How to Fix Ineffective Geeni Camera Activity Zones
The activity zones feature on your Geeni security camera is a powerful tool designed to reduce the number of unwanted motion alerts. By telling your camera to focus only on specific areas—like your doorway or driveway—you can ignore movements in other parts of the scene, such as public footpaths or swaying trees. However, it can be frustrating when this feature does not work as expected, and you continue to be bombarded with irrelevant notifications.
This guide will walk you through the common reasons why Geeni activity zones can be ineffective and provide clear, actionable steps to fix them.
Understanding How Activity Zones Should Work
When you draw an activity zone, you are creating a virtual boundary. The camera's software is supposed to analyse motion and only trigger a recording and send an alert if that motion occurs within the boundaries you have set. If motion happens outside the zone, it should be ignored. When this process fails, it is usually due to a conflict in the camera's settings or a software bug.
Step 1: Identify the Problem
Let's pinpoint the exact issue you are facing with your activity zones.
- Alerts from Everywhere: You have a small activity zone drawn, but you are still receiving motion alerts from areas far outside of it.
- No Alerts at All: You have set an activity zone, but now the camera does not seem to detect any motion at all, even within the designated area.
- Zones Keep Resetting: You configure your activity zones, but they seem to disappear or reset on their own after a while.
Each of these issues has a slightly different cause and solution.
Step 2: The Sensitivity Setting Conflict (The Most Common Cause)
The single most common reason for Geeni activity zones failing is a conflict with the Motion Detection Sensitivity setting. Many users have found that if the sensitivity is set to 'High', the camera may disregard the activity zones and instead monitor the entire field of view for motion.
The Solution: Adjust Motion Sensitivity
- Open the Geeni app and select the camera you wish to configure.
- Tap the three dots in the top-right corner to open the settings menu.
- Go to 'Motion Detection'.
- You will see the 'Sensitivity Level' setting. If it is currently on 'High', this is likely the source of your problem.
- Change the sensitivity to 'Medium' or 'Low'.
- Save the settings and exit.
By lowering the sensitivity, you force the camera to pay closer attention to the activity zones you have defined. You can then test the camera to see if it now correctly ignores motion outside the specified areas.
Step 3: Redraw and Configure Your Activity Zones Correctly
If adjusting the sensitivity did not fully solve the problem, or if you want to ensure your zones are set up for optimal performance, it is a good idea to reset and redraw them.
- Navigate back to the 'Motion Detection' settings in the Geeni app.
- Find the 'Activity Zone' or 'Motion Area Setting' option.
- If you have an existing zone, find the option to 'Clear' or 'Reset' it.
- Once cleared, tap to begin drawing a new zone.
- Be precise. Carefully draw the box or shape to cover only the area you are interested in. For example, draw it tightly around your front path, and do not let it overlap with the busy street or a waving flag.
- Make sure to 'Save' the new zone before you exit the screen.
Step 4: Perform Essential Maintenance
Sometimes, the issue can be caused by outdated software or a temporary glitch that a simple reboot can fix.
Update Everything
- Update the Geeni App: Go to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and check for any updates to the Geeni app.
- Update Camera Firmware: Within the Geeni app, go to your camera's main settings page. If there is a firmware update available, you will usually see a notification here. Keeping your camera's firmware up to date is critical as updates often contain bug fixes for issues like this.
Reboot the Camera
A simple power cycle can resolve many strange software behaviours.
- Unplug your Geeni camera from the power source.
- Wait for at least 30 seconds.
- Plug it back in and wait for it to fully reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.
By ensuring your sensitivity settings are not conflicting with your activity zones and that your software is up to date, you can make the feature work effectively and finally gain control over your motion alerts.