PTP/IP
Picture Transfer Protocol over IP
PTP/IP is PTP carried over a network connection instead of a USB cable, letting a camera transfer photos and accept commands wirelessly over Wi-Fi.
PTP/IP takes the same Picture Transfer Protocol used over USB and runs it across an IP network. The camera either broadcasts its own Wi-Fi or joins a shared network, and the connected device communicates with it exactly as it would over a cable — just wirelessly.
PTP/IP is what makes wireless tethering possible: it's how a phone can detect captures, pull full-resolution files, and deliver them to the cloud without a physical connection to the camera.
- CameraWi-Fi remote function on
- Wi-Fi networkPTP/IP over TCP
- Phoneapproved once on the camera
- Mobile datauploads to the cloud
How it works
PTP/IP wraps the same PTP operations in TCP/IP. The phone opens a connection to the camera — by convention on TCP port 15740 — introduces itself, and the camera approves it, often with a prompt on its screen the first time. A second connection carries events, so the camera can still announce each new shot. After that it's ordinary PTP: find the new object, download it, wait for the next event. Most makers add their own discovery and pairing steps on top, which is why each brand's Wi-Fi set-up looks different.
Three ways to connect
The camera can host its own Wi-Fi network for the phone to join; the camera can join the phone's personal hotspot; or both can join the same router. On the camera's own network the phone gets no internet over Wi-Fi, so uploads go over mobile data. On location the hotspot is usually simplest: the camera joins it and the phone keeps mobile data for uploads.
An example: a ceremony without a cable
In a church a photographer doesn't want a cable between camera and phone. With a Canon EOS R7 on the phone's hotspot, using the camera's Remote control (EOS Utility) Wi-Fi function, each frame reaches the phone over the air while the phone stays in a pocket.
PTP/IP in CloudTether
CloudTether's Wi-Fi tethering is PTP/IP. Canon pairing is verified on hardware; Nikon's Z9, Z8, Z6 III and Zf connect through Connect to smart device in STA mode; only newer Sony bodies offer wireless PC Remote; Fujifilm Wi-Fi is experimental. Wi-Fi is slower than a cable — the same Canon EOS R5 Mark II JPEGs took a median 0.06 s over USB and 0.20 s over Wi-Fi in our app logs — but for most shoots both are a fraction of a second. See wireless tethering and the tethering speed test.
Why the camera asks for approval
A camera on a network could be reached by any device on that network, so makers make the first connection a deliberate act: you confirm the phone on the camera's screen, and the camera remembers it. If you reset the camera's network settings or switch to a different phone, expect to approve the link again.
Tips and common mistakes
- On Canon, choose the EOS Utility (remote control) function, not “Connect to smartphone”, which pairs only with Canon's own app.
- When the phone warns that the camera's network has no internet, tell it to stay connected.
- If the link keeps dropping, move closer or use a USB cable — see camera Wi-Fi won't connect.
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.