Setting up and configuring your SPYZ Zetta camera

Purpose of the guide

This guide will show you how to set up and configure a SPYZ camera using custom settings instead of the preset modes.

Before you begin

You will need a SPYZ camera, a micro SD card, and a Mac or Windows computer to configure it, and finally you will need a program to configure it with. Make sure the camera is not completely out of battery.

If you are using Windows, download the Zetta Widget program from here. If you are using a Mac, download it from here.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background

If you are using a micro SD card not purchased from us, make sure it is Class 10 or above, or this can cause issues when recording high quality video for long periods of time.

SPYZ62WF setup

If you have the SPYZ62WF Wi-Fi version of this camera, follow this guide to set it up to connect to a phone or tablet for mobile viewing.

Initial setup

First of all, make sure that there is a micro SD card inside the camera and that the switch on the camera has been set to the cog wheel icon on the right.

When it has been connected to your PC, install the Zetta Widget, then

When you first open the Widget it will be on the Date Time tab, which should look something like this:

Starting at the top in the section highlighted by the red box, is a confirmation that the SPYZ is connected, as well as a button to sync changes to the unit. If the SPYZ recorder is showing as disconnected in this box, ensure the micro SD card is installed correctly and try connecting it to a different USB port on your computer.

The next section highlighted by the orange box, is the option to set the date and time on your SPYZ recorder, to the same as your PC date and time. This is the default selection.

The next section highlighted by the yellow box, is the option to set a custom date and time. This would be useful if you are configuring the SPYZ recorder on a PC set to a different time zone.

The final section highlighted by the blue box show the current date and time set on the SPYZ recorder.

Now is a good time to check if the date and time on the SPYZ is correct. If it isn’t, choose the method you would like to update it by, and click the Sync Date Time to DVR button.

Next, make sure that the micro SD card has been formatted:

Advanced image settings

If you want to customise the camera settings then go to 'Option' and change the setting mode to 'Custom Mode', then click on 'Save Option' at the top right.

Once that's done go to Settings; this is the area where you can change the settings on the camera to suit your needs. I will explain the meaning of these various settings below, then show an example of a typical way these cameras can be set up. Don't forget to click 'Sync Settings to DVR' when you are finished to save your settings!

Video Quality:

This affects the quality or clarity of the videos created, rather than the resolution of the recordings. For maximum clarity (identifying faces etc), set the quality to high. If space or battery life is an issue, set it to medium or low.

Resolution:

This affects the resolution or the size (measured in pixels) of the videos created by the camera. Again, for maximum clarity set the resolution to the maximum. If space or battery life is an issue, then set it to the minimum. Be careful of setting both the video quality and the resolution to the minimum, as this will create very low quality videos.

Frame Rate:

This is how many frames a second the camera will record. A high frame rate gives you more still images per video, and therefore gives a better chance of identifying a face or number plate etc. A low frame rate saves on battery and storage space.

Indoor Lighting Condition:

Most countries in the world use 50Hz for their AC power, including the UK, so you will most likely need to set it to 50Hz. If you are in North America (or some other countries) you will need to set it to 60Hz (read here for more information). If the camera will be outside, set it to Outdoor mode instead.

Day/Night Mode:

These modes attempt to maximise video quality based on expected lighting conditions. Depending what times the camera is most needed, you may want to set it specifically to 'Day' or 'Night', but most people will benefit most from 'Auto switching' mode.

Orientation:

This option allows you to flip the camera image upside down if required. This is useful if the camera needs to be mounted upside down in a specific way, but is not necessary for most.

Timestamp:

The timestamp will display in the corner of recordings made by the camera, showing the exact time of recording (as long as the camera is set to the right time of course). You can disable this if it is not needed or gets in the way.

Circular Recording:

You can set the camera to automatically overwrite the oldest recordings on the micro SD card once it gets full, or set it to stop recording when there is no more space left.

Split File Time:

You can choose how long the camera will record for before saving the video file and beginning a new one, with the options of 10, 15 or 20 minutes. For easily manageable videos set this to 10 minutes.

Mic:

You can choose to disable the mic on the camera, but most people would not require this.

LED On/Off:

This allows you to disable the flashing LED on the camera when it is recording. This is useful for keeping the camera hidden, but also makes it harder to confirm whether the camera is actually recording, or if it still has battery charge.

PIR-Trigger:

This is not available in all models. "A passive infrared sensor (PIR sensor) is an electronic sensor that measures infrared (IR) light radiating from objects in its field of view." This is extremely useful for low-light environments or areas where IR illumination isn't effective.

Voice-Trigger Sensitivity:

This is how sensitive the camera is to being triggered by audio. For example if you want to have audio triggering turned on, but the camera is in a relatively loud environment, it is best to set this to low.

Vibration-Trigger Sensitivity:

This determines how sensitive the camera is to being triggered by vibrations. For example if you want to have vibration triggering turned on, but the camera is in an environment with lots of movement creating vibrations, set this to low.

Vibration Standby Mode:

If you want the camera to wake up as fast as possible when triggered by vibrations, set this to 'Fast Wake Up'. If you need to save power as much as possible, set it to 'Power Saving'.

Motion-Trigger Sensitivity

This determines how sensitive the camera is to being triggered by movement. For example if you want to have motion triggering turned on, but the camera is in a busy environment with lots of movement, set this to low. This setting may take a certain amount of testing via trial and error.

Auto On/Off:

Here you can choose the different ways the camera can be set to automatically turn on or off. Scheduled recording will be covered in the final section of the guide.

Car-Activate Recording: Auto start recording once car is started, auto stop recording when car is stopped.

Car-Stop Recording: Auto start recording when car is stopped, auto stop recording once car is started.

Car-Activate and Car-Stop Recording: Auto start recording once car is started and continue to record even when car is stopped. Need to turn off the camcorder manually.

Now don't forget to click 'Sync Settings to DVR' when you are finished!

Example configuration

In the screenshot below you can see that the camera will not be triggered to record by vibrations but will by PIR, voices or movement:

Scheduled recording

If you want to set up a recording schedule, scroll to the bottom and select 'Scheduled Recording', then 'Edit':

You will see a window where you can click and drag to select blocks of time in a week. Here you can set the camera to record continuously 24/7. You can also set it to be watching 24/7, but to only record when triggered by motion, PIR, etc. It's up to you. You can set different triggering modes to different times of day, for different days of the week.

Need more help?

If you need help with anything else please check out our other guides or get in contact.

Setting up and configuring your SPYZ Zetta cameraUpdated 9 months ago