Features of photo verification by MotionCam detectors

Photo verification types

There are different types of photo verification: photo by alarm, photo by scenario, photo on demand, photo by schedule, photo by tamper alarm, photo by masking, and photo by arming/disarming.

Photo on demand, by scenario, schedule, and arming/disarming are available only to detectors with (PhOD) in their names.

Photo by tamper alarm and by masking are available only to Superior MotionCam AM (PhOD) Jeweller.

Photo by alarm is a key feature enabled for all detectors of the MotionCam series by default. Photos are only taken if the motion is detected and the armed mode is on. Photos by alarm are available to all system users with access to the event feed.

The Photo on demand feature allows users to take photos with built-in cameras of Ajax motion detectors. Depending on the settings, photos can be taken anytime or when the detector is in armed mode. A space admin or a user with access to privacy settings can enable and configure the Photo on demand feature. Privacy settings do not apply to photos taken by detectors triggered in case of an alarm. All system users with access to the event feed can view photos taken in case of an alarm.

When Photo by scenario is enabled, MotionCam takes pictures in case of an alarm from specified Ajax devices.

A space admin or PRO with system configuration rights can set up photos by scenario, schedule, arming/disarming, tamper alarm, and masking.

The Photo by schedule allows users to create a scenario for motion detectors with photo verification. In this case, detectors take scheduled photos — on a specified day and time.

The Photo by arming/disarming feature allows users to receive photos from a built-in camera when the security state changes. With this feature, you can check the situation at the facility when the system is armed, disarmed, or switched to Night mode.

Photo by tamper alarm is available, when the Take photo if lid opened toggle is enabled in Superior MotionCam AM (PhOD) Jeweller settings. This feature allows users to receive photos from Superior MotionCam AM (PhOD) Jeweller if its tamper is triggered. Photos by tamper alarm are available to all users with access to the event feed. If the feature is enabled, it is always active and works regardless of the security mode.

Photo by masking can also be configured in Superior MotionCam AM (PhOD) Jeweller settings by the Take photo if masking detected toggle. This feature is enabled by default and allows users to receive photos from Superior MotionCam AM (PhOD) Jeweller if its masking is detected. Photos by masking are available to all users with access to the event feed. If the feature is enabled, it is always active and works regardless of the security mode.

Photo verification settings

The photo verification process depends on several factors. Below, you may find settings that affect the alarm photo verification.

Image resolution

The image quality improves as the resolution increases. However, high resolution increases the file size and the transfer time from the detector to the hub. To adjust the resolution in the Ajax app:

1. Select a space.
2. Go to the Devices tab.
3. Select the required motion detector from the list.
4. Go to Settings by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner.
5. Set the required parameters under the Image resolution field.

Photos by alarm

After detecting movement, motion detectors take a photo: a series of 1 to 5 images. To set the number of photos taken during an alarm in the Ajax app:

1. Select a space.
2. Go to the Devices tab.
3. Select the required motion detector from the list.
4. Go to Settings by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner.
5. Set the required parameters under the Photos by alarm field.

Alarms with photo verification

You can choose how many alarms should be photo-verified: from 1 to 10 or all. Disarming the system resets the alarm counter. To set the number of alarms with photo verification in the Ajax app:

1. Select a space.
2. Go to the Devices tab.
3. Select the required motion detector from the list.
4. Go to Settings by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner.
5. Set the required parameters under the Alarms with photo verification field.

Triggering beyond the set limit does not activate the detector camera, but the system still sends alarm notifications.

Photos on demand

You can adjust the number of photos on demand in the Ajax app’s configuration settings.

1. Select a space.
2. Go to the Devices tab.
3. Select the required motion detector from the list.
4. Go to Settings by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner.
5. Specify the number of photos to be taken under the Photos on demand field.
6. Tap Done to apply the settings.

Photo by scenario

Before configuring scenarios, when the detector takes a photo, an admin or a user with access to privacy settings has to enable the Photo by scenario feature in the space Privacy settings.

The number of photos taken by a scenario is equal to the number of Photos by alarm specified in the detector’s settings.

The number of photos taken by a schedule equals the number of Photos on demand.

Follow the instructions in this article to create a scenario for MotionCam detectors in case of an alarm from specified Ajax devices or to specify a day and time for a scheduled photo.

Photo by arming/disarming

Before configuring scenarios, when the detector takes a photo, an admin or a user with access to privacy settings has to enable the Photo by scenario feature in the space Privacy settings.

The number of photos taken by arming/disarming equals the number of Photos on demand.

To configure photo by arming/disarming, in Ajax apps:

1. Select a space.
2. Go to the Devices tab.
3. Select the hub from the list.
4. Go to Settings by tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner.
5. Select Automation scenarios.
6. Tap Create scenario or Add scenario (if one or more scenarios have already been programmed).
7. Select Photo by arming/disarming.

   

8. Enter the scenario name and define when the detector should take photos: when arming, when disarming, when Night mode on, or when Night mode off.
9. Choose whether to consider or ignore entry/exit delays.
10. Select the MotionCam (PhOD) detector from the device list and tap Done.
11. Tap Save to apply the settings.

Detector memory buffer operation

Detectors of the MotionCam series use an internal memory buffer to store photos temporarily. The buffer erases them after the successful transfer to the hub. Usually, the buffer capacity and the throughput of Wings/Fibra protocols are enough to transfer all the camera captures to the hub.

Under circumstances where the detector operates at its maximum resolution, experiences frequent alarms, low signal strength, or encounters a high interference level in the radio channel (applies only to wireless devices), it may struggle to transmit all data to the hub promptly, potentially resulting in a full buffer.

In this case, the detector makes an incomplete series (for example, two photos instead of three) or sends alarms without photo verification. Such alarm notifications are marked with the No media available icon. When there is enough free space in the buffer, the detector continues to take photos according to the specified settings.

¹ Applies only to outdoor detectors.
² Applies to MotionCam detectors with the firmware 15.59.35.18 and later, and to MotionCam detectors with PhOD in their names with the firmware 16.59.36.8 and later.

Filling the memory buffer does not affect the speed at which a motion detector informs of the incident. The Jeweller radio protocol and the Fibra protocol deliver alarm notifications immediately.

Hub memory buffer operation

The hub buffer operates similarly to the MotionCam buffer: it stores the photos taken by detectors upon the alarm before transferring them to the Ajax Cloud server. The hub buffer capacity is 20 photos. Once the buffer is full, the hub stops receiving photos from detectors. Consequently, detectors store data in their internal buffers and trigger alarms without photo verification. The app informs users about this with the No media available icon displayed in the event feed. When the connection with the server is restored and/or the hub buffer is empty, the system sends alarms with photo verification.

The system transfers photos taken by MotionCam detectors to virtual storage on the Ajax Cloud server, from where Ajax apps and compatible CMS (Central Monitoring Station) download them. The Ajax Cloud server is located on Amazon Web Services. The photos stored there are protected by AES-256 encryption.

Transfer speed of alarms with photo verification

The transfer speed of photos depends on their size (the higher the resolution, the larger the file) as well as the quality and speed of communication on the path: detector > hub > server > app/CMS. Photo delivery speed may also be affected by:

• interference at Wings frequencies (applies only to wireless devices);
• low signal strength;
• slow or unstable internet connection of the hub;
• slow or unstable internet connection of the device hosting the Ajax app or CMS software.

The table below shows the delivery time of one photo with signal strength between the hub and MotionCam of 2–3 bars, with the hub connected to the internet via Ethernet and a smartphone with the Ajax app connected via the LTE network:

¹ Applies only to outdoor detectors.

If a system includes a range extender (ReX 2 Jeweller) communicating with wireless detectors of the MotionCam series, the photo delivery time listed below is applied:

¹ The detector needs up to 3 seconds to start the Photo on demand shooting.
² Values ​​were calculated with a signal strength of 3 bars between ReX 2 Jeweller and the detector or between the hub and ReX 2 Jeweller. The hub works via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or 4G (LTE).
³ Values were calculated with a signal strength of 3 bars between ReX 2 Jeweller and the detector. The hub works via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or 4G (LTE).