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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras

DR AFT #4

Wireless Networking with Nikon

Cameras

As computers and cameras merge more and more the photographer now has to

understand more about the computer side to simply do the job. In addition to

understanding the basics of shooting pictures to- and editing digital photographs

on- the computer the D2H supports a new wireless connection mode which adds

an entire new technology which photographers must understand.

The D2H with the accessory WT-1 Wireless Transmitter allows images to be

automatically moved from the camera, as they are shot, to a remote computer,

potentially anywhere in the world, using the industry standard “802.11b” technol

ogy. 802.11b, also called “WiFi” or “Airport” is a medium range, easy to setup,

wireless networking protocol widely used in laptop and handheld computers.

This technology is now available in many coffee shops, airports, libraries and

home networks around the world.

One of the beneﬁts of a WiFi network is it’s ease of setup and use. While it is

easy to use there are basics which must be understood before setting up any com-

puter network. This short document will discuss the technology, conﬁguration

and security of WiFi in general as well as it’s usage with Nikon wireless products.

Networking Basics

A computer network is simply a group of computers connected together in some

fashion to allow them to share data or interact. The “Internet” simply refers to

every computer in the world that is connected to other computers. The ability for

this global network of computers to talk with each other allows photographers

to, at the speed of light, move images from the location back to the newsroom or

studio for processing or distribution. WiFi technology takes this one step further;

as soon as the photographer takes the photo the image can be automatically sent.

There are essentially two types of networks, wired and wireless.

Summary of content (22 pages)

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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras As computers and cameras merge more and more the photographer now has to understand more about the computer side to simply do the job. In addition to understanding the basics of shooting pictures to- and editing digital photographs on- the computer the D2H supports a new wireless connection mode which adds an entire new technology which photographers must understand.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Wired Network In a simple wired network each computer has a wire coming from the back to a central “hub.” Each hub is then wired to a larger box called a “router” that routes signals from hub-to-hub and computer-to-computer. The router may be connected to (or may also be) a “gateway” which, as it sounds, allows the local network to connect to different, outside networks.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras as each device on the network has a similar front part and a unique ending number. IP Number Distribution There are several ways that each device on a network can be given a unique number. The ﬁrst (and most complicated) is called “Manual” addressing. In a manual IP network the network administrator has a list of addresses and manual assigns one to each device.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Network Protocols A Network Protocol is like a language spoken between computers on a network. In order for devices to communicate they have to be on the same network (or have a way to get from one network to another) and speak the same language. Some examples of networking protocols are: HTTP - This protocol is used to download and view World Wide Web pages from computer to computer.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras 802.11b A common form of wireless networking is the 802.11b or WiFi network. Adopted by many vendors this is a relatively fast, medium range wireless networking scheme that is easy to setup and reliable to use. A chip or card in the computer (or wireless device) converts the 1’s and 0’s of the data to be sent into radio waves (in the 2.4Ghz frequency) which are then received by a “base station” connected to a wired network.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Wireless Security Security is a big concern when it comes to moving ﬁles and images around wireless networks. Nikon has built several features into the WT-1 Wireless Transmitter to ensure that images are not compromised. ESS-ID The ﬁrst security measure is the use of ESS ID’s (Extended Service Set Identiﬁer Identiﬁcations).
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Conﬁguration In order to use the Nikon WT-1 Wireless Transmitter there are basically four things that need to be set up: Wireless Network, Host Computer IP, FTP receiving software and WT-1 Transmitter. For Ad Hoc network setup, see the section near the back of this guide. Wireless Network Setup There are many different brands of Wireless receivers on the market today and setting up each one is beyond the scope of this document.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras 2) From the Mac OS X “Apple“ menu choose “System Preferences...” and then click on the “Network” icon 3) If you are connected wirelessly choose “Show” “Airport” near the top of the Network settings window. If you are using a wired connection choose “Show” “Built-in Ethernet”. 4) In the “TCP/IP“ tab choose “Conﬁgure” “Using DHCP” to have the computer automatically receive an IP address.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras FTP Software Setup The “host computer” which we will send images to must be running an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server to accept images. There are many different FTP server software programs available and both Mac OS X and Windows XP come with a built-in FTP server which can be used for simple FTP transfers. These built-in programs rely on the systems users accounts for access and are somewhat limited in their control.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras To add users: 1) Choose “Deﬁne Users” from the “Setup” menu 2) Click the “Begin New User” button to create a blank user 3) Enter the “User name” and “Password” of the account. Be sure to remember these exactly as entered as they will be used later to setup the WT-1 Transmitter 4) The “Permit Login” “Upload New Files” and “Make Folders” Privileges must be selected 5) Uncheck the “Restrict User to Drop Folder” button.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Windows XP Built-in FTP Setup All versions of Windows have a built-in FTP server which can be conﬁgured to allow remote users (including Nikon wireless cameras) to connect and transfer images. This document will discuss the setup of the Windows XP version of the FTP server, however other versions are similar.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras 6) Go to the “Home Directory” tab and click the “Browse...” button to locate the folder where the uploaded ﬁles will go to. Be sure that the “Write” box is checked. Your computer is now set up to accept incoming FTP connections. You will need to use the “anonymous” user name and a “blank” password to connect. You can use the default account that you use to log in with or use the “Accounts” System Preference to create new accounts for access.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras The “Users” setup wizard is straightforward and easy to follow; remember to record the “username” and “password” as these will be required when conﬁguring the camera. You can control options such as where the ﬁles will be saved as well as some powerful renaming options. After creating a user click the “Server” option to set basic server options such as home directory.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Conﬁguring the D2H/WT-1 Transmitter Now that the computer and FTP server are running, the Nikon equipment must be setup to connect. There are several different ways to conﬁgure the D2H/WT-1 Wireless Transmitter. The easiest method is the WT1 Conﬁguration Setup Program which is used to easily conﬁgure all of the network settings. Before making any changes turn the “Transceiver” to the “Off” setting in the “Wireless LAN” sub-menu.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras WvLanSpeed=0 WvLanEssId=DMD WvLanAuthType= WvLanIsWepOn=0 WvLanWepKeyCodeAscii= WvLanWepKeyCodeHex= FtpServerName= FtpServerPath=/ FtpPortNumber=21 FtpUserName= FtpPassword= FtpIsPassiveModeOn=0 FtpProxyIpAddrress= FtpProxyPortNumber= Leave blank for default, set wireless speed Enter wireless ESS ID Set “1” for WEP On “0” for WEP off Enter WEP Key (ASCII) Enter WEP Key (Hex) Enter FTP Server computer IP Leave blank for default, or enter FTP path Leave at “21” for def
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Encryption If you chose to enable Encryption on the wireless network select “On” and then either “16” or “128” bit encryption. Scroll to the bottom and enter the hexadecimal (HEX) WEP Encryption key for the wireless network. HEX characters are 0-9 and A-F so a valid 16bit WEP key would be “1A3F45CE22” the same key must be entered in the wireless device and the router/access point. Channel The channel of the current wireless network.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras The Mac OS X “Network Utility” showing the IP Address for the wired Ethernet (en0) as 198.31.158.163. 2) in the “Info“ tab select the Ethernet connection to the network (“en1” for wireless or “en0” for a wired connection) 3) Find the “IP Address” from the “Interface Information” section.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Proxy Some networks use a “Proxy” server to further control access and security. If your network uses one, enter it’s data here. Advanced The “Advanced” setting can be used to initiate a “PASV” or passive FTP transfer and to specify a port to be used. This is only use on certain networks with a NAT server. Check with your network administrator if having FTP problems and you think that this option may be needed.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Creating Ad Hoc Networks The ability to create an instant, “ad hoc” network between a camera and a computer with a wireless card is beneﬁcial because no extra hardware is required. A photographer can simply shoot from the camera to a near by notebook computer and instantly review the images as they are shot.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Windows To create an Ad Hoc network on a Windows computer invloves two steps, create the network and assign a manual IP address: Create the Wireless Network From the “Start” menu choose “Control Panels” then choose the “Network” control panel icon. Assuming that the wireless networking device is installed and working properly you will see a “Wireless Networking Connection” icon; you may also see a “Local Area Connection” if you have a wired network as well.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras Troubleshooting Because there are so many variables (wireless connection, FTP server, WT-1, etc) it can be difﬁcult to troubleshoot problems with wireless image transfers The best method is to methodically check each component to be sure that each is working. First, check that the server computer is connected to the network.
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Wireless Networking with Nikon Cameras 1) Install the FTP client software on the same computer as the FTP server software 2) In the client software create a new connection. Enter the IP address of the computer you are working on as well as the User ID and Password created in the server software. If the connection works and you are able to move stuff from or to the server using the client software you have established that the FTP server and user account are properly setup.