4.3. Motion recording

The application implements the ability to turn on the motion tracking mode and start video recording when the conditions you set are met, such as the size of the detected object and/or the location of the object in the tracking area.

To enable this mode, go to the "Video recording" tab in the camera properties panel and select the "On motion detected" option (Figure 4.3.1). After this option is selected, the motion sensor configuration panel appears (Figure 4.3.2). The size of the moving object, the detection of which will lead to the start of video recording, is set by the slider. The further to the right the slider pointer is placed, the smaller the size of the tracked object. So, setting the pointer to the extreme right position will trigger the detector in case of rain or the appearance of a small bird. For your convenience, when adjusting the slider, a schematic image of the size of the tracked object is displayed on the main screen (Figure 4.3.3).

Figure 4.3.1. Motion-triggered video recording mode activation.
Figure 4.3.2. Motion sensor settings panel.
Figure 4.3.3. Schematic indicator of the tracked object size.

For the operator's convenience, the following options can be set for the motion detection mode (Figure 4.3.4):

  • "Sound Notification" – the application emits a characteristic high-pitched sound when motion is detected,

  • "Color Indication" – when motion is detected, the application screen turns a bright color for one second,

  • "Save Motion Photo" – a screenshot is saved to a JPEG file with the moving object's boundaries highlighted (Figure 4.3.5)

Figure 4.3.4. Additional motion detector options.

Figure 4.3.5. Example of an image saved upon motion detection.

Three additional settings control the timing of motion-triggered recordings (Figure 4.3.4):

  • "Minimum duration of movement" – a filter against short false triggers. When the detector first notices a change in the frame, it starts a timer. Only if the movement continues uninterrupted for at least this many seconds does the system treat it as a real motion event. Movements shorter than this threshold (e.g. a bird flying by, a brief shadow, headlight glare) are ignored and do not start a recording.

  • "Recording duration of detected motion" – once a motion event is confirmed (i.e. the minimum duration above has been met), the recording starts and will continue for at least this many seconds. If new motion keeps being detected during recording, the timer is reset each time — so the recording keeps extending as long as activity continues. The recording stops only after this many seconds of no new motion being detected.

  • "Recording duration before motion detected" – the pre-recording buffer. The application continuously keeps the last N seconds of video in memory. When a motion event is confirmed, the recording actually starts from N seconds before the motion was detected, so you can see what led up to the event. For example, if set to 5 seconds, the recording will include 5 seconds of footage before the motion began.

How these settings work together — a timeline example (with Minimum duration = 3 s, Recording duration = 10 s, Pre-recording = 5 s):

|---- 5 s pre-buffer ----|--- 3 s threshold ---|--- 10 s recording ---|
    (included in file)     (motion must last     (keeps extending if
                            this long before      motion continues)
                            recording starts)

If movement lasts only 2 seconds, nothing is recorded (shorter than the minimum). If it lasts 3+ seconds, the final video will include 5 seconds before the motion, plus at least 10 seconds from the moment motion was confirmed.

Tip: If recordings are too short, increase the "Recording duration of detected motion" value. If important moments before the trigger are missing, increase the "Recording duration before motion detected" value. If there are too many false recordings (e.g. from wind, trees), increase the "Minimum duration of movement" value.

To limit the tracking area—defining a zone of interest (entrance door, car parking space, workplace, etc.) and excluding areas with irrelevant movement (trees, roadway, clock indicator, etc.) — the application provides a "Set Detection Zones" button (Figure 4.3.6), which allows you to use the mouse to set sensitivity areas on the camera image:

Figure 4.3.6. Setting the motion control area.

After saving the settings, video recording will only start if a moving object enters the area you set:

Figure 4.3.7. Displaying the motion control zone on the screen.