OPSIN Mobile Application connection guide

What is the Sionyx Mobile App & How Does it Work?

The OPSIN is capable of generating a WiFi signal to stream video to a phone or tablet running the SIONYX mobile application. WiFi streaming performance can be impacted by a number of factors including Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), mobile hardware, other installed applications, mobile device user settings, and distance between the OPSIN and mobile device. This guide is intended to help you overcome many of these and successfully connect to your OPSIN to the SIONYX mobile app.

The OPSIN can generate it's own Wi-Fi signal that the SIONYX Mobile App will connect to. The OPSIN uses Bluetooth (BLE) to provide a single network address to the mobile device, enabling Wi-Fi communication with the mobile application. Because the OPSIN only issues ONE network address, it is important to ensure that your phone's native WiFi does not grab this address first and prevent the SIONYX mobile application from connecting. No password is needed to connect using the Sionyx mobile application - if you see a request for a password, this is your phone's WiFi trying to connect to the OPSIN -  which is undesirable.

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, it is possible to switch between different mobile devices (see below for important information on this).   SIONYX Mobile App is not designed to run on Amazon Fire OS devices or marine multifunction displays.

How do I get the Mobile App?

Make sure your OPSIN is running the latest Firmware

You should be running at least FW v24.2.1 for the best Wi-Fi performance and latest OPSIN functionality. Step by step instructions on upgrading from older versions of Firmware are provided here: https://www.sionyx.com/pages/opsin-firmware

How do I connect the Mobile App to my OPSIN?

Once you have checked you have the latest OPSIN firmware installed, Turn your OPSIN on and using the on menu visible through the Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), make sure Wi-Fi is enabled.  The two blue arrows in this image show Wi-Fi disabled.

and after Enabling:

Wi-Fi Status is shown through the OPSIN’s EVF as described on p.24 of the OPSIN User Manual

As described above, when you connect to the OPSIN 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. 
No data is collected or sent outside of the direct connection between your mobile device and the camera.

• Open the SIONYX Mobile App and ADD Device:
   select the entry shown for OPSIN_[Address]
  Images shown are taken from a phone using an Android OS 
• If you have previously connected to the OPSIN from this mobile device (i.e. the Camera has previously been discovered by Bluetooth) and it is not currently connected, the icon for your OPSIN will be shown as a white outline (left hand image below). 
  (Short) press the camera icon 
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used to discover the camera, once this happens the background of the camera icon will change to white (middle image below). 
• (short) Press the camera icon again to connect to the camera (or long press the icon to access additional functions).
• When the icon background changes to black you are connected over Wi-Fi (right hand image below).
• (short) Pressing the icon again enables you to access live video, information, controls, and settings for the OPSIN.  

The upper part of the video screen from the OPSIN live stream with the control panel expanded:

The controls available through the app use the same icons as described in the OPSIN User Manual, p.22 onwards.

Help! I’m having difficulty connecting the Mobile App to my OPSIN

First off, please be patient and persistent - work slowly. 

Make sure the OPSIN is running the latest Firmware followed by a Factory Reset.

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.
  
  
• Make sure you are using the latest version of the Sionyx mobile app by deleting the app and re-downloading it.
  
  
• Make sure the OPSIN's Wi-Fi is enabled, as indicated by the status icon in the top right of the EVF.
  
  
• Make sure your mobile device is less than 2 meters (6 feet) from the OPSIN.
  
  
• Close all other applications on your phone / tablet
   
  
• 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.
   
• With the app closed, please disconnect / forget any pre-existing Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections listed for the OPSIN in the Settings pages of your mobile device. As described above, with some configurations, the mobile device can try to establish a connection with the OPSIN using its own networking capability, which will then block the mobile app from connecting with this single network address.
  
  
• 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).
   
  
• If you are unsuccessful in connecting you could try a different mobile device (e.g. a friend or relative'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 OPSIN to release the network address. Always wait 1 minute with the app/s closed every time you switch mobile devices.
  The OPSIN will only connect to a single mobile device at a time
  Then try connecting on a second device.