Troubleshooting Facial Recognition on Your Yi Home Camera
Facial recognition is a powerful AI feature available on select Yi and Kami home security cameras. It elevates your security from simple 'person detected' alerts to specific notifications telling you who has been seen, such as 'Dad has arrived home'. When it's not working correctly, however, it can be confusing. This guide will help you set up and fine-tune the feature for the best performance.
## Step 1: Initial Setup and Configuration
Before the camera can recognise anyone, you need to teach it who to look for. This involves creating a facial profile library.
- Check Your Plan: Facial Recognition is a premium feature. Ensure you have an active Yi Cloud subscription that includes this 'Smart AI' feature.
- Open the Yi Home App: Select the camera you want to configure.
- Navigate to Smart AI Settings: Go into the camera's Settings and find the 'Smart AI Detection' or similarly named menu.
- Enable Facial Recognition: Make sure the toggle for Facial Recognition is turned on.
- Build Your Face Library: You will need to add people to the system. The app will likely have a 'Face Management' section where you can see snapshots of faces the camera has detected. You can then assign names to these faces, creating a profile for each person.
## Step 2: Optimise Camera Placement and Lighting
The performance of facial recognition is highly dependent on the camera's ability to get a clear look at a person's face.
- Positioning is Crucial: Place the camera at eye level, or as close to it as possible. A camera mounted high on a ceiling looking down will see the top of people's heads, not their faces. A camera in a hallway or near an entrance is ideal.
- Good Lighting is Essential: The area should be well-lit. Strong backlighting (e.g., a camera pointing towards a bright window) can create silhouettes and make faces difficult to see. The AI needs to see clear facial features—eyes, nose, and mouth—to make a match.
- Direct View: The camera should be positioned so that people naturally look towards it as they enter.
## Step 3: Train and Refine the AI
The facial recognition system learns over time, but it needs your help.
- Review Detected Faces: Regularly go into the 'Face Management' or 'Identified Person' section of the app. Here you will see all the faces the camera has captured.
- Correct Mistakes: If the camera identifies your son as your daughter, or fails to recognise a known person, use the app's tools to correct it. There is usually an option to merge an incorrect snapshot into the correct person's profile.
- Name New Faces: When a new, unrecognised person is detected, assign a name to their face to add them to the library.
The more you correct and refine the data, the more accurate the AI will become at distinguishing between different people.
## Common Limitations
- Night Vision: Facial recognition does not work reliably in night vision mode. The infrared image lacks the detail needed for an accurate match.
- Similar Appearances: The system may struggle to differentiate between people with very similar facial features, such as twins or siblings.
- Obstructed Faces: Hats, face masks, and even sunglasses can prevent the camera from making a successful identification.
By following these steps, particularly regarding camera placement and actively managing your face library, you can significantly improve the accuracy and reliability of your Yi camera's facial recognition feature.