Camera on Power-Line Adapters

[ABLE1 <someone@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey guys,
This a follow up to my sign camera challenge looking at a roof line.

As you may remember I first started out considering looking at a
convex mirror at the sign but when that was determined not a good
choice, I then shifted gears to placing a camera at the sign.

With E D's suggestion of using a Power-Line adapter, specifically
the TP-Link AV2000.  I got the kit and set up in my house from
one receptacle to another and got excellent speed on my laptop.

Working with an electrician that was going to run the CAT5 cables
for this project, we worked out a plan to modify the sign wiring by
moving the time clock from the closet to the sign, and install
receptacles at both the sign and the electrical closet for the
power-line adapters.

At the sign I used a PoE injector for the camera and then connected
to the adapter and at the closet a Ethernet cable to the NVR.

Put it all together and set up this past Wednesday.  Had to
play a little at the NVR to get the video up on a channel
but when done the picture is............. EXCELLENT!!!

Needless to say I was V-E-R-Y happy.  So E D, this was
a very appreciated suggestion on your part.  THANKS!!!

So at the end of the day I returned to my office an pulled up
the NVR on my computer to look at and do so final tweaking
of the settings.  All looked great!!!

End of story.................... well no.

Later that evening I decide to take another look and much to
my surprise the sign camera was missing.

I looked back on the video playback and the camera went off
line at 5:03pm.  I then check another camera playback that
looks in the direction of the sign and at exactly 5:03pm
the sign turned on.  Oh CRAP!!!  The electrician wired it
wrong and killed power to the receptacle when powering
the sign.

Checked in the morning and the video came back at 7:00am
exactly when the signed turned off.

Went to the job site that day and started by checking voltages
with the sign off and then on.  Only difference was that
sign off the voltage was 122vac sign on it was 117vac.  Makes
sense with a little voltage drop when on.

Rather than boring you guys with all the various things I tried
to isolate the problem with a lot more reading I will bring it
down to what I suspect is that the fluorescent ballast is causing
some kind of signal sucking or RF noise that effects the power-line
adapter.

So for now I have a daytime camera working great on this setup.

Talked to the electrician and we have a plan to modify the
wiring to the sign to provide a dedicated 120vac to the sign
for video and install a 208vac to 120vac txfmr from a close
light pole power to feed the sign time clock and sign with 120vac.

Hopefully that will be the trick and I can get night time
video as well.

Thanks for reading all this and hope that the above will help
someone when facing a similar challenge.

Les