Snowstorm outside, really?

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Snowstorm outside, really?

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Snowstorm outside, really?
Snowstorm outside, really?
2024-01-05 20:38:33 - last edited 2024-02-29 09:07:21
Model: Tapo C500  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.1.2

Hi all.

 

I purchased a TAPO C500 device (HW 1.0 - FW1.1.2) which which I installed about 2 months ago.

The camera is installed outside the house and films the back yard (no trees or bushes or anything else in the scenario).

 

Occasionally, the camera gives false alarms of both movement and person detection.

Checking the playbacks it is possible to notice that the camera captures numerous moving white points, as if there were a snowstorm with the wind making the snowflakes change direction quiclky.

But in reality outside, there is no snow, there is no wind, there is no rain, there is no dust, there is nothing that can justify what the camera sees.

In these situations I have to disable detection so as not to continually receive alerts.

Is this a problem with the TAPO C500?

Or is it a limitation of the TAPO C500 and should I look for a higher quality device?

 

//G

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#1
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1 Accepted Solution
Re:Snowstorm outside, really?-Solution
2024-01-18 07:54:37 - last edited 2024-02-29 09:07:21

  @SG2112 

Hi,
When the camera is working in Night mode, the haze in the environment reflects the light of the camera's IR LED, causing the camera to detect the phenomenon shown in the video. This phenomenon does not only happen on our cameras, the cameras in other brands may have the same performance.

 

The Tapo C500's detection mechanism is based on image changes between different frames. The frame is one of the many still images which compose the complete moving picture. If there is a difference between the frames, the camera will recognize it as a motion detected. The haze in the environment will cause a significant change in the image, therefore this kind of detection cannot be avoided.

 

In your usage scenario, you can adjust the sensitivity settings on the camera's detection page to reduce motion detections. If you also receive person detections frequently because of the haze, please send me the MAC address of your Tapo C500 via a private message, and we can push new firmware to your camera to check if it will improve the camera's performance.

 

Best Regards

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#4
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Re:Snowstorm outside, really?
2024-01-08 09:02:58

  @SG2112 

Hi,
Can you share a picture of the moving white points?
Please check whether it's foggy outside when you see the moving white points phenomenon, you can refer to the below thread to see if you have a similar phenomenon.
snow effect on night mode
Best Regards

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#2
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Re:Snowstorm outside, really?
2024-01-15 19:43:15

  @Solla-topee 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Since a photograph does not give an idea of the movement of the points, I attach a short video.

Outside the weather was good. I mean, no rain or snow.

Only very little haze visible around the light of the street lamps about 10 meters above the ground 

 

I look forward to hearing from you

//Gabriel

 

File:
3C52A1F69054_20231205221902077.MP4Download
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Re:Snowstorm outside, really?-Solution
2024-01-18 07:54:37 - last edited 2024-02-29 09:07:21

  @SG2112 

Hi,
When the camera is working in Night mode, the haze in the environment reflects the light of the camera's IR LED, causing the camera to detect the phenomenon shown in the video. This phenomenon does not only happen on our cameras, the cameras in other brands may have the same performance.

 

The Tapo C500's detection mechanism is based on image changes between different frames. The frame is one of the many still images which compose the complete moving picture. If there is a difference between the frames, the camera will recognize it as a motion detected. The haze in the environment will cause a significant change in the image, therefore this kind of detection cannot be avoided.

 

In your usage scenario, you can adjust the sensitivity settings on the camera's detection page to reduce motion detections. If you also receive person detections frequently because of the haze, please send me the MAC address of your Tapo C500 via a private message, and we can push new firmware to your camera to check if it will improve the camera's performance.

 

Best Regards

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#4
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Re:Snowstorm outside, really?
2024-03-01 04:11:27 - last edited 2024-03-01 04:15:56

This phenomenon is caused by falling fog and cannot be affected by any setting. The only thing that works is to switch the camera to day mode. Unfortunately, then they won't see everything but illuminated movements. Another solution is a battery-powered camera that uses a pir sensor and does not react to fog. Here again, the problem is that it is dewing and nothing may be clearly visible from the picture.

 

Best regards 

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#5
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