Troubleshooting Unifi Protect Pet Detection Issues
Unifi Protect's Smart Detection feature is a powerful tool that uses AI to distinguish between different types of motion, including people, vehicles, and animals. However, when it doesn't work as expected for your pets, it can be a source of frustration. Whether you're getting bombarded with alerts for your cat chasing leaves or the system fails to notice your dog in the garden, this guide will help you resolve common pet detection problems.
We'll walk you through the settings and environmental factors that can impact the accuracy of Unifi's animal detection algorithms.
Common Symptoms of Pet Detection Problems
If your Unifi Protect system is struggling with pet detection, you'll likely encounter one of these issues:
- No Animal Detections: The system fails to create an event or send a notification when your pet is clearly visible to the camera.
- False Animal Detections: You receive notifications for 'Animal Detected' that are triggered by shadows, moving plants, or other inanimate objects.
- Inconsistent Detection: The camera successfully detects your pet sometimes but completely misses them at other times.
- Misclassification: Your pet is detected, but incorrectly classified as a person or simply as 'motion'.
- Delayed Notifications: The alert for your pet arrives seconds or even minutes after the event occurred.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Unifi Pet Detection
Follow these steps to fine-tune your Unifi Protect system for more accurate and reliable animal detection.
1. Enable and Configure Smart Detections
The most fundamental step is to ensure that animal detection is actually turned on for the specific camera you're having trouble with.
- Open Unifi Protect: Access your Protect dashboard via a web browser or the mobile app.
- Select Your Camera: Navigate to the 'Devices' list and choose the camera you want to configure.
- Go to 'Recording': In the camera's settings panel, find the 'Recording' or 'Detections' section.
- Enable Smart Detections: Make sure the 'Smart Detections' toggle is on. Inside this menu, you must have the 'Animals' category checked. If this is disabled, the camera will not specifically look for pets.
2. Adjust Your Smart Detection Zones
Detection zones tell the camera where to look for specific types of motion. An improperly configured zone is a common cause of issues.
- Access Zone Settings: In the same camera settings menu, find 'Smart Detection Zones'.
- Review Your Zones: Ensure you have a zone drawn that covers the area where your pets are active.
- Check Zone Configuration: Click on the zone to edit it. A common mistake is to draw a zone but forget to tick the 'Animals' checkbox for that specific zone. You must tell Protect to look for animals within that defined area.
- Refine the Area: Adjust the zone to be as precise as possible. Excluding busy backgrounds, like a public pavement or rustling trees, can significantly improve the AI's accuracy.
3. Update Everything
The AI models used for Smart Detections are constantly being improved by Ubiquiti. Running outdated software is a frequent source of poor performance.
- Update Unifi Protect: Ensure your Cloud Key, NVR, or other Protect host is running the latest version of the Unifi Protect application.
- Update Camera Firmware: In the 'Devices' section, check if any of your cameras have a pending firmware update and apply it. These updates often contain critical improvements to the detection algorithms.
4. Check Camera Placement and Environment
The physical position and environment of the camera play a huge role in detection accuracy.
- Optimal Height and Angle: The camera should be positioned to have a clear, unobstructed view of the area. An angle that is too steep or too shallow can make it difficult for the AI to recognise the shape of an animal.
- Good Lighting: While Unifi cameras have excellent night vision, strong backlighting, deep shadows, or lens flare during the day can impact performance. Ensure the area is as evenly lit as possible.
- Clean the Lens: A smudged or dirty lens can soften the image, making it much harder for the AI to accurately classify objects. Regularly wipe the lens with a soft microfibre cloth.
By methodically checking your settings and optimising your camera's environment, you can dramatically improve the reliability of Unifi's pet detection feature.