Setup: In the Field

How to set up a Sentinel when you get to that tree

We recommend you trial the full process within the reach of computing equipment and connectivity before heading out into the field.

A - Prepare your camera trap & the Sentinel

1. Mount the Sentinel and camera trap in place. Make sure they are close enough to be connected.

If you are unsure how to deploy a camera trap, read this.

2. Install the satellite or cellular antenna onto the Sentinel.

3. Connect the cable to Sentinel and tighten it in place - leave the Sentinel switched off for now.

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B - Testing the camera trap

4. Insert SD Card (Spypoint cable) into the camera trap.

5. Turn on the camera trap. Check settings (if necessary).

6. Trigger the camera & check whether the camera functions properly with the SD card inserted.

7. (Optional, but recommended) Check the SD card with laptop/phone that camera positioning is correct

8. Switch off the camera trap & disconnect the SD Card (Spypoint cable)

We recommend that you format the SD card through the camera trap menu before deploying the Sentinel. This ensures that you only process images that are relevant to the deployment.

Be careful not to delete any images that are relevant to the deployment through formatting the card. The Sentinel only periodically transfers images to its microSD card. This means that if you have deployed a Sentinel with a SD card in the past, some images might not have been transferred to the Sentinel.

From this point onwards, DO NOT stand in front of the camera trap.

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C I - Testing your Sentinel - Setup mode

Depending on the software version your Sentinel is running you should now verify it's functioning.

• First, please verify your software version with us:

• If your MCU software version is >= 1.01 you should proceed to the Setup Mode section.

• If your MCU software version is < 1.01 you should proceed to step 8.

You do not HAVE to use the Setup Mode (if it is available). We do however highly recommend it to verify various aspects of the Sentinel's functions.

If your Sentinel has successfully exited the setup mode it will run through the normal booting process, which is detailed below. If you did not have the setup mode available you can directly skip to step 8.

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C II - Testing your Sentinel - without Setup mode

You can skip section C II if you have completed the Setup mode

9. Turn on the Sentinel

10. Connect the SD card (Spypoint cable) to the camera trap

11. Switch on the camera trap (leave the door open for now, in case you need to change settings e.g. delay between triggers for faster testing)

12. Once the fast blinking red lights stop, trigger the camera trap and observe the lights on the Sentinel board

Check for rapid red flashes followed by yellow flash(es) (1-2). Refer to the Tutorial video below (25s-37s). Refer to the What Sentinel lights mean section for further explanation.

The number of yellow flashes is important and depends on the camera model & settings. Please refer to the compatible cameras section and the Troublshooting section ("Check the connection between the camera trap & the Sentinel") below.

13. Close the door of the camera trap and repeat step 12.

Be careful closing the door. Ensure that SD card isn't pulled out of the slot, and that the cable isn't kinked or damaged.

14. Turn off the Sentinel & proceed to section D

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D - Testing your Sentinel - Boot process

15. Turn on the Sentinel - while the camera trap is turned on. Note, you should NOT have the camera trap menu activated (both the Sentinel & camera trap should still be turned on if you have completed Setup mode). Observe the lights on the Sentinel board.

Refer to the Tutorial video from 40s & the What Sentinel lights mean for a full explanation of the light sequences you are supposed to observe when your Sentinel is booting.

16. Wait until the lights stop flashing (ignore the lights on the back of the Sentinel). After the boot process finishes, the red 'heart beat' light (indicating an active Sentinel) should persist.

Check out this Tutorial video, which will take you through the light sequences of a correctly functioning Sentinel.

17. Trigger the camera a few times more and confirm the correct light sequences.

Make sure you have tested section D and particularly step 17 with a closed camera trap door. Don not forget to set the correct settings e.g. camera date & time between triggers before you leave things in the field.

18. Close the Sentinel door and walk away!

You can fully doublecheck whether the Sentinel is transferring & analyzing images correctly by triggering the camera a few times and power cycling the Sentinel (i.e. switching the Sentinel off and on again, while the camera is on). The Sentinel should run through the full boot process. Switch the Sentinel off again and inspect the microSD card within the Sentinel using an appropriate card reader. Note, model peformance is optimized for natural environments and might fail inside buildings or around atypical scences.

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Tutorial video & additional information

Camera trigger testing and Sentinel pipeline verification

What the Sentinel lights mean

Startup (when you switch on the Sentinel)

• Concurrent red+yellow flash to say hello.

Camera Check (when you trigger the camera trap)

• Rapid red flashing while the camera is active.

• Yellow flash(es) when an image is saved. The number of yellow flashes may depend on the camera model. Refer to the Compatible Cameras section for details.

Image Processing (When the Sentinel transfers and analyzes the images)

• Green slow flashing = images are transferred from the SD card to the Sentinel.

• Green rapid flashing = AI model is running. If this doesn't happen, then no images were successfully processed.

"I'm Alive" Heartbeat

• Red flash every ~10 seconds while in deep sleep to show Sentinel is still on

Connectivity (lights at the back of the Sentinel)

• Flashing Blue = WiFi present

• Solid Blue = Internet Connected

• Rapid Flashing = Checking for software updates

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Troubleshooting

Check the connection between the camera trap & the Sentinel

Checks & Solutions

• Checks:

• Quick check: Trigger the camera trap and observe the rapid red flashes followed by 1-2 yellow flashes. This means the Sentinel is reading the SD card cable. (Duration: <1min)

  • If this doesn't work: proceed to Solutions.

  • If this works: proceed to Thorough check.

• Thorough check (always recommended): Trigger the camera (so it takes some pictures) and power cycle the Sentinel (switch off and on). The Sentinel will reboot and will transfer and process all the images on the SD card (green lighs). If you see te green light sequences you can be sure the Sentinel is correctly connected to the camera trap. (Duration: ~5mins)

  • If this doesn't work: proceed to Solutions.

  • If this works: Your'e done! :)

• Solutions:

• Make sure the SD Card is properly inserted and doesn't get pulled out too easily. You can give the cable some slack when closing the camera trap door.

• Make sure the SD card cable isn't damaged when closing the camera trap door. You can reroute the cable so it exits the camera trap where the least pressure is exerted.

• Repeat Checks & Solutions.

• Last resort: Replace the Spypoint SD card cable and repeat Checks & Solutions.

• Supporting material

Check out this video which will take you through both both the quick & thorough checks.

Make sure the camera trap reads the SD card correctly

Checks & Solutions

• Checks:

• Make sure there is NO "Card ERROR" message displayed on the camera

• Make sure the camera trap takes pictures correctly (e.g. the counter increases)

• If you have the necessary equipment, check the pictures on the SD card

• Solutions:

• Replace the Spypoint SD card cable

Make sure the Sentinel is switched on & active

Checks & Solutions

• Checks:

• The red 'Heart beat' light on Sentinel is flashing

• Solutions:

• Replace or recharge the Sentinel batteries

• Last resort: Replace Sentinel or contact a CXL engineer: [e-mail].