One thing that tends to trip up green ACs is wireless video. In this article, we’ll give you a quick rundown on how to properly set up wireless video, along with a couple tips and tricks to avoid any snags. While there are other systems on the market, we’ll be using Teradek as the main example, as it’s the one you’re most likely to run into on set.
We’ll assume that you’ve got a compatible system, and you’ve figured out how to get the system mounted, powered on, and cabled correctly. But what happens when you see the dreaded “NO LINK” message on the display?
This can mean a couple things. Most commonly, it either means that the transmitter and receiver are paired and there’s something preventing them from linking (obstruction, out of range), or that they are not paired to one another and don’t know to look for each other’s signals.
Start off by pairing the transmitter and receiver to each other. Have a small tool ready (a paperclip or sim card removal tool works just fine) to press the pairing button on the transmitter.
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- Have the units powered on, with the signal cables connected properly.
- If your unit is a model that uses antennas, attach them so they are clear of obstructions and sticking up in the air vertically and parallel to one another.
- Move the units 4-6 feet away from one another. We recommend 4-6 feet since there have been times that having the stronger transmitters and receivers too close to one another prevents them from pairing, sticking you in the CTPBLOD or… the “Connecting To..” Progress Bar Loop Of Death. (Swear we didn’t just make that name up… okay maybe we did.)
- Use the MENU button to navigate to and select the “Pairing” option on the OSD of the Receiver (whether it’s the small LCD panel on the unit itself, or the menu sent through the SDI out to the monitor).
- Select “Pair”. The readout will prompt you to “Activate Pairing on TX”.
- Go to the transmitter with your handy pairing tool, find the small hole and press the button under the housing with the tool. Hold for 3-4 seconds.
- If the signals find each other, an option will come up on the OSD of the receiver that asks you to select a transmitter to pair to. Select it with the menu button.
- Give the system a moment, and with any luck, a message that says “Pairing Successful” will display on the receiver OSD.
If you need to pair more than one receiver, do so one at a time, with any receivers not being paired at the moment powered off. Then once you’ve paired each receiver to the transmitter individually, you can power them all up and you should be paired to all of them. If your system is paired and conditions are good, the readout should say “Link: Good”. If your signal is intermittent, blocky, or otherwise poor, here are a couple troubleshooting techniques.
- Ensure you are in range. The range of the unit corresponds to the number (in feet) so if you have a Bolt 1000, your range is 1000 feet, a Bolt 3000 is a 3000 foot range, et cetera.
- The range refers to the distance you can have between the units as long as there is a line of sight between them. This means no obstructions between the two. If possible, clear any obstructions.
- If you can not clear obstructions, orient the receiver antennas so they are arranged like a hand, with each antenna pointing at a slightly different angle, and the transmitter antennas in the shape of a V (✌)
- Another possible reason for a poor signal is interference from other wireless signals on set. Start with what’s on your camera and work your way out. If you have other wireless devices on your camera build (wireless follow focus, audio hop, camera control, et cetera), double check that your transmitter has clearance from these items and as much space as possible.
- is given to each wireless device. You can ask other departments to adjust the frequencies of their wireless devices, but be prepared to get some attitude in return (or more likely, a “no”). Check out this article from Teradek on their built-in wireless frequency spectrum analyzer, which, when used properly can help you find the frequency with the least interference.
There is a lot more to learn about how wireless video transmission works, but this guide should give you enough technique and troubleshooting knowledge to get you through most working situations.