Vanguard Internet Control Center
Frequently Asked Questions

I enter my order number to register the program, but it doesn't work. What do I do?
Why can't I register Vanguard Control Center?

In the registration screen you need to enter your product registration code. For almost all users this will be your order number with a "-1" added to the end of it. Make sure you enter the whole order number, including extensions, if any, like "-AB123" and then the "-1". Also make sure you are using the order number for the order that Vanguard Control Center was on.

How do I access video from another computer using Vanguard Control Center?

When you run Vanguard Control Center, it makes your video available to people with the correct ID Code and Password through the Vanguard Control Center web service. To find your ID Code and change the password, click on the Options tab in Vanguard Control Center and then select the Remote User tab. Write down the ID code (a combination of 10 numbers and letters) to give to your remote users. You can change the password here as well.

To get the pictures from the remote computer, connect to the Internet, open your web browser and go to http://gate.x10.com. The Vanguard Control Center remote program will load. Enter the 10-digit ID and the password and click connect. You will connect to the server and should see live video in a couple seconds.

Will Vanguard Control Center work with my firewall or proxy server? How?

You can use Vanguard Control Center with a firewall or proxy server with no problems. If you can surf the Web, the Vanguard remote connection should work just fine.

When I start Vanguard Control Center, I get the message that "Vanguard requires an installed VA11A Video Capture Adapter" and it just closes when I click OK. My VA11A is plugged in, so why won't it work?

There are several factors that can affect this. The most important is the correct installation of the drivers for the X10 USB Video Capture Adapter (model VA11A).Check in the Windows Device Manager (Start | Settings | Control Panel | System | Device Manager) under "Image Capture Devices." There should be a listing for X10 VA11A, and it should be working properly -- no exclamation mark, question mark or red "X" icons in from of the device listing. If this is the case, try disconnecting the USB Adapter, re-starting your computer and connecting the adapter before running Vanguard Control Center. This should solve the problem.

If you don't have the correct lising in Device Manager, you should uninstall Vanguard Control Center and then reinstall it. It's important that when the installation software prompts you to connect the USB Video Capture Adapter that you do so before pressing OK or next. When you connect the USB Adapter, a new window should open that installs the drivers. If it doesn't, and you've never used a USB device on your PC before, you should contact your PC's technical support for help in getting the USB ports working.

Important note for Windows 98 users: If Windows asks you to insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM when loading the drivers for the X10 USB Video Capture Adapter, you must insert this disk for the installation to work. If you don't install the requested files, Vanguard Control Center may not work. If you skipped files during installation, unplug the VA11A and reinstall the software.

When I go to gate.x10.com, I see the broken image icon and I can't access the Vanguard Control Center controls.

There are three possible reasons for this problem:

1. You are not accessing gate.x10.com from a computer running Windows. You must be using a Microsoft Windows computer and Internet Explorer in order to use gate.x10.com.
2. You don't have ActiveX controls enabled in your web browser. ActiveX controls need to be enabled in order to access images through gate.x10.com.
3. You don't have the rights on your computer to install or run the Vanguard Control Center remote application. Even though it runs in your web browser, Vanguard Control Center remote installs a small program on your computer. If you are using Windows 2000 or Windows XP your user login may not have permission to install the program. Make sure you have rights on your computer to install software.

My VA11A, CM19A (or both) doesn't work when I plug it into my USB hub. How do I fix it?

USB hubs that don't have their own power supply may not put out enough power for all the devices plugged into them to work. Unplug all the devices from the hub and add one at a time to see how each will work. If possible, plug the X10 USB device directly into the USB port on the computer and use your USB hub for all other devices.

The Vanguard picture isn't clear on my computer. How do I fix it?

First, adjust the antennas on the video receiver and Vanguard Camera so that they point towards each other. The side of the camera’s antenna with the dot on it should face the side of the receiver’s antenna marked with four squares. You can also try moving the video receiver itself to another location near the TV. Sometimes moving it just a foot can make a big difference.

If the camera picture still doesn’t improve after adjusting the antennas and receiver position, try changing the channels on the camera and video receiver. The channel switch is on the bottom of both parts. Change the setting on both the camera and video receiver, making sure they are set to the same letter (A, B, C, or D). Try different letter settings to see if the picture improves.

You may still have trouble getting a clear picture if there is something in the area using the same frequencies the Vanguard Camera. The following things can interfere with the camera’s transmission: 2.4 gigahertz cordless phones, wireless networks, baby monitors, and microwave ovens. If you have any of these, turn them off to see if the problem goes away.

If your camera’s picture has been fine and suddenly becomes distorted or fuzzy, look for new things in your house that might be causing interference.