GC-A4Gb suddenly stopped sending pics

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Jess Calvert

I have several of these cameras and they have worked well. One quit transmitting pics last week, however. I've done what I know to do to try to remedy the issue...replaced the batteries, replaced the SD card with a new formatted SD card.

The camera is sending status reports and it looks like pics are being taken as the SD card was empty and it now shows that is has data on it. Leads me to question whether the data plan I have is full for the month...but I can't find the proper place to see if the monthly data has been exhausted. 

Does anyone know if there is a way to determine if monthly data has been exhausted?

Also, if I purchase extra premium credits, will they automatically kick in if my regular monthly data plan is exhausted?

Thanks in advance for any assistance. 

 

 

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  • John Lockburner

    Where are you getting your data from? Have you checked the online portal to see if the pictures are getting there and just not to the app? If you are getting status reports but no pictures that usually points to an SD card issue. Is your card 32gb or smaller, class 10, 80mb/s or faster and a full sized card (not a micro in an adapter)?

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  • Jess Calvert

    Thank you for your response.

    I am getting my data from an AT&T plan purchased on the Spartan site. The SD card is a 16gb SanDisk with SDHCI written on it and the number 4 is circled on it. It's identical to the SD card that was in it previously and that worked for a year.

    Having read some of the possible DIY fixes I proactively changed the batteries even though they weren't dead and I replaced the SD card. 

    I just purchased 12 premium credits on the Spartan site in hopes that if this is a data plan usage issue the credits I purchased will automatically kick in to prevent service from stopping. 

    The online portal does not have pictures on it that would have been sent after I stopped receiving them on my phone app. 

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  • John Lockburner

    The 4 in the circle means it's a class 4 and that could be causing your issues, even though it was working previously sometimes things change over the network and things that were working can stop working. How close is the camera, if you have it in hand we can try some other diagnosis.

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  • Jess Calvert

    It's 250 miles away. I have the identical set up in an identical camera and it is working fine.

    I am wrong to think this could be a data issue? Is there a way to determine if I have used up all the data in my plan for the month which caused service to stop?

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  • John Lockburner
    • Edited

    The plans through Spartan are supposed to auto renew but if there's a glitch with the credit card on file maybe it didn't. If you go to the online portal and log in you can go to account and wireless subscriptions and it should tell you if the plan is active. If you were running low you should have gotten an email when you had 10% remaining. With the Spartan plans you shouldn't need to purchase credits, they are included. If you bought your data from ATT directly then you would need the premium credits.

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  • Jess Calvert

    Account shows that it is active. Guess I now have extra premium credits. 

    If it is an SD issue would it make sense that one of my setups is affected but not the other given they are identical?

    Also, status report on the camera with the issue is showing status as of last night at midnight and the SD card is showing that it has data on it and it was empty so it is sending data (status report) and it looks like it is taking pics...just not sending them. Last pics transmitted were a week ago.

    Thoughts? 

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  • John Lockburner

    Is the cameras firmware up to date? I would request an SD card format from the status report screen, it may execute at the midnight report or possibly sooner. Hopefully after it does you get a picture with an F on the bottom of it. SD cards have tolerances so if you have one  (or more) that aren't to spec it is possible that one is performing better than the others or worse for that matter.

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  • Jess Calvert

    Both cameras show that the firmware is current. 

    I requested an SD card format on the status report screen yesterday. I will do it again just in case. 

    Question - given I requested an SD card format yesterday and that action deletes all the files on the SD card and the status report is showing that the SD card has data on it could that mean the camera is taking pictures but not sending them?

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  • John Lockburner

    Yes, it's very possible. Did the used space on the card decrease after the format? Also make sure that your timezone is set in the camera settings on the app, if it's not set that and request a settings update before requesting the format. Usually if the format is successful you get that picture with the F on the bottom of it.

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  • Jess Calvert

    I didn't note whether or not the used space decreased after the format. I'll note that after this one which I just executed. 

    The time zone is accurately set. 

    I will report back after the format is complete. 

    Thank you for your assistance. 

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  • Jess Calvert

    Update -

    * SD format was completed at 10:14PM but the space consumed on the card did not change.

    * Status report was sent at 12:00AM.

    * Still no pictures. 

    Thoughts?

    Thank you.

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  • John Lockburner

    You can try the format again but I think the fact that it's a class 4 SD card might be causing the issues.

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  • Jess Calvert

    I will try the format again and will try to make the trip to this ranch to swap out the SD card. Interesting that the identical camera with the identical SD card at another ranch is working without any issues and both have done so for over a year. 

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  • John Lockburner

    It's not uncommon, the class rating is a minimum speed and the cards can be faster than the minimum so sometimes they work or work for a while and sometimes they don't. I think over time they slow down and can fall below the tolerance that's needed for the camera.

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