WiGo - GoPro WiFi Controller for Windows
WiGo is a Windows application designed to communicate with GoPro WiFi enabled cameras that can be used to change the camera settings, preview the image, and download photos and videos directly to your PC from the SD card.
Download WiGo Version 0.19
Read the FAQ and Feedback
Donations are gratefully accepted.
This is beta testing software. Use at your own risk. This software may damage your camera. The responsibility is entirely with the user. The author accepts no responsibility for any damage that may be caused by using this software.
Shortly after the iPhone application was released by GoPro, a number of enterprising individuals began to catalog the WiFi commands sent from that app to the GoPro Wifi BacPac. They were generous enough to share their observations on the GoPro User Forum. In particular, dough29 contributed enormously to the task of documenting the List of GoPro Wifi BacPac Commands and has built RemoteGo, an Android app to control the camera. This software builds on their work. Thank you.
Before you begin to use WiGo, it will be necessary to do the following:
- Update the firmware in your Camera to version 198 or later.
- If you have trouble installing the new firmware, there are solutions here.
- Once you have the Wifi BacPac working with the latest firmware, use CineForm Studio to set the SSID (Wifi access name) and password for the BacPac.
- Press the Wi-Fi BacPac button to go to the Wi-Fi menu. Select PHONE & TABLET. This allows your computer to connect to the BacPac’s Wi-Fi network.
- Use the Wifi settings on your computer to connect to the camera. Note that if WiFi is your internet access, you will not have access to the internet while connected to the camera.
- Download and install the latest version of WiGo.
- If you wish to view the streaming preview from the camera, you will need the VLC Media Player from VideoLAN.
WiGo does not require any installation. Download WiGo.exe to the folder you wish to use and run it. Your browser and Windows will warn you that this is unsafe. They are right. It is always risky to download an executable file from an unknown source. Never install WiGo or any other program if you are unsure of the source. If you download from cam-do.com, WiGo.exe is coming directly from the author. It does not contain malware of any kind. Never download WiGo.exe from any other site.
First, use the Options Menu to set the IP address and password WiGo will use to communicate with the camera. For now, the IP address is 10.5.5.9, but GoPro may change that at some time in the future. The password is the same password you set with CineForm. The default password is goprohero, if you did not change the password. If you have forgotten your password, use CineForm Studio to reset it.
In the Options Menu, set the Path to VLC. This is the location of the vlc.exe program on your computer. It is usually in C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC.
Enable Streaming Preview enables the streaming of a low resolution video image that can be used to frame the view. The preview is available in all modes when enabled. In video mode, the preview is always available when recording. The VLC button will be enabled when the preview is available to view in the VLC window.
In a later version, the streaming video will be previewed in an embedded window in the application. This is not working reliably enough for general release, so for the time being, the preview is available only in a separate VLC window.
VLC is a very powerful program. Once you are streaming video to VLC, the stream can be shared on your local network to other devices, or embedded in a web page for public or private viewing.
The Mode Menu is used to set the mode the camera will record in when you press the record button.
The Settings Menu is used to set various settings on the camera. Some settings are "read only" and have to be set on the camera. They are included in the menu for your convenience. Most of the common settings are available.
Remember that there is a communications delay after changing a setting. The command will be sent to the camera. After the setting has changed, the camera will verify the new settings, then the menu will refresh and the check mark will appear in the correct place. Be patient and wait a moment for this to happen.
Note: one way to "crash" the Hero 3 is to send commands (or even push the buttons) on the camera before it is ready. If your Hero 3 freezes, just pull the battery and put it back in.
The Set Date and Time function will fill in the current local time from your PC. You can edit the date if you want to use a different time zone. It doesn't matter what characters are used as dividers as long as the digits stay in the same place. Good examples today are: 12 10 26 22 23 00 which is the same as 12/10/26 22:23:00 or 12.10.26 22:23:00. All are in the form YY.MM.DD HH:MM:ss.
The SD Card menu gives you access to the files on the card in the camera. Delete Last and Delete All are the same commands available on the camera menu for deleting the last photo or video, or cleaning off the entire SD card.
View available also by pressing F5 will open your web browser to the camera server page. From that page you can view or download any image or video file from the camera. Note that the WiFi connection is much slower than taking the SD card out and reading it directly. But sometimes, it is convenient to view images in full resolution without moving the camera.
Hover the cursor over the command buttons for a hint explanation of each button.
The video stream from the camera is available with preview mode or when recording video.
A few status parameters are displayed in the lower window. Later we will get fancy with icons and graphics. For now, enjoy the geekiness of 8 bit numbers.
The elapsed time of the currently recording video is displayed on the screen in a large easy to read font.
Press the VLC button to view the preview from the camera in the VLC window.
Frequently Asked Questions
What versions of Windows will WiGo run on?
It has been tested on Windows 7 and Windows XP. There is no reason it shouldn't run on almost all Windows versions released in this century.
Will it work with the my camera?
It works with all 3 versions of the Hero 3 Cameras and the Hero 2 with the WiFi BacPac accessory. There are some features that only work with particular cameras because of the features GoPro has included or the way they have configured their firmware.
What are the users saying about WiGo?
Feedback has been almost 100% positive. Quite a few users have been happy enough to donate. For example, read these unsolicited emails:
I'm just writing to thank you so so much for the WiGo... i`ve been for about a week or so trying to get the GoPro App through an android emulator for PC and was just about to loose my goddamn mind when I stumbled upon your website, and your wonderful wonderful software. Congratulations on developing this way before GoPro did, or should have done (still dont know why) but the program works amazingly. I don't know if you updated the software since the last time you posted any comments, but I have a HERO 3 WHITE ED. and EVERYTHING worked perfectly !!!!! The Previews, the functions, the mode selection, the options selection....everything commanded through the software, the only issue that I believe is normal is the 2 or 3 second delay on the preview image !! but that is expected...and being what it is...even welcome...lol !!!!
- Leonardo in Sao Paulo
Your program fixed my Hero 3 Silver blue light problem!!!
Ever since I did the newest firmware update on my Hero 3 Silver the blue WiFi lights don't work anymore. This started to cause a problem because you would never really know when the WiFi antenna was on or off. The WiFi button is very easy to activate by accident. It would turn on with out me knowing, rendering the camera battery dead when you wanted to use it. When the camera is off the only way to know the WiFi antenna is on was the blue light blinking.
I found your program online wanting to connect my GoPro to my laptop via WiFi for streaming or just something neat to have.
First of all, on my Hero 3 Silver everything works perfectly!!!
I was messing around with the settings for the LEDs in WiGo. Turned the LED setting off then on and now the blue lights work again!!!! Don't know how it fixed it, but it did and has worked ever since.
Now I know when the antenna is really on or off again.
Thank you thank you thank you for such an awesome program. Your time is much appreciated.
I will certainly mention this awesome program and website to my fellow users and also suggest a donation to your efforts.
Thanks again!
- Josh
Tips and Troubleshooting
Streaming video is delayed or cuts off after a few seconds.
The delay is normal and is part of the GoPro implementation.
Some users have reported the streaming working without problems. Others seem to have it stop intermittently. Make sure the firmware in the camera is up-to-date and installed properly. Sometimes a manual install fixes problems after GoPro's automated install has appeared to work. Make sure you are using the latest version of VLC. WiGo does no more than pass the address of the camera's streaming feed to VLC.
One VLC setting that improves streaming is under VLC - Tools - Preferences - Input & Codecs - Default Caching Policy - select Lowest Latency. There are a lot of settings which can be optimized and perhaps a VLC guru can tell us the best combination.
I see the SD Card on the Hero 3 Black but there are no image files.
The latest firmware from GoPro for the Hero 3 Black disabled the image file display on the camera's web browser. It is possible to run a script on your SD card which will modify the firmware in the camera to show the files.
Is it possible to capture the streaming video or forward it via the internet?
Yes, it is. It can be done using the features of VLC or with utilities such as FFmpeg and FFplay. TechAnswerGuy has blogged about the process and gmore70 has created a tutorial video showing how to stream GoPro video on YouTube and UStream.
How can I extend the range from my camera to my computer?
There are several ways to do this. One is to use a range extender, which repeats signals from the computer to the camera and vice versa.
I would be very happy to hear from any VLC gurus out there who can help improve the preview performance.
Cam-Do products are designed for use with GOPRO® cameras. GOPRO® is a registered trademarks of Woodman Labs, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
