False Alarms Since Latest MacOS Security Update

[classicshotokan]

Yesterday the Software Update thingy said I had a security update to install, so I did the usual thing and updated.

Last night there were a total of 56 false alarms from all cameras.

Nothing else changed about my setup. My usual rate of false alarms is one a day or so.

Anyone else experience this? Any suggestions?

[Semper Vaporo]

I have been cogitating (off and on) about your problem since I read it this morning... err... actually now it is YESTERDAY morning!

I just cannot think of a plausible scenario where a change to the OS would affect the motion detection functions of VDV. I am not saying that can't happen, but it would be difficult to only cause a change in the detection algorithms... More likely it would either kill a camera altogether or cause VDV to be aborted.

I think some additional information from you might help the techs here to get closer to the trail of where to look.

How many cameras do you have and how many rules are defined for each of them?

What kind of rules are set? Are they monitoring the whole scene or looking for an object "IN" or "ON" an area or "Entering", "Exiting" or "Crossing" an area? Or are they looking for something crossing a line?

Is the area (or line) associated with the rule abutted against the edge of the scene or pretty much in the middle of it?

When a false detection occurs, what shows in the video as to where the Motion was detected? When you review the videos be sure to turn on the "Show" functions in middle of the "View" menu.

Is it causing dozens of random boxes to appear or is it just one box somewhere in the view? I have found that sometimes they are so small and fleeting that I have trouble even finding them.

I have a camera that makes large sudden changes in the brightness of the scene and it tends to hunt for the proper brightness bias when it does it, and this makes very bright areas to appear to move as they grow and shrink in size. This is then seen by VDV as motion all over the scene. I reduced the false detections for that camera by changing the rule from detecting something "IN" an area to an object Crossing a Line in either direction.

But that introduced a problem because if someone crosses the line very slowly, or stops momentarily before crossing the line and continuing on their way, then VDV misses the detection... I had to be careful where I drew the line such that it is not where a person would normally stop or go slow.

I am wondering if any of your cameras had a non-default setup that might have gotten undone by the OS update. Have you checked them for any changes you made to them when setting up VDV initially? Such as: enabling or disabling an auto function (brightness, contrast, focus, etc.).

Another thing I have noticed is that as the seasons change the position of the sun can create shadows that weren't there the week before, and a windy day can create all kinds of motion detection that may not have been detected in that last week because it was cloudy or not windy.

I also had a real problem with two of my cameras when I cut down a tree. It was so dense that there were no light shafts or blotchy shadows to move with the wind and I never had a problem. Now the trees that are farther away are not as dense and now cast moving shadows that VDV detects. I had to make more alterations to the rules to try to cure that! And I am finding that I need to make adjustments to the detection areas (and lines) periodically to keep up with the changing angle of the sun throughout the year.

[classicshotokan]

I can't see how to delete this post or I would. Maybe you can?

I've figured it out. It has nothing to do with the OS update. Two things happened by coincidence in both rooms with cameras the same night as the update. Both involved lights that started flickering. One is a bad florescent bulb, the other is a reflector that came unglued and started moving around.

I fixed the flickering reflector. The flickering florescent is still there (difficult to change) but I stopped that by adding "objects that exist for at least 1 second" to the rule.

Sorry for the false alarm.

[Semper Vaporo]

No problem with the post as far as I am concerned. But thank you for responding with the cause of the problem... GLAD you found it.

Problems with two cameras that occur about the same time as an update to the software can mask the real cause of the problems. I would have also assummed that because two cameras had a problem that it was not a problem associated with the individual scenes... and link that to a change in the OS and we can all be led down that proverbial garden path.

Again, thank you for the follow-up as to the cause of the problem.