HCO VH400HD User Manual

Vigilant Hunter®

Instruction Manual

Model: VH400HD

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE USING CAMERA

Thank you for Purchasing your UWAY Camera

The UWAY Vigilant Hunter is a high quality digital surveillance
camera. It has been precisely engineered and tuned to provide
you with optimal and consistent performance. This camera will
provide high quality digital pictures and sound recording video
for applications such as home, cabin, and business surveillance
and animal monitoring for hunting and research. It features a
highly sensitive Passive Infra-Red (PIR) motion sensor and
numerous setting options to tailor the camera to your particular
needs.

Item Check List

 Camera
 USB cable
 Nylon mounting strap
 Warranty Card

Needed for Operation

1. Eight (8) AA Lithium/Alkaline or NiMH Rechargeable
Batteries

2. SD or SDHC Card (up to 32 GB capacity max)

SPECIAL HANDLING PRECAUTIONS

CAMERA:

The camera has been finely tuned. Avoid dropping and physical
shock.
The camera is designed for typical weather conditions. It is not
waterproof for use underwater.
Carefully clean debris from camera lens, PIR, and LED
platform. Avoid use of cleaning solvents.
The camera contains precise electronic equipment. Do not
attempt to open camera case yourself.
Condensation may form on lens and electrical components
when bringing into warm room from cold. To avoid this, first

Page | 1

place camera inside a sealed plastic bag before bringing into

LED bulbs

Padlock

Hole

Snap

Lock

Color Display

Control Buttons:
Up, Down, Left, Right
Menu, OK

Battery Compartment

Ports & Slots:
DC 6V Port
USB Port
ON/OFF/SETUP Switch

SD Card Slot

PIR Senosr

warm room temperature. If condensation forms, remove SD
card and batteries until camera is dry.
Remove batteries when storing camera. Removing batteries
from the camera during storage reduces the risk of battery acid
leakage and battery drain.
Do not mix old and new batteries together in the camera.
LCD SCREEN: Avoid exposing screen to direct sunlight or at
high temperatures as LCD damage may occur.

Page | 2

MOUNTING CAMERA:
This camera is designed to use the UWAY Bracket (sold

separately) to obtain maximal mounting versatility. Camera can
be securely locked with cable lock (through camera, bracket, or
both) or security box (with or without bracket).

Camera can be mounted with nylon strap (included) or security
box (sold separately).

It is recommended to mount the camera 3 feet high overlooking
desired area and 25-30 feet away from target area for
maximum sensitivity in most situations. Adjustments may be
required depending on animal size and environment. PIR
motion detection distance changes based on ambient
temperature and setup. Higher ambient temperatures will
reduce PIR motion detection range thereby requiring camera to
be closer to desired location. Mounting camera too high or
angling camera will reduce detection field of view and may
result in animal or humans going under or above the PIR
motion detection field.

Angle the camera perpendicular to the ground to maximize the
IR lighting potential. Mount at 45º degree angle to trails to
maximize detection angle. Using UWAY Bracket (sold
separately) provides optimal versatility when mounting the
camera. UWAY XtendIR (sold separately) will significantly
increase night IR lighting distances out to 60-100 feet.

Page | 3

GETTING STARTED
SD MEMORY CARD

The camera supports both SD and SDHC memory cards up to
32 GB.

1. Open camera

2. Insert SD card with marked side facing back of camera

3. Push gently until card clicks into place

4. Push card again to remove

Note 1: Ensure SD card is NOT in locked position.
Note 2: Format SD card in camera before using each time.

This will create a file on the SD card where the camera will
save images onto.
Note 3: It is always recommended to test the SD card by taking
some pictures to ensure SD card works properly before leaving
camera for extended periods of time.

WARNING: Make sure camera is OFF when adding or

removing SD memory card

BATTERIES

This camera is designed for Lithium/Alkaline or Nickel Metal­Hydride (NiMH) batteries. An AC to DC power cord (sold
separately) can be attached to the bottom port of the camera.

1. Insert 8 AA batteries while ensuring polarity (+ -) is
correctly orientated.

Note: 6V DC power can be used with or without batteries
inserted. External power by-passes the batteries when 6V
power is connected. Solar panels DO NOT charge batteries
directly located in the camera.
WARNING: Do not use 12V external battery power as camera
damage will occur.

Page | 4

CHECKING BATTERY LEVEL

Battery level can be seen in bottom left corner of viewer screen

TESTING AND WORKING MODES

The camera has two modes: Setup Mode and Work Mode.

1. Turn switch to middle position to access SETUP mode.
The camera will enter Live Preview Mode automatically. If
the camera beeps, it means either no SD card is inserted
or the SD card is not inserted properly. The SD card needs
to be inserted or reinserted to continue.

2. Turn switch to ON mode. A blue LED light will blink for 5­10 seconds before the camera is capable of being
triggered by motion.

Note: The LCD screen has a built in sleep mode to save power.
If LCD screen turns off, you must turn camera OFF and back to
SET mode to reset.

MENU OPERATIONS AND SETTINGS
OPERATION SHORTCUT

LIVE PREVIEW

This option allows the user to view in real time what the camera
is capturing. Pictures/videos can be captured using the “OK”
button while in this mode. This camera is equipped with a Day
Color Mode and Night IR Mode while in Live Preview. It is
recommended to minimize the use of Night IR Mode to avoid
battery depletion.

1. Turn camera to SET mode and LIVE PREVIEW mode
is displayed automatically. If you are already in main
menu, push MENU button to enter LIVE PREVIEW
mode.

Page | 5

PHOTO MODE

a. Push ‘Right arrow’ button (you will see photo icon)
b. Push ‘Right arrow’ button to toggle between 5MP,

3MP, 6MP, 4MP (Note: 6, and 4 are in Wide Vision
mode)

c. Push UP Arrow to switch between Day Color and

Night IR Mode

d. Push OK button to capture pictures

VIDEO MODE

a. Push ‘Left arrow’ button (you will see video icon)
b. Push ‘Left arrow’ button to toggle between HD and

VGA video

c. Push UP Arrow to switch between Day Color and

Night IR Mode

d. Push OK button to start and stop video capture

2. Push MENU button to return to menu

PHOTO / VIDEO PLAYBACK

This feature allows the user to view pictures and video stored
on the SD card. User can pause, stop, rewind, and fast forward
video during playback.

1. During LIVE PREVIEW mode push the DOWN arrow to
access PLAYBACK or select PLAYBACK from
CAMERA MODE in Camera Settings Menu.

2. Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow to select video or picture
and push OK to select

3. Pictures display a photo icon in bottom left corner while
Videos display a video icon in bottom left corner

4. Follow prompts on bottom of LCD screen while in
PLAYBACK mode

Page | 6