The firmware process for the PTZOptics cameras is not exactly simple, but it is far easier today than it was in the past. 


If you have a serial number that starts with (2) letters (eg ff, fe) you should be fine to continue moving forward with this guide. If your camera serial number starts with the model number (20XSDIGYG2, 12XUSBWHG2, Etc) then it may be old enough you need to get in touch with us to make sure the firmware from the finder is what you need. 


1. Get the full serial number of your camera. Then enter it into our Firmware finder to get the firmware file for your camera and the Upgrade tool to apply your firmware upgrade. 


Windows ethernet version:

You should see these are your options. You would just need the IP Address settings Tool V2.8 and the actual firmware for your camera. I have done a 20x SDI camera here but the firmware should be accurate for your model based on the serial number entered.


2. Once downloaded, go to your Downloads folder and extract both folders, and then run the Upgrade.exe (as admin) from within the Upgrade 2.8 folder. (To extract, right-click on the downloaded folder, and choose Extract all and choose the default location of the Download folder to keep it easy). 


3. This should bring up the Upgrade 2.8 tool. If you know you have a good IP address on your camera, please go to the Backup tab, and enter it, then hit the Backup Button. You should be directed to put it back somewhere, you can put it into the "Backups" folder in the Upgrade software folder. You just need to make sure to know where you put it so you can restore it back onto the camera later on. Once successful you should get a "Backup Success" message.  

4. Once you pull the Backup from the camera, you can proceed to do the actual firmware update. 

  1. Go to the Upgrade tab in the software, then type in your camera's IP address. 
  2. Change the dropdown in the upper left to be "MTD" and click the Query button. This should fill in the current firmware information about your camera down below. 
  3. Click on the "Open" button and navigate to the firmware file you extracted earlier, most likely in the Downloads folder. 


You should see something similar to the image below afterword.



5. As long as you are sure you pulled the backup already, and you selected your camera's firmware file from the "open" option, you should be good to click the Upgrade button.  The status bar should go to 10%, to 47% to 85%. Then it will sit there for a bit and the camera will reboot and go to 98%. Then it will reboot one more time and go to 100% and say "Upgrade complete" 


6. Once this finishes, go to the backup tab, hit the restore button, and navigate to the location you saved the camera backup (most likely in the backup folder inside the upgrade 2.8 folder). The camera should reboot one more time and come up with a message saying "Restore Success". The firmware upgrade is now complete! Repeat the process for any other cameras you have, making sure to do a unique backup for each camera. 


Please contact support if you are still having issues.