it has one, so that the tip points in the general direction of the television set with which you will view the video from the camera. The camera's instruction book notes the distance that the TV can be from the camera and you must not exceed it if the picture is displaying interference.
6. Go to the room that holds the TV with which you will watch the video from the camera. Place the video receiver next to the TV. Plug the receiver's power cord into a wall outlet. Rotate the receivers' external antenna, if there is one, in the general direction of the camera.
7. Insert one end of a video cable into the video output on the back of the receiver. Use an S-Video cable if the receiver has a S-Video output, otherwise use a composite video cable. Insert the other end of the video cable into a similarly-named input connection on the TV -- these connections will typically be on the back of the TV, although they might be on the side or front, beneath the TV's screen.
8. Turn the TV on. Press the "Menu" button on the TV's control panel. Navigate through the menus until you arrive at "Video input." Select the video input that the video cable is specifically connected to. Press the "Menu" button again so that you exit the menu settings.
9. Turn on the video receiver's power button or switch so that you can watch the video that the camera is transmitting on the TV.
Tags: video cable, button switch, from camera, power cord, video receiver
