Wired
When wired, your Canary Flex will operate in the same manner as the Canary Pro, in which it uses "computer vision" to determine if motion is happening. It's basically just looking at changes in the pixels on the screen. Any pixels changing is registered as motion. Canary's computer vision algorithms then try to filter out repetitive motion from things like ceiling fans, or background motion like lights and shadows to provide you with intelligent notifications.
Note: Canary Flex operates using PIR motion detection (instead of computer vision) if it is plugged in and the battery is not fully charged, in order to charge the battery faster. When the battery reaches full charge, the device will switch back into computer vision mode.
Wire-Free
When operating wire-free mode, Canary Flex uses a low-power standby state. Your Canary Flex will only detect motion using its passive infrared (PIR) sensor. The PIR sensor is located on the front of the Flex in the middle of the LED ring. This sensor detects heat signatures. When something with a different heat signature than the surrounding environment passes in front of your Canary Flex, it "trips" the sensor, wakes up your device from its low power state, and your device begins to record.
If you believe your device is not capturing enough motion here are a few suggestions.
Adjust the PIR sensitivity
You can change your range of detection within the Canary app. Adjusting the sensitivity range of your device to a 'near range' can help conserve power, allowing your Canary Flex to record for even longer on a single battery charge. The drawback here is the PIR sensor would require a fairly large heat signature in order to wake the device. Adjusting the sensitivity range of your device to a 'long range' will help capture additional motion, but you sacrifice battery life.
The ranges are approximately Low 0-4ft, Medium 0-16ft, and Long 0-28ft. Height, placement and the outdoor environment of the device can have an effect on these ranges and what is captured as well.
Note: To learn more, visit How can I adjust the recording range of my Canary Flex?.
Device placement
Eliminate background noise
If your device is operating in wire-free mode and constantly recording activity, even more so when the environment is dark, the battery will drain faster. Place your device in such a way to eliminate as much background activity as possible while still monitoring the desired area to maximize battery life. Device placement is particularly important if the devices recording range is set to long range as the more background activity your device picks up the further it will reduce battery life.
Height and angle
We recommend placing Canary Flex at a maximum height of 8 feet. Above this height, people will have to come quite close to the device before they are detected. Additionally you will want to place your device at such an angle where the intended target would come across the field of view of the devices 116° wide angle lens rather than walk directly towards the device. By having an object come across the field of view you increase your chances of detection and account for the extra second of time it requires for the device to wake up from its low power state.
Using indoors to monitor outdoors
If you wish to monitor an outdoor environment, we recommend using the device outdoors as its specifically designed for outdoor usage.
When plugged in, it is possible for Canary Flex to record through a window, but a number of factors can prevent optimal performance, including but not limited to the following:
- The amount and angle of light shining through the window.
- The difference between interior and exterior lighting conditions.
- Reflection or glare on the glass that may interfere with motion detection when night vision is activated.
When operating in wire-free mode, it is not possible for Canary Flex to record through a window. Glass is not as transparent to infrared light as it is to visible light. Therefore when using PIR the Flex will be unable to detect motion if placed behind a window.
Night detection
Canary Flex only has a single IR LED, for maximum efficiency and total discretion. The IR LED is not meant to illuminate large areas.
Note: To learn more, visit How far is the range of coverage in night vision?