How to Fix Ineffective Activity Zones on Your Ezviz Camera
The Activity Zones feature on Ezviz cameras is a powerful tool designed to reduce unwanted notifications. By telling your camera to only watch for motion in specific areas, you can ignore movements from public footpaths, swaying trees, or your neighbour's property. However, it's a common frustration when you've carefully drawn a zone but still receive alerts from outside of it.
This guide will walk you through the reasons why your Ezviz activity zones might seem ineffective and provide you with the correct steps to make them work as intended.
Why Your Activity Zones Might Not Be Working
When you get alerts from outside your configured zones, it's usually not a single fault but a combination of settings that need to be aligned. Here are the most common culprits:
- Motion Detection Sensitivity is Too High: This is the #1 reason. If sensitivity is at its maximum, the camera's algorithm can still be triggered by major changes in lighting (like car headlights) or significant movement that occurs just outside the zone's border, misinterpreting it as an event within the zone.
- Incorrect Zone Configuration: The zone wasn't saved properly, or it's drawn in a way that is too large or complex for the camera to process effectively.
- Overriding Schedules: You may have a notification schedule or arming schedule that is conflicting with your desired settings.
- Outdated Firmware: A bug in the camera's current firmware could be preventing the activity zone from being applied correctly.
- Using 'Image Change Detection': Some models have a very basic 'Image Change Detection' mode that is less sophisticated and may not respect zones as strictly as the 'Human Shape' or 'Vehicle Shape' detection modes.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Activity Zones Work
Follow these instructions within your Ezviz app to properly configure your camera and ensure your activity zones are effective.
1. Lower the Motion Detection Sensitivity
Before you even touch your activity zones, adjust the sensitivity. This setting works in partnership with your zones.
- Open the Ezviz app and select your camera.
- Go to 'Settings' (the gear icon) > 'Alarm Notification'.
- Find the 'Detection Sensitivity' slider. If it is set high (e.g., 5 or 6), lower it to a mid-range level like 3 or 4.
- This tells the camera to be less reactive to minor movements and lighting changes, making it pay closer attention to your defined zone.
2. Re-draw and Save Your Activity Zone
Let's ensure the zone itself is set up correctly.
- In the 'Alarm Notification' settings, tap on 'Detection Area' or 'Activity Zone'.
- If you have an existing zone, clear it.
- Carefully draw a new, precise zone. Only cover the ground you need to monitor. For example, draw a tight box around your doorway and the path leading to it. Avoid drawing a huge zone that covers half the screen.
- Make sure you tap 'Save' or the checkmark icon to confirm the new zone.
3. Use AI Detection Modes
If your camera supports it, switch from generic motion detection to a more intelligent mode.
- In the 'Alarm Notification' settings, look for 'Detection Type'.
- Instead of 'Image Change Detection', select 'Human Shape Detection' or 'Vehicle Shape Detection'.
- These AI-powered modes are much better at understanding what's happening in the scene and are more likely to respect your activity zones accurately.
4. Check Your Notification Schedules
Ensure you haven't accidentally disabled notifications at certain times.
- In the main settings menu for your camera, look for 'Notification Schedule'.
- Check that you have a schedule set up and that it is active for the times and days you want to receive alerts. If 'Notifications are off', your zones won't matter.
5. Update Your Camera's Firmware
A software glitch could be the cause. Updating to the latest firmware can resolve many unexpected issues.
- From the camera's settings page, go to 'About' or 'Device Version'.
- The app will automatically check for new firmware. If an update is available, proceed with the installation. The camera will restart as part of this process.
By ensuring these key settings—Sensitivity, Zone, Detection Type, and Schedule—are all configured correctly, you can solve the problem of ineffective activity zones and start receiving only the alerts that you care about.