Change A Camera’s Video Motion Detection Settings

Video Motion Detection (VMD) is the camera’s ability to trigger recordings based on any detected motion. The camera identifies motion by measuring how the video’s pixels change from one moment to the next. There is not a PIR motion detector built into Alarm.com cameras, but when VMD is set up correctly, it can be an effective way to capture activity and generate notifications.

When editing Video Motion Detection windows, identify your main areas of concern and draw narrow windows near those areas. For example, if there is a jewelry box on the desk, make sure to draw a VMD box either around or along the path leading up to that area.

Note: The Alarm.com Doorbell Cameras cannot use Video Motion Detection for motion detection or video clip recording — they use a PIR motion sensor.

To change a camera’s VMD settings using the website:

1. Log into the website.
2. Click Video.
3. Click Settings.
4. Using the Video Device dropdown menu, select the video device.
5. Click Video Motion Detection.
6. For each Video Motion Detection (VMD) window:
   1. Drag your cursor on the Live View preview to draw a new VMD window.
   2. Using the Sensitivity dropdown menu, select the motion sensitivity for the VMD window.
      • High sensitivity allows more motion to be detected by the camera and more clips to be recorded.

        Note: For camera models ADC-V521IR, ADC-V522IR, and ADC-V722W, the sensitivity setting affects all Video Motion Detection (VMD) windows for the specific device.
         

   3. Using the Target Size dropdown menu, select the motion target size for the VMD window.
      • Target size is the percentage of the VMD window that must detect motion for a clip to be recorded. Smaller target sizes require less motion to trigger a recording, resulting in more recorded clips.
7. Click Save.