Connect dSLR to iPhone while keeping LTE connectivity

[ftaok]

I've been wanting to be able to have my iPhone connected to my dSLR in order to download a photo or two onto my iPhone while shooting with the dSLR. But it seems that all current options require disconnecting the iPhone from the LTE network, which makes it very cumbersome when I'm not near a wifi network.

So, here's what I've bought and tried.

I have a Canon Rebel XTi. I'm using a CF to SD adapter with the Toshiba FlashAir SD card.

Works fine as it was designed, but it's very limiting in that the iPhone has to connect to the FlashAir's wifi network. Therefore, the iPhone is no longer connected to the internet via LTE. I've tried lots things and they've all failed.

I'm down to 2 more things to try.

1. Buy the Apple Lightning to USB Camera adapter. Connect the Canon to my iPhone via a USB cable as a sort of tethered option. I think this would work, although I'd have a USB cable flopping around as I'm trying to shoot photos of my daughter playing soccer.

2. Buy a battery powered wifi router (like the HooToo Titan) and have both my iPhone and the FlashAir connect to it. I think if I blank out the router address, the iPhone will slide over to LTE, while still connected to the HooToo for wifi.

I'm guessing no one has really tried option #2, so if I go that way, I'll blaze the trail.

As for option #1, can anyone confirm that I could have my Canon connected to my iPhone in that manner, and still shoot photos? I'm wondering if I have it connected, the camera will go into "disk mode" and I won't be able to shoot photos.

Thanks

ft

 

[HDFan]

but it's very limiting in that the iPhone has to connect to the FlashAir's wifi network. Therefore, the iPhone is no longer connected to the internet via LTE. I've tried lots things and they've all failed.

Why is your phone not connected to the internet via cellular? On my Sony camera (my Canon batteries are dead) I connect to the PlayMemories app via WiFi and, of course, lose my WiFi Internet connection. But my cellular internet connection is fine so I could browse the internet via cellular LTE while downloading photos via WiFi, if PlayMemories did that in the background (which it doesn't).

Which iPhone do you have?

 

[kenoh]

Same here. The camera uses an ad-hoc WiFi connection so 3G/4G cell phone connectivity is still there.

 

[ftaok]

I'm using an iPhone 6.

My Canon dSLR is very old. It doesn't have wifi built in, so I use a Toshiba FlashAir SD card. The FlashAir generates it's own wifi network, which the iPhone has to connect to. But because the FlashAir doesn't have a connection to the internet, the iPhone doesn't see the internet, but it doesn't jump over to LTE either.

It's like if you were in your home and disconnected the WAN cable from your router. Your phone would still be connected to wifi, but there would be no connection to the outside internet.

I've tried using various combinations of the Wifi Assist feature on iOS that will automatically jump to LTE when wifi strength is low, but since the phone is next to the camera, wifi strength is strong and wifi assist doesn't kick in.

From what I've read, the Canon cameras with wifi built in behave in this manner as well.

HDFan - What Sony do you have?

kenoh - What camera do you have?

Thanks.

 

[kenoh]

I'm using an iPhone 6.

My Canon dSLR is very old. It doesn't have wifi built in, so I use a Toshiba FlashAir SD card. The FlashAir generates it's own wifi network, which the iPhone has to connect to. But because the FlashAir doesn't have a connection to the internet, the iPhone doesn't see the internet, but it doesn't jump over to LTE either.

It's like if you were in your home and disconnected the WAN cable from your router. Your phone would still be connected to wifi, but there would be no connection to the outside internet.

I've tried using various combinations of the Wifi Assist feature on iOS that will automatically jump to LTE when wifi strength is low, but since the phone is next to the camera, wifi strength is strong and wifi assist doesn't kick in.

From what I've read, the Canon cameras with wifi built in behave in this manner as well.

HDFan - What Sony do you have?

kenoh - What camera do you have?

Thanks.

Hi, I am on Sony A7Rii and RX100 mk III for wifi.

Ah I googled it. Yes, that is the only way that you can do it with that card. It creates its own wifi network and so your phone thinks it it connected to the internet through wifi. If you got the Eyefi card, you can you use the phone switched into Hotspot mode and the card in the camera connects to it like it is connecting to wifi rather than generating its own.

There is apparently an internet passthrough mode. Maybe worth looking at that.

Sorry, sounds like it is working as designed.

 

[ftaok]

Hi, I am on Sony A7Rii and RX100 mk III for wifi.

Ah I googled it. Yes, that is the only way that you can do it with that card. It creates its own wifi network and so your phone thinks it it connected to the internet through wifi. If you got the Eyefi card, you can you use the phone switched into Hotspot mode and the card in the camera connects to it like it is connecting to wifi rather than generating its own.

There is apparently an internet passthrough mode. Maybe worth looking at that.

Sorry, sounds like it is working as designed.

Maybe I'll need to look into Sony for my next upgrade, but it hurts to obsolete my lenses.

I didn't realize that Eyefi worked that way. Maybe I should shell out the bucks for the Eyefi and have it connect to my iPhone's hotspot. That would work.

Incidentally, the FlashAir isn't able to connect to my iPhone's hot spot, at least not with anything documented. I know I'm asking for more functionality than it was designed for, it's just that I didn't realize how useful that function would be until I started using it.

Thanks.

 

[kenoh]

Maybe I'll need to look into Sony for my next upgrade, but it hurts to obsolete my lenses.

I didn't realize that Eyefi worked that way. Maybe I should shell out the bucks for the Eyefi and have it connect to my iPhone's hotspot. That would work.

Incidentally, the FlashAir isn't able to connect to my iPhone's hot spot, at least not with anything documented. I know I'm asking for more functionality than it was designed for, it's just that I didn't realize how useful that function would be until I started using it.

Thanks.

Yeah I googled it and read that that model can only act as the "receiving end" of wifi. It cannot connect to a network you have to connect to it. The Eyefi can connect to a wifi network.

but... that flash air can apparently work with an internet passthrough mode.

Maybe this will help?

https://flashair-developers.com/en/documents/tutorials/advanced/3/

Dont obsolete your lenses... glass is glass... that is where the money is. Obsolete bodies but not glass!

Hope this helps.

 

[HDFan]

HDFan - What Sony do you have?

My Canon DSLR's and lenses are pretty much left on the shelf now. My goto camera is the RX10-III with 2.4-4.4 24-600 zoom.