General FAQs

1. "What to do if it is suspected the unit has flooded?
   1. "For safety reasons, always assume the camera has flooded and take necessary precaution if it stops working underwater. Flooded or even partially flooded housings can present a significant hazard of both electrical shock and explosion. Consult page 5 of the HD Mult SeaCam Operator's Manual for steps on dealing with a flooded HDMSC."
2. "Can the HDMSC's housing be opened?"
   1. "Yes, you can most certainly open the HDMSC, and some operations such as retrieving the IP model's internal microSD card even require this. These housings are designed to be opened, but just be aware of the consequences of failing to close them properly. Unless needed, it's always best to leave the the housing closed to preserve the seals. Always remember to protect an open housing from dust contamination by setting its open side down on a clean surface or covering it. Be sure to follow proper close up procedures by removing moisture from the housing and servicing the O-rings as needed. If pressure testing isn't possible, a fully closed HDMSC can have its seals field-verified by soaking it in water for 8hrs."
3. "Can the HDMSC be operated in air for testing?"
   1. "Yes the camera should be fine to run in air for long periods, it may get a bit warm, but this shouldn't be dangerous or damaging to the camera. 
4. "Why does the domed model HDMSC appear out of focus in air?"
   1. "These cameras are fixed focus cameras optimized for use in water. Their optic's design compensates for the effects of water on focus as well as the effect of the dome. As such, they don't appear focused in air, but have very sharp focus in water." 
5. "How can you tell if an HDMSC is an IP model or a Coax/FleXlink model?"
   1. "Your model should have a pinout label on the housing. If this pinout label references COAX/SDI video, serial connections (e.g. ↑RxD/B+ or ↓TxD/A- ), or tristate controls (e.g. OSD or Tri-A/B) then your unit is likely a Coax/FleXlink model. If the pinout only has DC power connections (DC+ or DC-), references PoE, or references ethernet connections (TD-, TD+, RD-, RD+), then it is likely an IP model. If your unit's labeling isn't present, please find the unit's serial number laser etched onto the dorsal surface of the housing, For some domed models, the serial number may be on the dome seat instead. Reach out to DeepSea Support and provide us with this serial number so we can get you an accurate idea of your model's configuration and pinout."
6. "If an HDMSC is damaged, can it be repaired?"
   1. "In most cases, damaged or flooded HDMSC's are repairable to some degree though the unit would have to be evaluated in house to conclude this. All evaluation and repair is handled by our RMA process. Please reach out to support@deepsea.com or submit a support ticket if an evaluation or repair may be in order. Depending on the nature of the issue and condition of the unit in question, DeepSea's support team may have additional questions or troubleshooting steps before issuing an RMA. Timelines for repair can vary based on current RMA volumes, please advise our team of any urgent deadlines."
7. "Does DeepSea sell spare parts for the HDMSC such as spare domes?"
   1. "Yes, please contact DeepSea Sales (sales@deepsea.com) to inquire about spare parts kits. Additionally, reach out to DeepSea Support (support@deepsea.com) to be granted access to our collection of instructional guides explaining proper installation of spare parts."

1. "What is the IP address of my IP camera?" 
   1. "The default IP address for the HDMSC-IP is 192.168.1.250"
2. "What is a web UI?"
   1. "A web UI or web user-interface is a web browser based graphical user interface (GUI) and is the only method for accessing the HDMSC-IP's settings for IP streaming, imaging, security, and recording." 
      
3. "How can the web UI be accessed on the HDMSC-IP's?"
   1. "Connect your unit to a PC via a shared network switch. If your unit is PoE, then use a PoE capable network switch. If your unit is discreetly powered, you can use any DC power supply capable of 10-36 VDC with a 3W max. As the unit starts up, verify that your PC's ethernet adaptor is set for the same subnet as the camera (e.g. by default, 192.168.1.xxx). This just means to make sure that your PC's IPv4 address is set so that the first 3 groupings of digits are the same as the camera's. Then open a web browser and enter the camera's IP address. Upon successful connection, the browser will ask for login credentials; consult the documentation provided with your camera at the time of sale to get the username and password." 
4. "How can I change the image and IP settings of the HDMSC-IP"
   1. "All settings for the image capture, IP, and security features can be accessed from the web UI. It is recommended that you first save your unit's settings using the web UI under "Save/Load Setting" before tweaking anything! Also remember to click the "Submit" button at the top right of the web UI to save any new settings."
5. "Help! I've changed the login credentials for my unit, but I've forgotten them or somehow can't log into the web UI!"
   1. "Fear not, for there is a simple fix for this! The unit will need to be opened and its microSD card removed. Consult the How To Guides for detailed steps regarding how to factory reset the HDMSC-IP. Do not hesitate to reach out to DeepSea Support if you run into any issues with the factory reset."
6. "I've performed a factory reset successfully, but my HDMSC-IP's image quality is now performing differently"
   1. "Each HDMSC-IP is configured with optimized image settings that are considered DeepSea defaults. These settings have been rigorously tested to ensure the best imaging performance for most applications in the deep ocean. However, these DeepSea default settings differ from the camera's factory default settings which the unit is set to upon factory reset. Reach out to DeepSea support with your unit's serial number and we can get you a settings file to upload to your unit."
7. "How can I record video to my HDMSC-IP's removable storage?"
   1. "All HDMSC-IP's can record to a removable microSD card provided the unit in question already has a microSD card installed. Settings for this can be found in the web UI."
8. "How much video can the HDMSC-IP record to a microSD card?"
   1. "The HDMSC-IP can record 9-10hrs of HD video (1080p/30) to a 1TB micro SD card."
9. "Can the HDMSC-IP stream video?"
   1. "Yes, the camera can stream RTSP video compressed using h. 264 or M-JPEG. Software capable of viewing and or recording streams such as VLC Media Player will be needed. A M-JPEG feed from the camera can also be viewed via the web UI, but viewing is best using the h. 264 streams. "
10. "Can the HDMSC-IP's stream be recorded to external sources?"
    1. "A network video recorder (NVR) or some kind of software would be needed to view and record the RTSP feeds from the camera to some external file storage system." 

SDI/COAX and FleXlink FAQs

1. "What is the difference between SDI/COAX and FlexLink?"
   1. "High-definition serial digital interface video (HD-SDI) is HD digital video that is typically transmitted with coaxial (COAX) interconnects in various imaging applications. FlexLink is DeepSea's propriety, high speed HD-SDI based video format that makes use of unshielded twisted pair (UTP) conductors and a separate FleXlink Media Converter Board to provide low latency fiber optic or SDI coax video outputs."
2. "How can I tell if an HDMSC is SDI/COAX or FleXlink?"
   1. "If your model has a pin/coax hybridized bulkhead connector then it is coax. If it has pins (8) and isn't an IP camera, then it is FleXlink. Never connect a FleXlink camera to a PoE enabled ethernet switch."
3. "How can the SDI video stream be accesses from a coax camera?"
   1. "Traditional videography equipment such as HD-SDI (3G) capable monitors or SDI to HDMI converters can be used to view the cameras SDI feed"
4. "Can the image settings be changed for an HDMSC configured for serial control?"
   1. "DeepSea's proprietary serial protocol, SeaSense, can be used to send serial command to the camera in order to access the OSD."