Fine-Tuning Your Amcrest: A Guide to Facial Recognition Issues
Amcrest's facial recognition technology is a powerful tool, transforming your security camera from a simple motion detector into a smart device that can tell you who is at your door. However, when it fails to recognise familiar faces or doesn't detect faces at all, it can be confusing. This guide will help you troubleshoot and optimise the facial recognition feature on your Amcrest camera for better accuracy and reliability.
Note: Facial Recognition is an advanced feature available on specific Amcrest AI models. Ensure your camera model supports this feature before proceeding.
## Step 1: Optimising Camera Placement and Lighting
The performance of any AI-based video analytic, especially facial recognition, is highly dependent on the quality of the video it receives.
### Camera Position is Key
- Angle: The camera should be positioned to get as straight-on a view of a person's face as possible. A camera mounted too high and pointing down will only see the top of people's heads, making recognition impossible.
- Height: The ideal height is typically around 2-3 metres (7-10 feet) off the ground, angled slightly downwards.
- Distance: The person's face should be large enough in the frame. If the camera is too far away, the facial details will be too small for the AI to analyse accurately.
### Lighting Conditions
- Good, Even Lighting: The best performance will be in well-lit areas with even, diffuse lighting. Strong backlighting (e.g., a camera indoors pointing at a bright doorway) will create silhouettes, making facial recognition fail.
- No Night Vision: Facial recognition does not work with infrared (IR) night vision. The monochrome, high-contrast image produced by IR LEDs does not contain the necessary detail for the AI to identify unique facial features. The feature requires a well-lit colour image. If you need recognition at night, you must have sufficient external lighting, like a porch light.
## Step 2: Configuring the Software Correctly
Proper setup in the Amcrest web interface or app is critical. Simply turning the feature "on" is often not enough.
### Building an Effective Face Database
The accuracy of the system is directly related to the quality of the images you provide it.
- Multiple High-Quality Images: When adding a known person to the database, use several clear, well-lit photos.
- Variety is Crucial: Include photos from slightly different angles (front-on, slightly to the side). If the person wears glasses, add pictures with and without them. Add photos with and without a hat if they wear one regularly.
- Clear Backgrounds: Use photos where the face is the main subject, without distracting backgrounds.
### Checking the AI Rules (IVS)
- Log into the Web UI: Access your camera's settings by typing its IP address into a web browser.
- Navigate to AI / IVS: Find the "AI" or "Intelligent Video System" section.
- Enable the Rule: Ensure that "Facial Recognition" or "Face Detection" is enabled.
- Draw the Detection Zone: You must define the area of the screen where the camera should look for faces. Draw a box around the area of interest, like the path leading to your door.
- Configure the Trigger: You need to tell the camera what to do when it recognises a face. Go to the event settings and ensure that the Facial Recognition event is set up to trigger a push notification, email, or recording as desired.
## Step 3: Maintenance and Firmware
- Keep the Lens Clean: A dirty, smudged, or scratched lens can soften the image and drastically reduce the accuracy of facial recognition. Regularly clean the lens with a soft microfibre cloth.
- Check for Firmware Updates: Amcrest frequently improves its AI algorithms and fixes bugs through firmware updates. Ensure your camera is running the latest version. You can check for updates in the camera's system settings via the web UI. A simple update can sometimes lead to a significant improvement in performance.
- Reboot the Camera: If the feature suddenly stops working, a simple reboot of the camera can often resolve temporary software glitches.
By carefully considering the camera's physical environment and meticulously configuring the software settings, you can significantly improve the performance of your Amcrest camera's facial recognition feature.