6. FAQ

Symptoms and fixes

Symptom	What to do
Phone won't connect to the device hotspot	Confirm the device is powered and the phone supports 5 GHz if the hotspot uses it. In system Wi-Fi, manually select GILABS-XXXXXXXX; ignore the "no internet" warning and stay connected, then tap Add Device in the app again. See Phone app & web preview.
Can't install the app (older Android, no store access)	Use the browser preview instead: join the hotspot and open http://192.168.4.1, or on the same Wi-Fi open http://GILABS-XXXXXXXX.local. See Web preview.
Card inserted but no recording / app shows no free space	The card may be counterfeit or have an unrecognized partition format. Try Format SD card in the app first. Use a genuine card from a reputable channel (Movespeed A1 V30, Biwin, SanDisk), verify its real capacity with H2testw, and format as FAT32. See SD cards.
Preview flickers or stutters	The live decode is failing to keep up; not a device fault. The saved recording is what counts; preview lag alone does not imply dropped frames. See Preview is not the recording.
Foxglove opens the file but shows no picture	Make sure you opened the .mcap file itself and that Foxglove Studio is a recent version (H.265 support). Decrypt encrypted recordings before opening them. If the panel shows a red cross, see H.265 decoding.
A very long recording plays back slowly / uses much memory	Sessions are automatically split into approximately 256 MB parts; open one part at a time, or use separate sessions. See Retrieve data & view.
Not sure whether the device is on	Look at the LED on the body: solid = powered, blinking = recording (EGO1GS also says so). See Know your device.
Powering off / cutting power	Flip the record switch to O, wait for the recording to stop and save, then disconnect USB power. Never cut power mid-recording. If a power cut has left the card in a bad state, copy off what still reads, then format the card (computer or the app's Format SD card). See Power, record, and power off.
Recording stopped automatically	A camera that cannot recover (including from overheating), a full / removed card, or write failure ends and saves the recording. Resolve the cause, cool the headset in a ventilated place if needed, then move the switch O → I. Avoid direct sunlight or wrapping the device.
EGO1GS preview disappears but recording continues	Firmware 1.1.6+ pauses preview at high temperature. Recording continues; preview resumes after cooling. Check Thermal protection in Device info.
Cannot copy or delete a recording in the app	Requires firmware 1.1.6+ and app 1.1.6. Stop recording first. Copies need Wi-Fi or USB networking, not Bluetooth or USB serial.

Under the hood

More symptoms

Identifying the device

Question	Answer
Which variant do I have?	Device info → Hardware version: ego_v2 is EGO1, audio_ego_v3 is EGO1GS. EGO1GS has a speaker and says "device ready" at power-up. See Which one do I have?.
Is it recording right now?	The LED blinks about once a second while a session is running. On EGO1GS you can also turn on the recording reminder under Device settings.

Connecting

Symptom	What to do
App says "Device in use"	Another phone is connected; only one phone can control a device at a time. Disconnect the other phone, then pull down to refresh.
Device won't join my Wi-Fi	Check the SSID and passphrase for typos, capitals included. With wrong credentials the device gives up and returns to its own hotspot; rejoin that and try again. Captive-portal and 802.1X networks cannot be joined at all. See Networks the device cannot join.
Preview is smooth on one phone and choppy on another	The hotspot is 5 GHz with a 2.4 GHz fallback (since firmware 1.1.2). A phone without 5 GHz support gets the slower band. See Connect to the device hotspot.

Recording and preview

Symptom	What to do
Straight edges lean or wobble during fast head turns	Rolling-shutter skew, normal on EGO1 and a property of the sensor, not a fault. If the work needs clean geometry during fast motion, that is what EGO1GS is for. See What differs.
Raised the bitrate or resolution and nothing changed	Both take effect after a reboot. Power-cycle the device.
Raised the bitrate and now it won't record	A genuine A1 / V30 card handles every preset, so suspect a counterfeit or worn card. Verify it, or return to the 8 Mbps default. See SD cards.

Audio (EGO1GS)

Symptom	What to do
No audio in my recordings	Record audio is a toggle under Device settings → Audio. It applies immediately.
The device keeps talking to me	Those are status notices. The recording-reminder tick is separate and can be turned off under Device settings; the voice volume can be lowered to 0.
Notices are in the wrong language	Clips follow the app's language setting; change it under Settings → Language. English and Chinese are available.
My viewer shows no audio track	Confirm the recording came from an EGO1GS (EGO1 has no microphones) and that the viewer supports the audio channel. Foxglove Studio has an Audio panel.

Cloud upload

Symptom	What to do
Nothing uploads	Upload needs a network with internet access. On the device's own hotspot there is none, so uploads pause. Put the device on your Wi-Fi.
Test is greyed out	You're on the setup hotspot, so the test can't run. Save anyway; the credentials apply once the device is on Wi-Fi.
Test says access denied (403)	Check oss:ListObjects, the policy prefix against the app prefix, credentials, region, and endpoint. See Cloud upload FAQ.
Everything shows Failed	Almost always credentials or permissions. Re-enter the secret key in full and save; a corrected destination automatically retries failed items.

Reviewing and power

Symptom	What to do
A recording shows as "Repairing"	It was torn by a power cut mid-write. The device repairs it in place and then uploads it. Stopping recordings before removing power avoids this.
Timestamps in my files say 1970	The device has no battery-backed clock; it learns the time from a connected phone. Connect the app to each unit once after deployment. See Timestamps.

Still stuck? Use Report a problem or Request repair, or contact your GI Labs representative with your device name (the GILABS-… code, also shown in the app) and a description of what you saw.