How to Fix Ezviz Zone Settings That Are Not Working
Ezviz cameras offer a powerful feature called "Activity Zones" or "Detection Zones," which allows you to specify exactly where in the camera's field of view you want to detect motion. This is crucial for avoiding false alarms from passing cars, swaying trees, or pets. However, when this feature doesn't work correctly, it can lead to either a flood of irrelevant notifications or, worse, missed alerts for important events.
This guide, written in British English, will help you troubleshoot and resolve common issues with Ezviz zone settings.
## Understanding How Ezviz Motion Zones Work
Before diving into troubleshooting, it's important to understand that most Ezviz cameras use pixel-based motion detection. This means the camera's software analyses changes in the video frame to detect movement. When you draw a zone, you are telling the software to only pay attention to pixel changes within that specific boundary. This is why factors like lighting, shadows, and sensitivity settings play such a significant role.
## Step 1: Verify Your Zone Configuration
The most frequent cause of issues is an incorrect setup within the Ezviz app. Let's double-check everything.
- Open the Ezviz App: Select the camera you want to configure.
- Navigate to Settings: Tap the gear icon to open the device settings.
- Find Alarm Notification / Motion Detection: Go into the alarm or notification settings.
- Select Detection Zone: Tap on "Customised Area" or "Drawing Motion Detection Area".
- Check Your Zones: You should see a grid overlay on your camera's view. Ensure that the squares covering the area of interest are highlighted/selected.
- Crucially, Save Your Changes: After drawing or modifying your zone, you must tap the 'Save' or checkmark icon, usually in the top-right corner. If you navigate away without saving, the changes will be lost.
## Step 2: Adjust Motion Detection Sensitivity
If your zones are correctly drawn but you're still getting false alerts from outside them, the sensitivity level is the next thing to adjust.
- High Sensitivity: If the sensitivity is set too high, even minor changes like shadows moving or leaves rustling outside your zone can be enough to trigger an alert.
- Low Sensitivity: If it's too low, you might not get any alerts at all, even for genuine motion inside the zone.
In the camera's settings, find the "Detection Sensitivity" slider. It's often set to a medium level by default. If you're getting false alerts, try lowering it by one level. If you're missing events, increase it. Test the camera after each adjustment.
## Step 3: Update Firmware and App
Software bugs can often cause features to malfunction. Ensuring your entire ecosystem is up to date is a vital troubleshooting step.
- Update the Ezviz App: Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and check if there is an update available for the Ezviz app. Install it if there is.
- Update the Camera Firmware: In the Ezviz app, go to your camera's settings and look for a "Device Version" or "Firmware" section. The app will tell you if a new version is available. Firmware updates contain important bug fixes and performance improvements that can resolve zone detection issues. After updating, always re-check your zone settings to ensure they haven't been reset.
## Step 4: Rule Out Environmental Factors
Sometimes, the problem isn't with the camera or the software, but with the environment it's monitoring.
- Lighting Changes: Sudden and dramatic shifts in light, such as car headlights sweeping across a wall at night, can trigger alerts even if the source is outside your zone.
- Reflections: Motion happening outside a window can be reflected and detected as motion inside your zone.
- Spiders and Insects: A spider web directly in front of the lens can be a common culprit for constant false alarms. The web's movement can trigger alerts across the entire frame, ignoring your zones. Ensure the camera lens is clean and free of obstructions.
- Night Vision IR Reflection: At night, the camera's infrared (IR) LEDs can reflect off nearby surfaces (like a wall or soffit), creating a bright spot. Raindrops or insects caught in this IR light can cause false motion alerts.
## Step 5: Reset and Reconfigure
If all else fails, a reset can clear any underlying software glitches.
- Restart the Camera: First, try a simple restart. Unplug the camera from power, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in.
- Factory Reset: If a restart doesn't help, perform a factory reset. Find the reset button on the camera body. While the camera is powered on, press and hold this button for 10-15 seconds. The camera will restart with its default settings. You will need to delete the camera from your Ezviz account and add it again, re-configuring your Wi-Fi, zones, and other settings from scratch.
By systematically working through these steps, you should be able to identify and fix the problem with your Ezviz zone settings, leading to more accurate and meaningful security alerts.