DIY wifi-tether for DSLR
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**jjswee** · 05-13-2009 10:37 PM

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/...-wi-fi-tether/

http://petetek.blogspot.com/2009/05/...-solution.html

At around $800, Nikon’s remote WT-4a should really be called the WT-F. The Wireless Transmitter sends images from camera to computer over Wi-Fi, useful for tethered shooting. It also lets you remote control your camera using Nikon’s (terrible) Camera Control 2 software.

But, like we said, it’s $800. Pete Tsai took a look and though “I can do that.” The other way to hook up a Nikon camera to a computer is via USB, so why not Wireless USB (WUSB)? He bought an off-the-shelf adapter and, with minimal tweaking, got full remote access. The price? $40.

Very cool stuff. I am looking at that little price tag of 40 dollars and trying to think if I would ever use it. Is the Canon tether software free?

Link to the usb wireless kit: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GV00ZM/...g=cnet-2941-20

**Tylersladen** · 05-13-2009 11:07 PM

I can only see it used for studio work.

**Idjiit** · 05-13-2009 11:08 PM

Originally Posted by Tylersladen

I can only see it used for studio work.

Too bad for you.

**Tylersladen** · 05-13-2009 11:22 PM

Im curious what you see it worth 800$ for.

**jacobsen1** · 05-13-2009 11:24 PM

damn, I wonder what tweaks they really did (too late to read those links right now). But for $40 I'm tempted to give it a try....

**Idjiit** · 05-13-2009 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by Tylersladen

Im curious what you see it worth 800$ for.

Try reading (and understanding) the article first.

**jjswee** · 05-13-2009 11:42 PM

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

damn, I wonder what tweaks they really did (too late to read those links right now). But for $40 I'm tempted to give it a try....

Modified the usb to run on batteries.

**Idjiit** · 05-13-2009 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

damn, I wonder what tweaks they really did (too late to read those links right now). But for $40 I'm tempted to give it a try....

There's not much to it, really. The biggest thing is that you need a power supply since the camera can't power the USB dongle. From there it's just like you have a USB connection, so in this case you can do anything you can do in Nikon Camera Control - including Live View previews, etc. Everything's a bit slower, but purportedly faster than you'd get with the Nikon WRT-4a, which uses a slower protocol.

**seattle** · 05-14-2009 01:12 AM

Cool setup. I may have to try that out.

**ride5000** · 05-14-2009 06:57 AM

why the hell not?? looks good to me!

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 08:51 AM

PC only.

although that could just mean I run it under VMware.

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 11:08 AM

confused. how does it "connect" to the PC so the software recognizes it? the build is detailed in the blog, but not the hookup to the PC. (and yes I know it really doesn't hookup to the PC, it is wireless, but the computer still needs to recognize it.)

**cdvma** · 05-14-2009 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by AdrianJudy

confused. how does it "connect" to the PC so the software recognizes it? the build is detailed in the blog, but not the hookup to the PC. (and yes I know it really doesn't hookup to the PC, it is wireless, but the computer still needs to recognize it.)

Its a wireless USB connection.

**jjswee** · 05-14-2009 11:18 AM

Its usb to usb, but just with a wireless connection. It doesn't connect to the router.

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 11:26 AM

nevermind. I thought it was 802.11 wireless stuff, but I now see it is a USB over wireless not just a usb wireless adapter.

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 11:26 AM

That is pretty awesome.

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 11:45 AM

why couldn't you use one of those cell phone emergency battery packs to run this? they usually have a USB plug available don't they?

**jjswee** · 05-14-2009 11:51 AM

you need to still plug the usb into the camera. A usb pack wont work unless it goes inline.

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 11:59 AM

you need the USB to plug into the camera, the power has it's own "port".

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 11:59 AM

or if you could rewire the USB ports to split off the power wires to use something like one of these...http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...&tab=techSpecs

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 12:04 PM

pins 1 & 4 on the USB are the power pins. why couldn't you pull those out to one plug that goes to this battery deal and send pins 2&3 to the camera? I am not a huge electronics guy, so I am probably missing something here, but why wouldn't that work?

**jjswee** · 05-14-2009 12:08 PM

You're on to something. Buy a Y USB cable like this:

Should work.

**jjswee** · 05-14-2009 12:10 PM

and this: http://www.bixnet.com/usbbaboxc4aa.html

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by jjswee

and this: http://www.bixnet.com/usbbaboxc4aa.html

Nice, no custom wiring needed then.

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 12:36 PM

wait, so that 4xAA USB deal, the wireless USB things, and then a USB to miniUSB adapter and it might work?

and do we know that wireless deal will work with a powered USB port, or does it NEED to get it's power via a wallwort and specific power plug?

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 12:42 PM

check this out:
http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/revie...ver-with-base/

watch the video. It shows the dock with the power supply... That's the end you'd use on the camera, so it's putting that power in into the USB of the dongle, so you're idea should work...

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

wait, so that 4xAA USB deal, the wireless USB things, and then a USB to miniUSB adapter and it might work?

and do we know that wireless deal will work with a powered USB port, or does it NEED to get it's power via a wallwort and specific power plug?

Dude had it working by hacking a cable from the dongle to a 4xAAA battery pack. so a wall outlet wouldn't be necessary, we are talking wireless here, so that would defeat the purpose.

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 12:44 PM

I would think as long as it had 5v power, it wouldn't care where it came from. besides, to plug it into a wall, it has to be converted to DC and stepped down to 5v, so what is the difference? same as a 5v battery.

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Dude had it working by hacking a cable from the dongle to a 4xAAA battery pack. so a wall outlet wouldn't be necessary, we are talking wireless here, so that would defeat the purpose.

I know that, I was just thinking he was still using the power IN on the dock is all.

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

I know that, I was just thinking he was still using the power IN on the dock is all.

Oh, I was wondering

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 12:51 PM

I wonder if it transfers RAW files?

**Idjiit** · 05-14-2009 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by thomps6s

I wonder if it transfers RAW files?

It will do anything you can do with a normal USB connection, just slower.

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 12:56 PM

why wouldn't it? It should do whatever tethered shooting does right?

my issue would be the distance though. You're already forced to use canon's (or your cameras) tethered option which isn't designed for this, but on top of that this is good for how far? It's just that for me to use something like this, I want it to work in my entire house, if I'm out of range it needs to transfer when I come back into range, and it needs to just DL the images. I think the build wifi crap all does that, but this won't.

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

why wouldn't it? It should do whatever tethered shooting does right?

my issue would be the distance though. You're already forced to use canon's (or your cameras) tethered option which isn't designed for this, but on top of that this is good for how far? It's just that for me to use something like this, I want it to work in my entire house, if I'm out of range it needs to transfer when I come back into range, and it needs to just DL the images. I think the build wifi crap all does that, but this won't.

There is a way to have it dump into Lightroom as well, but it must go through Canon or Nikon's tethering software first, right?

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 12:59 PM

here's another thought... use the dock. then all you need is a wire from the 5v battery pack to the dock, and a usb-mini usb right angle cable from the dock to the camera. you could even glue the dock to a shoe adapter so the whole deal (minus the battery) would sit on top of the camera. I'm sure you could mount a 1/4 inch screw to the battery pack and screw it in the tripod mount, or get a cheap tripod mounting bracket and glue to to the battery and use your tripod's plate on the camera. am I too excited about this? I should probably be working today, but... nah.

**Idjiit** · 05-14-2009 01:00 PM

Yeah, the important thing to understand is that you're taking advantage of the camera/software's USB capabilities which frankly aren't all that hot. This is a cool hack, but it's not a replacement for the wireless units Canon and Nikon have - you cannot do the same stuff, and you likely will have the camera "freeze" at points as you do if you're shooting tethered. The tethered solution to begin with is problematic, so this will be as problematic or worse.

**thomps6s** · 05-14-2009 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by AdrianJudy

here's another thought... use the dock. then all you need is a wire from the 5v battery pack to the dock, and a usb-mini usb right angle cable from the dock to the camera. you could even glue the dock to a shoe adapter so the whole deal (minus the battery) would sit on top of the camera. I'm sure you could mount a 1/4 inch screw to the battery pack and screw it in the tripod mount, or get a cheap tripod mounting bracket and glue to to the battery and use your tripod's plate on the camera. am I too excited about this? I should probably be working today, but... nah.

Are you by chance the person who started this project? If so cool, I just find it interesting that this is the only thread you have participated in. Which is fine, I am just curious is all.
If you are the guy, great write up and awesome idea.

**jacobsen1** · 05-14-2009 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by AdrianJudy

here's another thought... use the dock.

isn't that how it's done in the pic up top?
and yeah, that's why I'm getting confused with everyone's USB power suggestions, not that they couldn't work (and it would make it much easier), just that the pic up top uses the dock if I'm not mistaken.

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Are you by chance the person who started this project? If so cool, I just find it interesting that this is the only thread you have participated in. Which is fine, I am just curious is all.
If you are the guy, great write up and awesome idea.

no, I have just gotten into photography in the last 6-7 months and have been looking at DIY projects and found NSOP a couple months ago. Just hasn't been much activity recently to comment on. plus I do computer work as a vocation, so this one struck a double chord with me. Glad to participate and hope to do so more in the future.

**AdrianJudy** · 05-14-2009 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

isn't that how it's done in the pic up top?
and yeah, that's why I'm getting confused with everyone's USB power suggestions, not that they couldn't work (and it would make it much easier), just that the pic up top uses the dock if I'm not mistaken.

oh yeah! totally missed that. believed for a second I had an original thought. oh well.

**marcus.raw** · 05-14-2009 05:03 PM

why not just wait till eye-fi comes out with a CF card?
http://www.eye.fi/cards/

**Idjiit** · 05-14-2009 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by marcus.raw

why not just wait till eye-fi comes out with a CF card?
http://www.eye.fi/cards/

Or just use a CF->SD adapter and use the Eye-Fi. But the Eye-Fi just transfers images, has limitations on what it can transfer, poor range, etc. Compared to this solution, it doesn't provide tethering in the sense that you have control over the camera so you couldn't use it for remote shooting, etc.

**marcus.raw** · 05-14-2009 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by Idjiit

Or just use a CF->SD adapter and use the Eye-Fi. But the Eye-Fi just transfers images, has limitations on what it can transfer, poor range, etc. Compared to this solution, it doesn't provide tethering in the sense that you have control over the camera so you couldn't use it for remote shooting, etc.

thanks for the clarification =)

**Kilonad** · 05-17-2009 12:12 AM

edit: that's what i get for reading bottom-to-top

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