Is Your Skybell Missing Your Four-Legged Family Members?
Skybell's pet detection feature is a fantastic tool for keeping an eye on your pets, letting you know when they've been let out into the garden or are waiting at the door. However, it can be puzzling when this feature doesn't work as expected. You might be getting alerts for people but none for your dog, or you might be getting false alerts when nothing is there at all.
These inconsistencies are rarely a fault of the device itself. More often, they can be resolved by fine-tuning the settings within the Skybell app and optimising your camera's environment. This guide will help you troubleshoot and configure your Skybell for reliable pet detection.
Step 1: Understand How Skybell Detects Motion
Skybell doorbells use a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor to detect heat signatures and then use video analysis to classify the motion. For pet detection to work, the device needs to both sense the motion and have its software recognise it as a pet rather than a person, a vehicle, or just rustling leaves. Understanding this helps in troubleshooting.
Step 2: Adjust Motion Sensitivity Settings
The most important setting for pet detection is motion sensitivity.
- If you're not getting alerts: Your sensitivity may be too low. The doorbell might be ignoring the smaller heat signature or motion of your pet.
- If you're getting false alerts: Your sensitivity may be too high, causing the device to trigger from swaying branches, shadows, or other irrelevant movements.
How to Adjust Sensitivity:
- Open the Skybell app.
- Navigate to your device's settings.
- Find the "Motion Sensitivity" option.
- It's often presented as a slider or a choice between "Low," "Medium," and "High."
- If you're missing pets, try increasing the sensitivity by one level. If you're getting false alarms, decrease it by one level.
- Test the new setting for a day or two to see how it performs before making further changes.
Step 3: Optimise Your Motion Zones
Motion zones tell your Skybell where to look for activity and where to ignore it. Properly configured zones are crucial for accurate pet detection.
- Focus on a Specific Area: Draw a motion zone that specifically covers the area where your pet is likely to be, such as the patio, the lawn, or the path to the garden.
- Exclude Problem Areas: If your doorbell has a view of a busy street or a neighbour's garden, draw your motion zone to exclude these areas. This will significantly reduce the number of false alerts for cars or other movements.
- Consider Pet Size: If you have a small dog or a cat, make sure the motion zone extends low enough to the ground to catch their movement.
Step 4: Check Your Camera's Placement and Angle
The physical position of your Skybell doorbell can have a major impact on its ability to detect pets.
- Mounting Height: The recommended mounting height for a Skybell is typically around 48 inches (122 cm) from the ground. If mounted too high, the camera's downward angle may be too steep to get a clear view of a small animal, especially close to the door.
- Clear Line of Sight: Ensure that there are no obstructions like large plants, garden furniture, or pillars blocking the view of the areas you want to monitor.
Step 5: Keep Your Firmware and App Updated
Skybell regularly releases updates for both the doorbell's firmware and the mobile app. These updates often include significant improvements to the motion detection algorithms and AI capabilities.
- Enable Auto-Updates: If possible, enable automatic firmware updates for your Skybell device.
- Check the App Store: Regularly check your phone's app store (Google Play Store or Apple App Store) to ensure you are running the latest version of the Skybell app. An outdated app can sometimes cause communication issues with your device.
By methodically adjusting these settings, you can greatly improve the accuracy of your Skybell's pet detection and get the timely, relevant alerts you're looking for.