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Smart Camera Network - Lag, Slow Downloads, Pixilation, Ghosting, Replay Not Working

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If your Smart Camera is lagging, the downloads are slow, or the video is pixilating then follow the below check list to solve your poor network issues:

Download the Smart Camera Setup Checklist Download the Condensed List for Quick and Easy Checking 

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Smart Camera Checklist

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Condensed Check List

 

1. MAKE SURE ALL IPADS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SMART CAMERA SYSTEM

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Cross reference ALL of your iPads with the iPad models from our Compatibility Page here. Make sure your iPads are in the green under the Wireless/Smart Camera blue column.

To find your model number go to the iPad Settings > General > About > Tap on the Model Number so it changes to A1234. Use this number to see if your iPad is compatible on the Compatibility Page.

 

2. CHECK BRIDGE ANTENNA POSITIONS

Pressbox Bridge:

Must be free of obstructions such as walls, glass, confined spaces and Antenna must be angled downward in between Sideline and Endzone Bridge Antennas.

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Sideline Bridge:

Must be pointed upward directly at Pressbox Bridge.

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Endzone Bridge:

Must be pointed upward directly at Pressbox Bridge

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The most common issue with Bridge positions/connections is when the Pressbox Bridge is not out in the open with a clear shot down in between the Sideline and Endzone Bridges.

If the window is not wide/big enough, or if there's glass in front of the antenna, or if the space is causing interference for some reason, it is best to move the Pressbox Bridge antenna to a better location.

 

Use a longer ethernet cable so that the Pressbox Bridge antenna can be moved to a position where it has a completely open, clear shot down in between the Sideline and Endzone Bridges:

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The latch on the rear of the antenna can be pulled down so that the ethernet cable can be removed and replaced.

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The top of the pressbox is often an ideal place for the Bridge antenna. (Unlike the above picture, the camera and kit can remain downstairs with the iPad antenna if desired).

 

If you are the Away team and your Sideline Antenna kit is on the far Sideline, here is how you will want your setup. Note that in this case it is preferable to have the Endzone System on the near hash:

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3. CONTROL IPAD SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO PRESSBOX NETWORKcontroller_controlling_ipad_pb_antenna_close_proximity_pressbox_sc_smart_camera.jpg

The iPad that controls the Smart Endzone Camera should be connected to the Pressbox network in the SAME ROOM OR VICINITY AS THE PRESSBOX IPAD ANTENNA. 

Pressbox iPad Antenna should be on the inside of the room with the iPads. DO NOT PUT IPAD ANTENNA (THE ONE WITH BUNNY EARS) ON OUTSIDE OF PRESSBOX GLASS.

 

4. RAISE ENDZONE BRIDGE ANTENNA AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE

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  • Often due to traffic in the endzone or other potential interference sources it is ideal to raise the endzone bridge antenna higher up from the ground so that it can gain a better connection to the pressbox bridge.
  • Try raising the Endzone Bridge Antenna at least a few feet higher by either attaching it to the tower itself or to an extra tripod stand if you have one.

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  • As an option, you can attach to the second lowest clamp bar on the tower. Make sure antenna clamp is secure!

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  • Then test to see if any lag or other network issues persist. This adjustment can make a huge difference.

 

5. ONLY CONTROL IPAD SHOULD HAVE LIVE FEED ON

Only the master iPad that is controlling the Smart Endzone Camera should be seeing the live feed of the Endzone angle. NONE OF THE OTHER REPLAY VIEWING IPADS SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THE LIVE ENDZONE FEED.

You can ensure this does not happen by going to the Preferences page on the viewing iPads only and turning OFF Enable Live Stream.

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6. ONLY ENDZONE LIVE FEED SHOULD BE ON. DO NOT TURN ON PRESSBOX LIVESTREAM.

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If using a Pressbox angle or multiple Pressbox angle EDGE boxes be sure that the Livestream toggle for that angle(s) is turned OFF from the Cameras page.

On the main control screen you will see the Pressbox angle box in the top left. It will be a black box displaying the camera status. THIS IS NORMAL. As long as the Pressbox says Ready then the video will be recorded for the replay. Sport-scope-app-default-screen-in-game-working.jpg

 

7. ALL PRESSBOX IPADS SHOULD BE IN SAME ROOM/VICINITY AS PRESSBOX IPAD ANTENNA

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  • If All iPads are inside room, iPad Antenna (with bunny ears) should be on inside of glass. NOT on the outside of the window.
  • Do not have an iPad in the pressbox area separated from the antenna by a wall, glass, ceiling or floor. ALL iPads (including the Control iPad) need to be on the same level in the same room as the iPad Antenna.

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Remember that the iPad Antenna can be in a separate room from the camera and/or Pressbox Bridge antenna. The only requirement is that ALL iPads being used in the pressbox area are in same room or vicinity as the Pressbox iPad antenna.


8. SWAP OUT THE POWER CORD WITH AN ANKER BATTERY CHARGING CABLE

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If you have our most recent battery setup for your Smart Camera (as pictured above), you can use the MicroUSB cable used to charge one of those batteries as a power cable.

  • Sometimes Lag can be due to a lack of power to the system's computer caused by a faulty cable.
  • Swapping that cable out with a compatibly-rated MicroUSB cable can solve operator delay outright.
  • Both of the USB cables provided with the newer model of batteries are compatible, but
    NOT ALL MicroUSB CABLES ARE COMPATIBLE.
  • If you're using a MicroUSB cable that we didn't provide, this can also cause lag.

If you identify one of your cables as faulty, a new one can be purchased in our Replacement Parts Section.

 

9. USE THE SIDELINE BOOSTER ANTENNA AND SHOOT SIGNAL DOWN SIDELINE

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  • Make sure Sideline Antenna Kit is at the 20-25 YL closest to your Endzone Camera.
  • Ensure Booster antenna is facing down your Sideline where the coaches will be with their iPads.
  • Raise the tripod high so that its signal is blasted out above the bodies of any players that might walk in front of it. BUT MAKE SURE THE PANEL IS NOT POINTED UP INTO THE SKY.
  • The iPads on the Sideline talk with this antenna so they need to be in range of the signal it is blasting out. It is better for iPads to be closer to the antenna but the signal usually reaches to the far 25 YL.

 

10. TURN BLUETOOTH OFF ON ALL IPADS (ESPECIALLY CONTROL IPAD)

Go into the iPad settings and turn bluetooth off. This is a common cause of lag/pixilation/ghosting, don't skip this check!

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11. LOWER ANGLE OF ENDZONE BRIDGE ANTENNA BY A FEW DEGREES

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  • Occasionally the endzone bridge antenna will inadvertently be aiming too high even though its angle looks correct, or there are interferences in the airwaves that it's having trouble cutting through.
  • Try lowering the Endzone Bridge Antenna by a few degrees and then test to see if any lag or other network issues persist. Sometimes this small adjustment can make a huge difference.

 

12. MAKE SURE IPADS ARE CONNECTED TO CORRECT NETWORKhome_screen_ready_check_wifi_connection.jpg

  • Always check to make sure that ALL iPads in the Pressbox are connected to the Pressbox network
  • Always check to make sure that ALL iPads on the Sideline are connected to the Sideline network

 

13. CHECK WIFI % CONNECTION ON SYSTEM INFO PAGE IF HAVING CONTINUED ISSUES

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If you have followed all of the above guidelines and the system is still lagging or downloads are slow/not working, it may be because there is a device on the network that is poorly connected or causing an issue in some other way.

  1. Go to the System Info page
  2. Hit the Scan button in the top right
  3. WAIT for the scan to complete (usually 20-30 seconds)
  4. Look at the WIFI% for all of the connected devices and see if there are any other red flags
  • Remove any devices that are incompatible with the Smart Camera system, such as old iPads and/or any phones.
  • IMPORTANT: If an iPad has poor WIFI% (anything below 70%), do the following:
    1. Turn the WiFi OFF on that iPad.
    2. Move the iPad as close as possible to the antenna it was connected to.
    3. Turn the WiFi back on and reconnect to the appropriate Sport Scope network.

 

14. MAKE SURE IPAD AND/OR SMART CAMERA/EDGE BOX STORAGES AREN'T FULL

When your iPad or Smart/Wireless or EDGE boxes start getting full, you may experience issues ranging from slow response to an inability to use the system or record.

There are 3 main places that data for Sport Scope could be stored: 

  1. On the Edge boxes/Smart/Wireless Camera computers themselves
  2. In the Sport Scope app
  3. Possibly in the Files app of the iPad if Games have been shared from said iPad

How to delete games from Sport Scope App & Computers

You MUST have the system set up and operating in order to delete Games from your Computers. Make sure all of your camera angles say READY on the Cameras page, then:

  1. In the Sport Scope App, go to the Games page. 
  2. Click on "Select" in the top right of the screen.Game_page_-_main_screen_-_arrow_to_select.png
  3. Select the game or games you wish to delete.
    • A checkmark will appear on whichever games you select.
  4. Click on "Delete" in the top leftGame_page_-_delete_options.png
  5. You will see 3 options:
    • From iPad Only - this deletes any games saved to the Sport Scope app on this iPad only. (Does not delete from other iPads).
      • Important Note: If you delete from the iPad Only but not the devices, the game will reappear on the Games page once you connect to your system again, however none of the plays will be downloaded onto the iPads. To remove the game from the Menu permanently you must delete from both. 
    • From Camera Only - this deletes games off the currently connected Edge boxes/Smart/Wireless Camera's computer
    • From Both - this deletes games from both the app and the computer(s)

The recommended option is From Both but you must have the system connected to delete from both the iPad and the computer(s). 

Also as a tip, you don't need all of the equipment set up to accomplish this. If needed you can use the condensed set up in the "SHORT-CUT TO CONNECT DEVICES TO NETWORK EASIER" section as an easier way to connect to your devices for deletion.

Important Note: Once deleted from both, any other iPads that were connected during those games will still have the game on their Games page. For the remaining iPads you only need to delete from iPad Only and they do not need to be connected to the system.

Short-cut to connect devices to the network easier 

SMART CAMERA AND/OR EDGE REPLAY

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WIRELESS CAMERA

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Deleting off the iPad from the Files app

Games that have been exported or saved to the device in the Files app also take up space on the iPad. This is separate from the files in the Sport Scope app. The steps above will not delete these files and so the storage on your iPad may begin to fill up.

Delete Game(s) from the Files App

  1. Open the Files app (tap on the icon that looks like a file folder).
  2. On the top left click on "On My iPad" under the locations tab
  3. Click on the "Sport Scope" folder then the "Games" folder
  4. Tap on Select, select the games you wish to delete, then tap "Delete" in the lower right corner.

Next we will empty the trash can as deleting the game won't immediately remove it from the iPad.

  1. Go back to the first page in the files app
  2. To empty the trash, open the "Recently Deleted" in the left column under locations.
  3. Tap on Select.
  4. Tap "Delete All" in the bottom to empty the folder.
  5. A box will ask you to reconfirm if you want to delete the items. By clicking "Delete" in this box, you will fully empty your iPad's Files trash.

Note: Emptying the trash will permanently delete all items in the trash. Even after the files are deleted from the trash, your iPad might not reflect the change in available space for 24 hours. 

How do I check my iPad Storage?

To check your iPad storage, go into the Settings on your iPad. Then go to General > [Device] Storage ( [Device] will be the name of your iPad). This will show you how much space is left on your iPad. If it's over 75% full you will want to delete anything you can to get more available space (see below).

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We recommend that you do these steps on a semi-regular basis to ensure you have the space needed to record games on game day!

 

15. TEMPORARILY TURN WIFI OFF ON ALL IPADS/RESET THE IPAD NETWORK SETTINGS

If even after all of the above troubleshooting your network is still having problems with lag, slow replay downloads, or the downloads not working at all, temporarily turn off the WIFI on ALL the iPads, EXCEPT for the Master Control iPad

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Use the system with only the one Control iPad and verify that it is now working correctly. If it is still not working correctly try resetting the Network Settings

  • Go to General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
  • The iPad will reboot. You will be required to input the WiFi password once you reconnect.

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Once the Master Control iPad is working normally, begin reconnecting all the other iPads back on to the network one-by-one. DO NOT RECONNECT ALL OF THE IPADS BACK TO THE SPORT SCOPE NETWORKS ALL AT ONCE.

  • Connect an iPad and continue filming. Make sure the lag is minimal and download speed is reasonable.
  • If good, connect another iPad. Keep filming and make sure speed is still good.
  • Continue like this until all the iPads are back on the networks and the system is still running smoothly

 

16. MAKE SURE IPAD ISN'T TOO HOT 

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Sometimes lag is caused by an iPad getting too hot:

  • Keep the iPad out of direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time.
  • Sunlight can cause iPads to overheat which prohibits their ability to function correctly including running the Sport Scope app. 
  • This can be a common cause of video lag, especially when filming day time practices or games.
  • Try to stay in the shade as much as possible to avoid a hot iPad and subsequent lag.

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