A Guide to Troubleshooting Bosch Motion Detection
Bosch security cameras are professional-grade devices with powerful and highly customisable video analytics. However, this complexity means that if motion detection isn't working, it's likely due to a specific configuration setting rather than a simple fault. When your camera fails to record or send alerts, you need to dive into its settings to find the cause.
This guide will walk you through the key areas to check in your Bosch camera's configuration to diagnose and resolve motion detection issues.
### 1. Verify Basic Motion Detection Configuration
All Bosch cameras with motion detection have a core set of settings that must be configured correctly. You will typically access these by logging into the camera's IP address in a web browser.
- Enable Video Motion Detection (VMD): Navigate to the VMD or 'Motion+' settings. The first step is to ensure the feature is globally enabled. There will be a master switch to turn the function on or off.
- Define Motion Zones: You must tell the camera where to look for motion. The interface will show the camera's view, and you will need to draw one or more boxes or polygons over the areas of interest (e.g., a doorway, a walkway, a garden). Motion outside these defined zones will be ignored. Ensure your zones are correctly drawn.
- Check for 'Exclude' Zones: Some configurations allow you to draw 'exclude' zones within a larger 'include' zone. This is useful for ignoring a tree or a flag that moves constantly. Double-check you haven't accidentally excluded the area where you expect to see motion.
### 2. Fine-Tune Sensitivity and Object Size
Once your zones are set, you need to adjust how sensitive the detection is.
- Adjust Sensitivity: This setting determines how significant a change in pixels is required to trigger an event. A setting that is too low may not detect subtle or distant movements. A setting that is too high may be triggered by rain, shadows, or insects. Adjust this setting incrementally to find the right balance for your scene.
- Set Minimum and Maximum Object Size: This is a powerful feature to reduce false alarms. You can tell the camera to ignore anything smaller than a certain size (like a cat) and anything larger than a certain size (like a passing bus). Ensure your settings are appropriate for detecting a person within the scene. If the minimum size is set too large, it will never detect people.
### 3. Configure a Triggered Action
Detecting motion is only half the process. The camera must be told what to do when it sees something.
- Check Alarm Task Scripts or Event Rules: In the camera's menu, find the section for 'Alarm Tasks', 'Action Rules', or 'Event Management'.
- Create a Rule: You need to create a rule that says, 'If motion is detected (the event), then perform this action'.
- Define the Action: The action could be 'start recording', 'send an email', 'send an FTP image', or 'trigger a relay output'. If no action is defined and linked to the motion event, the camera will detect motion but you will have no record of it. Ensure the rule is created and, critically, that it is enabled.
### 4. Review Schedules and Advanced Features
- Check the Schedule: Many systems are configured to only record on motion during certain hours (e.g., outside of business hours). Verify that you are not testing during a time when the schedule has motion detection turned off.
- For Cameras with IVA (Intelligent Video Analytics): If your camera has IVA, the setup is more complex. You must configure specific IVA tasks, such as 'line crossing' or 'object in field'. These are separate from basic VMD. Ensure the correct IVA task is configured for the scene and that it is properly calibrated and enabled as the trigger for your alarm task.
By methodically working through the configuration—from enabling the feature and defining zones to setting sensitivity and linking an action—you can resolve nearly any issue with motion detection on your Bosch camera.