How to Troubleshoot August Pet Detection Issues
The Pet Detection feature on August cameras and doorbell cams is a fantastic tool for pet owners. It uses AI to differentiate between general motion and the specific movement of an animal, allowing you to receive tailored "Pet Detected" notifications. This helps you keep an eye on your furry friends and reduces the number of irrelevant alerts from things like shadows or passing cars.
However, if you're finding that your camera is missing your pet's activity or misidentifying other movements, a few simple adjustments to your settings and camera setup can dramatically improve its accuracy. This guide will help you fine-tune the feature for reliable performance.
Why Isn't Pet Detection Working Correctly?
When Smart Alerts for pets fail, it's usually for one of a few common reasons related to settings, placement, or the environment.
Common Symptoms of Pet Detection Issues:
- You are not receiving any notifications when your dog or cat is clearly visible in the camera's view.
- You are receiving pet alerts for non-pet motion, such as leaves blowing or people walking by.
- The feature is enabled in the settings, but it does not seem to be functioning.
- Detection is inconsistent, working sometimes but not others.
- Your video history shows motion events, but they are not correctly tagged with the "Pet Detected" label.
- You cannot find the option to enable pet detection in your app settings.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Improve Pet Detection
Follow these steps to ensure your August camera is perfectly configured to spot your pets.
1. Check Your Subscription and Enable the Feature
First, confirm that the feature is active on your account and turned on for the correct device.
- Verify Subscription: Pet detection is a "Smart Alert" and is typically part of an August subscription plan. Ensure your subscription is active. If you are on the free plan, this feature may not be available to you.
- Enable in Settings:
- Open the August app and go to the settings for the camera you want to adjust.
- Tap on "Motion Detection" or a similar setting.
- Look for "Smart Alerts".
- Make sure the toggle next to "Pet" or "Detects Pets" is switched on.
2. Optimise Your Camera's Placement and View
The camera's physical position is critical for any AI detection to work well. The algorithm needs a clear view to analyse shapes and movements.
- Angle and Height: The camera should be mounted at a height and angle that provides a clear, broad view of the area. If it's too high and pointed straight down, it may only see the back of your pet, making identification difficult.
- Unobstructed View: Ensure there are no obstructions like large plants, furniture, or garden ornaments blocking the camera's line of sight to the areas your pet frequents.
- Good Lighting: While the camera has night vision, AI detection works best in well-lit conditions. Ensure the area is adequately lit, especially where you expect to see your pet.
3. Adjust Motion Sensitivity
The motion sensitivity setting determines how much movement is needed to trigger an analysis and a potential alert.
- Find the Setting: In the "Motion Detection" settings menu, you'll find a slider for "Motion Sensitivity".
- If You're Missing Events: Your sensitivity might be too low. Try increasing it one level at a time and then test by having your pet walk through the area.
- If You're Getting False Alerts: Your sensitivity might be too high, causing the camera to pick up minor movements. Try decreasing it slightly.
4. Configure Motion Zones
Motion zones (or Activity Zones) are a powerful tool to tell your camera exactly where to look for activity, ignoring everything else.
- Define the Area: In the motion settings, you can draw one or more zones on the screen.
- Be Specific: Create zones that cover the specific areas your pet uses, like the garden, a doorway, or the living room floor.
- Exclude Problem Areas: Crucially, exclude areas that cause false alerts, like a busy pavement visible in the background or a tree that sways in the wind. This allows the camera's processor to focus only on the areas that matter.
By carefully configuring these settings, you can help the camera's AI to work much more effectively, ensuring you get the reliable pet alerts you're looking for.