How to Troubleshoot Merkury Facial Recognition Issues
The facial recognition feature on Merkury smart cameras, managed through the Geeni app, is a powerful tool that transforms your security from simple motion detection to personalised alerts. It allows you to know who is at your door, not just that someone is there. However, when this feature doesn't work correctly, it can be frustrating. This guide will help you solve common problems with Merkury's facial recognition.
## Common Symptoms of Facial Recognition Problems
First, let's pinpoint the issue you're facing. Common problems include:
- The camera doesn't recognise familiar faces at all.
- It misidentifies people, assigning the wrong name to a person.
- It fails to detect a face, sending a generic 'person detected' alert instead.
- The feature works inconsistently, recognising someone one day but not the next.
- You are unable to add new faces to your library.
- The facial recognition settings are greyed out or unavailable in the Geeni app.
- You receive no notifications for recognised faces.
## Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Merkury Facial Recognition
Follow these steps to improve the accuracy and reliability of your camera's face detection capabilities.
### 1. Optimise Camera Placement and Lighting
For the AI to work, it needs a clear, well-lit view of a person's face. This is the most critical factor for success.
- Camera Height: Install the camera at approximately eye level (around 1.5 to 2 metres from the ground). A camera mounted too high, like under an eave, will only see the top of a person's head, making facial recognition impossible.
- Angle: The camera should face approaching visitors head-on as much as possible. A sharp side angle makes it difficult to capture enough facial data.
- Lighting is Crucial: Ensure the area is well-lit. Strong backlighting (e.g., the sun directly behind a person) will create a silhouette and hide facial features. If the area is dark, the camera's night vision may not provide enough detail for recognition. Consider adding a porch light.
### 2. Configure Settings in the Geeni App
The feature needs to be enabled and set up correctly within the app.
- Enable Smart Detection: Go to your camera's settings in the Geeni app. Find the 'Detection Settings' or 'Smart Detection' menu and ensure that 'Facial Recognition' is toggled on.
- Build Your Face Library: The system needs to learn who is who. When the camera detects an unknown face, you should get a notification. Go into the event and you will have the option to name that person and add them to your library. Do this for all family members and frequent visitors.
### 3. Train the AI by Correcting Mistakes
The AI learns over time. Your feedback is essential to improve its accuracy.
- Correct Misidentifications: If the app notifies you that 'John' has arrived but it's actually 'Jane', go to that event notification. There should be an option to correct the identification. You can re-assign the event to Jane's profile or mark it as an unknown person.
- Merge Profiles: Sometimes, you might accidentally create two profiles for the same person. Check your face library for duplicates and merge them if the app provides this function.
### 4. Keep Your Firmware and App Updated
Merkury and Geeni frequently release updates that include improvements to the AI algorithms and bug fixes.
- Update the Geeni App: Check the Apple App Store or Google Play Store regularly for updates to the Geeni app.
- Update Camera Firmware: In the camera's settings within the app, look for a 'Device Info' or 'Firmware Update' section. Install any available updates to ensure your camera is running on the latest software.
### 5. Check Your Subscription Plan
For some smart camera brands, advanced features like facial recognition are tied to a paid subscription plan. Check within the Geeni app or on the Merkury website to ensure that your current plan (or the free tier) includes support for this feature for your specific camera model.
By optimising your camera's position and actively managing the settings in the Geeni app, you can turn your Merkury camera into a much smarter and more helpful security device.