| About |
| Web camera connection |
| Program controls |
| Motion detection |
| Video settings & properties |
| Configuration |
| Motion detection settings |
| Alarm sounds |
| Capturing images |
| Email alerts |
| FAQ |
The following is a description of how MonitorCam performs motion detection.
A delay exists between the time the motion detection button is pressed until motion detection actually starts. The intention of this delay is so that the user can leave the room or exit the field of view of the camera without triggering any alarms by his/her departure. The length of this delay can be configured by the user (pressing the 'Setup' button). MonitorCam displays a countdown (number of seconds left) overlaid on the image as a visual aid to the user.
Countdown before starting motion detection.
Once motion detection actually starts, any motion detected within the field of view is displayed on screen enclosed in red boxes. Once a significant amount of motion is detected for a pre-defined amount of time, a motion alert is triggered. It is important to note the difference between detecting motion and detecting 'significant motion'. Even in an empty scene, some small amounts of motion may be detected occasionally. These can be caused by such things as light reflections, changes in illumination, errors caused by the normally low quality video of web cameras and compression artefacts. By checking for large amounts of motion in each video frame and that the motion persists over a certain period of time, MonitorCam is able to eliminate insignificant motion (The technical term for insignificant motion is called 'false positive').
Displaying detected motion.
Depending on what alerts have been configured, once significant motion has been detected MonitorCam can:
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To start motion detection, press the button shown on the left hand side. |
A delay exists between the time the motion detection button is pressed until motion detection actually starts. The intention of this delay is so that the user can leave the room or exit the field of view of the camera without triggering any alarms by his/her departure. The length of this delay can be configured by the user (pressing the 'Setup' button). MonitorCam displays a countdown (number of seconds left) overlaid on the image as a visual aid to the user.
Countdown before starting motion detection.
Once motion detection actually starts, any motion detected within the field of view is displayed on screen enclosed in red boxes. Once a significant amount of motion is detected for a pre-defined amount of time, a motion alert is triggered. It is important to note the difference between detecting motion and detecting 'significant motion'. Even in an empty scene, some small amounts of motion may be detected occasionally. These can be caused by such things as light reflections, changes in illumination, errors caused by the normally low quality video of web cameras and compression artefacts. By checking for large amounts of motion in each video frame and that the motion persists over a certain period of time, MonitorCam is able to eliminate insignificant motion (The technical term for insignificant motion is called 'false positive').
Displaying detected motion.
Depending on what alerts have been configured, once significant motion has been detected MonitorCam can:
- generate a sound alarm,
- save images to disc, and
- send email alerts with image attachments.