WiFi Portable Microscope questions

[dennisma]

Questions about the wifi microscope here: http://www.adafruit.com/products/1276

1. Does it require an Android/iOS app? If so which one(s)?
2. Can a PC (Win/Mac/Linux) also connect to it?

There is no brand name nor user guide posted so I would be hesitant to purchase this without more info.

[adafruit_support_bill]

It works with iOS, Android or most any WiFi enabled computer. Software (on CD) is included.

[adafruit]

For iOS we used netCamViewer
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/netcamv ... 84874?mt=8
It works great
You can use any IP camera viewer for PC/Mac - we were most interested in use for iOS since its the hardest to get working

[dennisma]

Just FYI for anyone using this with an Android device.

There is an Android APK app called Hotviewer on the CD that comes with the camera. I installed it on two different Android tablets: an older Asus TF101 and a Nexus 7. The app works but at times it would crash. The app has a snapshot capability which stopped working after a while. The user guide is in English but the software support site is all in Chinese. After Google translation it appears there is no update to the APK.

Also using the app on either tablet the frame rate was horrendous. Instead of 20 fps it was more like 1 frame every 4 seconds. Just terrible lag.

Now I was able to connect to this microscope from a PC using an IP camera viewer from CNET's download site. I was able to get 20 fps using that software so the scope is fine it is the Android APK that appears to be a problem.

Update: There is a Youtube video of this same scope working with an Android tablet https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x8pGJoz3g-k#!

[dpentecost]

Please post a brief tutorial for setting this up with NetcamViewer on iOS. It is not intuitive and the instructions on their site are not complete. Telling us it works great is not enough. I believe it does work - once it is configured.

I found this tutorial but it is showing a different version of the software:
http://www.lightinthebox.com/wireless-d ... escription

All I have been able to determine is that the camera default SSID is HOT. I can find its IP address on my iPhone. I can connect to it as a WiFi hotspot. But the configuration of the app is unclear. Type of Camera? Name and password? Port? It is not found in the local discovery mode. How do I get beyond this point and see the microscope output in the viewer app?

BTW most modern Macs do not come with optical disk drives, and putting this mini CD into a slot loading drive is problematic. If there is a place to download the software, I have not found it. Can you make the software available for download? Is the software on CD Mac compatible?

Thanks!

[dpentecost]

Okay, through trial and error, I found a setting that worked for about 10 minutes (I suspect that the microscope was not charged up enough) before my iPhone reverted to its normal WiFi router setting.

Connect to the SSID named HOT. It is unlocked and requires no password.

Enter the name HOT (for now) in the Edit Camera page of the NetcamViewer app.

Under Connection, enter 10.10.1.1 and port 8196 - remember, the microscope is acting as the router, so you need to enter the router IP address from the WiFi information for HOT on the iPhone.

Authentication - no entries

I tried different camera types until I found one that worked - Canon.

Leave PTZ option (Options under camera type) turned off.

Hit Done until you see HOT under Cameras. Select Hot and then wait for it to connect.

If you are lucky, it will work. I am currently charging the microscope more to see if that helps. The HOT spot is very spotty so far.

Good Luck! Adafruit, do you have any tips?

[dpentecost]

Charged for several hours. Failed to come up as WiFi router. Then failed to work altogether - would not turn on, lights would not light. Too bad.

[adafruit_support_bill]

@dpentecost - Please contact support@adafruit.com with a link to this thread to arrange for a replacement.

[dpentecost]

Please advise on return, refund, or replacement.

BTW, happy Adafruit customer on all orders up until this one. It happens.

[adafruit_support_bill]

Please contact support@adafruit.com. They will take care of replacing that for you.