Verkada Motion Detection Not Working? Let's Fix It

Troubleshooting Verkada Motion Detection Issues

Verkada's hybrid cloud security cameras offer powerful, AI-driven motion detection capabilities. However, when it's not working as expected—either missing crucial events or flooding you with false alarms—it can compromise your security and become a nuisance. This guide will help you diagnose and resolve common motion detection problems within the Verkada Command platform.

Proper configuration is key to leveraging the full power of Verkada's analytics. Let's walk through the steps to ensure your motion detection is both accurate and reliable.

## Initial Diagnosis: Is Motion Detection Enabled and Configured?

Before you start adjusting sensitivity, you need to ensure the core settings are correctly enabled for the camera in question.

### 1. Check Camera Recording Settings

Verkada cameras can be set to record continuously or only when motion is detected. If no motion is being recorded, this is the first place to look.

1. Log in to your Verkada Command account.
2. Navigate to the 'Devices' page and select the camera you need to configure.
3. Go to the 'Settings' tab for that camera.
4. Under the 'Recording' section, ensure that you have motion-based recording enabled. You can choose 'Continuous' recording (which will still tag motion events) or 'Motion-Based' recording. If it's set to 'Never', no events will be captured.

### 2. Define Motion Detection Zones

By default, a camera may not have any motion detection zones configured. You need to tell the system where to look for movement.

1. From the camera's settings page, go to the 'Motion' tab.
2. You will see a grid overlay on the camera's view. Click and drag to draw one or more boxes over the areas where you want to detect motion.
3. Be specific: Only include areas of interest. Exclude public footpaths, roads, or trees that might move in the wind to reduce false alerts.
4. Click 'Save' to apply the zones.

## Fine-Tuning for Accuracy: Reducing False Positives

One of the most common challenges with motion detection is getting too many irrelevant alerts. Verkada provides several tools to combat this.

### 3. Adjust Motion Sensitivity

Sensitivity determines how much change in a scene is required to trigger a motion event.

• In the same 'Motion' settings tab, you'll find a 'Sensitivity' slider.
• If you're getting alerts from minor things like shadows or rain, decrease the sensitivity.
• If the camera is failing to pick up actual events, increase the sensitivity.
• It's often a process of trial and error. Make a small adjustment, monitor the results for a day, and then readjust if necessary.

### 4. Leverage AI Analytics (People & Vehicle Detection)

This is one of Verkada's most powerful features for eliminating false positives. Instead of relying on simple pixel changes, you can instruct the camera to only alert you when it specifically identifies a person or a vehicle.

• In the camera's settings, look for the 'Analytics' tab.
• Enable 'People Analytics' and/or 'Vehicle Analytics'.
• Once enabled, you can set your alerts (covered next) to trigger based on these specific classifications rather than general motion, which provides a much higher degree of accuracy.

## Configuring Notifications

Detecting motion is only useful if the right people are notified.

### 5. Configure Alerts

Alerts are managed separately from motion detection itself. You need to create an alert profile and assign it to your cameras.

1. Navigate to the main 'Alerts' page in Command.
2. Click 'Add Alert'.
3. Give the alert a name (e.g., 'After-Hours Motion - Office').
4. Set the 'Event Type' to 'Motion' or, for better accuracy, 'Person Detected' or 'Vehicle Detected'.
5. Select the camera(s) that this alert should apply to.
6. Choose the 'Users and Groups' who should receive the notification (via push notification or email).
7. Crucially, set a schedule. You probably don't need motion alerts during business hours. Set the schedule for nights, weekends, or whenever the area is supposed to be empty.
8. Click 'Save'.

## Final Checks

If you've configured all of the above and are still facing issues:

• Check User Permissions: Ensure the users who need to see motion events have the appropriate permissions in their user profile.
• Firmware: Verkada cameras update their firmware automatically, but it's worth checking in the device settings that the camera is online and has a recent firmware version.
• Network Issues: While unlikely to affect motion detection directly, poor network connectivity can delay alerts. Check the camera's status and network settings.

By systematically working through these configuration steps, you can fine-tune your Verkada motion detection to be a highly effective and reliable security tool.