UniFi Video - UVC-Micro/G3-Micro Recovery

 

Overview

This article demonstrates how to recover a UVC-Micro and UVC-G3-Micro.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Steps: UVC-G3-Micro Recovery
  3. Steps: UVC-Micro Recovery
  4. Related Articles

Introduction

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The methods described in this article are comparable to a TFTP recovery done on a UVC, UVC-Dome, or UAP for example. The difference is that the UVC-Micro does not have an Ethernet interface, therefore, there is no direct way to interface with the unit via TFTP. Instead, the UVC-Micro makes use of the SD-Card slot on the back of the unit. In the case of the UVC-G3-Micro, on-board storage is used instead.

Steps: UVC-G3-Micro Recovery

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  1. Disconnect power from the UVC-Micro.
  2. Insert a paperclip or similarly narrow object in to the reset hole on the opposing side of the LED and press down.
  3. Continue holding this button while you apply power to the UVC-Micro. The LED will turn on and remain steady.
    User Tip:Hold the camera in one hand, and the paperclip pressing the button in the other. Have the magnetic base on a flat surface with the power adapter connected to the base. Slowly lower the camera over the base. The magnet will snap on, applying power. Be careful not to release the button.
  4. After approximately 15-20 seconds, the LED will flash once. This is the indicator that the reset button may be released.
  5. After an additional 30 seconds or so, the UVC-Micro will start emitting a tone indicating that the camera is in a default state and is ready to be provisioned.

Steps: UVC-Micro Recovery

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NOTES & REQUIREMENTS:
If performing this recovery with a Windows computer, it will be necessary to download and install Win32 Disk Imager (Free). The firmware binary can be obtained from the firmware downloads page, or the Video Controller in the following places:
  • Windows: C:\ProgramData\unifi-video\fw\A5S\
  • Linux: /usr/lib/unifi-video/fw/A5S/
*The filename has been intentionally omitted as it will change depending on the software installed. There will be only one file in this folder.
  1. Insert a microSD card (20MB or larger).
    WARNING:Contents will be overwritten. Please back up any contents that you wish to retain.
  2. Write the firmware file to the microSD card. For Windows, see Note 1 below. For Linux & Mac, see Note 2 below.
    1. If using Windows follow this process:

      If using Windows, copy the .bin file to the same folder, then rename the copied .bin to have an extension of .img instead of .bin. Use Win32 Disk Imager to write the image to the drive letter of the microSD card.  Your result should look like this:

      Where:

      D:/Downloads/UVC.gen2.v3.1.0.38-devel.89002e2.150421.2034.img would be a firmware binary renamed to have a .img file extension

      [I:\] is the drive letter assigned to this microSD card by Windows. Then, all that is left is to click the Write button.

    2. If using Linux or Mac OS X follow this process:

      If using Mac or Linux, the dd command is used:

      dd if=/path/to/firmware/file.bin of=/path/to/microsd/card bs=8M; sync

      Root privileges may be required to be able to use dd. If this is the case, issue the following command prior to the dd command:

      sudo su -

      To find the path to your microSD card (what follows the "of=" part in the command above), you can use diskutil (Mac) or dmesg or fdisk (Linux).  Here are options for both Mac and Linux.

  3. Unmount and remove the microSD card from the computer.
  4. Disconnect power from the UVC-Micro.
  5. Insert the microSD card into the spring-loaded slot in the back of the UVC-Micro.
  6. Insert a paperclip or similarly narrow object in to the reset hole on the opposing side of the LED and press down.
  7. Continue holding the reset button while you apply power to the UVC-Micro. The LED will turn on and remain steady.
    User Tip:Hold the camera in one hand, and the paperclip pressing the button in the other. Have the magnetic base on a flat surface with the power adapter connected to the base. Slowly lower the camera over the base. The magnet will snap on, applying power. Be careful not to release the button.
  8. After approximately 15-20 seconds, the LED will flash once. This is the indicator that the reset button may be released.
  9. After an additional 30 seconds or so, the camera will start emitting a tone indicating that it's in a default state and is ready to be provisioned.
  10. To reuse the microSD card, insert it back into the computer and reformat it.

Related Articles

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UniFi Video - Recovering an Inaccessible Camera

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