I have two V722W cameras professionally-installed recently (at front & rear doors) and am struggling to understand some configuration settings within the Alarm.com video config page. From the Alarm.com web page for my account:
Q1 - For each camera - there is a feature to select up to three VMD windows (Video > Settings > VMD > Choose a VMD window). What is the benefit of multiple windows and what are the “best practices” in using the three windows?
Q2 - To customize the target boxes (aka “trip wires”) within each of the three VMD windows, there are pre-existing boxes with blue borders and I can add green border boxes. Did the installer add the blue boxes and can those be edited by me (the user)? If so; how? If not, how should the blue and green bordered boxes co-exist within the window?
Q3 - I understand how to use the SMS feature for alert notification; how is a “push device” used and are there best-practices for push devices?
Q4 - During the day, I want there to video clip recording only (i.e from 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM) and in the evening/early morning (8:01 PM to 5:59 AM) I want there to be video clip recordings AND Text Alerts. Is it “best practice” to set up two separate video recording schedules for each camera with those scheduling parameters?
For each camera – there is a feature to select up to three VMD windows (Video > Settings > VMD > Choose a VMD window). What is the benefit of multiple windows and what are the “best practices” in using the three windows?
You can set up to 3 rectangular capture windows, yes. These VMD windows represent the area of the frame where motion will trigger. Within the windows your selected sensitivity and target size determines the required hue change of pixels in order to register motion.
You can then create recording schedules that use one or more of the windows to record video.
To customize the target boxes (aka “trip wires”) within each of the three VMD windows, there are pre-existing boxes with blue borders and I can add green border boxes. Did the installer add the blue boxes and can those be edited by me (the user)? If so; how? If not, how should the blue and green bordered boxes co-exist within the window?
Very simply the VMD window you are currently editing will be green. The others will be blue. If more than one exists someone would have created it, there are not default video windows. You can switch the VMD window you are editing with the three buttons in the upper left. Make sure to save changes.
Yes, VMD windows should be long and narrow. Wide, more square-shaped windows are exceptionally difficult to effectively select an appropriate target size and sensitivity. Try to set it up so that a large portion of your window would be filled when an individual moved through the frame. This will allow you to set high target sizes which helps filter unnecessary false recordings.
Q3 – I understand how to use the SMS feature for alert notification; how is a “push device” used and are there best-practices for push devices?
Push notifications are notifications directly to the running App on the phone. They are simply another notification recipient option.
You can enable push notifications in settings on the phone(s) you wish to be a recipient. The phone’s name will then show up in the list of recipient options for notifications.
During the day, I want there to video clip recording only (i.e from 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM) and in the evening/early morning (8:01 PM to 5:59 AM) I want there to be video clip recordings AND Text Alerts. Is it “best practice” to set up two separate video recording schedules for each camera with those scheduling parameters?
Notification options for a video recording schedule are active for the entire time-frame the recording schedule is active. To accomplish what you are asking yep, you would need to set up two recording schedules. One 6AM-8PM, and another 8PM-6AM. Recipient details can be selected individually for the two schedules.