Troubleshooting Inaccurate Kasa Person Detection
One of the most valuable features of a Kasa smart camera is its ability to distinguish people from other types of motion, such as pets, vehicles, or rustling leaves. When Kasa's person detection works correctly, it significantly reduces the number of false alerts you receive, ensuring that you are only notified about what truly matters. However, when it gets things wrong, it can be both frustrating and a security concern.
If you're getting alerts when there's no one there, or worse, the camera is failing to detect people who are present, this troubleshooting guide is for you.
Common Symptoms of Faulty Person Detection
You're likely facing an issue with person detection if you experience:
- False alerts for non-human movement: Getting notifications for pets, swaying trees, or changing shadows.
- Missed events: A person clearly walks in front of the camera, but no notification is sent and no recording is triggered.
- Inconsistent performance: The feature works sometimes but fails at other times without a clear reason.
- Person detection option is greyed out or missing: You are unable to enable the feature in the Kasa Smart app.
- Delayed notifications: The alert arrives long after the person has already left the camera's view.
- General motion alerts instead of "Person Detected" alerts.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fix Kasa Person Detection
Follow these steps to fine-tune your camera's settings and improve its detection accuracy.
1. Check Your Kasa Care Subscription
For many Kasa camera models, advanced features like person detection, baby crying detection, and cloud storage are part of the Kasa Care subscription service.
- Verify Your Subscription: Open the Kasa Smart app and check the status of your Kasa Care plan. If your subscription has expired, person detection will cease to function, and the camera will revert to standard motion detection.
- Enable the Feature: Ensure that within your camera's notification settings, "Person Detection" is specifically toggled on.
2. Optimise Camera Placement and Angle
The position of your camera plays a critical role in the algorithm's ability to identify a human shape.
- Avoid Angling Too High: If the camera is pointing down from a high angle, it can distort the shape of a person, making them harder for the AI to recognise. An angle of around 10-15 degrees down is often recommended.
- Clear Line of Sight: Ensure there are no obstructions like tree branches, bushes, or decorations blocking the camera's view of the detection area.
- Optimal Distance: Place the camera so that people will be detected within the recommended range (e.g., 5-20 feet). If they are too far away, they will be too small to be identified as a person.
3. Adjust Sensitivity Settings
The motion sensitivity setting acts as a baseline for what the camera considers worthy of analysis.
- Open Detection & Alerts: In the Kasa app, navigate to your camera's Settings > Detection & Alerts.
- Adjust the Motion Sensitivity Slider: If you are missing events, increase the sensitivity. If you are getting too many false alerts, decrease the sensitivity. It may take some trial and error to find the perfect balance for your specific environment.
4. Configure Activity Zones
Activity Zones are essential for telling your camera where to focus its attention.
- Set Up Zones: In the 'Detection & Alerts' settings, find Activity Zones.
- Draw on the Grid: Create zones that cover critical areas, such as the path to your door, a gate, or a driveway.
- Exclude Problem Areas: Crucially, exclude areas that cause false alerts, like a busy pavement, a road, or a tree that moves in the wind. This prevents the camera from being triggered unnecessarily, allowing the AI to focus on the important zones.
5. Improve Lighting Conditions
Poor lighting can significantly impact the camera's ability to detect people, both during the day and at night.
- Sufficient Lighting: Ensure the area is well-lit, especially at night. If the area is too dark, the camera's night vision may not be able to capture enough detail.
- Avoid Strong Backlighting: Do not point the camera directly at a strong light source, like the sun or a security light. This can create silhouettes, making it impossible for the AI to distinguish a person's features.
6. Update Firmware and App
Always ensure both your Kasa camera's firmware and the Kasa Smart app on your phone are up-to-date. Manufacturers frequently release updates that include improved AI algorithms, bug fixes, and performance enhancements that can directly improve person detection accuracy.
By carefully working through these steps, you can dramatically improve the reliability of your Kasa camera's person detection feature, leading to smarter alerts and greater peace of mind.