Operating Manual Manual number 1.6.1 (Firmware version 7.7 and greater) This manual explain CuddeLink operation for all CuddeLink cameras, CuddeLink Cell, and CuddeLink Home. For online video training scan QR code with your cell phone or visit www.cuddeback.
CuddeLink Quick Start Guide Here is a summary of the steps you need to perform to deploy a CuddeLink network. For complete details refer to the remainder of this manual. STEP 1. Take 1 CuddeLink camera & make it the HOME camera 1. Set CL MODE to HOME 2. Set CL CHANNEL to 1 thru 16 (pick any number) 3. Set CL LOC to 001 STEP 2. Deploy HOME camera 1. Go to the location you want to deploy the HOME camera 2. Set the camera settings (date, time, delays, etc.) 3. ARM and deploy the camera STEP 3.
2. Enable the CL LEVEL menu and wait for a signal level to appear (- - means no signal, and a number indicates a signal. If you do not get a signal within 3 or 4 minutes or signal is less than 15 you must move closer to the HOME camera or closest Remote camera.) 3. Set the camera settings (date, time, delays, etc.) 4. Deploy and ARM the REMOTE camera 5. Repeat these 4 steps for all your REMOTE cameras STEP 5. Deploy additional REMOTE CAMERAS 1. Repeat Step 4 for all your REMOTE cameras STEP 6.
R E AD T H I S M A N U A L The difficulty with explaining CuddeLink concepts is it is easier to use CuddeLink then it is to explain. We recommend you read this manual twice. After which you will find setup and deployment very easy. Online Videos We also recommend you watch our tutorial videos at www.cuddeback.com/learn/cuddelink. Email Support Due to the advanced nature of this technology we do not offer phone support. All support must be via email. Visit www.cuddeback.
What CuddeLink Does Hunters know the importance and benefits of using multiple trail cameras. But checking these cameras can be a time consuming task that takes away from hunting time and pollutes the area with human scent. Cuddeback’s patent pending CuddeLink eliminates checking multiple cameras and utilizes 1 camera as an image depository for up to 15 remote CuddeLink cameras. CuddeLink is a wireless network of cameras that transmit their images to 1 camera.
What CuddeLink Cell Does There is 2 cell modes that are automatically set by the camera based upon how you use the camera. CuddeLink Cell Mode Images from all cameras on a CuddeLink network are sent to the user’s email address. Only 1 cell service is required for up to 16 cameras. Cell product sold separately. Standalone Cell Mode CuddeLink Cell also operates in standalone mode where only images taken by the camera are sent to the user’s email.
TERMS CuddeLink is Cuddeback’s trademark name for Cuddeback’s network enabled trail cameras. CL is an abbreviation for CuddeLink. Network refers to a collection of CuddeLink cameras that are in radio contact with each other. Home refers to the camera or device that collects all images. Remote refers to cameras that transmit images to the HOME. Repeater refers to a device that acts as a relay station on a CuddeLink network.
Getting Started with CuddeLink All CuddeLink cameras must have an SD card installed. The HOME camera saves the images it records & images from the Remotes cameras on the SD card. We recommend a 4 or 8GB card. A 4 GB card will hold 10s of thousands of CuddeLink images. The REMOTE cameras saves high resolution images on the SD card and saves a thumbnail image in a TX_QUEUE where they are queued for transmission to HOME. A 2GB card or bigger should be used.
Set CL LOC to 001. This is a Location ID number used to identify each camera. We recommend HOME always be set to 001. Press UP to set CL LOC to 001 Skip over CL INFO by pressing MORE Set CL CHAN to any number. You can leave this at 1 but we recommend you change this. Pick any channel, but remember what you selected as all cameras must be set to the same channel. Set CL CHAN to any number That is all you need to do. The HOME camera is now setup properly.
Set up the REMOTE camera Set the normal camera parameters as explained in the camera’s manual. Date, time, camera delays, etc. Set CL MODE to REMOTE then press MORE. Press UP or DOWN to select Home Set CL LOC to 002. IMPORTANT – all cameras should have a unique CL LOC (location) number. We recommend you set Home to 1 and set remotes as 2, 3, 4 and so on. Press UP to set CL LOC to 002 Set CL CHAN to the same channel you set on the HOME camera. IMPORTANT – all cameras must be set to the same channel.
Press MORE to view CL LEVEL and observe the display. At first - - - - will be displayed to indicate no signal. After a minute or 2 a number will appear that represents the signal strength. If the strength is displayed you can ARM and deploy the camera. Signal will be displayed as GOOD or WEAK. Dashes indicate no signal is received. If a signal is not displayed within a few minutes you may be too far from the HOME camera, or HOME may not be ARMed.
CL INFO. It is good practice to verify that all your cameras connect to Home. After deploying your remotes you should return to the Home camera and use CL INFO. Activate the LINKMENU as previously explained, then press MORE until CL INFO. The first CL INFO display will show CL INFO and the number of cameras on the These 2 displays will toggle network. From the main CL INFO display press UP and the status of the first camera will be displayed. Continue to press UP to display the status of each camera.
Checking the HOME camera Checking the CuddeLink HOME camera is similar to checking a conventional trail camera. • Press UP to put the camera into Armed-Info mode. DO NOT turn off the camera! • If you continue to press UP status of the Home camera will be displayed. • Remove the SD card and use your normal image viewing method. On the SD card is folder named \\DCIM\400CUDDY. Within this folder are images from the CuddeLink remote cameras.
LINKMENU Overview The LINKMENU items will differ depending upon if a camera is configured as a HOME, REPEATER or REMOTE. Home Menu Items SETTING RANGE DESCRIPTION CL MODE OFF, HOME, REMOTE, REPEATER One camera must be set to HOME. All other cameras must be REMOTE or REPEATER. CL LOC 000 thru 999 This assigns a LOCATION ID to each camera. Assign each camera a unique identification number. CL CHAN 1 thru 16 Every camera on the network must be set to the same channel.
Remote Menu Items SETTING RANGE DESCRIPTION CL MODE OFF, HOME, REMOTE, REPEATER One camera must be set to HOME. All other cameras must be REMOTE or REPEATER. CL LOC 000 thru 999 This assigns a LOCATION ID to each camera. Assign each camera a unique identification number. CL CHAN 1 thru 16 Every camera on the network must be set to the same channel. CL COUNT Sets the maximum number of images that ALL, 25, 50, 100, will be queued to send. Deletes the oldest 250 images to make room for the newest.
CL MODE sets the camera’s CuddeLink mode. Choices are OFF, HOME, REMOTE, REPEATER. Press UP or DOWN to select, then press MORE to continue programming additional CuddeLink settings. OFF – use this if you do not want this camera to be part of a CuddeLink network. The CuddeLink radio will be disabled. HOME – Set Home on the camera that collects images. Only 1 camera can be set to HOME. REMOTE – Set Remote on the cameras that take pictures and transmit the pictures to the HOME camera.
Neighbors. If an adjacent land owner is using CuddeLink you must be on different channels. To determine if a neighbor is using CuddeLink turn off your Home camera and use the RF LEVEL on a Remote camera to listen for radio traffic. If a numerical signal is displayed you must select a different channel. With 16 channels available you should be able to find a clear channel. More than 16 cameras. A single CuddeLink network is limited to 16 cameras.
• If a signal cannot be received you will need to move closer to a connected camera. If you never receive a signal verify the HOME camera is ARMed and the CL CHAN is set to the same number on all cameras. CL INFO (Home only) displays the status of nodes on the CuddeLink network. This was previously discussed in the Getting Started section. CL INFO file. A detailed status report is available on the Home camera’s SD card. Click the file Cuddelink.html in the DCIM\400CUDDY folder.
Camera Naming: using CL LOC & CAM ID Keeping track of the physical location and images from 15 remote cameras is not easy. CuddeLink has 2 features to simplify camera/image management. CL LOC. You probably do not want images from 15 cameras saved in one folder on your SD card. The Home camera saves the images from each camera in unique folders based upon the remote camera’s CL LOC setting.
printed on the image and makes it easy to determine where an image was taken. See the camera’s operating manual for instructions on how to set CAM ID. Understanding Transmission Range The CL LEVEL command is a signal strength meter you use to verify radio reception. The range is - - - - to 99 with descriptive words to simplify the meaning. A signal of GOOD is sufficient to assure image transmission. It is ok to have a signal of POOR, but we recommend you try to not use POOR unless at the end of a chain.
We have successfully tested transmission to nearly ½ mile in heavy forest and to over 2 miles in open terrain. Trees, foliage, elevation, terrain, hills, even humidity can affect transmission range. You will need to experiment and use your GPS, maps, and the CL LEVEL to determine optimum deployment. Note—transmission range is not predictable and can only be determined by field deploying cameras.
Use a repeater to extend range. A repeater is the best way to transmit over a hill or ridge. Network Backbone. Deploy REPEATERS on your property to establish a highway-type network that your CuddeLink cameras connect to. You would place the Repeaters in strategic and permanent locations. Then you can move the remote cameras without breaking connections. Use cameras or repeaters to create a Network Backbone.
Multiple networks can be used to localize cameras. For example, say you have a large piece of property which would require too many cameras to connect end to end. Break the property into smaller areas and deploy a network in each area. You will be required to check multiple cameras, but far less than if you had to check all the cameras. On large properties you can deploy multiple networks. If you require more then 15 remote cameras you can deploy 2 networks on different channels.
Moving a Remote Moving a REMOTE camera can disrupt or break your network. Think of your network as a chain of links and you can see that removing one link may break the chain. This means you need to take precautions when moving cameras to assure your network remains functioning. By moving remote R2 the connection to R3 was broken. To move a camera we recommend this process: • Disarm the camera you want to move and enable CL LEVEL. • Move the camera to the new location and verify CL LEVEL is sufficient.
Network Control – Overview If you have 8 or less cameras on the network these setting are probably not important and you can leave them in the default setting. These settings may only need to be adjusted if you are taking more than 500 images per day or your images are taking longer than desired to get Home. This information can be confusing for first time users. You may want to use the default CL COUNT setting for the first few weeks and then review this section after you have spent time using CuddeLink.
However, sending all images is not necessarily best. The network of cameras may record more images then can be transmitted in a reasonable amount of time, resulting in hours or even days for an image to get transmitted home. You will want to control how much image traffic you put on your CuddeLink network. The CL COUNT setting controls the number of images a remote camera send home. Note – all images the camera records are saved on the remote camera’s SD card.
Network Control - CL COUNT (Remote only) CL COUNT allows you to set a maximum number of images that the camera can place in its transmit outbox. Think of this as a safety net to prevent overloading the network and assures you get the most recent images in a timely manner. Available settings are ALL, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500. Once this limit is reached the oldest images are removed from the outbox to make room for newer images. Remote cameras place images in an outbox to wait to be transmitted home.
For example: Say a nuisance animal stops in front of your camera and the camera records 200 images of the nuisance animal. Then the animal leaves and the camera begins capturing deer as they walk past the camera. The camera will first send all the images of the nuisance animal and the images of the deer will have to wait. Depending upon the other cameras on the network, this could require many hours before the newer images are sent home.
Troubleshooting The most common issues are: • Cameras not connecting to Home or other Remotes • Images not getting home • Cameras not displayed on CL INFO or status report All of these problems are the result of a camera not connecting to the network or having intermittent connection problems. To solve these issues: 1. Verify batteries in ALL cameras are good. 2. Verify the CL LEVEL on all cameras. 3. Make sure all cameras have an SD card installed.
FCC Notice This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
www.cuddeback.com Non Typical, Inc.
