Motion Detection
The Motion Detection module turns your PC into a full video security system. It allows your camera to sense motion in its view, determine the severity of that motion, and respond as you have instructed it. You can create preferences for notification, recording, and the area to watch within a camera's view to detect or ignore motion. You can also use the Scheduler module with the Motion Detection module to automate your motion detection profile sessions.
If you have an iVISTA package that includes multiple motion detection support, you can have motion detection profiles for each video source on your PC.
Using motion detection
- From the tree view of the Control Panel, select a video source for the motion detection profile you are creating.
- Click the Motion Detection button and select Add New. (You can also access the motion profile editor by right-clicking on any video source icon in the tree view, then clicking on Motion Detector in the pop-up menu. Edit an existing motion detection profile by right-clicking on its icon in the tree view, and then clicking Edit.)
Note: If you don't highlight a video source before clicking on the Motion Detection button, you will be prompted to select a video source before the motion profile editor menu is displayed, with the following options:
The General tab
The General tab is the default display of the motion profile editor.
- Enter a name for this profile. This name will be displayed in the tree view. Also, any logs created will be listed on your VideoWebPage under this profile name. Examples of profile names might include "baby's room," "front door" or "back yard."
- Use the slider to select the level of Sensitivity to motion.
This is important if you have the camera watching an area that normally has some motion — an entryway with tall flowers that might wave in the wind, for instance — and you only want iVISTA to watch for unusual movement, such as a person walking through the door.
- In Start detecting after, enter the number of seconds you want the detector to wait from the time you select Start until it begins detecting motion. You can use this time to get out of the room without setting off the detector.
- Click Region to Monitor to open the iVISTA drawing tool (right), which allows you to designate areas in the camera's view for it to watch or ignore.
For example, if the camera's view includes a doorway and you do not want the detector to react to people walking by, you can use Region to Monitor to ignore motion in the doorway.
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Use your mouse to draw completely around the area you do not want watched; click and hold your left mouse button while you are drawing.
The end of the line must join the beginning; while you must start and stop your boundary within the picture window, you can go outside the frame, as on corners or near the border.
The area to be ignored will be masked out with wavy lines.
- Use Undo to erase the last selection; Clear will erase all drawing you have done and start over.
- Use Invert to change the selected area from being ignored to being watched.
- Use Watch Region plus Invert to draw the area you want to watch rather than ignore.
This is useful, for example, if you only want to watch the doorway. You would click Watch Region and Invert (which will switch the entire drawing window to the ignore mask), then draw around the doorway (see example on previous page).
- OK and Cancel
— Clicking OK enters your changes and returns you to the motion profile editor menu. Cancel returns you to the motion profile editor menu without entering any changes.
- OK and
Cancel — Clicking OK enters your changes and closes the motion profile editor menu. Cancel closes the menu without entering any changes.
Custom Responses tab
From this tab, you can decide how you want iVISTA to react when motion is detected. You have the choice of automating responses for slight motion, moderate motion, and/or severe motion. (If you set a response for slight motion, that response will be activated for moderate and severe as well; if set for moderate motion, severe motion will also trigger a response.)
- Set a response for Slight if you want to be notified any time any motion is detected. Set a response for Severe if you only want to be notified when a lot of motion is detected, or Moderate for an amount of motion between the other two.
If you have set responses for a previous profile, iVISTA copies those responses to the new profile to save you time.
- Click Change adjacent to the level of motion you want to set a response for.
The iVISTA response menu will display (see graphic below).
- Select the type of response you want for this level of severity:
Play Sound
Select this tab if you want a sound played when motion is detected. The sound can only be played on the computer actually running the iVISTA software; if you are home and have your iVISTA HOME SECURITY system watching the exterior, then this can be an effective notification. If you are using the iVISTA HOME SECURITY system to monitor a site you are not often at, then one of the other notifications should be selected.
This screen contains the following options:
- Play a sound file — Check this box to play a sound when motion is detected.
- Delay before repeat — The length of time the software waits before playing a sound again. Even if motion is continuous, the software waits this long before responding again. If there are multiple motion detections, it still waits this long before responding again.
- Audio (.wav) file — Use the Browse button to select a particular sound file (available only with optional audio module). You can use any .wav file stored on your computer.
Note: A library of sound files can be found in your iVISTA directory (C:\Program Files\Inetcam\sounds). You may also be able to create sound files using the instructions that came with your sound card.
- Repeat sound each time it is played — The number of times in a row the sound should be played. For example, if you set this to 3 and select a .wav file, the .wav file will be played 3 times whenever motion is detected.
- Test — Use the Test button to play the .wav file once.
- OK and Cancel — Clicking OK enters your changes and returns you to the motion profile editor menu. Cancel returns you to the motion profile editor menu without entering any changes.
Send E-mail
Select this tab to have the detector send you an e-mail whenever motion is detected.
This screen contains the following options:
- Send an e-mail — Check this box to have the detector send an e-mail when motion is detected.
- Delay between e-mails — The length of time the software waits before sending another e-mail. If there are multiple motion detections, it waits this long before responding again.
Note: The software sends e-mail only once per event. Even if motion is continuous over a long period, only one e-mail will be sent.
- SMTP Server — Enter your outgoing mail server. Get this information from your Internet service provider (ISP). It may also be located in the Preferences section of your e-mail software.
- Attach file — Check to attach a page of the motion-detection log (below right) to your e-mail message.
- From — Enter the e-mail address from which you are sending the message.
- To — Enter the e-mail address to which you want the message sent.
- Subject and Message — Enter the message you want sent when motion is detected.
- OK and Cancel — Clicking OK enters your changes and returns you to the motion profile editor menu. Cancel returns you to the motion profile editor menu without entering any changes.
FTP Files
Select FTP Files to send your log files to an FTP (file transfer protocol) server when motion is detected. This provides the most secure method of monitoring a remote site; even if the computer running the iVISTA HOME SECURITY system is stolen, the log files (including images captured by your camera) will be safely stored on another computer.
This screen contains the following options:
- Upload a file — Check this box to have a log file sent to an FTP server when motion is detected.
- Delay between uploads — The delay before the software sends another file. If there are multiple motion detections, it waits this long before responding again.
Note: The software only FTPs a file once per event. Even if motion is continuous over a long period, only one file will be sent.
- FTP Server — Enter the host name or IP address of the FTP server; for example, ftp.yourdomain.com or 192.168.1.10.
- Directory — Enter the directory on the FTP server where the file should be saved.
- User name and Password — Enter the user name and password to log into the FTP site.
- OK and Cancel — Clicking OK enters your changes and returns you to the motion profile editor menu. Cancel returns you to the motion profile editor menu without entering any changes.
Run Program
Select Run Program to have the motion detector run an external software program whenever motion is detected. As an example, this feature could be used in conjunction with third-party home automation software to turn lights or the television on when motion is detected, in order to give the appearance that someone is home.
This screen contains the following options:
- Run a program — Check this box to have the detector run a program when motion is detected.
- Delay before repeat — The time the software waits before running the program again. Even if motion is continuous, the software waits this long before responding again. If there are multiple motion detections, it still waits this long before responding again.
- Program Name — Enter the name of the file that will run the program you want to launch when motion is detected. You can use the Browse button to find the program on your hard drive.
- Parameters — Use if the program has any parameters or switches that need to be set when it is run (advanced users only).
- OK and Cancel — Clicking OK enters your changes and returns you to the motion profile editor menu. Cancel returns you to the motion profile editor menu without entering any changes.
Local Logs tab
Clicking on this tab allows you to edit the settings for making a video recording when motion is detected. The following options are on this menu:
- Logging frame rate — Enter the speed you want to record at in seconds per frame. (The lower the number, the faster the recording speed. A faster speed results in a higher-quality video clip, but a larger file size). 0 is the fastest possible setting.
- Recorded clip length — Enter the length of time in seconds you want to record after motion is detected.
- Maximum image age — This represents the number of days you want to store your video clips before iVISTA automatically purges them. (This is done to save hard drive space. You can, of course, manually copy them to another directory or system if you wish to store them permanently.)
- Maximum disk space — Set the amount of hard-drive space (in megabytes) that you want to make available for storage of your motion-detection logs. When this amount is exceeded, iVISTA will save new logs by overwriting the oldest ones.
- Severity of events to log — Check Slight, Moderate and/or Severe to indicate which types of motion events you want to document with videoclips.
- OK and Cancel — Clicking OK enters your changes and closes the motion profile editor menu. Cancel closes the menu without entering any changes.
Adding a schedule to
motion detection profiles
By using the Scheduler module with Motion Detection, iVISTA can automatically turn your Motion Detection profiles off and on. This can be a useful way of watching your home while you're at work or on vacation, or keeping an eye on your business after-hours.
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