Mobius Maxi Support Thread

[tomerrr]

auto on from power is something you'd typically use for dashcam use, having wifi running every time you start it up is not something you'd typically do for car use

i bought the Maxi to be a dashcam camera. If there's a wifi feature, I would like to be able to turn on every now and then.
at the moment, it is a bit of a pain to turn Wifi on. maybe Mobius need to consider a better way for turning on the Wifi

 

[Mobius]

Can anyone answer these questions for me. Help will be greatly appreciated.

I have confirmed my Action Cam is not a fake. I have had it for a long time and used it for dashcam and radio control stuff and am happy with it.
I have recently purchased a Maxi. How do I confirm if it is a fake or not, even though I purchased it from a reputable seller?

Looking inside I see the battery connector is plugin.
The battery looks large but is not Mobius branded.
I cannot see a way to adjust the focus. It appears the lens is glued.
Otherwise it looks well made.
An instruction manual was included.
mSetup 5.0.3.0 does not complain about it, although unlike the Action Cam it starts in Webcam mode and requires a button press to connect to mSetup.

Also, there appears to be an antenna beside the pcb - two elements with 2 wires connected. What is this for?

Hoping the Mobius staff are reading this - please, please, please do NOT make your plastic mouldings with soft surfaces. They turn into a gelatinous mess after about 2 years. I just spent the better part of an entire night removing the goop from my Action Cam and was lucky to be successful. I was also successful with my Drift HD. Other items I have had less success with are Garmin Nuvi (write-off), Beats (write-off), desktop computer case (write-off). There are legions of horror stories out there on the web.

1. I believe it's not a fake;
2. Yes, Maxi needs to go into USB PC Cam mode to connect with mSetup;
3. Thanks for your feedback about the coating. We will look into it.
4. It's wifi antenna.

 

[jmdlcar]

Hoping the Mobius staff are reading this - please, please, please do NOT make your plastic mouldings with soft surfaces. They turn into a gelatinous mess after about 2 years. I just spent the better part of an entire night removing the goop from my Action Cam and was lucky to be successful. I was also successful with my Drift HD. Other items I have had less success with are Garmin Nuvi (write-off), Beats (write-off), desktop computer case (write-off). There are legions of horror stories out there on the web.

What did you use to remove the soft surfaces on the Mobius? I have a Mobius 2 which doesn't have that soft surfaces but now I have a Mobius Maxi.

 

[Mobius]

if one feature disables another, i would say that's a fault

May I try to explain a litte about it? The Wifi mode is a different working mode from normal video recording. The system is supposed to give its control to smart phone wifi app once connected, working something like a slave. Through wifi, we can still make the camera start a recording, but the process is different. It's something like camera connected to a PC as a USB device, and we can not let the camera record and be connected wtih a PC at the same time.
If the camera fails to start video recording automatically as it is set to, then I would say it's a fault.

 

[tomerrr]

May I try to explain a litte about it? The Wifi mode is a different working mode from normal video recording. The system is supposed to give its control to smart phone wifi app once connected, working something like a slave. Through wifi, we can still make the camera start a recording, but the process is different. It's something like camera connected to a PC as a USB device, and we can not let the camera record and be connected wtih a PC at the same time.
If the camera fails to start video recording automatically as it is set to, then I would say it's a fault.

That's all fine but still doesn't help someone who bought the Maxi to be a dashcam camera (meaning, start record on power is a must option) and would like to turn on wifi to check his recordings. The "process" at the moment to turn on wifi while having auto record enabled, is quite bad, and as you can see from my experience, can cause faults in the camera - like the creation of the 0kb files, unwanted syscfg dump.
I understand that the upcoming "Wifi enable on start" feature should solve this, but if it's not intended to work when "record on power" is turned on - it doesn't contribute much for dashcam users.

 

[MavenDE]

1. Where to download Maxi beta firmware?
2. When do you plan to release the official 2.12 with wifi/ gui "wifi app" fixed and improved?
3. Will Google Play list the app again? Why they removed your app from there? This is important to know.
4. Would soldering extra cable with wifi antenna cable (joining end extending) or pcb spot increase wifi range?
5. Is the antenna, that black rectangle containing wire in some circular arrangement or it is just the end of cable?

Cheers

 

[Mobius]

That's all fine but still doesn't help someone who bought the Maxi to be a dashcam camera (meaning, start record on power is a must option) and would like to turn on wifi to check his recordings. The "process" at the moment to turn on wifi while having auto record enabled, is quite bad, and as you can see from my experience, can cause faults in the camera - like the creation of the 0kb files, unwanted syscfg dump.
I understand that the upcoming "Wifi enable on start" feature should solve this, but if it's not intended to work when "record on power" is turned on - it doesn't contribute much for dashcam users.

Frankly, we did not expect a user would try to turn wifi on at camera starting up stage. We have to keep the syscfg text file function for many other users. During starting up, the camera detects Mode button is being pressed, it should load / write the config file. I believe you would agree it should not be considered a fault.

When the system is checking memory card and about to start a video, and detects Mode button being pressed at the same time, it got confused due to the unexpected interruption. I agree the system could work in a better way, like, either ignore the interruption, or stop trying to record and go into wifi mode as commanded.

For the time being, need your understanding and patience to do the below process to turn the wifi on: Please wait until it's fully booting up and starts to record, and let it record a few seconds of videos successfully, and then press (not holding it) Shutter button to stop recording. And then press and hold button to turn wifi on.

Believe me, we would love to make it more smart and convenient whenever possible. But we are working on a SoC, and what we can do is limited.

 

[MavenDE]

But we are working on a SoC, and what we can do is limited.

1. SoC? Are you working on Mobius 3 or?

2. I think Maxi has lots of potential. It needs to be improved as much as only possible. Please invest time in fixes and software. I spend 400 USD on these cams buying a few of them.
I would not like it to be abandoned or not updated, especially it works badly now in terms of Wifi topic. I will not buy any new mobius if the current one is not made perfect.I invested in it
and send you money for Maxi. Just being honest.

 

[TonyM]

This is an example of how I operate my Maxi in dashcam mode. Auto-record on external power is enabled. Auto WiFI is not enabled. FW is beta version 2.21.

1. Turn on external power. Camera starts auto-recording
2. Press shutter button. Camera stops recording.
3. Press and hold Mode button. Maxi enables WiFi and waits for connection.
4. Connect phone to Maxi WiFi.
5. Start Maxi App and connect to camera. Recordings can now be viewed and downloaded.
6. Exit app and disconnect camera from Maxi WiFi.
7. Press and hold Mode to disable Maxi WiFi.
8. Press shutter button to resume recording.
9. Turn off external power. Camera auto-stops recording and shuts down.

 

[Mobius]

1. SoC? Are you working on Mobius 3 or?

2. I think Maxi has lots of potential. It needs to be improved as much as only possible. Please invest time in fixes and software. I spend 400 USD on these cams buying a few of them.
I would not like it to be abandoned or not updated, especially it works badly now in terms of Wifi topic. I will not buy any new mobius if the current one is not made perfect.I invested in it
and send you money for Maxi. Just being honest.

1. Sorry I meant: like other cameras, Maxi uses an SoC (System on Chip) processor. What a developer can do with this kind of processor is limited.
2. Thanks. We are not abandoning it, that's for sure. What we are doing is to make it better.

 

[tomerrr]

For the time being, need your understanding and patience to do the below process to turn the wifi on: Please wait until it's fully booting up and starts to record, and let it record a few seconds of videos successfully, and then press (not holding it) Shutter button to stop recording. And then press and hold button to turn wifi on.

Believe me, we would love to make it more smart and convenient whenever possible. But we are working on a SoC, and what we can do is limited.

like i already explained here, i've tried this method to turn on wifi. 2 seconds after it goes to standby (after a single click of the shutter button), it starts recording again. i don't understand why you ignore this issue

 

[Mobius]

1. Where to download Maxi beta firmware?
2. When do you plan to release the official 2.12 with wifi/ gui "wifi app" fixed and improved?
3. Will Google Play list the app again? Why they removed your app from there? This is important to know.
4. Would soldering extra cable with wifi antenna cable (joining end extending) or pcb spot increase wifi range?
5. Is the antenna, that black rectangle containing wire in some circular arrangement or it is just the end of cable?

Cheers

1. Please wait a few more days for the release. But if you would like to test, please send a PM and advise your email, we will send it to you, thanks.
2. Our plan is to release new firmware and app within this week. But we may need a few more days. Working on App for android devices is painful for a starter or maybe any app developpers. Hundreds or even thousands of different devices running on different versions of OS.
3. I replied this question at the wifi thread.
Again, please be assured, the app is a cleanest tool. It only asks for permission to access the storage (which is a must, as we need to download the videos files from the camera to local storage). It never asks anything unnecessary. Now Google requires all the app developers to submit a privacy policy. We would not need it as the tool is clean and never asks or collects any privacy information. But now it's required for any app. We are going to submit a privacy policy and make it online again.
4. 5. Extra cable could not increase the range. The antenna is designed to best work with this model. To extend /enlarge the PCB spot, it might help a bit, but not too much. You will need an amplifier.

 

[MavenDE]

@Mobius: Thank you for all your answers.

1. There is an issue with wifi app button wheel. If you try to press the wheel button to record, the button wheel try to scroll left or right like you would like to switch mode. Please update it the way you need to turn the button wheel
for a certain angle to react with move. I have Record1 mode and want to switch to Record2 mode so I turn the wheel. It only shows movement if you move by some siginificant angle OR it just snaps to the other mode
instantly, without smooth movement. Right now it is difficult to press to record. It is like I would need to tap the screen with a pen to execute recording.

2. Would love if either in settings OR via config file I could start mobius in the last mode it worked, including Wifi. I have wifi connection before, turned off Mobius, turned on and it blinks red with wifi connection, allowing me to reconnect with the app and
without the need to press mode button for 3 seconds.

3. Considering the above it would be great to be able to reboot mobius from the app and then it restarts with wifi mode awaiting connections. Would be awesome.

4. Sleep mode? Would it be possible to have low power sleep mode, but with wifi turned on for listening for awaiting android app connections?

Cheers

 

[jfitter]

What did you use to remove the soft surfaces on the Mobius? I have a Mobius 2 which doesn't have that soft surfaces but now I have a Mobius Maxi.

You have to take the Action Cam apart so you have just the shells to work on. I use IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and a rag. Soften the furry surface by wiping it with the alcohol then scrape off the surface with your fingernail. This worked for me but was slow. Later I discovered that a pot scourer worked faster. It MUST be one of those plastic scourers - here in Oz they are green. you need to be really careful to not break off any important parts. The two shells took me about 4 hours to clean up properly - I got through two Netflix movies doing it. I did not bother removing the surface from the buttons which risked breaking them.
The surface comes off as a sticky goop and some of it wedges in the crevises around the heatsinks and in the various holes. I remove this with instrument tweezers.
The result is a shiny black surface which is durable and looks good.
I did this to my Drift HD also and it now looks good too. Previously it was so sticky it was impossible to handle without leaving residue on my fingers.
This may have something to do with our climate. We have a hot and humid climate here (SE Queensland, Australia), nevertheless we would expect our assets to last more than 2 years when looked after carefully.
I am shocked by the number of manufacturers who finish their product with this surface. It is essentially un-cured resin. This means they have not yet finished making the product.

 

[jfitter]

1. I believe it's not a fake;
2. Yes, Maxi needs to go into USB PC Cam mode to connect with mSetup;
3. Thanks for your feedback about the coating. We will look into it.
4. It's wifi antenna.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

 

[Mobius]

like i already explained here, i've tried this method to turn on wifi. 2 seconds after it goes to standby (after a single click of the shutter button), it starts recording again. i don't understand why you ignore this issue

First, please understand I am not arguing with you. We respect any user providing feedback.
I thought I already covered this issue, but maybe I was wrong. As I advised in a previous post, "the system even checks within a few seconds to make sure it is recording video. If not, it will try again." We put a successful auto record in priority, and I thnk it's good for dash cam users. So it's supposed to restart a new recording when the system detects the video recording is not successful. Maybe you could try to wait a bit longer for the first recording?

 

[Mobius]

@tomerrr
Sorry I forgot to let you know, we are still trying to duplicate it and have a fix whenever possible.
Again, thanks for your input.

 

[jmdlcar]

1.

2. Thanks. We are not abandoning it, that's for sure. What we are doing is to make it better.

I hope they don't abandoning it because I own a Mobius 2 and that what they did with it.

 

[jmdlcar]

You have to take the Action Cam apart so you have just the shells to work on. I use IPA (isopropyl alcohol) and a rag. Soften the furry surface by wiping it with the alcohol then scrape off the surface with your fingernail. This worked for me but was slow. Later I discovered that a pot scourer worked faster. It MUST be one of those plastic scourers - here in Oz they are green. you need to be really careful to not break off any important parts. The two shells took me about 4 hours to clean up properly - I got through two Netflix movies doing it. I did not bother removing the surface from the buttons which risked breaking them.
The surface comes off as a sticky goop and some of it wedges in the crevises around the heatsinks and in the various holes. I remove this with instrument tweezers.
The result is a shiny black surface which is durable and looks good.
I did this to my Drift HD also and it now looks good too. Previously it was so sticky it was impossible to handle without leaving residue on my fingers.
This may have something to do with our climate. We have a hot and humid climate here (SE Queensland, Australia), nevertheless we would expect our assets to last more than 2 years when looked after carefully.
I am shocked by the number of manufacturers who finish their product with this surface. It is essentially un-cured resin. This means they have not yet finished making the product.

When I order my Maxi B Lens I order a extra B lens module so I could install a 4.35mm Lens. When I receive them it came with a extra Maxi case I can use that one that way I can take it apart.

 

[tomerrr]

the one you linked shows 300x, what does yours have printed on it?

there isn't any number on the card itself. just the size and the word premium, same as this pic

without 300x
i'm currently running a benchmark on the card, not that it matters because i decided to return the Maxi, as it is working unreliably for me.
I just removed the card from the camera and reading its contents on a laptop it shows EMPTY directories,
even though I got the recording indicator blinking for half an hour during a drive. this is way too much