Example Motion Triggered Camera Event

Questions

How can I have motion trigger a camera event?

Answer

You can use this example to create a motion sensor-triggered camera macro. If you want to follow along, open the file called Video Samples in ActiveHome Pro. This file was installed as part of iWitness.

This macro is designed to monitor the front door. When triggered by the associated motion sensor, it will switch to the front door camera, move it to the preset Pan & Tilt position, turn on the porch light, ring a chime, and start recording video. If you were to use something similar in your home, you would be notified as soon as someone came to your door, and you could see who it was before answering.

Create the Macro

If you have never made a macro before, stop here and see the ActiveHome Pro Help file for more information.

Create a new macro in the room named Front Yard. Change the name of the macro to Front Door Monitor, and change the trigger address to M3 On -- the address of the motion sensor we have set up in the Front Yard.

Step 1: Select the Camera

Select "Video Functions" from the room list on the right side of Macro Designer, and then drag the "Select Camera" command into your macro. The camera named "Front Cam" should be selected by default, but you can select any camera using the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Move the Camera to the Front Door Preset

Now drag the "Go To Preset" command into the macro. Select the Front Cam, and choose preset 2 from the drop-down list. This will send the command for that camera to go to the second stored preset.

Step 3: Turn on the Porch Light

Change the room drop-down to the room "Front Yard." You now see the list of modules in that room. Drag the "Front Porch" module to the macro to create an On command for the front light.

Step 4: Sound the Chime

In this sample file, the chime module is in the kitchen. Select "Kitchen" from the room list and drag the "Chime" module into the macro. Chime modules only accept an On command.

Step 5: Record Video

Go back to the "Video Functions" selection in the room list and put the "Video Recording" command in the macro. It will automatically set itself to the "Start" function. This command will tell iWitness to record the incoming video to a file on your computer.

Conclusion

The macro is now finished. To make a complete macro, you could add a delay, followed by the "Video Recording: Stop" command to make sure that you only record for a short period of time.

You could also make a macro triggered by M3 Off that would turn off the lights and stop recording. The M3 Off macro would run when the motion sensor sends a signal that there is no more motion, or it could be triggered manually by remote control--say when you answer the door.

Installing iWitness adds many new options to your ActiveHome Pro Preferences. Use these options to adjust how your ActiveHome Pro stores pictures and video, and how it works with your cameras. To open the video options, select Preferences from the Tools menu. Use the arrows at the top of the window to scroll through the Options tabs and click on the one you want to change. The sections below will help you with each new set of options.