Set up smart AI detection on a camera
Make a detection rule that tells Silarius Cloud where to look and what to look for.
By the end you will have a working detection rule on your camera. It will look only where you want and only for the things you care about.
What you need
- Access to Silarius Cloud Admin (for account owners and admins)
- A camera with smart AI detection turned on for it (it's an add-on; ask Silarius)
- A camera that can send events, like motion, line crossing or intrusion
If you pick a plan with AI but never draw a mask, Silarius Cloud uses a default mask that looks for people and cars in the whole picture.
Step by step
- Sign in
Sign in at silariussecurity.com/login and click Log in to Silarius Cloud. Then go to Silarius Cloud Admin.
- Open the camera
Find the camera you want and open its settings. Click the Analytics tab at the top.
- Check that detection is on
Look for the object detection slider on the Analytics tab. It must be on. If you can't turn it on, the add-on isn't active for this camera yet.
- Add or edit a rule
Click Add New Rule to make a new rule. To change a rule you already have, click the 3 dots next to it and pick Edit.
- Draw your first mask
A mask is an area of the picture where the AI should look. Drag your mouse over the camera picture and draw a shape around the area you care about. It shows up as a colored overlay.
- Shape the mask
To add a corner, click the dot in the middle of any side. To fix a mistake, drag a corner to a new spot. You can also delete the mask and start over.
- Add more masks if you need them
Click + Add Another Mask to draw another area. Each rule can have up to 10 masks.
- Pick what to look for
Open the object type list and pick what the AI should find, like Person or Car. You can pick more than one. Your picks show under Selected targets. Click the X next to one to remove it.
- Pick the trigger
Open Configure Trigger. Pick which camera event starts the AI check, like motion, line crossing or intrusion. Your camera must already be set up to detect that event and send it over ONVIF.
- Set the confidence
Find the Confidence box. Type a number from 20 to 95. The starting value is 60. This is how sure the AI must be before you get an alert or webhook.
- Save the rule
Click Apply changes to turn the rule on. Then click Save to keep it. Click Cancel or Close if you want to leave without changes.
How confidence works
Confidence is a "how sure are you?" number.
- High numbers (80 to 95) mean fewer false alerts. But you may miss some real ones.
- Low numbers (30 to 50) catch more. But you may get more false alerts.
This number only controls alerts, phone messages and webhooks. Learn more in Confidence sliders made simple.
Where the AI looks
Some cameras let Silarius Cloud read their motion area over ONVIF. These cameras have a Motion Detection tab. For them, motion events only report things that touch the camera's motion area.
For other events, and for cameras without a Motion Detection tab, the AI checks the whole picture. Your masks still decide where alerts can come from. See Motion masks vs. AI masks.
Make it work well
- Put your camera's motion zones and lines in the right places.
- Get a clear picture: good resolution, frame rate and light.
- Plan what area matters and what you want to know about. Build your rules around that.
- Set up alerts so you actually hear about events. See Create alerts for camera events.
Good to know
- Make the camera's motion zone a bit bigger than your AI masks.
- It's better to get a few extra motion events that the AI throws out than to miss a real one. Keep camera motion sensitivity high enough.
- Use separate masks for separate areas instead of one huge mask.
- Test it day and night, and at the farthest distance you care about.
Common questions
How do I turn on smart AI detection for a camera?
It's an add-on. Contact Silarius: request a quote or email us.
Can one rule look for people and cars?
Yes. You can pick as many object types as you need in one rule.
Why is my rule not catching anything?
Most of the time the camera isn't sending events. Check Camera motion detection for beginners.
Still stuck? We'll do it with you, free.
Silarius customers can get free remote help: sign in, click one button, and a Silarius technician joins your computer.