How to Use the GoPro Wifi Remote with the HERO7 Black & HERO6 Black

If you want to use the older GoPro WiFi Remote with your HERO7 Black or HERO6 Black, you can. But there is a trick to look out for. So here’s a quick guide.

GoPro WiFi Remote with HERO7 Black and HERO6 Black
Text & Photos By David Coleman
Last Revised & Updated:
Filed Under: Remote Control

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If you’re trying to control your GoPro with a remote control, there are newer, better options than using the old, discontinued GoPro WiFi Remote. The newer GoPro Smart Remote is a good place to start, as is the GoPro mobile app.

But if you want to use the GoPro WiFi Remote with your HERO7 Black or HERO6 Black, you can. It’s mostly straightforward, but there is one trick to look out for. So here’s a quick guide.

Put the GoPro WiFi Remote in Pairing Mode

With the remote powered off, hold down the shutter button (red circle). Briefly touch the power/mode button.

The remote will power up, and you should see the pairing animation, which consists of a camera icon and two arrows moving toward each other. Like this:

GoPro WiFi Remote Pairing Mode

Change the GoPro’s WiFi Band to 2.4GHz

To the extent there’s a trick to making this work, this is it. The GoPro WiFi Remote uses what used to be the standard wifi band: 2.4GHz. The newer GoPros come set to 5GHz by default. So you need to get them speaking on the same wavelength (pun intended). The good news is that on the HERO7 Black and HERO6 Black, you have the option of choosing either 5GHz or 2.4GHz.

To do it, go into the camera’s Connections options and change the WiFi band from the default 5GHz to 2.4GHz. Here’s the specific place you find that setting on each model:

  • HERO7 Black: Preferences > Connections > Wi-Fi Band
  • HERO6 Black: Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi Band

Put the GoPro in Pairing Mode

Make sure that you’ve got the camera’s wireless functions are enabled:

  • HERO7 Black: Preferences > Connections > Wireless Connections > ON
  • HERO6 Black: Settings > Connections > Wireless Connections > Icon to White

Then move onto the pairing mode. You won’t see the option specifically for the WiFi Remote on the newer cameras; use the Smart Remote option instead.

  • HERO7 Black: Preferences > Connections > Connect Device > Smart Remote
  • HERO6 Black: Settings > Connections >Connect New Device > Smart Remote

They should start talking to each other within 10 seconds or so. Sometimes it can take a bit longer, so give it some extra time. If it doesn’t connect, the camera’s pairing mode function will eventually time out after a few minutes and display a message saying that the pairing has failed.

Things Worth Knowing

Once connected, you can use all the usual functionality of the Wifi Remote. That includes being able to control multiple cameras and switch shooting mode.

The HERO5 Black should also work with the wifi remote without any extra effort. That’s because it uses dual-band 5GHz and 2.4GHz b/g/n wifi frequency—in other words, both at once—and should automatically detect and use the appropriate one. But in practice, I’ve had more trouble getting it to pair with the wifi remote than I have had with the HERO6 Black and HERO7 Black.

Not all GoPros are compatible with GoPro remote controls, even if they have some wireless functionality and work with the GoPro mobile app. Examples are the HERO7 Silver and HERO7 White. Both work with the mobile app, but you can’t connect a remote to them. And the HERO9 Black has a newer remote.

When you’re controlling multiple cameras, you can mix and match camera models—they don’t all have to be the same model.

Text & Photos by David Coleman

I'm a freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my travel photography here.

I've been shooting with GoPros for years, starting with the HD HERO, and have owned and used just about every model since. More »

19 thoughts on “How to Use the GoPro Wifi Remote with the HERO7 Black & HERO6 Black”

  1. Thank you so much for posting this article! I was trying to get my recently-acquired secondhand GoPro HERO6 to pair with a Wifi Remote — I’d previously used a Smart Remote but had given it away with my HERO7 — and I just couldn’t get these things to talk to each other. Clear, concise instructions and it ll worked exactly as you said it would.

    Reply
  2. Would you mind letting me know how to pair the Wi-Fi remote with Hero8 correctly? While my camera says connection successful the remote still shows the pairing graphic. So I turned off everything after it timed out. The remote can turn the camera on but that’s about it – it keeps flashing the Wi-Fi icon, doesn’t seem to be control the camera. Any thoughts?

    Reply
    • Yeah, the HERO9 has different requirements with the remote. It will only work with the brand-new The Remote launched a couple of days ago. Along with the latest firmware for the HERO9, which adds the compatibility.

      Reply
    • I can confirm from personal experience that it does work with the HERO8 Black. GoPro says it doesn’t work with the Max (but I know it does work with the Fusion). I’m not sure what the plan–or if there is one–for a remote for the Max.

      Reply
    • I was about to write no, but then I thought I’d try it to confirm. It does connect, but I’m getting some odd behavior such as it hanging for a long time, delayed response, and only partial image previews. I don’t know if that’s a built-in limitation, a bug in the software, or some either glitch specific to the combination (H7 Black with firmware v.01.80.00, GoPro App v.6.0 (3144), and IOS 12.4 on an iPhone 7). I don’t see those issues when I switch the camera back to 5GHz.

      Reply
  3. By battery saving mode, do you mean auto off or just turning the back touchscreen off (they’re two different settings on the HERO7 Black). If it’s only the back screen, that shouldn’t affect the wireless connection.

    From your description, it sounds like the wifi is turning off on the camera. And because the remote uses a wifi-only signal, there’s no way to wake the camera with it. You can, however, wake it with a smartphone, because that also uses Bluetooth. When the camera turns off wifi, it keeps low-consumption Bluetooth running, and that can be used from your smartphone to wake the camera up and restore the wifi connection–it serves as a kind of handshake protocol, with the actual control signals going over wifi.

    So long as the camera is not turning off, the wifi connection should be maintained even if the back screen turns off. And if you’re using the GoPro Smart Remote, when you have it connected, it should disable the auto-off feature so that you don’t run into this issue. If you’re using an aftermarket remote, it’s possible that the auto-off feature stays enabled (but I haven’t tried that specifically with an aftermarket remote).

    So if you’re using an aftermarket remote, something worth trying might be to set the auto-off setting to Never (Preferences > General > Auto Power Off). That should prevent the wifi turning off (but will drain your battery more quickly). Or use the GoPro app on a smartphone to wake it, although that’s probably not very convenient while you’re riding.

    Another option might be the GoPro Remo voice remote. It does use Bluetooth (only), but it has other issues that make me hesitant to recommend it.

    Reply
  4. I have a GoPro Hero 7 Black and sometimes I put it on my bike with a suction cup.
    To start and stop shooting, I use a remote control (indicated for Hero 7) on my wrist (because I can not access the camera) and I’m having the following problem: if I let the camera go into battery saving mode … I can no longer activate the camera to do more shooting and normally the camera is blocked … just by removing the battery I can work with it again.
    Is it a product problem or is there some trick that will solve this situation? I’ll appreciate your answers.

    Reply
  5. Based on what I have read, once I pair a camera with the remote, if the camera is inactive (not recording?, off?) for a period of time (3-5 minutes?) the camera will revert to bluetooth and wait for a bluetooth ping from the remote to “wake-up” the camera, at which point the camera will use its stronger wi-fi signal to maintain the connection. My understanding is that this design is intended to save the camera battery since Bluetooth is more energy efficient versus wi-fi.

    Assuming all of this is accurate – and please let me know where I’m not – If I move the remote more than 600 feet away from a camera, for say 30 minutes, and then bring the remote to 400 feet away from the camera, will the remote find the camera? Or will I need to re-pair?

    Thanks for any help!

    Reply
    • Assuming you mean the Wifi Remote, which was the standard remote when the HERO3 models were available, then yes. Instructions above. It’s much the same as usual–just make sure to change the wifi band on the HERO7 Black.

      Reply
  6. thanks a lot for let me know about change the Camera’s WiFi Band to 2.4GHz.You are only one who give this recomendation.now everything works

    Reply

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