How can I upload pictures from EOS M3 to my computer wirelessly?

[NEPix]

I have an early EOS M3 with firmware 1.0.0. Purchased in 2015 and with Canon support, set up to upload all files, jpg and RAW, to my PC via WiFi connection from anywhere in my house or environs.  Recently the camera has lost this ability and Canon support has proven to be unable to fix the problem.

I do not know if the camera originally uploaded to the Image Gateway and then back down to my PC but I do know that the process took two "OK's" from the WiFi menu to a preselected folder on my PC.

Apparently the M3 is not well recognized by EOS UTility 3.  I have seen a compatibility table which says Utility 2 is for M3, but I cannot find a download for Utility 2 and when I click on the "Canon Utility2" icon on my PC nothing appears so apparently it has been removed by a download of Utility 3, or something.

What is the problem here? The EOS UTility, as far as I know, is for downloading via USB cable.  I want to download wirelessly so as to minimize wear and tear on the camera (or my PC  IF anyone has encountered this problem and found a fix I would dearly love to know what to do!! I think it's an obvious mistake on my part .....

[RobertTheFat]

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@NEPix wrote:

I have an early EOS M3 with firmware 1.0.0. Purchased in 2015 and with Canon support, set up to upload all files, jpg and RAW, to my PC via WiFi connection from anywhere in my house or environs.  Recently the camera has lost this ability and Canon support has proven to be unable to fix the problem.

I do not know if the camera originally uploaded to the Image Gateway and then back down to my PC but I do know that the process took two "OK's" from the WiFi menu to a preselected folder on my PC.

Apparently the M3 is not well recognized by EOS UTility 3.  I have seen a compatibility table which says Utility 2 is for M3, but I cannot find a download for Utility 2 and when I click on the "Canon Utility2" icon on my PC nothing appears so apparently it has been removed by a download of Utility 3, or something.

What is the problem here? The EOS UTility, as far as I know, is for downloading via USB cable.  I want to download wirelessly so as to minimize wear and tear on the camera (or my PC  IF anyone has encountered this problem and found a fix I would dearly love to know what to do!! I think it's an obvious mistake on my part .....

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When you do a full, from scratch, installation of EOS Utility 3, both EOSU3 and EOSU2 are installed. Then when you call EOSU3, EOSU2 is automatically invoked if the camera is one that requires it. So my suggestion is that you completely uninstall EOSU from your computer and reinstall EOSU3. I think that may solve your problem.

At least that should work under Windows. I'm typing this on a Windows 10 machine that's set up that way. If you're using a Macintosh, things may be different, and you may need to seek assistance from one of the forum's Mac users.

[Waddizzle]

When I connect my M3 via USB, a launcher opens up, and then EOS Utility 3 launches.  I didn't always have the launcher, but noticed it after I did a complete re-install of EOS Utility 3 following a Windows 10 upgrade.  And, yes, the launcher will invoke EOS Utility 2 when the connected camera requires it.

As far as wireless connection goes, I think your assumption that files are uploaded to the Image Gateway, and through some sort of black magic find their way back down form the cloud to your local hard drive [is probably correct].  Probably why I've never tried it to use the wireless connection. I shoot far too many photos for that round trip.

Wireless just seems slow, especially with 24MP RAW files. USB is so much faster.  Card readers are even quicker.  But, wireless can be ultra-convenient in many scenarios, particularly with social media sharing.

Just make sure that you have wireless enabled in the menus, and the USB disabled.  Canon cameras can be configured to do one or the other.  The user must change the setting in the menu for the type of communication desired.

[NEPix]

The first sentence of your second paragraph appears to be incomplete.  I do not get your conclusion.

I also am not aware of any selection for "USB OR WiFI" in any of the  camera menus.  It may be implicit in the choice of destination for the WiFi service---where did you find this choice?

Yes, I run Windows 10 but do not like it.  Am thinking of getting a USB Wireless adapter to convert my PC into another "network" in the eyes of the camera in order to shorten the download path but can't quite see my way beyond having the camera recognize and connect to the adapter. Win10 would have to be configured to create the destination folder and handle the download.

As far as the added time for downloading from Canon Image Gateway to PC is concerned, this is not a consideration since the process used to run unattented--I make two "OK" clicks  on my M3 and the job was done quite rapidly. For all I know the files did not upload to CIG and then download, they simply got into the router and then ran down the cable to my PC. .  

[RobertTheFat]

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@NEPix wrote:

The first sentence of your second paragraph appears to be incomplete.  I do not get your conclusion.

I also am not aware of any selection for "USB OR WiFI" in any of the  camera menus.  It may be implicit in the choice of destination for the WiFi service---where did you find this choice?

Yes, I run Windows 10 but do not like it.  Am thinking of getting a USB Wireless adapter to convert my PC into another "network" in the eyes of the camera in order to shorten the download path but can't quite see my way beyond having the camera recognize and connect to the adapter. Win10 would have to be configured to create the destination folder and handle the download.

As far as the added time for downloading from Canon Image Gateway to PC is concerned, this is not a consideration since the process used to run unattented--I make two "OK" clicks  on my M3 and the job was done quite rapidly. For all I know the files did not upload to CIG and then download, they simply got into the router and then ran down the cable to my PC. .  

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I'm not sure I altogether understand what you're proposing (in fact I'm pretty sure I don't), but you seem to be hinting that you want to make your PC into a WiFi access point instead of (or as well as) a client. Unless you really understand how WiFi works (i.e., better than you seem to from what you've written so far), I strongly suggest that you not go down that road. PCs prefer to be WiFi clients, and making one function effectively as an access point is not a trivial operation. I don't believe I've ever done it, even in my previous life as a WiFi expert of sorts. So I wouldn't be able to tell you how to do it, even if I had the time. Maybe someone else here can, but I think your safest course of action is to read the manual carefully, do what it tells you to do, and use wired connections (or a card reader) as much as possible. Technological heroism can be entertaining and even informative, but it can also be a time sink. If your real interest is photography, I suggest that you concentrate your effort there.

[Waddizzle]

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@NEPix wrote:

I have an early EOS M3 with firmware 1.0.0. Purchased in 2015 and with Canon support, set up to upload all files, jpg and RAW, to my PC via WiFi connection from anywhere in my house or environs.  Recently the camera has lost this ability and Canon support has proven to be unable to fix the problem.

[deleted]

What is the problem here? The EOS UTility, as far as I know, is for downloading via USB cable.  I want to download wirelessly so as to minimize wear and tear on the camera (or my PC  IF anyone has encountered this problem and found a fix I would dearly love to know what to do!! I think it's an obvious mistake on my part .....

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So, what has changed?  Something has caused everything to stop working.  Some sort of update to your PC?

The M3 does, in fact, send images to the Canon Image Gateway.  The Image Transfer Utlity is used to download the images from the Canon Image Gateway.  The instructions to use this feature and software is on page 131 in the instruction manual.

[NEPix]

With the aid of my niece, a former HP computers field engineer, we have established a connection between the M3 and my PC using the DLNA link.  This shows the SD card in the camera in Windows file explorer but does not show CR2 files, for some unknown reason. The process does eliminate the cumbersome and dangerous use of USB cable and tethering to the PC.

[RobertTheFat]

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@NEPix wrote:

With the aid of my niece, a former HP computers field engineer, we have established a connection between the M3 and my PC using the DLNA link.  This shows the SD card in the camera in Windows file explorer but does not show CR2 files, for some unknown reason. The process does eliminate the cumbersome and dangerous use of USB cable and tethering to the PC.

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I assume you're aware that image files (e.g., .CR2 files) are not found at the top level on an SD card. IIRC, they're two subfolder levels down. So don't give up until you've thoroughly searched the card.

I believe this is the first time I've seen the use of a USB cable described as cumbersome and dangerous. Would you care to elaborate on the basis for that characterization?

[NEPix]

USB cable connectors are poorly designed IMHO. They tend to be loose fitting and in the version currently in wide use have no locking or clamping means.  I do not believe that they are intended for frequent mate-unmate cycles and I particularly worry about the longevity of the tiny little thing in the end of my M3.  I can easily buy replacement cables but I do not have a Canon repair shop nearby.

[Waddizzle]

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@NEPix wrote:

With the aid of my niece, a former HP computers field engineer, we have established a connection between the M3 and my PC using the DLNA link.  This shows the SD card in the camera in Windows file explorer but does not show CR2 files, for some unknown reason. The process does eliminate the cumbersome and dangerous use of USB cable and tethering to the PC.

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Your really should read the camera's Instruction Manual.  I believe that you're looking for functionality that is not part of the Canon software.  Camera cannot connect to Windows PC, and transfer photos, in the same way as it can connect to a smart phone. 

Also, DLNA, Digital Living Network Alliance, Media Servers are used to stream media to clients, one files at a time, not for transferrring data, en masse.  Photos would be presented as a slide show..  RAW files are not recognized as a media file that should be streamed to a clent.

I do not think USB cables are cumbersome and dangerous.  I find them to be convenient.  In fact, I think there is a greater risk to the camera when you open up the battery compartment and remove the battery for charging, and then re-insert it. 

I feel the same way about removing a memory card from the camera, and using a card reader.  If you're going to use a card reader to read the memory card, then why not use the camera as a card reader?  I think EOS Utility does a great job of automaticlly downloading files into separate folders, which are created automatically and sorted by shooting date.

BTW, if you have never used Microsoft's SyncToy for backing up folders and files, I suggest to everyone take a look at it. I've used it for over a decade to backup files and folders to an archive drive.  It can even be set to run on an automatic schedule.