Is Your Lorex Motion Detection Not Working?
One of the most critical features of your Lorex security system is its ability to detect motion, trigger recordings, and send you timely alerts. When this function fails, you risk missing important security events. Whether your cameras are not recording at all, or you're simply not getting push notifications to your phone, the problem usually lies within the system's settings.
This guide will help you troubleshoot and resolve the most common issues related to Lorex motion detection, covering everything from basic settings to the advanced 'Smart Motion Detection' features.
Understanding Lorex Motion Detection Settings
Your Lorex NVR or DVR offers a granular level of control over motion detection. Understanding these key settings is essential for proper configuration.
- Enable/Disable: Each camera channel has a master switch to turn motion detection on or off.
- Area: This setting allows you to select which parts of the screen will be active for motion detection. You can select the entire screen or draw specific zones.
- Sensitivity: This determines how much change is needed in the image to trigger an event. A higher value means even small movements will be detected.
- Threshold: This works with sensitivity and sets the amount of movement an object must make before it's considered a motion event.
- Smart Motion Detection (SMD): Newer systems have AI-based detection that can distinguish between People, Vehicles, and general motion. This is the key to reducing false alarms.
- Schedule: This determines how the system will record. For motion detection, the schedule must be set to 'Motion' (often a yellow bar) for the desired times.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Lorex Motion Detection
Let's systematically work through the settings to find and fix the problem.
1. Check the Recording Schedule
This is a very common oversight. You may have motion detection enabled, but if the schedule is set to 'Continuous' (green) or 'No Recording' (white/grey), it won't create specific motion events.
- Log into your NVR/DVR.
- Go to Storage > Schedule.
- Select the camera channel you're troubleshooting.
- Ensure the timetable for the week is filled with the yellow 'Motion' bar for the hours you want motion recording.
- Make sure to Apply or Save your changes.
2. Verify Motion Detection Settings
Now, let's check the core motion settings for the camera.
- Go to Events > Event Settings > Motion Detect.
- Select the correct Channel.
- Ensure the 'Enable' checkbox is ticked.
- Go to the 'Area' setting. Make sure the grid covers the areas you want to monitor. By default, the whole screen should be active (usually shown in red).
- Check the 'Sensitivity' and 'Threshold' settings. A good starting point is a sensitivity of around 5-7 and a threshold of 3-5. If you're missing events, increase the sensitivity.
3. Configure Smart Motion Detection (SMD)
If your system supports SMD, using it is far better than traditional motion detection.
- Navigate to Events > Event Settings > SMD.
- Select your Channel and tick the 'Enable' box.
- You will now see options for 'Person' and 'Vehicle'. Tick the ones you want to be alerted about.
- Important: When you enable SMD, it often takes precedence over the standard 'Motion Detect' settings. It's best to use one or the other for a channel, not both.
- Go to your recording schedule and ensure it's set to record on 'SMD' events (this may be a different colour or option than standard motion).
4. Check Push Notification Settings
If recordings are happening but you're not getting alerts on your phone:
- In your NVR/DVR menu, go to the Notifications settings and ensure that 'Push' or 'Mobile Notification' is enabled for the motion or SMD events you've set up.
- Open the Lorex app on your phone. Go to the device settings and ensure that Notifications are turned on for that device.
- Finally, check your phone's main settings to ensure you haven't blocked the Lorex app from sending you notifications.
By carefully reviewing the schedule, motion settings (standard or smart), and notification configuration, you can solve almost any motion detection issue and ensure your Lorex system is working exactly as you intend.