Trek Flucard Pro

 

The Trek Flucard Pro. (Source: Trek 2000 International.)

As Wi-Fi becomes increasingly integrated into cameras, it’s easy to ignore the fact that Wi-Fi connectivity can also be made available through memory cards.  Today, camera manufacturers offer the Wi-Fi feature in their higher-end models. With the Wi-Fi enabled memory card like Trek Flucard Pro, all cameras can benefit from the Wi-Fi capability.

Wi-Fi memory cards come in the SD Card form factor. They look exactly like a standard SD card but they have a built-in antenna for sending and receiving data. Wi-Fi memory cards are able to draw power from the camera’s battery to operate the wireless transmission. This can be done anywhere, without requiring a card reader or connected computer.

The Trek Flucard is  used just like an ordinary SD card for recording images and movie clips, however it also it also let you connect with any Wi-Fi enabled device, like a smartphone, tablet or computer linked to a wireless network. This lets you view the images in the connected device’s browser and download them to the device and/or send selected images to friends and relatives or post them on social network sites.

The Trek Flucard also includes features like:
– Up to five people can connect to the card in the photographer’s camera and view and download group photographs immediately after they are taken;
–  Access nearby Wi-Fi hotspots for connection to the internet cloud;
– Can provide an instant back-up for each photo you take;
– ‘Unlimited’ memory capacity by transferring files from your camera to an online photo storage location (Flucard Portal offers a free service), or directly to your computer when both devices are switched on and inter-connected. Automatic uploading of your photos frees up space on the card in the camera.

Setting Up Trek Flucard Pro
Load the Flucard Pro into a card reader connected to a computer – or preview on a digital camera – and you will see four ‘function’ screens which allow the card to interface with other devices. They cover the following functions: Setting/Review, Server Upload, Sender and Receiver.

To execute one of these actions, you display and delete the corresponding image on the computer or on the camera. There’s no need to worry about the image being deleted from your camera because the next time the camera is turned off and then on again, the image is restored.

Browse the pictures in the card under the camera’s view picture function until you reach the Setting/Review screen. Press the delete button. The Flurcard Pro will emit a series of beeps, which stop when its access point network is established. This enables the card to interact with mobile devices or computers.

The card will then be listed among the Wi-Fi devices linked to it with the SSID ‘TREK_FLUCARD_WiFi’ (as shown below).  

 

Apps
The Flucard DL app can be downloaded from the Trek website to your mobile device. It’s also available on the Apple App and Google Play stores.The app allows you to select the photos you want to download from the card and transfer them to your mobile device.

A full list of Flucard apps can be found at http://www.flu-card.com/apps.html. All the Flucard apps are free.

The free Flucard Pro Download app lets you select images to download from the card. Using the camera’s DPOF function to tag the wanted images beforehand simplifies matters. The process is straightforward:

1.   Select the pictures you want to display in your PC by using the DPOF function of your camera.

2: Activate the Setting/Review function of FluCard Pro by deleting the “Setting/Review” function image from the camera.

3. Connect to Flucard WiFi (default SSID is “Trek_FLUCARD_WiFi”).

4. Click on the  Settings option on the left side of the screen (shown below) and select the folder to download your photos to.
 
5. Click on the Photos option to view the images as they download.

 

Sharing Photos
The Sender and Receiver functions allow P2P sharing of photo and video files, and also sharing with other devices containing a Flucard. Camera-to-smart-device links must be within seven metres, while camera to wireless network links can operate over approximately 20 metres, although this depends on the camera and the strength of the wireless network connection.

Linking the devices to the Flucard uses the same protocol as setting up the initial Wi-Fi connection. The card is inserted in the camera, which is switched on, set to play mode and the relevant function image is displayed.

Deleting the “Sender” function image sets the card to locate a suitable receiver. The receiver’s camera must be switched on and set to the “Receiver” mode by deleting the “Receiver” function image. The sending card will beep at one second intervals while file transmission is in progress. The receiving card will beep in response.

You can also share images via the Flucard Portal, which provides 2GB of free online storage.  

The other option is to upload directly to an FTP server using the “Server Upload” function image.

 

Becoming a Standard
With the introduction of Trek Flucard Pro, the developers of this new technology are moving towards the Wi-Fi feature becoming a standard feature in the SD cards. The SD Association (SDA) has recently modified their new SDIO 4.0 standard to support this feature. Trek 2000 International has contributed its know-how in this area for the development of the new standard. This contribution has been recognised and Trek 2000 International has become a board member of the SDA.

Beyond Camera Applications
Members of the SDA see potential applications of this technology beyond camera operations. The new standard also supports applications in healthcare devices, office automation, industrial applications, etc. For instance, a digital whiteboard maker has used the Trek Flucard Pro to store scanned digital images and transmit the image to the audience, rather than printing the image on thermal paper.

Trek 2000 International Ltd, the current global patent holder of ThumbDrive (USB flash drive), is also the inventor and patent holder for Flucard (Wi-Fi SD Card) – see http://www.flu-card.com/  for information on all their cards. The family of Flucard includes Flucard Pro, Flucard Ultra, Flucard Gold, Flucard Ricoh, and other. It covers from 8GB, 16GB, 32GB with the transfer speed offered at Class 6 and Class 10.