V3 cams bricked by firmware update

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Manual Firmware Flash Tips:

  • It is imperative that the Factory Reset is done with no SD Card mounted. Without a factory reset, the Flash will fail. Hold down on the setup button and don’t let go for a minimum 17 seconds (I timed a V3 reset) until you actually hear the cam click and the 4 IR LED lights on each side of the lens flash. Do not let go of that Setup button until the cam does this. When it does, it should restart to a blinking red light. Unplug the Cam.
  • You must Factory Reset the device without any SD Card before every flash attempt.
  • It must be a card formatted to FAT32. Cards 32GB and smaller come factory formatted this way by industry standards, but you can never be sure with off brand discount cards. Try a different brand.
  • The card needs to be blank with the proper .bin file copied to the root. Make absolutely sure you have downloaded the correct .zip file for your Cam Model and Firmware version and have extracted the right .bin file for your OS.
  • If you are renaming the file, or you are adding the .bin file extension manually, be absolutely positive you need to. Most situations do not require renaming. Be sure your OS isn’t just “hiding” the file extension in your File Browser. Adding the .bin file extension when it isn’t needed will cause failure.
  • Whether you are copying and pasting the .bin, dragging it to the SD Root, or using the Extract feature of your file browser, verify that the .bin file was written properly to the SD Card. Verify by dismounting the card after the copy and remounting it and comparing the file sizes of the .bin file on the card and the .bin file in the .zip archive. Programs and apps have bugs. I experienced this with an app I used previously wherein the extract feature was failing and it was writing a null file.
  • If a card fails to flash, try a new card. Preferably a reputable brand.
  • If a firmware version fails to flash, try a different version. While they may have been removed from the download site, that doesn’t mean other users don’t have them archived for posterity.
  • It isn’t a bad idea to completely reformat the card with a new FAT32 format. Not a Quick Format or a Format in the cam. These just erase the data and leave the old File Allocation Table in tact. A full hard reformat with a new FAT.
  • Use a scanning utility program to scan the card for errors and issues to make sure it is 100% healthy.
  • Be sure you are following the Flash procedure step by step:
  1. Factory Reset
  2. Unplugged Cam
  3. Insert the Card with the .bin file
  4. Press and hold the setup while plugging it in. This takes skill and determination if you don’t have two people.
  5. Continue holding Setup in only until both lights activate simultaneously to show purple.
  6. All cams that are Factory Reset must go thru a new Setup procedure to install them as though they are a new cam. You don’t need to delete it from your app, just install it as a new cam.
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