Notification Setup Guide¶

This guide explains how to configure notifications so you stay informed about security events without being overwhelmed by alerts.

Overview¶

The notification system keeps you informed about what is happening at your property. You can receive alerts through multiple channels and customize when and how you are notified based on risk levels, specific cameras, and time schedules.

What You Can Be Notified About¶

Notification Types¶

Real-Time Security Alerts¶

These are immediate notifications triggered when the AI detects concerning activity:

System Health Notifications¶

Stay informed about your system status:

• Camera offline - A camera has stopped sending images
• Camera back online - A previously offline camera is working again
• AI service issues - Processing delays or errors
• Storage warnings - Disk space running low

Household Arrivals and Departures¶

If you have registered household members (see Household Registration), you can receive optional notifications when:

• A family member arrives home
• A family member leaves
• A recognized vehicle enters or exits the driveway

Accessing Notification Settings¶

1. Click the Settings icon in the navigation menu
2. Select the Notifications tab
3. You will see four main sections:
4. Global Preferences
5. Camera Notifications
6. Quiet Hours
7. Channel Configuration

Global Preferences¶

These settings apply to all notifications across the system.

Master Toggle¶

The Notifications toggle at the top is the master switch:

• Enabled (green) - You will receive notifications based on your settings
• Disabled (gray) - All notifications are silenced

Notification Sound¶

Choose what sound plays when a notification arrives:

Risk Level Filters¶

Select which risk levels trigger notifications:

• Critical - Always recommended to keep enabled
• High - Recommended for security awareness
• Medium - Enable if you want to see unusual activity
• Low - Usually kept disabled to avoid noise

Tip: Start with Critical and High enabled. Add Medium later if you want more visibility into routine activity.

Camera Notifications¶

Customize notifications for each camera individually.

Per-Camera Settings¶

For each camera, you can configure:

Setting Camera Thresholds¶

The risk threshold slider sets the minimum risk score that triggers a notification from that camera:

• 0% - Notify on all detections
• 50% - Notify on medium risk and above
• 80% - Only notify on high-risk events
• 100% - Effectively disables notifications

Avoiding Threshold Conflicts¶

If your camera threshold is lower than your global risk level filters, you may miss some alerts. The system will warn you about potential conflicts. For example:

• Global filter set to "High" only (60+ risk score)
• Camera threshold set to 40%
• Result: Events scoring 40-59 will be ignored despite camera setting

Resolution: Either lower your global filter to include Medium, or raise the camera threshold to match.

Quiet Hours (Do Not Disturb)¶

Configure time periods when notifications are silenced.

Creating a Quiet Hours Period¶

1. Click Add Period in the Quiet Hours section
2. Enter a Label (e.g., "Night Time", "Work Hours")
3. Set the Start Time and End Time
4. Select which Days of the week this applies to
5. Click Save

Example Configurations¶

Managing Quiet Hours¶

• Each quiet hours period shows its label, time range, and active days
• Click the Delete (trash) icon to remove a period
• You can have multiple overlapping periods

Important: Critical alerts may still break through quiet hours depending on your alert rule configuration. Review your alert rules to ensure truly urgent events can reach you.

Notification Channels¶

The system supports multiple notification delivery methods.

Available Channels¶

Desktop Notifications¶

Desktop notifications appear as browser pop-ups even when the dashboard is in the background.

To enable:

1. Go to Settings > Ambient
2. Find Desktop Notifications
3. Click Request Permission if the status shows "Not Set"
4. Allow notifications when your browser prompts

Permission states:

• Granted - Desktop notifications are active
• Blocked - You previously denied; must enable in browser settings
• Not Set - You have not been asked yet

Browser settings if blocked:

• Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications
• Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Notifications
• Safari: Preferences > Websites > Notifications

Note: Desktop notifications require HTTPS. If you see a "Secure Context Warning" banner, certain features may not work until you access the system over a secure connection.

Email Notifications¶

Email configuration is set via environment variables and requires a backend restart to change.

Current configuration is shown in the Notifications tab:

• SMTP host and port
• From address
• TLS status
• Default recipients

To test email:

Click the Send Test Email button to verify your configuration is working.

Webhook Notifications¶

Webhooks send HTTP POST requests to external services (e.g., Slack, Discord, custom integrations).

Configuration shows:

• Webhook URL
• Timeout setting

To test:

Click the Send Test Webhook button to verify connectivity.

Alert Rules¶

For advanced notification control, configure alert rules in Settings > Rules.

Alert rules let you:

• Set specific triggers (risk threshold, object types, cameras)
• Define schedules (only active certain hours)
• Choose notification channels per rule
• Set cooldown periods between duplicate alerts

See the Settings documentation for complete alert rule configuration options.

Setup Checklist¶

Follow this checklist to configure your notifications:

Troubleshooting¶

Not Receiving Any Notifications¶

Check:

1. Is the master notification toggle enabled?
2. Are risk level filters set to include the event severity?
3. Is the specific camera's notifications enabled?
4. Is the camera threshold lower than the event's risk score?
5. Are you currently in a quiet hours period?
6. Is the backend notification system enabled? (Check "System Notifications Status")

Too Many Notifications¶

Try:

1. Increase camera risk thresholds to filter low-priority events
2. Disable low and medium risk level filters
3. Set up quiet hours for times you do not want interruptions
4. Review alert rules and increase cooldown periods
5. Register household members to reduce false positives for known people

Desktop Notifications Not Working¶

Check:

1. Did you grant browser permission?
2. Is the permission status "Granted" in Settings > Ambient?
3. Are you accessing the system via HTTPS?
4. Is your browser's system-level notification permission enabled?
5. On macOS: System Preferences > Notifications > Browser

If permission is "Blocked":

You must enable notifications in your browser settings directly - the app cannot re-request permission once blocked.

Email Notifications Not Arriving¶

Check:

1. Is SMTP configured? (Shows "Configured" badge)
2. Did the test email succeed?
3. Check spam/junk folders
4. Verify the from address is not being filtered
5. Check backend logs for SMTP errors

Webhook Failures¶

Check:

1. Is the webhook URL accessible from your server?
2. Is the receiving endpoint accepting POST requests?
3. Check timeout settings if requests are slow
4. Verify any authentication requirements
5. Use "Send Test Webhook" to diagnose

Notification Delays¶

Possible causes:

1. AI processing queue backlog
2. Network connectivity issues
3. Email server delays

Check:

1. Operations dashboard for queue health
2. AI performance dashboard for processing times
3. System health indicators

Best Practices¶

Start Conservative¶

Begin with fewer notifications and add more as needed:

1. Enable only Critical and High risk level filters initially
2. Set camera thresholds to 60-70% to start
3. Add quiet hours for sleep time
4. After a week, adjust based on what you are seeing

Optimize Over Time¶

• Review notifications weekly - are you getting useful alerts?
• Adjust thresholds for cameras that generate too many alerts
• Add household members to reduce false positives
• Create specific alert rules for scenarios you care about

Maintain Awareness¶

• Keep Critical alerts enabled always
• Ensure at least one notification channel works
• Test periodically to confirm delivery
• Review quiet hours to ensure critical alerts can still reach you

Related Documentation¶

• Settings Guide - Complete settings documentation
• Alert Rules - Advanced alert rule configuration
• Household Registration - Reduce false positives
• Desktop Notifications - Ambient status features
• Understanding Alerts - What risk levels mean