Tend Activity Zones Ineffective? How to Set Them Up Correctly
One of the most powerful features of a Tend security camera is the ability to set activity zones. This function allows you to define specific areas within the camera's field of view where you want it to detect motion, while ignoring movement in other areas. When set up correctly, activity zones dramatically reduce the number of unwanted notifications, ensuring the alerts you receive are genuinely important.
If you're still being bombarded with false alerts or, conversely, the camera is missing important events, it's likely your activity zones aren't configured optimally. This guide will walk you through the best practices for setting up effective activity zones.
How Activity Zones Work
Before setting them up, it's helpful to understand the concept. The camera's software analyses pixel changes across its entire view. An activity zone is essentially a digital mask you create. You are telling the software, "Only pay attention to pixel changes that happen inside this box I've drawn." This is a powerful tool to eliminate notifications from things like leaves blowing on a tree or cars driving down the street in the background.
Best Practices for Configuring Your Zones
Follow these professional tips to get the most out of this feature.
1. Be Specific and Targeted
The most common mistake is drawing one giant activity zone that covers most of the camera's view. This defeats the purpose of the feature.
- Do: Draw smaller, tighter boxes around specific points of interest. For example, draw one zone directly over your walkway, another over the area in front of your garage door, and a third over a ground-floor window.
- Don't: Draw a single large zone that includes the public pavement, the road, or your neighbour's garden.
2. Avoid Areas of Constant, Natural Motion
Your camera detects motion, but it can't always tell the difference between a person and a swaying tree branch.
- Identify Problem Areas: Before setting your zones, watch the live feed for a while. Notice which objects are constantly in motion. These are often trees, large bushes, flags, or areas with dramatic shadow changes as the sun moves.
- Exclude Them: Carefully draw your activity zones to exclude these objects. It's better to have a slightly smaller detection area that is reliable than a larger one that sends constant false alerts.
3. Adjust Motion Sensitivity in Tandem
Activity zones and motion sensitivity are two separate settings that work together. For the best results, you need to balance them.
- Step 1: Set Your Zones First. Following the advice above, create your specific, targeted activity zones.
- Step 2: Adjust Sensitivity. Start with the motion sensitivity at a medium level. If you find you are still getting false alerts from minor events within your zones (like a bird landing or a change in lighting), lower the sensitivity. If the camera is failing to detect genuine events (like a person walking up your path), increase the sensitivity.
4. Update and Save Correctly
Always ensure your Tend Secure app and your camera's firmware are up to date, as updates often include improvements to motion detection algorithms. After you have drawn or adjusted your zones in the app, make sure you press the Save or Apply button before you exit the settings screen. If you don't, your changes will be lost.
By rethinking your zones to be more specific and balancing them with the right sensitivity level, you can transform your notification experience from noisy to necessary.