Set up Direct Mode for iOS

Setting up Eye-Fi Direct Mode with an Apple iOS device

Enabling Eye-Fi Direct Mode provides you with the freedom to send photos and videos directly to your Apple iOS device. By enabling Eye-Fi Direct Mode, your Eye-Fi card will broadcast a pre-defined wireless network that your iOS device can use to receive photos and video from the card. The card will only broadcast this network when no other known wireless network is available in order to conserve your camera’s battery life. In order to make use of Eye-Fi Direct Mode on your Apple iOS device you will need to be sure you have the following before you begin.

  • Eye-Fi Center version 3.3.1 or higher
  • Eye-Fi Card with firmware version 4.5021 or higher
  • An iOS device with iOS 4.0 or higher
  • The Eye-Fi app for the iPhone or iPad version 2.0.1 or higher
  • Computer and iOS device with an internet connection

Setting up Eye-Fi Direct Mode involves updating the Eye-Fi Center software and your Eye-Fi Card firmware if necessary, pairing your card to your iOS device and deploying your Eye-Fi Card Direct Mode network. Thereafter, whenever your card has media to transfer it will either make use of an existing Wi-Fi network or deploy its direct mode network that your iOS device can use to receive media from your Eye-Fi card via the Eye-Fi App for iOS.

Part I: Set up the Eye-Fi App for Apple iOS

  1. If you have not yet installed the Eye-Fi app on your iOS device, access the App Store and search for “Eye-Fi”
  2. Open the Eye-Fi app.
  3. If you have previously installed the Eye-Fi app for iOS tap the settings icon, and select Sign Out.
  4. Log in to your Eye-Fi account using the same credentials you use to log in to Eye-Fi Center.
  5. On the “Eye-Fi Card Setup” screen tap the “Yes” button to receive photos from your Eye-Fi Card
  6. Tap the “Add Network” button. NOTE: iOS4 devices will not see the “Add Network” option skip go to step 11.
  7. Tap the “Install” button
  8. Tap the “Install Now” button to add your cards network profile to your device

    You may be prompted to enter your iOS security passcode depending on your iOS settings.
  9. Tap the “Done” button
  10. Tap the small Eye-Fi Center icon that appears in the web page displayed.
  11. Tap the ‘Copy Password’ button and then the ‘Next’ button
  12. Tap the ‘Done’ button

Your Eye-Fi Card and iOS device have been paired. The next step is to enable Direct Mode for your Eye-Fi card. Continue to Part II to set this up.

Part II: Setup your Eye-Fi card for Direct Mode

  1. Update Eye-Fi Center if necessary
  2. Update your Eye-Fi Card Firmware if necessary
  3. Connect your Eye-Fi card to your computer using the Eye-Fi card reader.
  4. Launch Eye-Fi Center.
  5. Select your card from the Device list and click the Settings gear icon
    settings gear
  6. Go to the ‘Networks’ tab and then select ‘Direct Mode’
    Direct Mode Tab
  7. Check the ‘When no known Wi-Fi networks are in range, start the Direct Mode network.’ check box
    Direct Mode Checkbox
  8. Choose different settings for the “Wait” sliders if desired, we recommend setting both sliders to 2 minutes for initial setup.
    Wait Slider
  9. Click the “Save” button
    Save Button

Note: Your Eye-Fi card will create a Direct Mode network only when there are no other known networks for your card to join. If you wish to setup Direct Mode while in range of a configured network, please remove this network from your card before continuing.

Part III: Adding the Direct Mode network to your iOS4 device (iOS5 or later skip to Part IV)

  1. Leave the Eye-Fi card plugged in to your computer and Eye-Fi Center Settings open.
  2. Press the Home button on the front of your iOS device.
  3. Open the “Settings” screen on your iOS device
  4. In Eye-Fi Center on the computer, click the ‘Start Direct Mode Network’ button at the bottom of the Direct Mode settings screen.
    Save Button
  5. Tap “Wi-Fi”
  6. Tap the name of the Eye-Fi Card network (you may need to wait for a few moments before it appears)
  7. If prompted for a password, paste in the password copied in Part I step 11. Then click ‘Join’.
  8. Once the network has been successfully joined there will be a check mark next to it.

Part IV: Transferring photos to your iOS device via Direct Mode

When your card has photos ready to be transferred and there are no other known networks for your card to join, your Eye-Fi card will create a Direct Mode network. All you need to do is connect your iOS device to the Eye-Fi Card Direct Mode Network (described below) to start receiving photos on your iOS device. If you are within range of a configured wireless network your card will to use that network instead of deploying its Direct Mode network.

  1. Insert your Eye-Fi Card into your camera and shoot several pictures
  2. Tap “Wi-Fi”
  3. Tap the name of the Eye-Fi Card network (it should appear in 10-30 seconds)
  4. Start the Eye-Fi app on the device.
  5. New photos will appear as they are received on the Home screen

If you removed your Wi-Fi network from your card in Part II, you can now re-add it to the card. The card will use the Wi-Fi network when it’s in range, and Direct Mode when the network is not in range.

It is important to understand that if other Wi-Fi networks are available, your iOS device will most likely connect to these even if your Eye-Fi card deploys its network. If this is the case, you will need to manually connect to the Eye-Fi Card network before transfers via Direct Mode can be received by your iOS device. Only one device can connect to the Direct Mode network at a time. If you have an iPhone and iPad make sure only one device is attempting to connect to the network at a time.

 

Applies to These Cards

  • Eye-Fi (All X2 cards)

Direct Mode