Why is Bluetooth grayed out on my Nikon D5600, and how do I enable SnapBridge pairing?
Asked 4/17/2017
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2 answers
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On my Nikon D5600, the Bluetooth option in the Setup menu is grayed out and shows: "This option is not available at current settings or in the camera's current state." I’ve updated the firmware and still can’t switch Bluetooth on manually. How do you enable Bluetooth and pair the camera with SnapBridge?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
3
Bluetooth isn't setup directly from the menu on the d5600 and other SnapBridge enabled cameras. Instead, you have to use the WiFi or NFC linkage from the SnapBridge app to get your phone or tablet to pair with your camera on Bluetooth.
You can view or download the pairing guides and manuals (pdf) for the d5600 at this location: Nikon D5600 Download Center
I've only gone through this process with an iOS device and a D500, but here are the basics and the guides at the aforementioned link have the same steps:
- Make sure your camera is not in Airplane mode.
- Setup WiFi on the camera first, and note that the camera is hosting the WiFi network. You won't actually be able to connect the camera to an existing AP. You can set a password for this ad-hoc WiFi network on the camera.
- Connect to the WiFi network from your device, using the name of the network and password for it that is configured on the camera.
- On your camera, locate the "Connect to Smart Device" option in settings and activate it.
- Launch SnapBridge on your device. If the WiFi connection dropped (this happens often on iOS), it may prompt you to activate it again. Simply go back to your WiFi settings or use the prompt button in the iOS Snapbridge app and reconnect to the AP/network hosted by the Camera when directed to the phone/tablet settings. Return back to the Snapbridge app after the wifi network is on the camera's AP.
- If everything has gone well, it should detect the camera and you'll be prompted to verify the bluetooth code on both devices, and from here the pairing goes the same as any other bluetooth device, except that it is within Snapbridge.
Note that if your camera battery is not at 85% or better charge, you may have trouble connecting to the WiFi AP/network hosted by the camera. This is mentioned in the docs but worth repeating because out-of-the-box or after even moderate camera use, the camera's battery will not be fully charged and you will have to wait for a full charge to setup Bluetooth/Snapbridge. I carry an extra battery with me in the field if I anticipate needing to use SnapBridge.
Last, I had one more quirk that I couldn't duplicate, but just in case: If you setup a WiFi access password on the camera containing a space or an underscore, you might not be able to connect to it from your phone or tablet. I wasn't able to duplicate this issue again after the 1.06 patch for the D500, but if you've done the same, it may be worth trying a new password for WiFi that only has alphanumeric characters.
Originally by user19985. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user19985
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
On the D5600, Bluetooth usually isn’t turned on directly from that menu item. It’s typically activated as part of the SnapBridge pairing process.
Try this:
- Make sure the camera is not in Airplane mode.
- On the camera, go to Setup > Connect to smart device.
- Open the SnapBridge app on your phone and start pairing from the app/camera prompts.
- If pairing has failed before, clear old connections first:
- In your phone’s Bluetooth settings, unpair the camera.
- In your phone’s Wi‑Fi settings, forget the camera’s saved network.
- If needed, clear SnapBridge defaults/app settings.
- Re-run pairing using the access code shown by the camera.
Some users also found it helps to set up Wi‑Fi first in the camera, since SnapBridge may use Wi‑Fi/NFC during setup while the camera hosts its own network.
So the grayed-out Bluetooth option is usually normal until you start connection through “Connect to smart device” and SnapBridge, rather than trying to toggle Bluetooth directly.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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