You can configure your cameras to create a motion event whenever they detect motion in a specified area (motion zone).
Note: Video alarms also look at motion to trigger alarms/events (see Configure Motion Zones in the Alarm Setup section for more information).
To configure a motion zone:
Navigate to the Video page and select a camera.
Select the Gear icon > Motion Zones:
Ensure the Highlight button is selected.
Draw in the area where you wish to detect motion. When motion is detected in this area, a motion event is created.
Note: To avoid generating excessive motion events, try to select the minimum number of grid squares possible. For example, to detect motion when a door opens, only the top of the door needs to be highlighted in the region of interest (ROI) to generate an event.
5. (Optional): Select the type of motion that triggers event creation:
Any Motion Alerts: Any movement that occurs in the zone triggers event creation.
Blocked Exit Alerts: Checks whether an object (such as a box, cart, pallet, etc.) is blocking the exit door. Monitor for a stationary object, not movement. Only available for users with the AI package. See Blocked Exit Detection for more information.
Note: Set the sensitivity to high if you want to generate motion events whenever any motion occurs in the specified area. Set the sensitivity to medium or low if you want to generate motion events less frequently, based on the level of motion in the specified area.
6. (Optional) Set the motion sensitivity:
High (more alerts): Creates a motion event for small amounts of movement in the zone. Use it when you need to catch any activity, for example at a door that should stay closed after hours. Expect more events, including some from minor movement such as shadows or lighting changes.
Medium: The default setting. It balances detection and event count, and suits most zones.
Low (fewer alerts): Creates a motion event only for larger amounts of movement. Use it in busy areas or areas with constant small motion, such as a shop floor or a window with passing traffic, to cut down on events you don't need.
7. Select Done to save.
See the following section for more information on how you can track and visualize these events on the Dashboard page,.
Track Motion Events with Reports and Widgets
After you set up a motion zone, you can save a report of its motion events and display the report in a widget on the Dashboard. You can then see how often motion occurs, when it occurs, and where, without searching the Events page each time.
Step 1: Create a Motion Events Report
A report saves a search on the Events page so that you can use it again.
To create a motion events report:
On the Events page, select Add Filter.
Select the event type filter, then select Motion:
(Optional) Add a camera filter, and select only the cameras that have the motion zone you want to track. For example, select the back door camera:
(Optional) Add a time filter to show only the hours you care about, for example after closing time.
Select Save Report.
Enter a name that describes what the report tracks, for example "Back Door Motion: After Hours".
(Optional) Select a notification method: Push, SMS, Daily, or Weekly. With Push or SMS, you get a notification each time a motion event matches the report.
Tip: Create one report for each area that you want to track. Separate reports give you clearer widgets than one report for all cameras.
For more information, see Create a Report.
Step 2: Add a Report Widget to the Dashboard
A Report widget shows the data from your report as a graph or a number.
To set up the widget:
On the Dashboard, add a Report widget.
Under Data Set, select the motion events report that you created in step 1.
Under Data Type, select the motion events count. Under Statistic, select Count.
Under Locations, select the locations that have the motion zone.
Under Time Frame, select Week and select Use rolling time frame. The widget then always shows the last 7 days.
Select Display Previous Time Frame Data to compare this week with the previous week.
Under Graph Type, select Bar graph to see motion by day. To see only the total, select Number.
Tip: To find out when motion goes above a normal level, add a threshold notification to the widget. For example, you can get a notification when the back door has more than 20 motion events in a day.
How Are Motion Events Different from Motion Search?
Motion events are created when a region of interest (ROI) is defined on a camera and motion is detected within that region.
Motion search does not require a ROI to be set on a camera. You can conduct a motion search to check for instances of motion in a specific area of a camera. For more information, see Motion Search.