Fine-Tuning Your Mobotix Zone Settings
Mobotix cameras are renowned for their powerful and highly customisable event logic, with the MxActivitySensor at its core. This intelligent system allows you to define specific zones for motion detection, helping to eliminate false alarms from irrelevant movements like swaying trees or changing light conditions. However, if your zone settings are not working as expected, you might receive too many alerts, or worse, none at all.
This guide will walk you through the key areas to check when troubleshooting your Mobotix motion detection and zone configurations to ensure you get accurate and reliable alerts.
Accessing and Configuring Detection Zones
The primary settings for motion detection are managed through the camera's web browser interface.
1. Navigating to the Activity Sensor Settings
First, you need to access the correct menu to define your zones.
- Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your Mobotix camera.
- Log in using your administrator credentials.
- Click on the Setup Menu.
- Navigate to Event Control > Event Settings.
- Select one of the image analysis events, typically MxActivitySensor. If it's not already configured, you may need to add it as a new event.
- Click on the Activity Sensor Settings button. This will open the interface where you can visually define your zones.
2. Defining and Editing Zones
In the Activity Sensor interface, you will see the camera's live view.
- Drawing Zones: Use the tools provided to draw one or more polygons directly on the image. These are your 'active' zones where the camera will look for motion. Be precise and cover only the areas of interest, such as doorways, walkways, or driveways.
- Using Ignore Zones: You can also draw 'ignore' zones. Any movement within these areas will be disregarded. This is perfect for excluding public footpaths, roads, or a neighbour's property from triggering alerts.
- Setting Motion Direction: The MxActivitySensor can be configured to only trigger on movement in a specific direction. For example, you can set an alert for a person walking towards your door, but not away from it. Use the arrows to define the accepted direction of travel.
Troubleshooting Common Zone Setting Problems
If your zones are defined but not working correctly, consider these common issues.
3. Adjusting Sensitivity and Object Size
- Sensitivity: The sensitivity slider determines how significant a change in the image is required to be considered an event. If you are getting false alarms from small animals or rain, try lowering the sensitivity. If genuine events are being missed, you may need to increase it.
- Object Size: You can specify a minimum size for an object to trigger an alert. This is another effective way to filter out irrelevant motion like leaves blowing in the wind. Ensure the minimum size is smaller than the smallest object you want to detect (e.g., a person in the distance).
4. Verifying Event Logic and Action Groups
Defining a zone is only the first step. You must then tell the camera what to do when motion is detected in that zone.
- Check Event Logic: Go to Setup Menu > Event Control > Event Logic. Here, you will see a visual representation of your system's logic. Ensure that your MxActivitySensor event is correctly linked to an Action Group.
- Configure Action Groups: Go to Setup Menu > Action Group Overview. Select the group linked to your motion event. Verify that it is configured to perform the desired action, such as starting a recording, sending an email, or triggering a push notification. An unconfigured or disabled action group is a common reason for "missed" alerts.
5. Testing and Validation
Mobotix provides tools to help you test your setup.
- Live Event View: In the main camera view, you can enable event data display, which will often highlight detected motion in real-time with coloured boxes. This is the best way to see exactly what the camera is 'seeing' and whether it aligns with your configured zones.
- Walk Test: After making changes, perform a walk test by moving through the detection zones yourself to see if the system triggers as expected. Check the system logs to confirm that an event was registered.
By methodically reviewing your zone definitions, sensitivity settings, and the corresponding event logic, you can configure your Mobotix camera for precise and dependable motion detection.