We strongly recommend for any installation, bench testing the components first, connecting cables and configuring the connection before running cables or drilling holes. This will allow you to more easily confirm operation, field of view etc. at the start of the project.
At the time of writing (Aug 2025) and with Nightwave Digital Firmware 2.1.6, Onvif scanning (which automatically detects and connects to IP cameras) does not work on the Simrad NSX 3012. Therefore the following instructions describe how to manually connect to this new camera.
There are a couple of important settings buried in the NSX menu that need to be enabled (turned ON) first.
We believe these can be found in:
Settings > System > Advanced… > Features > Video
- Show Video icon or "Video"
- Allow IP Cameras
- Show Video icon or "Video"
- Allow IP Cameras
Before starting, please review our other articles on Nightwave Digital installation,
plus the Installation Guide and User Guide
The technical articles include information on PoE Injector wiring. Please run the supplied network cable directly from the PoE Injector "Data In" port to the rear of your MFD (do not go through a switch or port expander)
plus the Installation Guide and User Guide
The technical articles include information on PoE Injector wiring. Please run the supplied network cable directly from the PoE Injector "Data In" port to the rear of your MFD (do not go through a switch or port expander)
With the "PoE Out" port connected to the camera, power on the PoE Injector with 12V, you will see the Nightwave start to boot up with a purple status LED on the front.
This will turn to blinking red after about a minute - to indicate it's waiting for a network address
You are eventually looking for solid red (network address acquired) status LED,
followed by solid Blue (when there is video streaming to the Simrad)
followed by solid Blue (when there is video streaming to the Simrad)
On the main screen of your MFD you should now see a SIONYX Tool panel icon, plus a Camera (video) icon.
If you see a solid red LED at this time, jump straight to the Resolution settings section below
Manually entering stream address
Manually entering stream address
If the Nightwave shows a blinking red LED, you will need to manually configure the network address as follows:
Click on the SIONYX Tool panel icon
Click "i" or "Camera Info" or "Info"- where you should see reported the IP address of the camera
(something like this: 169.254.8.224) please write this down.
Go back out to the main page, click the Video icon
Click on the SIONYX Tool panel icon
Click "i" or "Camera Info" or "Info"- where you should see reported the IP address of the camera
(something like this: 169.254.8.224) please write this down.
Go back out to the main page, click the Video icon
Click on the three horizontal lines in the top right
In the lower right you should see a "Manual IP" menu - enter that, and find the "Add Camera"/ "Add URL" field
Note whether this dialog is already populating the text "rtsp:" because you want to add a manual address correctly using the address you recorded. It will be of this format:
rtsp://<IP address>:554/lowres
In the lower right you should see a "Manual IP" menu - enter that, and find the "Add Camera"/ "Add URL" field
Note whether this dialog is already populating the text "rtsp:" because you want to add a manual address correctly using the address you recorded. It will be of this format:
rtsp://<IP address>:554/lowres
please check the syntax exactly and note that lowres should be in lower case.
The full, completed address should look like this:
rtsp://169.254.8.224:554/lowres
but the IP Address section will contain the numbers you previously recorded from the SIONYX Tool panel.
Add a camera name of your choosing
Then press the "add", "save" or "finish" button that you see.
Then press the "add", "save" or "finish" button that you see.
Please then power cycle both MFD and Nightwave Digital. This will take a couple of minutes.
Wait for the Nightwave to show a solid red light that will indicate a successful IP address connection.
Wait for the Nightwave to show a solid red light that will indicate a successful IP address connection.
Resolution settings
With a solid red status LED on the Nightwave, return to the SIONYX Tool panel
On the wrench page, select the lowest resolution setting available (e.g. 640 x 512)
On the wrench page, select the lowest resolution setting available (e.g. 640 x 512)
then Apply, then Reboot using the buttons on the same page.
This will reboot the camera again.
This will reboot the camera again.
When you go back to the Video icon, find the camera name you just created
and click on that to select the Nightwave Digital as the video source.
You may see "searching for Sionyx camera" for a while, but wait 45 seconds before you see
live video from the camera.
live video from the camera.
Please then test the Nightwave Digital at night. If you wish you can then experiment with incrementally increasing the resolution settings from the SIONYX Tool panel
(being sure to Apply, then Reboot using those buttons each time you make a change)
and observe video performance.
(being sure to Apply, then Reboot using those buttons each time you make a change)
and observe video performance.