A little help? WiFi adapter for camcorder?

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David W. Richardson

Chapelgrove Films
Okay, I know the GoPro Hero has a Wifi BacPac that connects wirelessly to my laptop or tablet. With the right software, I can see what the camera sees.

I want that same capability for some of my other camcorders and DSLRs.

They all have some sort of video output. So my question is -- does anyone make a wifi adapter that will connect to the video output and let me view it on a laptop or tablet? I can't seem to find anything like that.
 
Obviously depending on your camera (connection) / budget.. I believe you're looking for something from Teradek, or cheaper, Nyrius. :thumbsup:
 
CSFilms said:
Obviously depending on your camera (connection) / budget.. I believe you're looking for something from Teradek, or cheaper, Nyrius. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

It looks like the Nyrius is solely for transmitting to a TV, similar to the Google ChromeCast in that respect. That's not what I'm looking for. I need to stream to a PC or tablet.

And yeah, the Teradek would do the job, but $600 is pricey.
 
Is there any particular reason you need to stream to a laptop/tablet, and not a monitor? Just because usually laptops/tablets don't have (HDMI) inputs, only outputs (The only laptops I know of that has an input is the Alienware 17/18). I believe Canon/Nikon DSLRs are able to stream to tablets with certain add on / devices. And I know Panasonic has their built-in / app to stream to tablets too.
But for a universal wireless-type device, I think that those are your only options really.

Maybe you can use a capture card to hook up the Nyrius to your laptop even? Not sure about this method as I'm just theory-crafting here. It'll just end up getting more expensive adding in more accessories too.
 
CSFilms said:
Is there any particular reason you need to stream to a laptop/tablet, and not a monitor? Just because usually laptops/tablets don't have (HDMI) inputs, only outputs (The only laptops I know of that has an input is the Alienware 17/18). I believe Canon/Nikon DSLRs are able to stream to tablets with certain add on / devices. And I know Panasonic has their built-in / app to stream to tablets too.
But for a universal wireless-type device, I think that those are your only options really.

Maybe you can use a capture card to hook up the Nyrius to your laptop even? Not sure about this method as I'm just theory-crafting here. It'll just end up getting more expensive adding in more accessories too.
Click to expand...

Nikon has an adapter -- the WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter -- that streams to Android-based devices -- smartphone, tablet, etc. -- but it only allows transfer of still pictures, and it only works on Nikon cameras. But that's similar to what I'm looking for.

My goal is to be able to use my 8" Windows 8.1 tablet as an external, camera-mounted monitor. Since it's not possible to cable the camera and tablet together, wireless is the only way to go.

HD streaming isn't strictly necessary, standard def would be fine for framing and focusing. So the device could pull the composite signal from the camera, rather than the HDMI output.

I'm considering trying to cobble together different things to make a workable device without spending a lot of money. But I'd prefer if something were already on the market.
 
It seems to me a lot of us could use a simple, inexpensive device like this. Couldn't we? Something that sends a video only -- not audio -- stream to our smartphones or tablets so we can use them as external monitors? Am I the only one who would use such a thing?
 
What camera are you trying to get this to work with? Nikon has their wifi adapter as you stated, and I know their D5300 for example has built-in wifi. Canon has the DSLR Controller app. And then with Panasonic you have built-in wifi on most of their models.
I was looking for a solution to stream video to my smartphone/tablet for a while for my Panasonic GH2 too. I was always hoping that the DSLR controller app would someday/somehow work for Panasonic. But I just upgraded to the GH4 and it already has it built-in. So I think you're probably going to be stuck either changing cameras if you really wanted this, or just buying a monitor + Nyrius.
 
I have a Canon T3i, but I'd like an adapter that would work on any camera with a composite output. Obviously it would be for use with DSLRs and camcorders that don't already have wifi built in.

I don't need a controller. I'm not looking to control the camera from the Windows tablet or laptop. I only want to monitor the video feed.

Of course I could change cameras and buy one with the wifi already built in. But there's no reason why I should have to do that if I can buy -- or rig -- a device that will provide wifi streaming from the cameras I have now.

Think about it. The GoPro Hero 3 (White Edition) has the wifi built into it, and can be bought for $200. The Canon R50 has wifi built in and can be bought for $350. Why would we need to spend $600 for a wifi unit alone? It doesn't make sense.

I have a Canon R500 -- essentially the same camera as the R50, but without the wifi. It sells for just $100 less than the R50. So again, why must it cost $600 to add wifi capability to an R500 through the use of an external device?

I've got a GoPro Hero 2 with the Wifi BacPac. Using free software I downloaded to my Windows XP netbook, I am able to see streaming video from the camera on my netbook via the wifi. The software is WiGo from Cam-Do.com. Here's the link -- http://cam-do.com/WiGo/

I've got half a mind to buy an extra GoPro Wifi BacPac and try to modify it to attach a composite plug so I can connect it to the composite output of my other cameras. This shouldn't be that complicated. But it still surprises me that there's not a relatively inexpensive solution for this already out there.
 
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You can use DSLR controller - http://dslrcontroller.com/ - for your t3i to monitor the video feed too. Not just "control". But obviously this only works your your t3i and not your other devices.

Unfortunately, I think we've covered all the options available. The cheapest solution really is just that DSLR Controller app. Otherwise you're stepping up to the Nyrius, which would need a monitor.
The problem really is that tablets don't have video inputs, only outputs. And most videographers probably have a monitor already if they wanted one. So there's no point in tablet manufacturers to add in an input without demand for it. (The normal tablet-user will probably just be using it to go on Facebook / browsing the web). A bit unfortunate since the Nexus 7 has such a nice screen for a really cheap price.
 
CSFilms said:
You can use DSLR controller - http://dslrcontroller.com/ - for your t3i to monitor the video feed too. Not just "control". But obviously this only works your your t3i and not your other devices.
Click to expand...

It also only works on Android devices, not Windows-based devices.

Unfortunately, I think we've covered all the options available. The cheapest solution really is just that DSLR Controller app. Otherwise you're stepping up to the Nyrius, which would need a monitor.
The problem really is that tablets don't have video inputs, only outputs. And most videographers probably have a monitor already if they wanted one. So there's no point in tablet manufacturers to add in an input without demand for it. (The normal tablet-user will probably just be using it to go on Facebook / browsing the web). A bit unfortunate since the Nexus 7 has such a nice screen for a really cheap price.
Click to expand...

Well maybe I'm the only person on Earth who wants something like this then. But I've got cameras and I've got a Windows-based tablet. If I can find a way to use the tablet as an external monitor on the cameras, without spending enough to BUY a new camera, then that's what I'm looking for. If no one else needs one, that's okay.
 
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