4 Effective Tricks to Stop Getting Too Many Home App Alerts
As smart home and home security technology gets more intelligent and packed with AI features, an interesting problem has developed: We're all getting too many alerts.
From joggers and cars to falling leaves, approaching friends and even weird sounds, devices are pushing a barrage of notifications at us. It's exhausting and frustrating to find what you're really looking for. So if your security device is barking a little too often, quiet it down with these simple, highly effective settings changes for your camera or system.
Read more: The Best Home Security Cameras, Expert Reviewed
Set motion or activity zones
You can set motion zones for your home camera to focus on and decrease random alerts from elsewhere.
Tyler Lacoma/CNET
Motion, activity or detection zones are a way of telling your security camera what to pay attention to. Many camera apps have ways to set these zones, often by taking a live view from the camera and drawing boxes around the areas you want it to focus on.
This is a very effective way to help your camera focus on walkways, porches and entryways and pay less attention to roads, sidewalks and common areas. As a result, you get more notifications about the things you want to know and fewer random alerts about people walking their dogs.
Lower motion detection sensitivity
Many camera apps have options to adjust motion detection sensitivity.
Tyler Lacoma/CNET
Head into your camera app settings and look for an option to lower motion detection sensitivity. Even cameras that don't have activity zones often have the option to decrease sensitivity so the camera won't fire off alerts at everything that goes by. However, you can still get notifications about large, close-up movements like someone approaching a door.
Disable specific events and alert timeframes
Blink app showing notifications to disable.
Tyler Lacoma/CNET
A number of camera apps have a "notification" or "alert" section in settings where you can see what types of events cause an alert and even disable them. Blink, for example, allows you to disable alerts like a video doorbell ring, a motion detection clip, an automatic system arm/disarm and a low-temperature warning.
Turn off the notifications you don't want to receive to make things less stressful. You may also be able to arrange when you get notifications: Google Nest has an option that works with devices like its smart thermostat and only sends you alerts when no one is at home. Eufy cams typically have a "snooze" option to turn off alerts entirely for a period of time and so on.
Disable types of AI recognition
Tapo's app showing the ability to disable notifications.
Tyler Lacoma/CNET
Your camera app settings may also have an option to turn off certain kinds of AI recognition (you may need a subscription to enable some kinds of object detection). For example, many home security cameras allow you to turn off notifications about cars and animals so you don't get inundated with alerts about Fido running around the yard, etc.
If you have facial recognition features on your camera, you probably also have an option to turn off all notifications about familiar faces. So, if family or friends frequently come and go, your phone won't pester you every time if you disable alerts for those specific people.
For more info on managing your security cameras take a look at our recommendations for the best outdoor cameras, the spots you should never put your home camera and the cameras you can get without paying any subscription fees.
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