How to Fix Inaccurate Person Detection on Your Bosch Camera
Person detection is a key feature of Bosch smart security cameras, designed to provide you with meaningful alerts when a person is present, while ignoring other types of motion. However, if you're being bombarded with false alerts, or the camera is failing to detect people at all, the feature can become more of an annoyance than a help.
Most issues with person detection accuracy are not due to faulty hardware, but rather the environment and the camera's configuration. This guide will help you fine-tune your settings to achieve more reliable and accurate person detection.
Common Person Detection Problems
If you're having issues, you're likely experiencing one of two things:
- False Positives: You receive a "Person Detected" notification, but the recording shows it was triggered by something else, such as:
- Moving shadows from trees.
- Headlights from a passing car at night.
- A large pet or other animal.
- Raindrops on the lens or blowing debris.
- False Negatives: A person clearly walks through the camera's field of view, but you receive no notification, or it's only registered as general motion.
Steps to Improve Person Detection Accuracy
Follow these steps to reduce false alerts and improve the reliability of your Bosch camera's AI.
1. Configure Your Activity Zones
This is the single most effective tool for reducing unwanted alerts. An Activity Zone tells your camera to only pay attention to motion and people within a specific, user-defined area.
- Open Your Camera Settings: In the Bosch camera app, navigate to the settings for the camera you want to adjust.
- Find Detection Settings: Look for a menu named "Motion Detection," "Detection Zones," or "Activity Zones."
- Draw Your Zone: You will be shown the camera's live view and be able to draw one or more shapes on the screen. Be precise. Draw the zone to cover only the areas you care about, like your front path, a doorway, or your garden, while explicitly excluding areas that cause false alerts, like a busy pavement, the road, or a neighbour's property.
2. Adjust Detection Sensitivity
The sensitivity setting controls how much movement is needed for the AI to start analysing an object.
- If you get too many false alerts: Your sensitivity is likely too high. The camera is being triggered by minor movements and misinterpreting them. Try lowering the sensitivity one level at a time and testing the result.
- If the camera is missing people: Your sensitivity might be too low. The movement of a person isn't significant enough to trigger the detection. Try increasing the sensitivity slightly.
Finding the right balance may take a few days of observation and adjustment.
3. Optimise Camera Placement and Angle
The position of your camera plays a huge role in the AI's ability to work effectively.
- Avoid Pointing at Busy Areas: If possible, angle the camera to minimise the amount of public space (like roads or footpaths) in its view.
- Height and Angle: The ideal height is typically 2-3 metres off the ground, angled slightly downwards. This provides a clear view of a person's entire body, making it easier for the AI to recognise their shape. A camera that is too high up and pointing straight down may only see the top of a person's head, making detection less reliable.
- Lighting: Ensure the area is well-lit at night. Strong backlighting (where the background is much brighter than the subject) can create silhouettes that are hard to analyse.
4. Keep Your Firmware Updated
Bosch continuously works to improve its detection algorithms. These improvements are delivered via firmware updates.
- Check for Updates: Regularly go into your camera's settings in the app and check for a "Firmware Update" option.
- Install Updates: If a new version is available, make sure to install it. This is a simple step that can significantly boost detection accuracy.