Best Practices for Motion Area Setup
Defining Motion Detection Areas
Why is refining motion detection areas important?
The motion detection areas by default cover the entirety of a camera view with sensitivities that may be higher than necessary for the level of detection desired. This is a measure to prevent motion detection from being missed by out-of-the-box settings but can result in extra details being picked up as motion by objects or in areas that are unnecessary for your specific configuration.
Refining motion areas will allow you to extend storage space by only recording the high-resolution motion stream when desired, make reviewing footage easier by having accurate event history when motion occurred, and prevent false notifications when motion-based alerts are configured.
Example of Refined versus Unrefined Motion Detection Area
Unrefined Motion Detection Area Configuration
By default, the entire image is selected for motion detection as indicated by the green overlay. For this installation, the default configuration is detecting undesired motion in the trees indicated by the red outlines. This video with trees moving in the wind will be recorded at the high-resolution stream when it is unnecessary because there is no movement where desired.
Refined Motion Detection Area Configuration
By removing the trees from the motion detection zone, the only motion that will trigger high stream recording and motion detection alerts would be motion on the grass or parking lot.
Refer to Recording Motion for instructions and available options in the motion configuration menu.
What To Avoid in Motion Detection Zones
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Foliage
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Oscillating Fans
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Dynamic Signage (e.g. scrolling menu board or showcasing videos)
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Time Pieces (e.g. on-screen display configured in camera settings or a large Digital Clock)
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Busy Streets
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Other undesired or uncontrollable motion