Canon EOS R6 mark II - eos utility does not recognize the camera

[pluis]

I have the new EOS R6 mark II. I also installed the EOS utility from Canon's website ( w3.15.20.4, dated 4 jul 2022).
When I connect the camera via USB the utility starts but finally responds with "camera is not recognized". I tried several USB/USB-c cables.
For comparison I checked whether the utility (v3) is working for my 5D mark III, and it does.
I also tried the utility via wifi connect. Initially it starts and there seems to be a connection, but then it says again "camera is not recognized".
While connected via USB my computer explorer seems the camera as a drive and I can see the contents of the SD-card. But my computer does not recognize the camera via the EOS utility.
Could it be that I need a newer version of the utility, assuming this very new Canon model might not be included yet in the definitions of the utility?
After details: I have a DELL XPS13, Windows 11,

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

You need to download 3.16 version.

[pluis]

Thanks, that did the trick!
Since the Canon website didn't list version 3.16 yet for my camera, I started the utility manually without a camera connected. Doing so, the utility stayed open and I could click the 'check for updates' button, which downloaded version 3.16.

[possm88]

To anybody reading this who has tried everything and still can't get your camera to connect, try using a USB hub. A friend and I, who are both good with technology, spend 3 days reading these posts and sleuthing every forum imaginable without finding anything that worked. Right before we gave up, we tried using a USB hub, and strangely, it worked! It works with both USB2 and USB3 hubs. The issue seems to me more common on laptops than desktops. 

I made an account specifically to post about this and help others avoid the same nightmare I went through for days. So I hope this helps somebody!

[Waddizzle]

---

@possm88 wrote:

To anybody reading this who has tried everything and still can't get your camera to connect, try using a USB hub. A friend and I, who are both good with technology, spend 3 days reading these posts and sleuthing every forum imaginable without finding anything that worked. Right before we gave up, we tried using a USB hub, and strangely, it worked! It works with both USB2 and USB3 hubs. The issue seems to me more common on laptops than desktops. 

I made an account specifically to post about this and help others avoid the same nightmare I went through for days. So I hope this helps somebody!

---

USB hubs are usually not recommended.  

Passive hubs do not work, at all.  But some of the powered hubs do seem to work.  It is really a crap shoot as to whether a given model may or may not work.

[possm88]

Obviously this isn't a preferred solution. But it's literally the only option we found after 3 days attempting every known solution. My friend is a competent software engineer who also has a solid grasp of hardware like I do, and even with the both of us teaming up to find a solution, we were left empty handed for 3 days. We legitimately tried every possible fix before this.

Something bizarre is going on with certain laptops, where they simply cannot fully communicate with certain Canon cameras via direct USB connection. There's nothing that anybody could suggest that we haven't already tried. We have no idea why, but introducing a hub allowed full communication between the camera and laptop. Very strange. 

Sharing this info has already helped several people, some of which have not been able to connect their camera for years after trying everything we tried. It isn't a preferred solution, but it's the only solution for some people. It's worth sharing because there have already been several cases where this revelation has fixed peoples issues. It's only meant as a last resort for people who have tried everything else to no avail. 

[possm88]

To be clear, we are using a passive hub and it does work. I just noticed your comment that "passive hubs do not work, at all". 

I spent 6 hours with my EOS R last night doing astrophotography, which has a high bandwidth demand, through the passive hub without any issues after being dead in the water for months. 

It worked with both a passive USB2 and USB3 hub though, obviously, The USB3 hub was much faster. With the USB3 hub, I was collecting about 20 FPS of raw sensor data through my astro imaging app. 

It certainly does work. And it's the only option for some people, like myself. 

[Michaelgrey0369]

 So, i tried the hub option and didn't work. I do notice that my camera connects for a minute or less to EOSU 3.16 then the camera disconnects and I see the AUTOPLAY dialog box pop up asking what do I want to do.

[Waddizzle]

---

@Michaelgrey0369 wrote:

 So, i tried the hub option and didn't work. I do notice that my camera connects for a minute or less to EOSU 3.16 then the camera disconnects and I see the AUTOPLAY dialog box pop up asking what do I want to do.

---

The other forum who reported success with a USB hub may not have running the EOS Utility.  He reported success with a “star imaging app”, not the EOS Utility.  

If Windows should prompt what action to take when it detects a camera, it is crucial that you select “Take No Action.”  The EOS Utility has its own EOS Utility Launcher Service, which determines which camera model has been detected and will launch EOS Utility 2 or 3, depending on the detected camera model.

You may also test the results with different USB ports on your PC, too.  Some platforms add extra USB ports by using a port expander.  The EOS Utility seems to like USB ports that come directly from the motherboard.

[possm88]

Using the hub made the camera work with everything for me. Eos Utility, astro apps, etc when it didn't work with anything at all before then. 

Obviously, this isn't the answer for everyone, nor do I expect it to be. But I just wanted to mention it in case it helped somebody. I shared this in another forum and it helped one guy who hadn't been able to use his camera with his laptop for years, and several others with the same problem.

Wish it worked for this person! Can't win 'em all, I suppose.