Reolink Motion Detection Explained: Why Alerts Are Missed or Useless

The Battery Camera First Step

If you own a battery-powered camera, your motion detection relies on a PIR (Passive Infrared) sensor. This sensor is what “wakes up” the camera. If this is turned off, the camera is effectively blind to motion.

What to do: Open your Reolink App, go to your camera settings, and ensure the PIR Sensor is enabled. If this is disabled, the camera will never trigger an alert, no matter how many people walk past. Check official guides on how to toggle this sensor for your specific model.

Optimizing Installation Angle

Where and how you install your camera is just as important as the software settings. A poorly positioned camera will struggle to “understand” what it is looking at, leading to missed events.

The Angle Rule: Try not to let the camera look vertically straight down at the ground. This “bird’s eye view” makes it very difficult for the AI to identify human shapes or vehicle outlines. Aim for a 15-to-30-degree offset for the best results.

Environment Check: Avoid complex environments. Places heavily blocked by trees or swaying foliage create “visual noise.” If you have trees in the frame, you should set those specific areas as Non-Detection Zones to keep the AI focused on the driveway or front gate.

Mastering Smart Detection Settings

This is where most “misses” are solved. Configuring the proper smart detection parameters is critical for reliable performance.

• Sensitivity: If your camera isn’t catching events, try setting the sensitivity to Maximum for a few hours to observe. This will help you determine if the camera *can* see the object or if the threshold is just too high.
• Object Size: This tells the camera to ignore things that are too small (like cats) or too large. If you are missing people, ensure your “Minimum Object Size” isn’t accidentally set to be larger than a human being in the frame.
• Non-Detection Zone: “Paint out” the sky, the tops of trees, and busy public footpaths. This leaves the camera’s processing power free to focus on your private property.
• Alarm Delay: (For plug-in cameras only). This is a buffer time. If you find the camera is too slow, reduce this delay to 0 seconds so detection happens instantly.

Alert Logic and Intervals

Even if the camera detects someone, it won’t tell you if the schedule is wrong. You must choose the smart detection alert you want (Person, Vehicle, or Pet) and configure a proper schedule for each.

Push vs. Email: If you want to receive a push notification for a person, the “Push Alert” must be enabled AND the “Person” type must be checked in that specific schedule. The same applies to Email and Recordings.

Important Interval Notes:

• Email Alerts: There is a 5-minute interval between emails. You won’t receive a second email until 5 minutes have passed and the camera is triggered again.
• Push Notifications: The interval is 30 seconds. This prevents your phone from buzzing constantly while you are walking in front of the lens.
• Low Battery Rule: For battery cameras, if your power is low, the spotlight will not light up even if motion is detected, as the camera prioritizes core recording over light. You can learn more about advanced camera settings here.

Optimizing for Darkness

Nighttime is when security matters most, but it’s also when cameras struggle. If your camera misses alarms at night, official technical advice suggests adjusting two main things:

1. Brightness: Go into your display settings and adjust the brightness and contrast. If the image is too dark, the AI can’t find the pixels it needs to identify a person.

2. Frame Rate: For plug-in cameras, you can configure the Frame Rate Mode. Higher frame rates provide smoother motion, which helps the AI maintain a lock on a moving subject at night. This is a critical factor for nighttime surveillance. Refer to the Frame Rate Mode documentation for your specific NVR or standalone camera.