Support
Most questions are answered below. If yours is not, write to us.
We answer within two business days. It helps to tell us which browser you use and what the recorder page says on screen.
Setting up
What do I need?
A computer with Windows 10 or Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, one or two USB webcams, an internet connection, and enough disk space for the videos.
Choosing a computer
Should the recorder have its own computer?
We recommend it. Making video is steady work for a computer for as long as an order is being packed. If the same computer is also buying postage and printing labels, each can slow the other down. A separate computer at the packing bench avoids that, and its screen can show the picture and the green frame where the packer can see them.
You start and stop the recorder from your usual computer; the two are connected over the internet with a pairing code.
Keep the recorder page open and visible on the recording computer. Browsers slow down pages that are hidden or minimised.
Which versions of Windows work?
Windows 10 and Windows 11, with an up-to-date Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. Older versions of Windows (7, 8 and 8.1) cannot run a current version of either browser, so they will not work. Firefox is not supported.
How powerful does the computer need to be?
It does not need to be new or expensive. The surest way to find out is to try it: open the recorder page on the computer and watch the line that shows how many frames per second it is drawing. If the computer cannot keep up, the recorder says so in plain words.
As a guide, here is a computer we use ourselves every packing day. It records two cameras into one 1920 x 1080 video without trouble:
| Computer | Dell OptiPlex 9010, an office desktop first sold in 2012 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-3770 (4 cores, 3.4 GHz) |
| Memory | 16 GB |
| Windows | Windows 10 Pro |
| Disk | 500 GB ordinary hard disk (not a solid-state drive) |
| Cameras | Two USB webcams |
This is not a minimum. It is simply one computer we know works well, and it shows that a second-hand office desktop can do the job. Lesser computers may also be fine, especially at the lighter settings below.
If a computer struggles, these settings lighten the work, in order of effect:
- Picture size 1280 x 720 instead of 1920 x 1080.
- 15 or 20 frames per second instead of 30.
- One camera instead of two.
Cameras
How should I set up the cameras?
A video is most useful when it shows two things: what went into the parcel, and which parcel it was. The arrangement we use ourselves is two cameras:
- A wide camera over the packing table, showing the items and the packing.
- A close camera at the scale, where the shipping label goes on. Hold the label up to this camera for a moment before the parcel leaves the bench.
Both pictures are recorded into the same video, with the order number and the time stamped on it.
Will the shipping label be readable in the video?
Small print needs a close view. Place the label camera near where the label is held, so the label fills a good part of its picture, and check a test video before relying on it. A camera looking at the whole table from above will show that a label was applied, but usually not what it says.
Disk space
How much space do the videos take?
It depends on the picture size and quality you choose, and on how long each order takes to pack. These are approximate sizes at 30 frames per second:
| Picture size | Quality setting | Per minute | A 3-minute order |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1280 x 720 | Smaller files | 16 MB | about 50 MB |
| 1280 x 720 | Balanced | 25 MB | about 75 MB |
| 1280 x 720 | Sharper | 37 MB | about 110 MB |
| 1920 x 1080 | Smaller files | 35 MB | about 105 MB |
| 1920 x 1080 | Balanced (the standard setting) | 56 MB | about 170 MB |
| 1920 x 1080 | Sharper | 84 MB | about 250 MB |
Choosing 15 frames per second instead of 30 makes files about 30% smaller. The recorder page shows the expected size for the settings you have chosen, and the real size of each video once it is saved.
Is there a limit on how many orders I can record or keep?
No. There are no tiers, no monthly allowance and no charge per video. Because the videos are saved on your own disk, the only limit is how much space that disk has.
How big a disk should I get?
Fill in your own numbers:
Two cameras side by side make a picture twice as wide, so those videos are twice the size shown in the table above.
Decide how far back you need to keep videos (for example, as long as customers can open a claim), and delete older ones from the folder when you no longer need them. The recorder never deletes videos by itself.
The browser asks for permission to use the camera. Is that right?
Yes. Choose Allow. The picture is used only on your computer to make the video.
Where are my videos?
In the folder you chose on the recorder page, one file per order, named after the order number. The recorder page shows the folder it is saving to.
Everyday use
After I reload the page, it asks for the folder again.
This is the browser protecting your files: it withdraws permission to save whenever the page is reloaded or the browser is restarted. The recorder shows a large yellow notice. Press the button on it and allow access, and you are ready again. The recorder will not start until this is done, so that no video is lost.
How do I know it is recording?
Green means recording: the picture has a green frame, and the order number and clock appear on it.
It says a recording was interrupted.
If the browser or the computer stopped in the middle of a recording, that video may be incomplete or missing. The recorder tells you which order was affected the next time it opens. If the parcel has not left yet, pack it again on camera.
The camera is not found, or the picture is black.
- Check the camera is plugged in, then choose it again in the camera list.
- Close other programs that may be using the camera (video-call apps, other recorders).
- Check the browser has permission to use the camera: click the padlock or camera symbol beside the web address.
The order screen says the recorder is not connected.
The recorder page has to be open on the packing computer, and that computer needs an internet connection. Open the page, check the save folder notice, and try again.
Your videos
Can I play a video on another computer or send it to a customer?
Yes. Each video is a standard MP4 file. It plays in the player your computer already has, and can be copied, attached to an email or uploaded like any other file.
Can you recover a video for me?
No. Videos are saved only on your computer and are never sent to us, so we have no copy. If the videos matter to you, include the folder in your normal backups.
Account
How do I cancel?
Uninstall Order Recorder from your Shopify admin (Settings, then Apps). Billing stops with the uninstall. Your videos stay on your computer.
What information do you keep?
Very little, and never your videos. See the privacy policy.