Your SlingStudio hub should generally offer trouble-free operation, but sometimes problems can occur. Here are some potential issues and their solutions.
Before that: Understand that it is normal for the SlingStudio hub to take a minute or two to start up. During that time, the top (blue) LED blinks continuously. Give the SlingStudio hub at least two minutes to complete the startup process. You'll know it's ready when the blue LED stops blinking and glows continuously.
If that doesn't happen, then continue with troubleshooting.
SlingStudio won't power up
- The SlingStudio powers off to conserve energy after a period of non-use. Try pressing the Power button to turn it back on.
- Is AC power connected to the SlingStudio? Is the AC outlet that's being used working properly? Try plugging something else into it to see if it works.
- If the SlingStudio has a Battery connected, is it charged? Try connecting the AC adapter to the SlingStudio while the Battery is attached.
- Last resort—reset the SlingStudio:
- Press a straightened paperclip into the reset button pinhole (directly above the USB-C port).
- Press and hold the reset button until the SlingStudio LED band blinks orange, then release the reset button.
When the LED band lights steadily in orange, the SlingStudio hub is in Reset Mode. - Use SlingStudio Console on your iPad or Mac to reconnect to the SlingStudio Wi-Fi hotspot.
(Note that, in Reset Mode, the SlingStudio hotspot broadcasts its default Wi-Fi network name of SlingStudio xx_xx_xx, where "x" can be any number from 0–9 or any letter from A–F.) - Follow the instructions that you see in SlingStudio Console to perform a SlingStudio reset.
SlingStudio won't shut down
- Remember that, to power the SlingStudio off, you need to hold the Power button in for more than three (3) seconds. When you see the blue LED band blinking, the SlingStudio is powering off.
I can't find the SlingStudio hotspot
- Did you wait for the SlingStudio to finish its startup process? The SlingStudio hotspot does not appear until a few seconds after the SlingStudio blue LED band stops blinking.
- Remember that the default SlingStudio hotspot name is SlingStudio xx_xx_xx, where "x" can be any number from 0–9 or any letter from A–F. However, if the SlingStudio hotspot was renamed, then it is whatever it was set to be.
- Was the SlingStudio hotspot renamed? If so, and you can't remember what the new hotspot name is, you'll need to reset the hotspot name:
- Press a straightened paperclip into the reset button pinhole (directly above the USB-C port).
- Press and hold the reset button until the SlingStudio LED band blinks orange, then release the reset button.
When the LED band lights steadily in orange, the SlingStudio hub is in Reset Mode. - Use SlingStudio Console on your iPad or Mac to reconnect to the SlingStudio Wi-Fi hotspot.
(Note that, in Reset Mode, the SlingStudio hotspot broadcasts its default Wi-Fi network name of SlingStudio xx_xx_xx, where "x" can be any number from 0–9 or any letter from A–F.) - Follow the instructions in SlingStudio Console to change the SlingStudio hotspot SSID (name).
My HDMI camera that's connected to the SlingStudio via cable doesn't show video (or audio)
- Check to make sure that the HDMI cable is properly connected between the camera and the SlingStudio HDMI-in port.
- Check your HDMI camera to see if it has a "Display" button; on some cameras, that button can be used turn off the display, which can prevent the camera from transmitting a video image to the SlingStudio.
My microphone doesn't seem to work
- Microphones that are connected to the SlingStudio audio-in port won't work properly unless they are preamplified with an external microphone pre-amp, or an audio mixer type device.
I can't connect to YouTube to get broadcasting (or uploading) to work
- Be sure that you have the SlingStudio connected to a proper Internet connection. Is the SlingStudio INTERNET LED indicator glowing steadily green? If not, and you're using an Ethernet cable and SlingStudio USB-C Expander, make sure that the Ethernet cable's network signal is "live," as well as being actually connected to the Internet. If the Ethernet cable is live, meaning it is connected to your network, but the network isn't providing an Internet connection, then the INTERNET LED indicator glows steadily . You'll need to troubleshoot your network to see why it isn't providing Internet access.
- If you're using Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet, double check the Wi-Fi authentication credentials that you used. Again, confirm by checking the INTERNET LED indicator, which should be glowing steadily green.
- If the Internet connection seems to be okay, then double-check the Google account credentials that you used.
SlingStudio won't let me save to my SD card
- Make sure that the SD card that you're using meets the minimum requirements. For more information, take a look at What SD cards are supported for recording, which is linked at the end of this article.
- Make sure the SD card is fully inserted into the SlingStudio SD card slot.
- If it is a new card, it may need to be formatted. You can do that on a PC that has an SD card slot, or use an external SD card reader attached to a PC.
- By the way: If you're only live-streaming video, and your project doesn't require local storage of files, you don't need to have an SD card (or a hard disk) available to your SlingStudio hub. That's only required for projects that involve creating video and audio files.
My SlingStudio doesn't see my CameraLink cameras
- In SlingStudio Console, tap/click the + icon in the VIDEO SOURCES section. Doing this lists your connected video sources, as well as any sources that are available. If there are any video sources that haven't been added yet, drag-and-drop them to an available Video Source space.
- Make sure that HDMI cameras connected to your SlingStudio hotspot via CameraLink devices are properly set up and connected to the SlingStudio hotspot. Again, make sure that the lens cap has been removed from each camera.
- Is there a sufficient charge in the camera's battery?
- It is always possible that there is a Wi-Fi range problem. Even if the cameras aren't that far from the SlingStudio, structures such as walls and furniture, as well as competing Wi-Fi signals, can degrade Wi-Fi range. Experiment with moving CameraLink-connected camera(s) closer to the SlingStudio to see if that improves the situation.
My SlingStudio doesn't see my smartphone cameras (troubleshooting steps similar to those used with CameraLink)
- Make sure that smartphone cameras are connected to the SlingStudio Wi-Fi hotspot, and that the SlingStudio Capture app is currently running on the smartphone. Also make sure that the smartphone's camera lens isn't obstructed.
- In SlingStudio Console, tap/click the + icon in the VIDEO SOURCES section. Doing this lists your connected sources, as well as any that are available. If there are any sources that haven't been added yet, drag-and-drop them to an available Video Source space.
- It is always possible that there is a Wi-Fi range problem that's keeping smartphone cameras from properly working as video sources. Even if the cameras aren't that far from the SlingStudio, structures such as walls and furniture, as well as competing Wi-Fi signals, can degrade Wi-Fi range. Experiment with moving the smartphone(s) closer to the SlingStudio hub to see if doing that improves the situation.
