The Abode Cam 2 introduces to Abode a different type of motion detection.
Previous cameras, including the Iota and Outdoor Smart Camera, have both carried on board a physical PIR motion sensor, which detects motion based on infared and heat.
The Abode Cam 2 detects 'motion' based on changes to the pixel in the field of view of the camera. When a certain percentage of the pixels change by a certain percentage, 'motion' is reported.
Understanding this difference is key to understand how the camera reports motion and captures clips.
Motion Detection
The Abode Cam 2 has a motion detection feature that is different than a traditional PIR motion sensor. It will detect movement based on pixel changes to the image in the field of view.
Due to this, you may find that a change to lighting in the field of view is reported as 'motion' due to the change of colour in the pixels.
For example, a camera pointing at a section of driveway that has the shadow of a tree located over it may well report 'motion' as the wind moves the shadow over the concrete, changing the pixels of the concrete from light to dark and back again.
Or, a car driving past at night lighting up a section of that same driveway will again be reported as motion, even if the car is not in the field of view - the change of pixels due to the headlights shining will be enough to report motion.
Dirt/sand being blown through the image could be enough to report motion.
Clip Recording
The Abode Cam 2 requires 3 separate events to record a clip:
Start Motion Event - motion being detected
Stop Motion Event - motion NOT detected
Cool Down - time between Stop Motion, and ready for next clip
Understanding these events can answer come common questions such as "why did my camera only record one clip when I walked by 3 times" or "my camera is not recording clips"
A Start Motion Event is defined by motion being detected - as per the section above.
A Stop Motion Event is defined by the opposite of the section above - i.e. A person has moved through and out of the image, therefore the pixels cease to change.
Cooldown - after each clip, there is a 90 second cooldown before the camera is ready to capture another clip.
If there is constant motion - i.e. a tree constantly swaying in the wind - you may find you only have minimal clips recorded, as there is constant movement in the clip, and a Stop Motion Event does not occur.
If there is Start and Stop Events, you need to be aware of the cooldown timer - you are unlikely to have clips in consecutive minutes. A camera set to record a clip, requires the following as an example:
Start Motion at 02:00:00pm
Clip triggered to record until 02:00:15pm
Stop Motion Event within the time frame
Cooldown of 90 seconds until 02:01:45pm
A new Start Motion Event to record another clip
Some users may be concerned about missing footage through the cooldown period (for example). For those situations, we recommend activating the 24/7 recording feature, which allows cameras to record at all times, with up to 10 days storage.
This does come at an additional add on cost, due to the large amounts of storage required for this service.
Reducing Recorded Clip Clutter
Cameras located in high traffic areas, or areas subjected to a lot of movement, may be subject to a large amount of clips being recorded that need to be reviewed, taking up a lot of time.
There are 2 key features within the camera settings to help reduce this.
Detection Zone - the use of a detection zone allow the user to reduce the detectable area of the camera. By using this, you can eliminate areas in the field of view that may report movement - trees moving etc, and allow focus only on key areas that you want monitored.
Detection Zones are only applicable when the camera is set to 'All Motion'. Smart Detection Events outside of the Detection Zone will still be reported/captured.
Smart Detection - By using this feature, rather than the "All Motion' setting, you can specify what you want recording and reported through to the app, rather than having every single Motion Event recorded.
This service can be set to recorded/report any combination of People, Pets or Packages, depending on your requirements, and reduce a lot of the unnecessary clips recorded.