system sp otlight Go wireless with Wi-Fi

Rod Lawton shows how to send your pictures through the ether

Nikon’s new Wi-Fi system delivers a double benefit. You can use it to send pictures to friends, family and social networking sites, but you can also use it to control your camera remotely from your smart device.

It’s cheap to buy and simple to set up. All you need is a compatible camera, the £50 WU-1a/b Wi-Fi accessory and a smart device (either a smart phone or a tablet).

Your smart device handles the uploads via its cellular connection. The WU-1a handles the communication between the camera and the device. This makes more sense than earlier Wi-Fi systems tried by camera makers, which attempted to pair up the camera with nearby Wi-Fi hotspots. These aren’t always easy to find, and entering usernames and passwords with a camera interface was hard work.