Troubleshooting Facial Recognition on Your Abode Security System
Abode's facial recognition capability is a sophisticated feature that elevates your system from simple motion detection to intelligent, personalised security. By integrating with the CUE automation engine, it can identify familiar faces and trigger custom actions. However, if it's not working as you expect, a few key settings and conditions need to be checked.
This guide will help you troubleshoot and get the most out of Abode's facial recognition feature.
How Abode Facial Recognition Works
Before troubleshooting, it's helpful to understand the process.
- Your Abode camera first detects a person.
- It then captures a snapshot of the person's face and compares it to a library of known faces you have built.
- If it finds a match, it identifies the person. If not, it flags them as an unknown person.
- This event (e.g., "John Smith seen") can then be used as a trigger in CUE Automations to perform other actions.
Common problems usually occur with poor detection, incorrect identification, or misconfigured automations.
Steps to Fix Abode Facial Recognition Issues
Follow these steps to diagnose and resolve problems.
1. Optimise Camera Placement and Conditions
The quality of the input image is the most important factor for success.
- Lighting is Key: Ensure the area is well-lit so faces are clear and not in shadow. A camera pointing at a bright doorway from a dark interior will struggle.
- Camera Angle and Height: For best results, position the camera so it captures faces head-on, not from a steep downward angle. A camera placed at eye level (5-6 feet) is ideal.
- Clean the Lens: A smudged or dusty lens can soften details and prevent the AI from making an accurate match. Wipe it regularly with a microfibre cloth.
- Distance Matters: A person's face needs to be large and clear enough in the frame. If they are too far away, the camera won't have enough detail to work with.
2. Manage Your Person Library
The AI learns from your input. You need to actively teach it.
- Open the Abode App and navigate to the Timeline.
- Find events where a person was detected.
- The app will show you captured face snapshots. Tap on an unknown face.
- You will have the option to add a new person or assign the face to an existing person.
- Do this consistently. The more examples you provide for each person, the more accurate the system will become at recognising them in different conditions.
3. Configure Your CUE Automations
Receiving a specific notification for a recognised person requires a CUE automation. Simply having the person in your library isn't enough to generate an alert.
- In the Abode App, go to the CUE tab.
- Create a new automation.
- For the Trigger (the 'When' part), select A Person is Seen.
- You can then specify the trigger to be for Any Person, a Specific Person (e.g., Jane Doe), or an Unknown Person.
- For the Action (the 'Then' part), select Send Notification or another smart home action.
- Customise the notification text if you wish. For example: "Jane has arrived home."
- Save the automation.
4. Check Your Abode Plan
Facial recognition and advanced CUE automations are features of Abode's paid subscription plans (Standard or Pro). If you are on the free plan, this functionality will not be available. Ensure your subscription is active.
By optimising your camera's view, actively managing your person library, and correctly setting up your CUE automations, you can unlock the full potential of this powerful Abode feature.