Tech question

[Captain Kidd]

A stab in the dark here:

I bought a hiicam speed 20 action camera (I'm guessing it's a gopro type knockoff). The directions are scant and I'm having trouble figuring out the camera. I've googled online sites and all I come up with are videos of what comes with the purchase as well as online manuals which I have. The basic functions are easy enough (on/off, pics/videos, basic settings, etc.). But I can't figure out the wifi function nor how to download data from the camera to the phone/computer, remote operation and such. I've downloaded the app and I believe that's suppose to be a part of the operation, but I'm not getting anywhere. Frustrated!

Anyone with this camera or similar, or can anyone direct me to some help? I was hoping to use it on the boat, so it is sailing related. LOL

[Doug SC]

I'm not familiar with that camera. I would think it uses a SD or micro-SD card for storage. I would just use the card to download to my PC and the PC to upload to my phone. I wouldn't want my phone storage used up by a lot of video and photo footage. I would just download the best shots.

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, I don't have that particular camera, but I'll give it a shot.
Lines from me will have 5 asterisks above and below my text, so you can tell my instructions, from the manual's instructions.
Here are some issues in no particular order:
1)  Specs.
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Check the line four up from the bottom: WiFi.  Note that it is 2.4G.
This refers to one of the two popular WiFi frequency ranges, 2.4GHz versus 5 GHz.
If your home ISP router (from your ISP, or Internet Service Provider) is 5GHz only, they ain't NEVER gonna talk to each other.
It's like trying to listen to an FM station, on an old AM radio; not gonna happen.
If your ISP can do both (most do) all you have to do is to select that mode (2.4Ghz.) so your phone can talk to the camera.
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From the Hiicam Speed 20 manual on Pg. 5:
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Turning on WiFi
When the camera is turned on, the following 3 methods are all suitable for
enabling WiFi:
(1) Swipe Down to enter shortcut mode the mode menu, and tap the WiFi icon
to turn on WiFi.
(2) Long press the Down button to enter the WiFi interface.
(3) Swipe UP on the screen to enter the mode menu and tap the WiFi icon to
turn on WiFi.
Turning off WiFi
In WiFi mode, tap the icon on the WiFi screen to turn off .

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IMHO, Method 2 is preferable, a long press.
This means that you touch the screen and hold your finger down until you see something happen on the camera screen, like the WiFi interface screen.
Wayyyy over on Pg.10, they mention connecting to the Hiicam app.
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Connecting to the Hiicam App
To connect your camera to the Hiicam app, please Download this app from the
App Store or Google Play to your smartphone first. When your camera is
connected to the Hiicam app, you can control it to capture, or change its
settings using your phone. You can also live preview, playback, Download,
edit, and share videos via this app. Please follow the instructions below to
connect your camera to the Hiicam app.
Scan Me
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Turn your phone camera on and scan the QR (Quick Response) code, which should take you to the app store for your brand of phone.
Once you get there, install the Hiicam app for the Speed 20.
*****

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Pg. 10 repeats the WiFi connection instructions from Pg. 5, so we'll ignore step 1. below and skip ahead to the 2nd half of Pg. 10:
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1. Turning on WiFi
When the camera is turned on, the following 3 methods are all suitable for
enabling WiFi:
(1) Swipe Down to enter shortcut mode the mode menu, and tap the WiFi icon
to turn on WiFi.
(2) Long press the Down button to enter the WiFi interface.
(3) Swipe UP on the screen to enter the mode menu and tap the WiFi icon to
turn on WiFi.

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(2nd half Pg. 10)
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2. Enter your phone's WiFi settings page, find the WiFi SSID in the list and tap
on it, then enter the password: 12345678 for connection.

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Here it gets a little wonky, as they assume you are an average IT network Geek.
Your phone's Service Set IDentifier (SSID) is simply the name of the WiFi network you use.
Here's an example from my own phone:
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The WiFi networks from my ISP have both 5GHz and 2.5GHz available to me; I usually use 5GHz, since it's faster.
I call my SSID Celtic_5, which is in the 5GHz band.
I also have a Celtic_2_5 SSID, which is in the 2.5GHz band.
So in my case, in order to talk to a Hiiicam Speed 20, I would need to swap over from Celtic_5 to Celtic_2_5, in order to even see the thing.
Actually more accurately, for the Hiicam Speed 20, to see ME.
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Warm tip: Once the camera WiFi is connected, it will give you a No Internet
Connection or Weak Security notice since your phone's 4G signal is blocked.
You can ignore it and continue the app connection; the screenshots provided
are for your reference only.

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Ya gotta love an interface that TELLS you, you're not going to see a connection or a Weak Security notice. 
Yeah, that gives me the warm fuzzies, about using that thing and allowing it onto my network! 
Anyway, continuing on:
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3. Open the Hiicam app, tap Enter Preview→Set Wi-Fi connection, then
select Speed20_xxxxxxx from the list and enter the password 12345678 to
establish a connection.

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This means that you get into WiFi connections as described above (long press, etc.) and look for an SSID that matches one on your phone.
Once you do that,  you should find a Speed 20_ xxxxxx somewhere on a menu, then select that.
This is so the camera and your phone can begin negotiations to communicate with each other.
Once your phone recognizes the Hiicam interloper, it will request a password which is: 12345678.
Key that number in on your phone and then the app should be able to operate your camera.
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4. Return to the app and tap on Enter Preview. Your camera will be
seamlessly connected to the Hiicam app within seconds.

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This is the app that is now on your phone and that was waiting for the communications to be accomplished, as described above
*****

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Doug, agreed. It does have a sd card, but I'd still like to be able to "talk" to the camera from the phone.

Charles, thanks for the thorough reply. I will go through it in detail this evening and let you know how it goes.

[Captain Kidd]

Charles,

The wifi service according to my phone is 2G and 5G. The 2G is checked.

I have accessed the wifi icon in the camera multiple ways.

App has been downloaded to phone.

All good until:

3. Open the Hiicam app, tap Enter Preview→Set Wi-Fi connection, then
select Speed20_xxxxxxx from the list and enter the password 12345678 to
establish a connection.

When I open the app, a short video is running which is followed by a "device" screen. When I press "Add Device", the app closes.

So I'm still stuck. Ideas?

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One more thing. When I swipe down to get the wifi icon, I get two QR codes. The right one is to "connect". When I scan it, I get this:

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I do have several trial videos saved in the camera.

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, I was a little mystified at your description. (A short-coming of being a literal-minded person!) 
So I decided to down load your Hiicam app.

Seems to be a classic case of prior assumptions from the engineers.
Starting with the video of the surfer and the biker, in the upper right hand corner of the screen, is a text button labeled "Skip".
Press Skip.

That opens a screen with a pic of the camera and text that says "Add device".
When you do that, a pop-up appears:
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Notice that it says: "Please press the power button on camera, and turn on WiFi." 

Sounds to me, like one of those deals where they expect the app to be running before the device is running.
(And didn't tell you, as much.) 
If it's not, the software might not know what to do and simply stops.
(Sounds like poor error-trapping, to a former software tester.)

Try this:
1) Turn off the app.
2) Turn off the camera.
3) Shut down and re-start the phone.
(Sometimes an app stays in memory, even after termination.  This keeps it honest.)
4) After phone restarts, start app.
5) After app starts, click on "Skip".
6) After pop-up screen displays, turn on camera.
7) Try connecting from there.

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Still not working. Everything turned on... I click "add device" and the app closes. I attempt to scan QR for "connect" to  and still get the message "no usable data found" which seems to indicate there is a connection but can't find data.

Here's a thought: Could my sd card be in backwards? I've tried to remove it just to do it. I can't get it out. The camera has files on it - trial pics and videos. I can see them in the files and play the videos. Is there some other memory in the camera besides the card?

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, your query:

Could my sd card be in backwards?

Is possible, but unlikely, due to the notch molded in to one side of the micro sd card.
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It would have to be forced and with that notch being on the wrong side, would force the micro sd to be cocked at an angle.

But before we get into all that, lets check out the easy things, first.
Is it possible the file format on the micro sd card that works fine in your computer, is not recognized by your camera?
From the manual on Pg.13:
Reformatting Your Memory Card
To keep your memory card in a good condition, reformat it on a regular basis.
Reformatting erases all of your content, so be sure to offload your photos and
videos first.
(1) Press and hold the Power button to turn on your Action Camera .
(2) Tap icon to enter the system settings screen, then tap icon to
switch to the system settings page and find the Format option, then select it.
(3) The screen shows Format the card? Cancel/OK.
(4) Tap OK, the screen shows SD card formatting..., and Formatting SD
Card completed！Then you format your memory card successfully.

This will be the first check, whether the card is installed correctly, or not.
1) Follow the formatting instructions from the manual.
2) Take a few pics and brief videos with the camera.
3) Review said pics and videos on the camera.
4) You mentioned trial videos and pics. If they are in some other memory on the camera (doubtful, but not impossible) this should eliminate them and allow you to use your known, just-taken pics as a reference.
If you're seeing all that, then the card is not installed backwards, although it may be simply stuck.

I've tried to remove it just to do it. I can't get it out.

So if it IS in backwards, you're faced with dwindling options.
1) It might feel stuck, simply because you can't get in there with "Fingers of a Certain Age".
If so, the corner of a credit card pushed against the micro sd card should allow enough compression, for the internal spring mechanism to release the micro sd card.

2) If it is well and truly stuck, more drastic measures are called for.
Firstly, do NOT use anything metallic. 
Easy for me to say; I simply reach into my electronics tool bag and remove my nylon tweezers and use those.
https://www.amazon.com/iFixit-Tipped-Straight-Tweezers-Electronics/dp/B0DD9LC92S/

Most of the time, that is sufficient.
For Hard Cases, where the nylon tweezers won't work, I also have ceramic tweezers with improved grip.
https://www.amazon.com/FEITA-Precision-Pointed-Ceramic-Tweezers/dp/B0CWLDDH24/

Usually, that ends up damaging the micro sd card, but at least the appliance that the micro sd card goes into, (i.e. your camera) can be used again with a new card.

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

BINGO!

We went to my daughter's for Thanksgiving dinner. I took the camera. Thought someone there might have some ideas. We went through the process and the phone connected right away after I registered. I guess that was the road block or maybe something at home was preventing it??? After I returned home, they were easy to connect as well. So I guess I'm good.

Downloading is slow. I think I'll get a card reader that will plug into my phone and/or computer. I'm ordering a few more SD cards and another portable charger. There's a black friday deal for a 60,000 mAh for $36. I've had a 10,000 that I've been using for several years. Comes in handy.

Oh, yeah, I got the sd card card out too. A sharp pointy knife did the trick with ease.

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, Congratulations on a successful outcome! 

Your observation:

Downloading is slow.

No kidding.
2.5GHz band WiFi has download speeds of typically 450 - 600 Mbps (Mega bits per second) which sounds like lickety-split, but there are issues.
For a little background (and painful arithmetic) a camera pic is made by figuring pixel height times pixel width times bit color depth, then dividing it by 8 bits per byte
For example: A 1280 pixel x 1024 pixel image with 24-bit color, has: 1280 bits times 1024 bits times 24 bits, divided by 8 which equals 3,932,160 bytes. (Actually 31,457,280 bits, which we'll get to in a minute.)
Whew!! 
That's why reasonably hi-res pics have such large file sizes.

But wait! It gets worse!! 
To download that over a WiFi system introduces some transmission overhead.
To make sure every packet of data gets there intact, they add a start bit and a stop bit, so the computer  can recognize the 8 bit byte.
So instead of 8 bits at a time there are 10 bits at a chunk, whizzing back and forth.
   
That 3,932,160 byte file size is really: 39,321,600 bits to go to the router.
Then when you add the start/stop router overhead necessary to transmit that data, NOW you have 49,152,000 bits to get from your camera, to your computer.
But, hey! Your WiFi at 2.4GHz can handle 450 - 600 million of those bits, per second.
OK divide bits by 450 or 600 million bits per second and you get from 80 to 100 milliseconds, to move that file data.
Fraction of a second!! NO PROBLEM!! 

Uhh . . . .  not exactly.
You can only get that speed IF:
You are standing right next to the WiFi router.
And nothing else is using the WiFi.
And no other devices are polling (trying to access) the router.
And there's no interference from other routers in the neighborhood.

Get some distance from the router, get some walls in between you and the router, get some other devices (door camera, smart thermostat, wife's phone, daughter's phone, etc. and you get slowed down to a crawl.
That 450 - 600 Mbps throughput out there in the Cold, Cruel, Real World, is closer to 30 - 50 Mbps for download times in excess of several seconds, or worse.
Multiply that by the 30 or 40 pics you took, before you got around to downloading and some patience is needed, indeed. 

External card readers can be the answer, but you better watch the specifications, like a hawk.
"Figures don't Lie, but Liars will Figure." 
Make certain your computer has USB 3.0 ports, or better.
Then make certain the card readers can take advantage of USB 3.0 throughput speeds.
Here's a link to several sd card readers:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lexar+professional+sd+card+reader
Read carefully! 
For example a card reader that brags about a 312 Mega Bytes per second read rate on a USB-C 3.0 port is not that big a deal, because it ALSO supports USB 2.0 ports, which are much slower.

An sd card that supports only USB-C 3.2 might have a 10Gbps transfer rate.
Big difference, even though they kinda sounded the same, huh?
Read it again.
One reader is specifying 312 million bytes per second (312Mb) and the other is specifying 10 gigabits per second.  You need to either multiply one number by 8 bits, or divide the other number by 8 bits, to get rid of the apples/oranges confusion between bits and bytes, to find the REAL throughput.

Hope this helps,
Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Wow! I figured I needed a faster way. I just ordered this reader before opening my thread and reading your post. Looks like I can plug this into my phone or computer.

Does this one look ok?

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[Jim B., CD-25]

I've been using action cameras, 360 cameras, drones, and similar (my current favorite is the DJI Osmo Pocket 3) for over a decade.  If your camera has a USB connection, rather than pulling the micro SD card out, I just connect a USB-C cable to my laptop, click on "download" and let the transfer begin.  MUCH faster than wifi, and if they are huge files, I can do something else while the download is happening.

Downloading images and videos from an action cam is just the beginning... these cameras all have wide angle lenses, so you'll generally need to crop and enhance (punch up the color and contrast) each image.  If you're shooting video, the files will be substantially bigger, depending on the resolution you choose when shooting.  And then you have to do something with the video; as in: edit clips, adjust the audio (you didn't get a wireless remote microphone?), color grade the video, arrange the edited video clips into something you will actually watch in a video editing program, where you will add titles, transitions, and music (make sure it is royalty free, or YouTube may reject it).  Yeah, then upload it to YouTube so you can share it with friends and family, and that upload will make downloading the images off the camera seem fast.

Whew!  I used to do this stuff for a living, and it generally takes me 3 hours or more to edit down to a 15 minute video; more if I am using two cameras.

Is it worth it?  I think so.  Over 300 YouTube videos, that I shoot and edit for my own entertainment.  Some of them get thousands of view, some of them 50 or 60.  I started out with the idea that I'd use that first GoPro3 (what a piece of crap) for photos while on our boat or while driving commercial whale watch boats... that didn't work out for me because of that extreme wide angle view - perfect for capturing "action", but not so good for scenery.  So, if you want to get photos of yourself on the boat, that's a good use for these cameras.  Keep in mind you'll need a selfie stick and some way to remotely trigger the shutter.  Then, extra batteries.  Oh, and a charger for those batteries.  And, more mounts so you can clip the camera to a stanchion, or your chest, or your forehead.

The camera is just the beginning. 

[Captain Kidd]

The camera is just the beginning. 

Whew! What a task!

I have no aspirations of getting a following or making money. This is simply for personal/family use, maybe posting on a forum or two. I do enjoy watching other's videos.

I did make a video for our church's 100th anniversary that required some editing, adding music, with a mix of stills and video. But that's about it. It was a chore, so I'm under no delusion of this being easy if I want to do quality work.

Thanks for chiming in.

[Charles Brennan]

Dale, you probably could not have picked a better one, if you had actually read my response first!

Charles Brennan

[Captain Kidd]

Dale, you probably could not have picked a better one, if you had actually read my response first!

Charles Brennan

What do they say? Even a broken clock is right twice a day!