Eye-Fi: A report from the field

[Tony_Gamble]

"I don't think the the EyeFi can be set up to work without a router"

Odd, then, that they quote an outdoor distance figure. Pretty hard to use a router outdoors as, in my experience anyway, routers need mains power.

Tony

[ThomasSapiano]

Originally Posted by Tony_Gamble

"I don't think the the EyeFi can be set up to work without a router"

Odd, then, that they quote an outdoor distance figure. Pretty hard to use a router outdoors as, in my experience anyway, routers need mains power.

Ourdoor range is generally just a way of saying what the range of the device is when there are no obstructions between the two devices. In order to communicate directly with a computer, the EyeFi must be able to operate in ad-hoc mode (communication with the use of a router/AP uses infrastructure mode). There are a few caveats with this (eg most 802.11g devices revert to 802.11b speeds when in ad-hoc), so if it is possible, the use of an infrastructure network is preferable.

As for routers that can be used in the field, there are a few options. D-Link has a pocket router (DWL-G730AP) that can optionally draw power from a USB port instead of a mains outlet. It's a small unit with an internal antenna so it's range isn't as good as standard routers, however it can be quite useful when working in environments where plugging things in is difficult/impossible. Alternately, ZyXel makes a couple of USB wireless adapters (G220, AG225H) that have software-AP functions that will allow other devices to communicate with them in infrastructure mode directly.

[ChrisPurves]

I'm glad that others have theirs working. I read the first part of this thread and was encouraged to try mine again. It seems to sign in, I get a confirmation from my laptop that it is trying to receive but nothing happens. My router is on the second floor and the laptop was in the living room. I even formatted the card and moved the camera and laptop into the office and still nothing happens. Any tips?

Cheers
Chris

[ChrisPerry]

Prolly just a distance thing. Does it work on the second floor?

My office (and router) are at one extreme end of my house in an addition, on the first floor. If I go to my basement studio then I lose the signal, but when I get back in range it picks up downloading where it left off. I've also found keeping my hand curled around the grip, and therefore over the card slot, will decrease the range.

I bought a second router for location use - otherwise I have to bring the one that's used on the network and that brings the network -and my vonage phones - offline.

It is possible to set up a second router not as a router, but more as a relay. I plan to do this with the second unit, putting it in the studio and that should fix the range issue. A friend in the computer biz told me the two settings I have to change to accomplish this...one is to turn off DHCP so only one router is serving addresses, and I forget what the second thing was...if only I could find the notes I made.

[Tony_Gamble]

And a question for those who have managed to make the gizmo work, please.

How long does it take before you can take a second shot?

Tony

[ChrisPerry]

Originally Posted by Tony_Gamble

And a question for those who have managed to make the gizmo work, please.

How long does it take before you can take a second shot?

Tony

How fast can you push the shutter button?
The card includes 2Gb of memory, and only transfer JPG files. So if you shoot Med JPG the transfer speed is good and the card holds 1000+ images. The transfer will pick up where it left off if interrupted (loss of signal, something got turned off).
As to how many images per second or minute that it can transfer I don't know - I was shooting portraits on location, usually 4 per client so they could pick a their fave, and allow for blinks, and my assistant never waited on the equipment.

[ChrisPurves]

Originally Posted by ChrisPerry

Prolly just a distance thing. Does it work on the second floor?
.

I tried the camera and the laptop in the same room as the router. Nothing.

I'm going to try to reconfig it tonight. It looks like everthing is set up correctly - I can't get it to do anything after I take the photo.

Cheers
Chris

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