Camera setup
Choose how your cameras observe
Balance detail, response time and AI usage with observation settings.
Start with Station defaults
Open Observation settings for your Station. The default window is 20 seconds at 640 pixels: local d1 samples two frames per second, cloud providers one. Cameras inherit these settings unless you choose Custom.
- Choose the duration, sampling rate and image size.
- Save. Station starts a fresh observation when it receives the settings.
- Check a simple visible Event and review the result before relying on the new configuration.
Duration and frames
Observations can cover 5–60 seconds. Sampling options are one frame every four seconds, one every two seconds, one per second or two per second. Longer observations give more context but can delay a decision. Sparse sampling can miss brief actions.
Frames per observation are rounded up to a whole number. Continuous monitoring sends fresh, non-overlapping frames. Only on movement still checks motion independently and makes occasional checks during quiet periods.
Image size and privacy
Choose 320, 640, 960 or 1280 pixels for the longest edge, or Original. Station preserves aspect ratio and does not enlarge small images. Original refers to the selected camera stream: a low-resolution substream will still be low resolution.
Areas use relative coordinates. Privacy masks remain applied before images reach the AI provider, regardless of your observation settings. If privacy cannot be applied safely, analysis stops.
Cost and device limits
More frames and higher resolution can increase token usage and memory requirements. A longer observation at the same FPS groups images into fewer requests; it does not necessarily increase hourly image volume. The calculator’s Advanced section provides approximate estimates, not a guaranteed bill.
For local d1, use 2 FPS and a longest edge of up to 640 pixels. A 20-second observation contains 40 frames.
Try lower FPS for slow-changing spaces and higher FPS for brief actions. These are starting points, not industry-specific accuracy guarantees. Inspect results from your own camera.