When Direct Mode Images Are Not Downloading…

[Humpty Dumpty]

Here's an important troubleshooting tip about the Eye-Fi Card I just discovered…

Sometimes, even when you've got everything set up right concerning Direct Mode, meaning when Direct Mode is clearly transmitting its wireless signal because you can see that signal showing up under your computer's wireless menu, yet you search your hard drive and you look in the right folder, and you still cannot find any evidence of any images being downloaded from your camera to your computer - in such cases, what has worked for me is this... I discovered I had to go under my wireless menu and to "manually reselect" the Eye-Fi card's wireless signal again directly (even though it seemed like I was connected to it already). As soon as I reselected the signal again manually, the images would suddenly start downloading...

Normally, when my computer connects to the Eye-Fi card's wireless signal, the connection signal will show up in my Mac's menu bar as a simple "exclamation mark" on top of a grayed out wireless signal. That is what the signal looks like normally when everything is working well and images are being downloaded successfully. But sometimes, and it usually happens when I begin using my Eye-Fi card again after a day or so hiatus, if I pick up my camera and I take a new snapshot and the card begins transmitting its Direct Mode wireless signal again, and my computer then connects to that signal because I can see the usual exclamation mark showing up in my Mac's menu bar indicating it has connected - strangely, for some reason, nothing else happens, and no images will begin downloading. If I look in the folder on my computer where the downloaded images are supposed to be, there are no images. Everything appears to be set up right, and everything appears to be working properly - yet for some reason, no images are being downloaded. Why is that?…

Long story short, after much troubleshooting, I discovered that what works for me in such cases is to go under my wireless menu and to "manually reselect" the Eye-Fi card's signal again (the signal shows up in my wireless menu as "Eye-Fi Card 27a3af"). Once I've reselected the signal again by choosing it from the menu (even though it appears I'm connected to it already) the images will suddenly start downloading. So try this trick when all else fails…

Here's a second troubleshooting tip I've learned... Occasionally, the Eye-Fi software may crash on you while in midst of a download. If and when that happens, it may seem that no matter what you do you cannot get your Direct Mode transfers to start up again. And even the trick I mentioned above won't work. But the good news is, I've discovered that all you have to do is to restart your computer. That seems to do the trick. And then the next time you take a new snapshot with your camera the downloads will start up again...

Here's a third troubleshooting tip I've learned… Sometimes when I turn my camera on, I'll get an error message on my camera indicating it is no longer recognizing my Eye-Fi card for some reason (the error message will display on my camera as a card symbol with a slash through it). In such cases, not only will the camera no longer save any images to the card, but Direct Mode won't work either. And even if I eject the card and reinsert it, it rarely helps and I'll still get the same error message saying it's a defective card. In such cases, what has worked for me is this... Luckily, I own two separate Eye-Fi cards (a 4 GB and an 8 GB), and when one card acts up and doesn't work anymore, I merely eject that card and insert the other one into the camera. That card will then usually work fine. After 10 to 15 minutes or so of using that card, if I eject that card and reinsert the first one, the first card will start back working again. I have no idea why this happens or why the card will suddenly stop working for some reason. I only know that this is what I've had to do to get it back working again. I know this is strange behavior, but beyond that issue, I haven't had a single problem with the cards and they've both worked flawlessly.

For those of you needing more detailed instructions on setting up Direct Mode, please see my other post entitled "An Elegant Camera-To-Laptop Slideshow Solution for Mac Users." Scan down through that post and you'll find several different places where I go into great detail regarding setting up Direct Mode. I even include some valuable troubleshooting tips. So see that post for more info…

[jk1]

Hey HD. I notice you have a few posts on Direct Mode... Before I try to read up on all those pages, can you tell me why Direct Mode is preferable? Is it faster than using Wifi? I understand that you can use it when your Wifi isn't available like if you're away on a trip and want to transfer files to your laptop but I normally use this to upload photos/videos to my home PC which will always have a Wifi available. If Direct Mode is somehow faster, I would rather use that since videos take a LONG time to transfer.

[Humpty Dumpty]

Hey HD. I notice you have a few posts on Direct Mode... Before I try to read up on all those pages, can you tell me why Direct Mode is preferable? Is it faster than using Wifi? I understand that you can use it when your Wifi isn't available like if you're away on a trip and want to transfer files to your laptop but I normally use this to upload photos/videos to my home PC which will always have a Wifi available. If Direct Mode is somehow faster, I would rather use that since videos take a LONG time to transfer.

Hi. First, I don't claim to know everything about all the options the Eye-Fi card provides. It offers plenty of options, and some options I haven't even tried. In truth, I've only actually toyed with and used Direct Mode and it has served me well. I don't really have a need for the many other options the Eye-Fi card provides (like uploading images via the internet, geotagging, etc). So if you need advice on those other features and options, you may have to speak to other users about that.

But to answer your questions and from my basic understanding of things, the greatest benefit of using Direct Mode is that you don't need to have a Wi-Fi connection or an internet connection to simply send images from your camera to computer. Your Eye-Fi card can do that all by itself. When Direct Mode is enabled, your Eye-Fi card actually becomes the internet connection, it becomes the Wi-Fi connection. You simply connect to the Direct Mode wireless signal being transmitted by the card, and the images in your camera will automatically start downloading directly to your computer. It's that simple and that easy, and nothing else is required. Which means, even if you're sitting in the middle of the jungle with only your laptop, your camera and your Eye-Fi card, Direct Mode will still work and work flawlessly.

Another great benefit of using Direct Mode - instead of going through Wi-Fi or your internet connection to transfer files - is that you can transfer all the images you want without impacting or tapping your monthly data allotment assigned to most internet plans. Were those same images sent via your internet connection or through your cell-phone 3G or 4G connection etc., then every time you transferred a file it would eat into your monthly data allotment assigned to those plans and would cost you money. With Direct Mode you don't have that problem. With Direct Mode, you can transfer all the files you want free of charge.

Regarding speed, I get excellent transfer speeds when using Direct Mode to transfer images between my camera and computer. I have no complaints in that area. And note the speed you get will greatly depend on how far away your computer is from the Eye-Fi card that is transmitting. When both are in the same room, I'm seeing transfer speeds easily in excess of 1Mbits per second. Which means when using Direct Mode, my Eye-Fi card can transfer a full 30MB Raw file to my computer in only a few seconds. That speed is just fine with me. Maybe you need speeds greater than that, but I don't. Even when I shoot hi-definition movie files with my camera, files which are hundreds of megabytes in size, those files come across via Direct Mode briskly. About as fast as I can shut off my camera and go and check my computer for the file, the file is already there, and much faster than I could use a USB cable to transfer the file. So I have no complaints about the Eye-Fi card in the area of speed.

Lastly, please note that you cannot have your Eye-Fi card configured for Direct Mode and for sending images over the internet or Wi-Fi at the same time. You can have one or the other enabled but not both at the same time. It is possible however to have your Eye-Fi card configured to where whenever you are "out of range" of your home Wi-Fi network, that Direct Mode will then become active and enabled. But please note that in such a case, Direct Mode will not function or work so long as you are within transmission range of your home Wi-Fi network. Only when you are "out of range" of your home Wi-Fi network or of any other known network - will Direct Mode even work. If you would like to force your Eye-Fi card to always create and use a Direct Mode connection even when in presence of your home Wi-Fi network, then you must disable and remove all networks that are listed under the "Networks/Private Networks" tab of the Eye-Fi Center software, and that includes your home Wi-fi network if it is shown. You cannot have Direct Mode and those networks enabled at the same time, or else Direct Mode will not work. I explain that in my other posts.

[wansbrough]

I have tried this method and all I get is a failed to connect message.....

[Humpty Dumpty]

I have tried this method and all I get is a failed to connect message.....

Hi. Which method are you speaking of? Direct Mode works and has been proven to work by countless users, and most of us has been using Direct Mode for months and years without a hitch. So if it doesn't work for you then likely something is wrong on your end - maybe with your camera, maybe with the way you've got things set up (for example if you can't connect, make sure your computer's firewall is not set to block Direct Mode) or maybe you've got a bad card. I recommend that you follow my troubleshooting tips outlined at the very bottom of the following link, to help narrow your problem down >>: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5744

[plevyadophy]

Hey HD. I notice you have a few posts on Direct Mode... Before I try to read up on all those pages, can you tell me why Direct Mode is preferable? Is it faster than using Wifi? I understand that you can use it when your Wifi isn't available like if you're away on a trip and want to transfer files to your laptop but I normally use this to upload photos/videos to my home PC which will always have a Wifi available. If Direct Mode is somehow faster, I would rather use that since videos take a LONG time to transfer.

Hi. First, I don't claim to know everything about all the options the Eye-Fi card provides. It offers plenty of options, and some options I haven't even tried. In truth, I've only actually toyed with and used Direct Mode and it has served me well. I don't really have a need for the many other options the Eye-Fi card provides (like uploading images via the internet, geotagging, etc). So if you need advice on those other features and options, you may have to speak to other users about that.

But to answer your questions and from my basic understanding of things, the greatest benefit of using Direct Mode is that you don't need to have a Wi-Fi connection or an internet connection to simply send images from your camera to computer. Your Eye-Fi card can do that all by itself. When Direct Mode is enabled, your Eye-Fi card actually becomes the internet connection, it becomes the Wi-Fi connection. You simply connect to the Direct Mode wireless signal being transmitted by the card, and the images in your camera will automatically start downloading directly to your computer. It's that simple and that easy, and nothing else is required. Which means, even if you're sitting in the middle of the jungle with only your laptop, your camera and your Eye-Fi card, Direct Mode will still work and work flawlessly.

Another great benefit of using Direct Mode - instead of going through Wi-Fi or your internet connection to transfer files - is that you can transfer all the images you want without impacting or tapping your monthly data allotment assigned to most internet plans. Were those same images sent via your internet connection or through your cell-phone 3G or 4G connection etc., then every time you transferred a file it would eat into your monthly data allotment assigned to those plans and would cost you money. With Direct Mode you don't have that problem. With Direct Mode, you can transfer all the files you want free of charge.

Regarding speed, I get excellent transfer speeds when using Direct Mode to transfer images between my camera and computer. I have no complaints in that area. And note the speed you get will greatly depend on how far away your computer is from the Eye-Fi card that is transmitting. When both are in the same room, I'm seeing transfer speeds easily in excess of 1Mbits per second. Which means when using Direct Mode, my Eye-Fi card can transfer a full 30MB Raw file to my computer in only a few seconds. That speed is just fine with me. Maybe you need speeds greater than that, but I don't. Even when I shoot hi-definition movie files with my camera, files which are hundreds of megabytes in size, those files come across via Direct Mode briskly. About as fast as I can shut off my camera and go and check my computer for the file, the file is already there, and much faster than I could use a USB cable to transfer the file. So I have no complaints about the Eye-Fi card in the area of speed.

Lastly, please note that you cannot have your Eye-Fi card configured for Direct Mode and for sending images over the internet or Wi-Fi at the same time. You can have one or the other enabled but not both at the same time. It is possible however to have your Eye-Fi card configured to where whenever you are "out of range" of your home Wi-Fi network, that Direct Mode will then become active and enabled. But please note that in such a case, Direct Mode will not function or work so long as you are within transmission range of your home Wi-Fi network. Only when you are "out of range" of your home Wi-Fi network or of any other known network - will Direct Mode even work. If you would like to force your Eye-Fi card to always create and use a Direct Mode connection even when in presence of your home Wi-Fi network, then you must disable and remove all networks that are listed under the "Networks/Private Networks" tab of the Eye-Fi Center software, and that includes your home Wi-fi network if it is shown. You cannot have Direct Mode and those networks enabled at the same time, or else Direct Mode will not work. I explain that in my other posts.

Forgive me,but I am a bit confused.

Why would Direct Mode be any better than setting up an Ad-hoc/peer-to-peer connection? I am really at a loss as to how and why Direct Mode is of any benefit.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

plevyadophy

[Humpty Dumpty]

Forgive me,but I am a bit confused.

Why would Direct Mode be any better than setting up an Ad-hoc/peer-to-peer connection? I am really at a loss as to how and why Direct Mode is of any benefit.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

plevyadophy

And my question to you would be, "Why would you need to set up an Ad Hoc network for your Eye-Fi Card to use when your Eye-Fi card already has the ability to send images to your computer using Direct Mode? It makes no sense. Furthermore, what makes you think using Ad Hoc is any better?…

Consider this. You buy a device that already has the ability to send images to your computer directly - it's called Direct Mode. And that device has been designed from the ground up to operate in that fashion by the developer. But instead of you following the developer's instructions and using the device in the way it was intended, you go your own way and concoct some other crazy idea or solution that just happens to also work (called Ad Hoc mode). And now you're asking me, why even use Direct Mode? Am I understanding you correctly?…

If you want to use the device contrary to the way it was designed, then feel free to do so. But don't come complaining to me or to other members of the forum about it when things go wrong and something is not working properly. Don't come asking us to tell you how to fix it…

[plevyadophy]

Forgive me,but I am a bit confused.

Why would Direct Mode be any better than setting up an Ad-hoc/peer-to-peer connection? I am really at a loss as to how and why Direct Mode is of any benefit.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

plevyadophy

And my question to you would be, "Why would you need to set up an Ad Hoc network for your Eye-Fi Card to use when your Eye-Fi card already has the ability to send images to your computer using Direct Mode? It makes no sense. Furthermore, what makes you think using Ad Hoc is any better?…

Consider this. You buy a device that already has the ability to send images to your computer directly - it's called Direct Mode. And that device has been designed from the ground up to operate in that fashion by the developer. But instead of you following the developer's instructions and using the device in the way it was intended, you go your own way and concoct some other crazy idea or solution that just happens to also work (called Ad Hoc mode). And now you're asking me, why even use Direct Mode? Am I understanding you correctly?…

If you want to use the device contrary to the way it was designed, then feel free to do so. But don't come complaining to me or to other members of the forum about it when things go wrong and something is not working properly. Don't come asking us to tell you how to fix it…

Well, actually, you talk about the way the device is designed when in fact from my understanding, correct me if I am wrong, the Eye-Fi card, when deciding on how to transfer images to your computer, prioritises Ad-Hoc connections over Direct Mode connections. So it seems to me that they prefer you to use Ad-Hoc for some reason.

I am just curious as to why and what the fundamental difference between the two means of connection are. In fact, today for the first time I used Direct Mode to a laptop running Microsoft Vista Home operating system. The connection methodology was waaaaaaay simpler doing it directly via the Vista interface rather than through the Eye-Fi Manager,which all tips on this site seem to advocate. And I actually preferred how the card behaved when set up this way.

However, I am still curious to know what are all the advantages and disadvantages as between Ad Hoc Mode -v- Direct Mode, especially given the way the card prioritises Ad Hoc Mode.

Regards,

plevyadophy

[Humpty Dumpty]

Well, actually, you talk about the way the device is designed when in fact from my understanding, correct me if I am wrong, the Eye-Fi card, when deciding on how to transfer images to your computer, prioritises Ad-Hoc connections over Direct Mode connections. So it seems to me that they prefer you to use Ad-Hoc for some reason.

I am just curious as to why and what the fundamental difference between the two means of connection are. In fact, today for the first time I used Direct Mode to a laptop running Microsoft Vista Home operating system. The connection methodology was waaaaaaay simpler doing it directly via the Vista interface rather than through the Eye-Fi Manager,which all tips on this site seem to advocate. And I actually preferred how the card behaved when set up this way.

However, I am still curious to know what are all the advantages and disadvantages as between Ad Hoc Mode -v- Direct Mode, especially given the way the card prioritises Ad Hoc Mode.

Regards,

plevyadophy

For starters, I can only tell you about the benefits of what I've personally learned using Direct Mode, and that I haven't personally experimented with using an Ad Hoc connection or with uploading images to the internet via the Eye-Fi card. I feel there are other users who may be more experienced in such matters than I am and that I may not be a good candidate to ask for a Direct Mode vs Ad Hoc comparison. So you'll need to ask those other users to obtain more info on that. But I will share with you my two cents regarding your question….

Personally, I think you're reading way too much into the way the Eye-Fi card has been designed and why. To understand why the developers did certain things, simply look at it backwards. For example, back when the Eye-Fi card was first designed and came out, it didn't even have the Direct Mode feature or capability at all. The card was able to transfer files but only over an existing network (the card had no built-in networking abilities itself). Meaning, if you were away from your home Wi-Fi network or out of range of any other known network, the card simple wouldn't work and you'd be completely unable to use it. Users complained about that shortcoming and requested a feature be added that would enable them to still use their cards even when they were away from home and away from a network connection. The solution was Direct Mode. The developers created and designed Direct Mode specifically to address that problem. Direct Mode is a completely self-contained wireless network built into the card, designed so that if no other known network is available, you can now use Direct Mode for transferring files. And that is its sole purpose, to provide you with that convenience. And any additional benefits we may have gotten from the creation and inclusion of Direct Mode is nothing more than happenstance…

You had asked why the Eye-Fi card was programmed to default to your home Wi-Fi network instead of to Direct Mode, and you wonder if maybe there is some special benefit to using an Ad Hoc connection. I know of no special benefit other than convenience and speed. Using your home Wi-Fi network or an Ad Hoc connection (rather than Direct Mode) may provide you with faster transfer rates, but what you gain in faster speeds, you will loose in convenience. Meaning, you can only access those faster speeds when you are at home or is connected to a network which has those speeds. Such faster speeds are meaningless if you're sitting in the middle of the jungle or is away from home and an internet connection. In contrast, the Direct Mode wireless network built into the Eye-Fi card may not have the same blazingly fast transfer speeds as other networks do (but is still plenty fast enough for most people and for most situations) but what it lacks in speed, it easily makes up for in convenience. Meaning, with Direct Mode, you now have the ability to transfer files anytime and anywhere and even when you're away from home or sitting in the middle of a jungle (something not possible with an Ad Hoc connection). So Direct Mode provides you with more convenience, while your home Wi-Fi network or Ad Hoc connection provides you with faster transfer speeds. Beyond that, they are both wireless networks and I know of no relative difference between the two...

The original Eye-Fi card was designed from the ground up to work directly with existing wireless networks such as your home Wi-Fi network (which is why it currently defaults to using such a network) and to transfer files over that connection. Direct Mode is a feature that was added later to supplement and to serve as a backup measure when no other network was available. Having said that, the ability of the card to transfer files directly from your camera to computer is a feature that only came along when Direct Mode did. The original Eye-Fi card did NOT have that ability. The original card could transfer files over the internet and over a network, and through that network to a computer, but it could NOT transfer the files to your computer directly. Instead, it depended on and required an internet connection to do so, even if your computer and card were in the same room. Direct Mode changed all that. Direct Mode allowed the card to establish a direct link between the card and your computer and allowed the direct transfer of files without the need to be connected to the internet or to any other network. Because of that and for that very reason, if a person today is using their Eye-Fi card primarily for the purpose of transferring images from their camera to computer (like many users do) then the best way to do that is by using Direct Mode and not by using an Ad Hoc network. Although it is possible to achieve the same end result by setting up an Ad Hoc network and transferring the images over Wi-Fi, there is nothing to be gained by doing so. You're only adding unnecessary complexity and network equipment into an equation that does not need more complexity, particularly when a problem develops. When a problem develops and your images are not being downloaded for some reason (when using an Ad Hoc network) not only do you have to look at your Eye-Fi card and how it is configured, but you also have to consider whether there is a problem with your network equipment and whether it has failed. With a Direct Mode setup, you don't have such problems. And it is so much simpler. There is no network equipment: 1) The card generates the signal. 2) You connect to the signal using your computer. 3) Your images will start downloading. Nothing could be simpler...

[plevyadophy]

For starters, I can only tell you about the benefits of what I've personally learned using Direct Mode, and that I haven't personally experimented with using an Ad Hoc connection or with uploading images to the internet via the Eye-Fi card. I feel there are other users who may be more experienced in such matters than I am and that I may not be a good candidate to ask for a Direct Mode vs Ad Hoc comparison. So you'll need to ask those other users to obtain more info on that. But I will share with you my two cents regarding your question….

Personally, I think you're reading way too much into the way the Eye-Fi card has been designed and why. To understand why the developers did certain things, simply look at it backwards. For example, back when the Eye-Fi card was first designed and came out, it didn't even have the Direct Mode feature or capability at all. The card was able to transfer files but only over an existing network (the card had no built-in networking abilities itself). Meaning, if you were away from your home Wi-Fi network or out of range of any other known network, the card simple wouldn't work and you'd be completely unable to use it. Users complained about that shortcoming and requested a feature be added that would enable them to still use their cards even when they were away from home and away from a network connection. The solution was Direct Mode. The developers created and designed Direct Mode specifically to address that problem. Direct Mode is a completely self-contained wireless network built into the card, designed so that if no other known network is available, you can now use Direct Mode for transferring files. And that is its sole purpose, to provide you with that convenience. And any additional benefits we may have gotten from the creation and inclusion of Direct Mode is nothing more than happenstance…

You had asked why the Eye-Fi card was programmed to default to your home Wi-Fi network instead of to Direct Mode, and you wonder if maybe there is some special benefit to using an Ad Hoc connection. I know of no special benefit other than convenience and speed. Using your home Wi-Fi network or an Ad Hoc connection (rather than Direct Mode) may provide you with faster transfer rates, but what you gain in faster speeds, you will loose in convenience. Meaning, you can only access those faster speeds when you are at home or is connected to a network which has those speeds. Such faster speeds are meaningless if you're sitting in the middle of the jungle or is away from home and an internet connection. In contrast, the Direct Mode wireless network built into the Eye-Fi card may not have the same blazingly fast transfer speeds as other networks do (but is still plenty fast enough for most people and for most situations) but what it lacks in speed, it easily makes up for in convenience. Meaning, with Direct Mode, you now have the ability to transfer files anytime and anywhere and even when you're away from home or sitting in the middle of a jungle (something not possible with an Ad Hoc connection). So Direct Mode provides you with more convenience, while your home Wi-Fi network or Ad Hoc connection provides you with faster transfer speeds. Beyond that, they are both wireless networks and I know of no relative difference between the two...

The original Eye-Fi card was designed from the ground up to work directly with existing wireless networks such as your home Wi-Fi network (which is why it currently defaults to using such a network) and to transfer files over that connection. Direct Mode is a feature that was added later to supplement and to serve as a backup measure when no other network was available. Having said that, the ability of the card to transfer files directly from your camera to computer is a feature that only came along when Direct Mode did. The original Eye-Fi card did NOT have that ability. The original card could transfer files over the internet and over a network, and through that network to a computer, but it could NOT transfer the files to your computer directly. Instead, it depended on and required an internet connection to do so, even if your computer and card were in the same room. Direct Mode changed all that. Direct Mode allowed the card to establish a direct link between the card and your computer and allowed the direct transfer of files without the need to be connected to the internet or to any other network. Because of that and for that very reason, if a person today is using their Eye-Fi card primarily for the purpose of transferring images from their camera to computer (like many users do) then the best way to do that is by using Direct Mode and not by using an Ad Hoc network. Although it is possible to achieve the same end result by setting up an Ad Hoc network and transferring the images over Wi-Fi, there is nothing to be gained by doing so. You're only adding unnecessary complexity and network equipment into an equation that does not need more complexity, particularly when a problem develops. When a problem develops and your images are not being downloaded for some reason (when using an Ad Hoc network) not only do you have to look at your Eye-Fi card and how it is configured, but you also have to consider whether there is a problem with your network equipment and whether it has failed. With a Direct Mode setup, you don't have such problems. And it is so much simpler. There is no network equipment: 1) The card generates the signal. 2) You connect to the signal using your computer. 3) Your images will start downloading. Nothing could be simpler...

Cool.

Thanks for the detailed response.

Just a few minor things though.

You give the impression that an An Hoc network requires additional networking equipment and that one couldn't use it in the middle of the jungle. Well, actually, it requires no additional equipment and it can be used in the middle of the jungle hence the name "Ad Hoc"; it's in effect a direct mode connection between two computers/devices and requires no connection to the internet.

And I have found that the setting up of an An Hoc connection, well at least in Windows Vista (I have a Windows XP computer I have yet to try out with Eye-Fi), is no more difficult than setting up a Direct Mode connection. They both require some settings to be made at the computer end; well, actually, I found the Direct Mode method marginally easier to set up because I didn't have to bother with making or reading any settings in the Eye-Fi Manager software because I had already written down on paper the necessary WPA2 password for each of my Eye-Fi cards.

And because Ad Hoc and Direct Mode are near identical in ease of use and set-up, it's why I was wondering why bother having two systems. Perhaps it's to enable connection to iPhones and such like? Maybe such devices weren't able,originally, to create Ad Hoc networks? Because from a "transfer to laptop" point of view it is very difficult to see why there is a need for Direct Mode, when the operating system of the computer already has that mode by another name (Ad Hoc).

I am real lazy and easily irritated person, so when I set things up I like them to just work and not get in my damn way!

So for that reason I seem to prefer Direct Mode. With Ad Hoc,if my laptop goes into sleep mode and is awoken from Sleep Mode I find that the Ad Hoc network facility on the laptop has been disabled. Sometimes I have found that I have woken the laptop up and have completely forgotten that the Ad Hoc connection will have been disabled, and I will be there like an idiot taking shot after shot wondering why no no files are being transferred to the laptop. I then realise what the problem is and then have to enable the Ad Hoc network in the operating system of the laptop. On the other hand, with Direct Mode, I just switch the laptop on, and it matters not whether the laptop has just resumed from Sleep Mode or whether I have enabled a WiFi connection, once I start taking pictures the images start being transferred to the laptop. I like that; I set it up once and from then on it gets on with doing with what I want it to without getting in my damn way!

That then for me, is the only benefit I can see for Direct Mode (again I must stress, this is under Windows Vista, as I haven't a clue how robust the set-up would be under another operating system). I say "only benefit", but really I should say "great" benefit giving how lazy I am and how easily irritated I get if things don't work how I want and p.d.q. (pretty damn quickly) too!

As for your suggestion as to transfer speed,I don't think there is any difference between transferring over Ad Hoc as against Direct Mode. As the card has a max speed that it can connect at, it will do so, if it can, over any network close enough and fast enough to accept the Eye-Fi transfer speed. Well, I haven't noticed any difference in speed between the two methods.

By the way, do you have Thumbnail Preview enabled in Eye-Fi Helper on your system? I think it's a real nice feature; it's great to have little thumbnails of each image being transferred to your computer popping up in the corner of the screen. If someone else is on your computer, say an assistant, working on an image in full screen mode, it's great that they can continue working whilst in the corner of the screen you get confirmation that things are working fine as images are still being transferred.

Regards,

plevyadophy

[Humpty Dumpty]

So for that reason I seem to prefer Direct Mode. With Ad Hoc,if my laptop goes into sleep mode and is awoken from Sleep Mode I find that the Ad Hoc network facility on the laptop has been disabled. Sometimes I have found that I have woken the laptop up and have completely forgotten that the Ad Hoc connection will have been disabled, and I will be there like an idiot taking shot after shot wondering why no no files are being transferred to the laptop. I then realise what the problem is and then have to enable the Ad Hoc network in the operating system of the laptop. On the other hand, with Direct Mode, I just switch the laptop on, and it matters not whether the laptop has just resumed from Sleep Mode or whether I have enabled a WiFi connection, once I start taking pictures the images start being transferred to the laptop. I like that; I set it up once and from then on it gets on with doing with what I want it to without getting in my damn way!

By the way, do you have Thumbnail Preview enabled in Eye-Fi Helper on your system? I think it's a real nice feature; it's great to have little thumbnails of each image being transferred to your computer popping up in the corner of the screen. If someone else is on your computer, say an assistant, working on an image in full screen mode, it's great that they can continue working whilst in the corner of the screen you get confirmation that things are working fine as images are still being transferred.

Regards,

plevyadophy

Well, I'm glad Ad Hoc is working for you and that you're happy using it. As I stated earlier, I haven't personally tried using Ad Hoc mode and I'm perfectly happy using Direct Mode...

Yes, I do have Thumbnail Preview enabled on my computer. Each time I take a new snapshot with my camera, a small thumbnail preview of that snapshot will appear in the upper righthand corner of my screen as the image downloads…

[plevyadophy]

So for that reason I seem to prefer Direct Mode. With Ad Hoc,if my laptop goes into sleep mode and is awoken from Sleep Mode I find that the Ad Hoc network facility on the laptop has been disabled. Sometimes I have found that I have woken the laptop up and have completely forgotten that the Ad Hoc connection will have been disabled, and I will be there like an idiot taking shot after shot wondering why no no files are being transferred to the laptop. I then realise what the problem is and then have to enable the Ad Hoc network in the operating system of the laptop. On the other hand, with Direct Mode, I just switch the laptop on, and it matters not whether the laptop has just resumed from Sleep Mode or whether I have enabled a WiFi connection, once I start taking pictures the images start being transferred to the laptop. I like that; I set it up once and from then on it gets on with doing with what I want it to without getting in my damn way!

By the way, do you have Thumbnail Preview enabled in Eye-Fi Helper on your system? I think it's a real nice feature; it's great to have little thumbnails of each image being transferred to your computer popping up in the corner of the screen. If someone else is on your computer, say an assistant, working on an image in full screen mode, it's great that they can continue working whilst in the corner of the screen you get confirmation that things are working fine as images are still being transferred.

Regards,

plevyadophy

Well, I'm glad Ad Hoc is working for you and that you're happy using it. As I stated earlier, I haven't personally tried using Ad Hoc mode and I'm perfectly happy using Direct Mode...

Yes, I do have Thumbnail Preview enabled on my computer. Each time I take a new snapshot with my camera, a small thumbnail preview of that snapshot will appear in the upper right hand corner of my screen as the image downloads…

By the way, I have recently found one technical difference between Ad Hoc and Direct Mode that might be of interest to some.

And it's this: with Ad Hoc Mode you can have two cameras connected to the network at the same time whilst with Direct Mode you can't.

Now, in Ad Hoc Mode images won't be transferred to the computer simultaneously but rather they will be queued (well it seems that way); when one camera stops transmitting, the other one immediately takes over. In fact I noticed that I was getting some images from one camera, then some from the second camera, and some more from the first camera. Perhaps the images are sent when gaps in transmission are found. So it's almost simultaneous in behaviour.

However, in Direct Mode what I found is that if one camera is connected to the laptop the second camera can never send images. To get images on the laptop from the second camera I have to turn off the first camera.

I doubt that it makes much of a difference to one individual but I would imagine that two shooters both using an Eye-Fi Card and uploading to the same computer would be much better served by connecting by way of Ad Hoc mode.