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Wi-Fi connection fails
You have trouble connecting you camera to Wi-Fi.
Disconnected Wi-Fi
Turn the camera on, when powered up press DOWN arrow button on right side. When the Camera says "Waiting for Wi-Fi Connection" turn on the phone or tablet and open your Wi-Fi connection settings. Scan for new WAPS as needed. Then, select your the camera to you are trying to connect. From the phone/tablet, type in the password 1234567890 and choose CONNECT. The camera will display "Wi-Fi Connection Ready!"
Remote fails to connect to the camera
You have trouble connecting the remote to the camera.
Wi-Fi access point isn’t set up
Make sure to have the APP “iSmart DV” downloaded beforehand on your phone or tablet. Turn camera on, when powered up press DOWN arrow button on right side. Camera says "Waiting for Wi-Fi Connection." Turn on phone or tablet and open your Wi-Fi connection settings. Scan for new WAPS as needed. Select your camera to connect to. From phone/tablet, type in the password 1234567890 and choose CONNECT. Camera will display "Wi-Fi Connection Ready!" If you are still experiencing difficulties this link to a video can help.
Remote is out of battery
If your remote fails to connect to the camera is it also possible that the remote is out of battery. To change the remote's battery, use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws on the back of the remote. Pull out the back panel of the remote and carefully slide out the dead battery. Insert a new battery in it's place, and put the remote back together. The remote should be able to connect to the camera now.
Remote is wet
While the case for the camera is waterproof, the remote is not. Make sure the remote stays dry by placing it in a waterproof bag or try to maintain a dry environment when operating with the remote.
The battery does not last long
The battery doesn’t last for the amount of time specified by camera.
Battery not charged enough
Make sure that the camera is connected into an USB power supply, or a computer correctly. When the battery is charging, the camera’s light will remain ON. When it’s fully charged is going to turn off automatically.
USB cable is faulty
If the camera’s light doesn’t flash on after making sure is connected into a power supply then the USB cable might be faulty so it is recommended to use the AC charger that comes with the camera.
Battery has degraded
If the battery has been used considerably, it may have reached the end of it’s life. As batteries go through charge cycles, they slowly degrade, losing effective charge over time. If your battery has seen several years of service and is no longer holding a lengthy charge even when charged to full capacity, it may be time to replace the battery.
Audio is not clear
"You have trouble listening to sounds in recorded videos"
Audio microphone covered
Audio sounds grainy and static. Make sure that the camera’s audio microphone is not covered so that it is able to capture the audio in full range.
Bug in App
Download video to computer and check for sound in a video program. If there is sound on other program, it may be a bug in the camera app and not the file.
Sound turned off in settings
Go to Sounds Indicator in Settings to make sure playback sound is on and volume is at an adequate level.
Camera's case not clean
Make sure the camera’s case is not dirty so that the audio microphone area is not interfered. Here is a YouTube video that shows how to clean the camera's case that might help.
Faulty Microphone
If the other possibilities have been addressed and the audio still seems fuzzy or nonexistent, your device may have a damaged microphone. Follow this microphone replacement guide to swap it out for a functioning part.
SD is not recognized sometimes
The camera has trouble reading the SD card.
SD card is not compatible to the camera
The issue might have to do with the compatibility of your SD card with the camera model. A list of compatible capacities can be found here.
Card not properly formatted
To ensure that you do not lose any files, transfer all the files in the SD card to your computer to. Connect your micro SD to your computer using the appropriate adapter. Open My Computer by clicking on the Start button and clicking computer, Looking under drives, you will see your SD card listed under Devices with Removable Storage. Right-click on your SD card to view the context menu. Click on Format... to view the formatting options. Ensure that the File System is set to FAT32, which is the default for Windows 7 and newer PCs. tick, the box next to Quick Format. This will limit the formatting process to the bare essentials, making the whole process much faster. Finally, when you're ready, press the Start button and wait for the progress bar to fill up. When it's finished, remove your micro SD card and plug it back in to your smartphone.
Dust interfering with connection
Start by cleaning the contacts, or the metal pieces of the micro SD card. Take a soft-bristle toothbrush and wet the bristles with isopropyl alcohol. Then, use the wet brush to scrub off the contacts. Wipe dry with a towel. If you still see dust of film on the metal contacts, repeat the process. If cleaning the memory card didn't help, it's possible the card slot within the camera itself is dirty. First, use a can of compressed air to remove any dust or dirt that may have gotten inside. Don't blow inside—the moisture from your breath can cause more harm than good. As a last resort, you can purchase an inexpensive memory card cleaner like this one
Camera Freezes
camera does not respond
Battery Error
This may require the removal and re-insertion of the battery. This provides a type of reset for the system and should allow it to function properly once again.
Damaged SD card
Generally camera freezing up is an indicator of either the camera needs a software update or a sign a faulty microSD card. Take out the battery and reset the camera, then take out the potentially broken SD card and replace it with a new one.
SD card needs reformatting
The camera may became unresponsive and a solid red light will come on as soon as the camera is turned on. This indicated the need of reformatting the SD memory card to fix it.
Please see the above section regarding the reformatting process.
Camera won't turn on
Dark screen, camera screen does not turn on upon pressing on button.
Faulty Hardware
Dust off battery and plug device into a charging port. If blue light does not turn on, then there is a hardware problem. Take out one battery and insert the other battery. If problem is fixed, one of the batteries is faulty. Please see previous text for information on a faulty USB cable. If the problem persists, there is most likely a problem with another part of the hardware.
Faulty Power Button
If your camera seems to respond to power and indicator lights are showing while plugged in but the camera still doesn’t respond to the power button being pressed, you may have a faulty button. Follow the power button replacement guide to assist with installing a new button and hopefully turning on your device!
93 Comments
Camera turns on but screen on the back is blank and can not see what the camera is seeing. Red light on top stays constant. Some times camera turns on but can’t change the mode and buttons are not responsive
Ben Connolly - Reply
Ours is doing the same, did you get any guidance?
K ford -
From what I've determined, red light stuck at loading screen means it's dead. They sent me a new one after ignoring my calls and emails and i ultimately gave them a negative review (which then they finally responded). They wanted a 5 star review after sending me a replacement camera.
Daniel Cooley -
I MANGED TO FIX MINE HAD EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM AS ABOVE. TRY REMOVING SD CARD, REFORMATTING IT IN A LAPTOP, PUT BACK IN AND RESET CAMERA FROM INTERNAL MENU. i REALISED BY TAKING OUT SD CARD AND TRYING TO TURN ON MY SCREEN CAM BACK, SO I WENT DOWN THAT ROUTE. SEEMS PERFECTLY OK AGAIN NOW.
i DID HIT IT OFF A HARD SURFACE A COUPLE TIMES, NOT SURE THIS DID ANYTHING. :)
apex blim -
Yes, I have the same problem… camera comes on, back is blank, and red light is constant. Only way to turn it off is to remove battery.
Steven White - Reply