Hi…i need to be able to detect a groundhog (as Pet).
Do i need ir night vision on?
What is the recommended sensitivity?
I am testing now…
…a v3 outdoor cam, sensitivity at 67. Has picked up the groundhog 3x.
…a v3 outdoor pan cam… Sensitivity at 82. Right next to the other one, and pointed at the SAME FIELD OF VISION… Does NOT recognize the animal, does not even recognize motion.
Motion detection picks up millions of flying insects.
(which also make it pan around like crazy).
Granted, the ground hog is mostly active in the daylight hours, but i wouldn’t mind catching the occasional raccoon (or human!)
I have a gray gravel driveway… there is plenty of contrast with the brown woodchuck.
Any advice? How does the sensitivity work?
Thank you in advance!
Frankly, it’s hard to tell you what sensitivity to use. Each environmental conditions are different. The thing most of us had to do was try one thing, then adjust it up or down until we find the sweet spot for that view and need.
Also use detection zones to block out other things likely to set it off other than the things you want to set it off.
IR is a double-edged sword. It can be necessary in very dim conditions but it attracts bugs to set off motion. Sometimes it’s better to avoid IR from the camera. Some people buy a separate ir light and place it away from the camera and then bugs aren’t going close to the camera lens.
You can also achieve this effect with two cams close-ish to each other. I discovered this quite by accident when wondering why the porch always was so damn lit up until I recognized that it was the other nearby cam. Since some Wyze cams on sale are cheaper than some dedicated IR lights, I don’t mind using a few just as lights…
That’s a VERY valid point! I have used extra cameras for this as well! I had one act as the primary IR source, but then didn’t use that one for notifications (so the bugs wouldn’t constantly set off alerts or motion events), then the other camera would have IR turned off, but still be able to see everything because the other camera acted as the IR source. Very good points. I’d almost forgotten about that even though I’ve done that myself in the past!
Now, I rarely use IR except for a couple of indoor cams. I mostly have Floodlight Pros do ambient lighting and leave any other cams with color night vision.
