What is the Mobile App & How Does it Work?
The Nightwave digital, color, night vision camera enables you to see what is ahead of you in very low light conditions. The live video output from a Nightwave can be viewed:
- Over analog video – typically to a Marine Multi-Function Display (MFD) or display monitor with an analog input.
- Over USB to a computer – like an external webcam
- Over Wi-Fi to a mobile device (table or phone) using the SIONYX mobile application
The SIONYX mobile app also contains controls and functionality to change the operation and output of the Nightwave camera. This article will focus on connecting your Nightwave to the mobile app.
The Nightwave camera runs as an access point (AP) – generating its own Wi-Fi signal that the SIONYX Mobile App will connect to. The Nightwave provides a network address to the mobile device, enabling the application to work - no password is needed. When you are connected to the Nightwave camera through the SIONYX Mobile App you can view live video, record, and save photos or videos.
What mobile devices can I use?
SIONYX Mobile App will run on most modern phones and tablets using either the iOS or Android operating systems. The camera will connect to one mobile device at a time. However, you can switch between different devices (see below for important information on this). The SIONYX Mobile App is not designed to run on Amazon Fire OS devices or MFDs.
How do I get the Mobile App?
Search for and download the SIONYX app from Apple store or Google Play store. It’s free and fast to download. The App with the black and white icon is for Nightwave (and OPSIN), the App with the teal-colored icon is for our Aurora camera.
How do I connect the Mobile App to my Nightwave?
When you connect to the camera from your mobile device it uses Bluetooth, and then connects over Wi-Fi. Both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are required, so please grant permissions (Allow, Join, etc.) when the app requests them.
You should establish connection to the Nightwave entirely through the SIONYX Mobile App.
Do not try to connect through your phone’s Wi-Fi settings as though you were joining a new Wi-Fi network.
- Open the SIONYX Mobile App and ADD Device
- If you have previously connected to the Nightwave from this mobile device (i.e. the Camera has previously been discovered by Bluetooth) and it is not currently connected, the icon for your camera will be shown as a white outline (left hand image below).
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used to discover the camera, once this happens the camera icon color will change to white (middle image below).
- You can touch the icon to connect to the camera (or long press the icon to access additional functions).
- When the icon of the camera changes to (mostly) black you are connected over Wi-Fi (right hand image below).
- Pressing the icon enables you to access live video, information, controls, and settings for the Nightwave.
Help! I’m having difficulty connecting the Mobile App to Nightwave
First off, please be patient and persistent - work slowly.
Make sure the Nightwave is connected to a clean, stable source of power (we suggest hardwired to 12V DC) so that the Nightwave displays a solid, Blue status LED on the rear of the camera.
If this is the first time you have connected to the Nightwave (or if the app has been updated) there will be new Firmware available that the app will offer to push to the Nightwave.
When updating Firmware, keep the mobile device close to the camera and do not power off the camera until after you are prompted to do so.
Once you have successfully updated Firmware or successfully connected to the Nightwave once, it will be much easier to connect again in the future.
Here are some important tips:
- If you are using a phone with T-Mobile as a carrier, please turn off Cellular Data from your settings. There is sometimes a protocol conflict with this specific carrier.
- If you see a spinning circle of dots, please wait a minute to let this process finish. If it does not complete, please close the mobile app and re-open it.
- For your first connection after re/downloading the SIONYX mobile app, and to ensure the most stable performance, we suggest disconnecting any pre-existing Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections from your mobile device.
- If your existing connections are not set to reconnect automatically, you can also achieve this by switching your mobile device to Airplane mode ON, then turning Bluetooth and WiFi back ON. (Cellular Data OFF if you use T-Mobile).
- With other Bluetooth and WiFi connections disconnected, but with both Bluetooth and WiFi turned ON, make sure the Nightwave is ON, with a solid Blue LED on the back.
- Make sure your mobile device is less than 2 meters (6 feet) from the camera.
- If you are unsuccessful in connecting you could try a different mobile device (e.g. a friend’s phone). The huge number of variations in different iOS / Android versions, different user settings, and installed applications mean that the experience connecting on one device versus another can be quite different.
To switch mobile devices, please close the SIONYX app on your first device.
*Wait 1 minute* for the Camera to release the network address. Always wait 1 minute with the app/s closed every time you switch mobile devices.
The Nightwave camera will only connect to a single mobile device at a time
Then try connecting on a second device.