When I’m trying to connect DNT Optics Note (TNC225R) to my Mac, plugging it in via USB doesn’t seem to do anything, my Mac just doesn’t recognize it.
Has anyone run into this and found a reliable (and ideally quick) way to get it working? I’ve seen there are various third-party connection programs out there for this kind of thing, but I’m not sure which ones are actually worth downloading.
This is mostly a macOS-to-Android connection problem rather than something specific to the TNC225R. macOS usually won't recognize these devices as normal USB storage, and its Android file transfer support has never been very reliable. You’ll need an app that can handle the connection between the two systems.
I use MacDroid for transfers between my Samsung phone and MacBook. I haven't tested it with a TNC225R, but the process should be similar:
If MacDroid doesn't work, you could also try Android File Transfer, which is a third-party alternative rather than Google's old app, or OpenMTP. Both are commonly used for this kind of transfer.
If anyone has tried these with the TNC225R specifically, it would be useful to know which method worked best.
Don’t expect Finder to mount it directly. Try MacDroid or OpenMTP with the scope powered on and a data-capable USB-C cable; USB debugging should not be necessary for a normal MTP transfer, so swap the cable before changing developer settings.
Don’t start by enabling USB debugging or installing random drivers. For ordinary video and image transfers, debugging should not be required, and firmware files are not Mac connection software. The “Android File Transfer” link in @mr_coder’s post appears to point to a firmware-upgrade page, so I would not use anything there just to solve a USB transfer problem.
First check whether the Mac can see the hardware at all. With the TNC225R powered on and connected directly to the Mac, open System Information, select USB, and look for a new device. If nothing changes when you unplug and reconnect it, this is probably a cable, adapter, hub, or USB-port issue rather than missing software. A surprising number of USB-C cables only support charging. Try a known data cable and skip any dock or hub during testing.
If the scope appears in System Information but not Finder, that points to MTP. Finder does not treat an MTP device like a flash drive. Select “File Transfer” on the scope if it displays a USB mode prompt, then try MacDroid or OpenMTP. Fully quit whichever app you are not using because two MTP programs competing for the same connection can make the device look disconnected. I would try MTP before ADB and leave USB debugging off unless MacDroid specifically needs ADB mode.
The simplest workaround may be to bypass USB entirely. If your recordings are stored on a removable microSD card, shut the scope down, remove the card, and put it in a USB card reader. macOS should then mount the card normally in Finder, and you can copy the files without Android transfer software. Eject the card properly before putting it back, and avoid letting macOS reformat or “repair” it if a warning appears.
So the useful order is: data cable, direct USB connection, confirm detection in System Information, try MTP software, then use the memory card as the fallback. I would only look at firmware updates after file transfer is working, not as a cure for the Mac failing to recognize the connection.
Don’t pay for a Mac transfer app until you’ve confirmed that the TNC225R actually exposes its recordings over USB. The Android/MTP explanation is plausible, but it is still an assumption. Some optics devices use USB only for charging or firmware work, while normal recordings are meant to come off the memory card.
Before trying MacDroid or OpenMTP, open Apple’s built-in Image Capture app with the scope powered on, idle, and connected directly to the Mac. If the TNC225R identifies itself as a camera using PTP rather than as an MTP storage device, it may appear in Image Capture even though Finder shows nothing. Photos might detect it for the same reason. Stop any recording first, and check the scope screen for a USB mode or permission prompt.
@cyberrouter’s System Information check is useful, but detection there only proves that a USB device answered. It does not prove that the device offers file access. If System Information lists it but neither Image Capture nor an MTP app can see recordings, testing it briefly on a Windows computer would settle the question faster than cycling through more Mac software. Windows has MTP support built in. If Windows shows a portable device with folders, then a Mac MTP application is worth pursuing. If Windows only charges it or sees an unidentified USB device, another macOS driver probably will not solve it.
Make that test with the scope’s supplied cable or a known USB data cable, not merely a cable that charges a phone. Keep the device powered on, and disconnect hubs, displays, and docks while troubleshooting. I would leave USB debugging off unless you have confirmed that the unit runs Android and intentionally supports ADB. Debugging is unrelated to ordinary camera imports and creates another variable.
If recordings live on microSD, a card reader is likely the least troublesome route. Copy the files rather than moving them, verify that they open on the Mac, then eject the card properly. Ignore any macOS offer to initialize or repair a card unless you already have a backup. That route may feel less elegant than USB, but it avoids spending time looking for a “driver” that may never have existed for this model.
Skip USB if you need the files right now.
First, check the TNC225R menus for Wi-Fi, app connection, gallery sync, or sharing. If it can send recordings to an iPhone through its companion app, download them there and AirDrop them to the Mac. It is slower for large videos, but it avoids the whole MTP problem.
A second option is a USB-C flash drive or an OTG adapter with a regular flash drive. Format the drive as exFAT, connect it to the powered-on scope, then look for Copy, Export, or a file manager. This only works if the scope’s USB-C port supports OTG/host mode, so no drive appearing on the scope means that route is unavailable.
If neither option exists, the microSD reader mentioned above is the quickest reliable answer. Power the scope off before removing the card, copy rather than move the recordings, and keep the original folder structure until you confirm the videos open correctly. I would spend five minutes checking wireless and OTG support before paying for MacDroid, since transfer software cannot help if the scope never exposes its files over USB.
Nobody’s asked whether the scope is actually offering a data connection at all when you plug it in. A lot of these thermal units just default to charge mode over USB and never throw a ‘File Transfer / Charge only’ prompt unless the battery is above a certain level or you pick the mode manually in the device menu. So before blaming the Mac, watch the scope’s own screen the moment you connect it. If nothing pops up there, no amount of MacDroid or OpenMTP will help, because the port is only feeding power.
The System Information check @cyberrouter mentioned is the right first move, and I’d lean on it harder than the software suggestions. If the scope never shows up under USB there, you’re chasing a ghost with transfer apps. That said, I’d add one wrinkle: some of these devices enumerate as a generic serial/CDC device rather than storage or a camera, which is basically a firmware-tool interface, not a file transfer one. If that’s what you see, USB was never meant to hand you your videos, and that matches what @nova_daemon139 was hinting at.
On the tools themselves, MacDroid is fine for the MTP-mount step and it does save you fighting Finder, but treat it as a maybe, not the fix. It only earns its keep if the scope genuinely presents storage over MTP. If it doesn’t, you’ve paid for nothing. Try Image Capture and the free OpenMTP first, and only reach for MacDroid if one of those at least sees the device but won’t cooperate.
Honestly, for a hunting/thermal scope I’d stop pretending USB is the intended workflow. Pull the microSD, drop it in a reader, done. @primedrone’s Wi-Fi/companion-app angle is worth five minutes too, since a fair number of these ship with an app that dumps clips straight to a phone, and AirDrop closes the gap to the Mac after that. Slower for big video files, but zero driver drama.
One small warning on the card route: if macOS pops up asking to initialize or repair the card when you insert it, cancel it. Don’t let it touch the card until you’ve copied the footage off somewhere else first. exFAT cards from these devices sometimes trip that dialog even when nothing’s actually wrong.