Homesitter® - troubleshooting

Please follow the steps below to correct common HomeSitter problems. If you continue to have problems, please call TELUS HomeSitter technical support at 1-877-767-8565 (select option 2) for further assistance.

1. I am having trouble getting my wireless router set up. What can I do?
2. When I try to set up a camera, I get prompted to download a file. What is this for?
3. I've set up my camera and the first time I view video, I get prompted to download a file. What is this for?
4. I tried adding a camera and was unsuccessful. What should I do?
5. The video looks out of focus. What should I do?
6. I can see video but I cannot hear anything. Should I hear sound too?
7. I'm using the WVC54G Wireless-G internet video camera, but I do not hear any audio. Why?
8. The sound quality on my WVC54G Wireless-G internet video camera is not clear. I'm hearing echoes or short pauses in audio.
9. I'm using the multi-camera option and notice that the video slows down slightly compared to when I am only viewing one camera? Should this happen?
10. How come the video stops playing after a period of time?
11. I find that I am receiving a lot of notices of motion occurring but I know that no one is at the location where my cameras are located. Is there something wrong?
12. I have set up everything properly but I am still not getting messages and nothing is being recorded. What could be wrong?
13. What is the option to enable or disable my RMI?

1. I am having trouble getting my wireless router set up. What can I do?

   Call us at 1-877-767-8565 and follow the prompts for technical support. We may not be able to answer all of your questions because each wireless router is different. You may be asked to contact the manufacturer of the wireless router for more detailed troubleshooting steps. If you have TELUS Wireless Networking and TELUS HomeSitter service, then full support is provided by TELUS.

2. When I try to set up a camera, I get prompted to download a file. What is this for?

   The first time you set up a camera on your account you will be prompted to download and install a file called "Device Configuration Agent" distributed by TELUS. This file is required to complete the configuration of both your wireless router and camera and is safe to download.

3. I've set up my camera and the first time I view video, I get prompted to download a file. What is this for?

   The first time you access video from your TELUS HomeSitter account you may be prompted to download and install a file called "NetCamPlayerWeb.ocx" distributed by Cisco-Linksys, LLC. This file is required to stream video from your camera onto your PC and is safe to download. You will be required to download this file from any PC you use to access your TELUS HomeSitter account.

4. I tried adding a camera and was unsuccessful. What should I do?

   First, always make sure your camera is in the proper state (i.e. reset, wired into the wireless router via an Ethernet cable for initial set-up, proper LED lights displaying). Next ensure your wireless router is set up and you can access the Internet. It is generally preferred that your computer also be connected to your wireless router via Ethernet cable as part of the set-up. Next, check out the "Adding Cameras" section of the TELUS HomeSitter User Guide and follow the steps provided. If you continue to have difficulties, contact TELUS HomeSitter technical support at 1-877-767-8565 (select option 2).

5. The video looks out of focus. What should I do?

   You can manually adjust the focus by turning the front lens on the camera until the video is clear. You may have to adjust the focus a few times to get the right image quality to meet your needs.

6. I can see video but I cannot hear anything. Should I hear sound too?

   The Linksys WVC54G Wireless-G camera includes a built-in microphone which adds audio to live and recorded videos. However, the Linksys WVC11B Wireless-B camera does not include a microphone and is therefore unable to capture audio inputs.

7. I'm using the WVC54G Wireless-G internet video camera, but I do not hear any audio. Why?

   By default, the audio feature on this camera is disabled when the camera is first configured. To enable this feature, you have to edit the camera settings of the specific camera. Consult the TELUS HomeSitter User Guide for further details.

8. The sound quality on my WVC54G Wireless-G internet video camera is not clear. I'm hearing echoes or short pauses in audio.

   Having multiple cameras in close proximity to one another with the audio feature enabled may produce an echo in audio. Furthermore, if you have the audio feature enabled on several cameras, you will hear sound from both when viewing multiple cameras. Also, just as congestion either on the local network or on the Internet can cause video to sometimes appear choppy, the same will apply to the audio signals transmitted by the camera.

9. I'm using the multi-camera option and notice that the video slows down slightly compared to when I am only viewing one camera. Should this happen?

   Yes. Each camera uses a portion of the upstream bandwidth of your Internet connection. If you have multiple cameras streaming video at the same time, then the combined bandwidth required may exceed your upstream limit depending on the parameters established by your Internet service provider. As a result, you may notice that the frame rate of the video slows down compared to when you are only viewing images from a single camera.

10. How come the video stops playing after a period of time?

    We have configured the service so it automatically stops streaming video after 10 minutes of no activity on the account. To resume watching the video, click on the "resume video" link that appears. After 30 minutes of no activity on your account, you will be logged out. Select any option on your screen to return you to the login page for your account.

11. I find that I am receiving a lot of notices of motion occurring but I know that no one is at the location where my cameras are located. Is there something wrong?

    The cameras are set to very high sensitivity and can sometimes pick up changes in lighting in a room, particularly if your camera is situated close to, and directed towards, windows facing bright sunshine or another moving light source. You may want to experiment by moving your camera to a different area of the room to reduce the glare created by the direct sunlight that can trigger a notification as shadows are created.

12. I have set up everything properly but I am still not getting messages and nothing is being recorded. What could be wrong?

    Check under the Options tab on the navigation menu to see if your time zone has been set. If it has not been set, do so and your schedules should function properly. If you continue to have problems, please contact us at 1-877-767-8565.

13. What is the option to enable or disable my RMI?

    RMI or Remote Management Interface is a feature of home networking routers that enables access to your wireless router from outside the home. TELUS HomeSitter routinely deactivates RMI as a security precaution however; some users may require RMI to be enabled for their needs. By selecting this option, RMI will be re-enabled. As a general rule, if you do not know what RMI is, you likely do not need or want it to be enabled.