Avigilon Motion Detection Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Avigilon Motion Detection

A core function of any modern security system is reliable motion detection. In an Avigilon ecosystem, this feature is critical for triggering recordings, sending alerts, and enabling efficient event searching. If you find that your Avigilon cameras are not detecting motion, or are generating excessive false alarms, your system is not performing optimally. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to configure and troubleshoot motion detection within the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) environment.

Understanding Avigilon Motion Detection: Analytics vs. Pixel-Based

It is crucial to first understand the two types of motion detection Avigilon offers:

1. Pixel-Based Motion Detection: This is the traditional method. The software analyses the video feed for changes in pixels within a pre-defined grid. It's effective but can be prone to false alarms from non-critical events like weather changes, shadows, or swaying trees.
2. Self-Learning Video Analytics: This is a far more advanced, AI-driven technology. The camera is able to identify and classify objects, such as people and vehicles. It triggers events based on the movement of these classified objects, dramatically reducing false positives. If your camera supports analytics, it is always the recommended choice over pixel-based detection.

This guide will cover troubleshooting for both types.

How to Troubleshoot Motion Detection Issues

Follow these steps within the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) Client software to diagnose and fix your motion detection problems.

Step 1: Ensure Motion Detection is Enabled

It may seem basic, but you must first confirm that the feature is turned on for the specific camera.

1. Connect to your ACC Site: Log in to the ACC Client.
2. Select the Camera: In the system explorer tree, find and select the camera in question.
3. Open Setup: Right-click the camera and choose Setup, or click the Setup icon in the top toolbar.
4. Navigate to Motion Detection: In the left-hand menu of the setup window, click on Motion Detection.
5. Enable: Ensure the Enable Motion Detection checkbox is ticked. If you are using analytics, you will be enabling and configuring it in the Video Analytics tab instead.

Step 2: Correctly Configure Motion Zones and Sensitivity

This is the most critical step for tuning performance and reducing false alarms.

• For Pixel-Based Motion:

  1. You will see a grid overlay on the camera's view. This grid represents the motion detection area.
  2. Remove (Mask) Areas: Click and drag your mouse to deselect green squares in areas where you do not want to detect motion. For example, mask out swaying trees, busy roads, or areas with changing shadows.
  3. Adjust Sensitivity: Use the 'Sensitivity' slider. A higher value means less change is needed to trigger an event.
  4. Adjust Threshold: The 'Threshold' slider determines how much of the unmasked area needs to change before an event is triggered.
  5. Test: Use the 'View Motion' button to see a real-time visualisation of what the camera is detecting.

• For Video Analytics:

  1. Go to the Video Analytics tab.
  2. Ensure it is enabled and that the camera scene has been calibrated.
  3. Instead of a grid, you will define rules based on object classification (e.g., 'Detect a person crossing a beam'). This is configured in the Rules engine of ACC.

Step 3: Verify Recording and Event Settings

You need to tell ACC what to do when motion is detected.

1. Check Recording Schedule: In the camera's setup menu, go to Recording. Ensure the timeline is set to record on motion events (often shown in green). If it's set to 'Continuous' or 'Off', motion events alone won't trigger a specific recording.
2. Set Up Rules: Go to the main ACC Site Setup and open the Rules engine. This is where you link events to actions.
   • Create a new rule.
   • For the 'Event', choose Motion Detected (or Analytics Event) and select your camera.
   • For the 'Action', choose what you want to happen, for example, Start Recording or Show a notification in Focus of Attention. Without a rule, a motion event may not do anything.

Step 4: Check for Image Quality Issues

Poor image quality can severely impact the effectiveness of both pixel-based and analytics detection.

• Focus and Clarity: Is the image blurry? An out-of-focus camera cannot properly analyse pixel changes. Access the camera's web interface to adjust focus settings.
• Low Light / Noise: In very low light, digital noise in the video signal can be mistaken for motion. Ensure the camera's night vision is working correctly and that there is adequate illumination for the scene.

When to Seek Further Help

If you have followed all these configuration steps and are still facing issues, the problem may be more complex. Consider factors like network performance, server load, or potential hardware issues with the camera itself. At this stage, it is recommended to contact your certified Avigilon installation partner. They have the tools and expertise to perform a deeper analysis of your system's performance and logs.