SAMi Alert Australia

Rapidly flashing power light

The power light on your SAMi camera flashing continuously and rapidly means that its firmware has been erased. This should never happen and usually indicates that the camera has failed and needs to be replaced. See here for a replacement camera offer. If your camera model is a SAMi-3 you may be able to recover it using the instructions below. This requires access to a computer with an Ethernet jack running Microsoft Windows and some familiarity with Command Prompt and networking.

1. If you haven't already received the firmware from us send a message to SAMi customer support requesting it. Be sure to include the camera product code. This is found on the back of the camera and is in the form "SAMi-3" or "SAMi-3a".
2. Unzip the recovery file you received from us.
3. Set the IP address for the computer's Ethernet jack to "193.168.168.50" and the Subnet mask to "255.255.255.0".
4. Connect the SAMi-3 directly to your computer's Ethernet jack with an Ethernet wire and plug in the camera. Confirm that the camera's power light is rapidly flashing.
5. Double click on "recover.bat" in the unzipped folder.
6. The firmware will be sent to the camera and the camera power light should stop flashing.
7. When the camera power light starts to flash slowly (after about a minute) the firmware update is complete.

My iPod Touch is not responding well to touches.

The most common cause for touch response problems with the iPod touch is using a non-Apple brand USB power adapter or lightning cable. Next, try resetting your iPod. Start the settings app and then choose General/Reset/Reset All Settings. This will not affect your recordings. If that doesn't work, try removing the case and see if the iPod responds better. If it works better, clean the iPod and case, this might fix it.

My camera was working, but now I get the message "Camera is probably off or not connected to the network."

Here are some troubleshooting steps and things to try.

• Check that the camera power light is on and green.
  • If the power light is off, unplug the camera and plug it back in. Watch for it to turn on green, then red, then green. If it remains off, check the the round power plug is securely plugged into the back of the camera. If it is, try plugging the camera in to a different outlet.
  • If the power light is on and red, this means the camera has not been able to connect to your router. First try power cycling the camera. If that doesn't work, try restarting the router. If the light does not go on green, red, then stay green follow these instructions to re-connect the camera to the router.
  • If the power light is blinking, contact us.
• Check that your iPhone/iPod/iPad is connected to the WiFi network your SAMi-3 is connected to.
• Try rebooting your router. For most routers you can simply unplug it and plug it back in. If your router has a battery backup you will need to find the reset button and press it.
• Try restarting your camera. Unplug it and plug it back in.
• Try resetting your iPhone/iPod/iPad network settings. This is found in your iOS device's settings app. Choose General/Reset/Reset Network Settings. This will not remove any data or settings other than the password for your WiFi network.
• Last, while the camera is on press the reset button using an opened paperclip in the hole on the side of the camera. Make sure the camera has been on for at least a minute before you press the reset. If you are using a SAMi router, the camera will reconnect automatically. If you are using your own router, follow these instructions to re-connect the camera to the router.

My iPod won't turn on or charge.My iPod won't turn on or charge.

We occasionally see iPods that stop charging and appear to be completely dead (no display at all). The cause is not clear, it may be associated with letting the iPod battery completely drain. We recommend leaving the iPod connected to an Apple brand charger. If you are running on battery power and get a low battery warning either immediately connect the iPod to a charger or exit the SAMi app and turn the iPod off. To recover your iPod: The first thing to try is connect the iPod to a different charger. Let it stay connected for 1/2 hr or longer. If the display continues to stay off and the iPod does not respond to button presses then these steps will usually fix the issue.

1. Connect the iPod to a computer and run iTunes.
2. Press and hold the power and home buttons for 10 seconds.
3. While holding the home button, release the power button
4. iTunes should respond with a message that the iPod is in recovery mode and needs to be restored. Let go of the home button. Note that the iPod screen will still be blank but the iPod is running.
5. If you don't get the iTunes message, leave it connected for 1/2 hour, then try again. Be sure to continue to hold the home button when you release the power button.
6. Follow the instructions to restore the iPod. This will clear all the data from your iPod, this is unfortunately unavoidable.

When I try to add a camera it asks for a QR code?

If you see this you have installed the wrong SAMi app (you have the one for the older SAMi-2 camera). Search the app store for "SAMi3" and install the app called "SAMi3 Sleep Activity Monitor By HiPass Design LLC". Here is a direct link:

I can't see an image from the camera.

The iOS device has lost communications with the SAMi network camera. Here are some things to try: 1. Confirm that the camera is plugged in. 2. Try unplugging and replugging the camera (power cycle it). 3. Check that your iOS device is connected to your WiFi network and confirm that you see the Wi-Fi symbol on the status bar in the upper left. If you do, confirm that the iOS device is connected to the same W-iFi network that the SAMi network camera is connected to. If none of the above works then: 1. Plug the camera into the Wi-Fi router using an Ethernet cable. 2. Try and connect with the SAMi app while standing near the router. If this does not work, go through the camera setup steps again. If it still does not work, contact support. If steps 1 and 2 do work: 3. Disconnect the Ethernet cable, power cycle the camera, and try again with both you and the camera still near the Wi-Fi router. If this does not work, contact support. If it does work: 4. Leave the SAMi network camera near the router and move with your iOS device to the location you normally want to monitor from. Confirm it is still working. If it is not working, then your Wi-Fi signal level is too low at the location you want to monitor from. You will either need to move the WiFi router closer to where you want to monitor from or add a Wi-Fi repeater. Next: 5. Move the SAMi network camera to the location to be monitored, then stand by the router with your iPhone/iPod and confirm it is working. If it is not, then you do not have a strong enough Wi-Fi signal for the SAMi camera. Move the Wi-Fi router closer to the camera location or add a Wi-Fi repeater. Finally: 6. Walk back with your iPhone/iPod/iPad to the location you normally want to monitor from and confirm it is still working. If it is not working, then move the Wi-Fi router closer to both locations or add one or more WiFi repeaters.

Why do I see recordings even when the alarm is not sounded?

The SAMi camera records all motion events, not just those triggered by the alarm. This prevents you from possibly missing something important. It can also provide useful context information before and after an event.

Why do I see recordings no shorter than 10 seconds and no longer than 5 minutes?

The minimum recording length is 10 seconds, regardless of how long the activity is. Recording also continues for a while after motion stops to prevent creating lots of short recordings when the activity is intermittent. Recordings are limited in length to 5 minutes. If activity continues longer than 5 minutes, SAMi creates multiple back to back recordings.

Why am I seeing an image from the iOS device’s front/back camera instead of the network camera?

The wrong camera has been selected. On the settings page, select the SAMi-3 Camera.

My iOS device has more free storage available than is reported on the recordings page. Why is that?

SAMi reserves about 500MB (1/2GB) for the iOS device. If iTunes reports that you have 4GB free, SAMi reports that there is 3.5GB available for recordings.