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I have Hero3+ Black Edition.

For now I cannot shoot or even configure the camera when it is connected to a notebook with a USB Cable.

When I connect my camera to a notebook with a USB Cable, a charging battery icon and a USB icon appear on a camera screen. Both buttons do nothing, are inactive (Shutter/Select Button and Power/Mode Button). Only Wi-Fi On/Off Button works. In addition, it is not possible to configure the camera with GoPro phone app – setting icons are disabled. Moreover, the phone app does not even show a current picture from the camera when the camera is connected with USB Cable (I use GoPro Android app on Google Nexus 5).

My question is: is it possible to use a camera when it is connected to pc/notebook with a USB cable? Is it somewhere configurable in the camera?

My goal is: I want to shoot and immediately see the result on a screen of my notebook. At least from MicroSD card. For now I make a picture or video, turn the camera off, take out MicroSD card, put it into a notebook and only now have a possibility to see the result. It is cumbersome.

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    \$\begingroup\$ You can do it using the Hero 3's built in WiFi. You are looking for tethering: the search for a solution is hampered by the fact that the word tethering also applies to physically attaching the camera somewhere. Anyway, I found this, hope it helps: richardharrington.com/blog/2014/1/23/shooting-with-a-gopro \$\endgroup\$
    – ElendilTheTall
    Commented Aug 21, 2014 at 11:16
  • \$\begingroup\$ GoPro livestreaming tutorial can be found here: goo.gl/L5y91D \$\endgroup\$
    – Andrew Curry
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 13:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ For a single extended recording, you can start the recording and then plug in the USB cord to supply power from the PC. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tahlor
    Commented Feb 6, 2018 at 20:50

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No, the GoPro cannot be controlled over a USB connection.

If the GoPro is plugged into a computer and switched on, it will go into USB mode. This lets you download photos and videos from the camera. But you cannot take photos or video in this mode.

For the Hero3 or Hero3+ (or older models with a wifi Bacpac) they can be controlled over wifi. There are GoPro apps for Android and iOS or Windows Phone. There isn't any official GoPro software for controlling from a PC, though there are several options, eg:

Or the GoPro essentially works as a web server, so you can just connect and control it with a web browser. So these would let you control the camera from a PC, and get a preview image, and download photos etc over the wifi.

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As of July 2020, GoPro released a beta firmware that supports webcam mode (only on HERO8 Black). Your computer detects the camera as a webcam in this case and you can use it with existing tools that support webcam capture.

How to Use HERO8 Black as a Webcam explains this in more detail.

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Not sure about shooting Video, but to capture the image from the GoPro Hero4 Black, we can now put it in WiFi Mode and connect to the computer that way.. There is a software application in BETA that was recently released that lets you capture the image, store it and makes a timelapse.. Pretty slick considering the awesome resolution of the GoPro :) Check out my link to the test: http://www.dahlonegaweather.com/snapshot1.jpg

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