Too Many Motion Alerts From the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera
troubleshoot an issue
Updated
24 days ago
, by simplisafe_admin
The Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Security Camera comes equipped with a passive infrared (PIR) sensor that allows it to sense contrasting temperature changes in its field of view, while also using Vision AI technology to determine if it should send you a motion alert.
If you are receiving too many motion alerts from your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera, there are placement, camera settings, and camera behavior changes you can make to decrease the amount of motion it captures.
Placement
We do not recommend placing your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera in an area where it faces a stairwell, window, or door, as it can pick up on excess motion. If your camera is facing any of those areas in your home, slightly adjust its placement so they are no longer in its field of view.
If you have any pets that the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera could pick up on, try moving the camera to a surface that’s at least 4 feet off the ground, angled straight out.
Camera Settings
There are additional settings you can change for your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera to help it detect fewer motion events.
By default, the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera’s sensitivity is set to Medium, but you can adjust this setting to Low to limit the amount of motion events you receive.
You can adjust the sensitivity of your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera using the SimpliSafe® Mobile App or Web App by taking the following steps:
SimpliSafe® Mobile App:
Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet
Tap Cameras on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen
Select the gear icon in the top right corner to open Camera Settings
Choose the camera you’d like to adjust
Tap Motion Detection
Under Sensitivity, move the slider to Low
Tap Save in the top right corner to save this change
If you manage multiple properties, choose the location you wish to update from the list by clicking on the Base Station Serial Number or Property Address
Select Devices from the navigation bar on the left side of the screen
Select the camera you want to update
A pop up menu will appear on the right hand side of the screen
Scroll down to Motion Sensitivity and move the slider to Low
When you are done, click Save Changes on on the bottom of the pop up to save your selections
The Smart Alarm Indoor Camera has two motion detection options: All Motion and People Only.
When set to All Motion, the camera will record any motion it senses - which may cause excess motion events. However, if the camera is set to People Only it will only respond to people-shaped objects (which is especially helpful if you have pets at home!).
To minimize the amount of motion your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera detects, you can change its motion setting to People Only by following these steps:
SimpliSafe® Mobile App
Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet
Tap Cameras on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen
Select the gear icon in the top right corner to open Camera Settings
Choose the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera you’d like to adjust
Tap Motion Detection
Under Motion Type, select People Only
Tap Save in the top right corner to save this change
If you manage multiple properties, choose the location you wish to update from the list by clicking on the Base Station Serial Number or Property Address
Select Devices from the navigation bar on the left side of the screen
Select the camera you want to update
A pop up menu will appear on the right hand side of the screen
Scroll down to Motion Detection and click People Only
When you are done, click Save Changes on on the bottom of the pop up to save your selections
Setting up Activity Zones allows for your camera to exclude motion detection in busy areas, like an entryway or door.
To create Activity Zones, take the following steps:
SimpliSafe® Mobile App
Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet
Tap Cameras on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen
Select the gear icon in the top right corner to open Camera Settings
Choose the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera you’d like to adjust
Tap Motion Detection
Under Activity Zone, tap the boxes in the frame where you do not want your camera to record
Tap Save in the top right corner to save this change
Camera Behavior
You can configure your Smart Alarm to detect motion in each of the SimpliSafe® system’s armed modes: Off, Home, and Away. If your camera is consistently alerting you of motion in an armed state that you would not like it to, check to see if motion detection is turned on for your camera in that armed mode by taking the following steps:
Open up the SimpliSafe® Mobile App on your mobile device or tablet
Tap Cameras on the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen
Select the gear icon in the top right corner to open Camera Settings
Choose the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera you’d like to adjust
Under Camera Behavior, select the system’s armed mode that you do not want the Smart Alarm to detect motion in
Toggle Motion Detection off
Still Need Help?
If you’ve followed the steps above and your Smart Alarm Indoor Camera is still sending excess motion events, please contact our Support team for further troubleshooting.
