Recording Schedules & Motion Zones

Purpose

This document covers how to configure recording schedules and motion detection zones on a Hikvision DVR or NVR — what triggers recording, how long footage is retained, and how to avoid the most common configuration mistakes.

Recording Modes

These can be combined in a schedule — e.g. continuous during business hours, motion-only overnight.

Configuring the Recording Schedule

Main Menu → Storage → Schedule → Record

The schedule is a 7-day grid (Mon–Sun) with 24 hours across the horizontal axis. Each period is colour-coded by recording mode:

• Green = Continuous
• Yellow = Motion
• No colour = No recording

Setting the schedule

1. Select the channel (or tick All for all channels)
2. Select the recording type
3. Click and drag across the day/time grid to apply
4. Use Copy to apply the same schedule to other channels or days
5. Apply

Wilsons' standard: Motion recording, all hours, all days

Motion recording across all 24 hours on all 7 days is the default for residential installs. It captures all significant activity while using storage efficiently. This requires Motion Detection 2.0 to be configured to avoid excessive nuisance recording.

Motion Detection Configuration

Main Menu → Camera → Motion

Detection Zone

Defines which areas of the frame trigger recording. Default is the entire frame — usually too broad.

Draw a specific zone:

• Include: doorways, access paths, driveways, gates
• Exclude: public roads visible beyond the gate, trees at the edge of frame, any area that generates nuisance triggers

Example — driveway camera:

• Include the driveway surface, gate, and front door approach
• Exclude the public pavement and any street traffic beyond the boundary

Sensitivity

Scale 1–100 (low to high). How much pixel change is needed to trigger.

• Too low: misses genuine events
• Too high: triggers on headlights, insects, rain

Starting point: 50. Adjust during commissioning. On AcuSense systems, sensitivity is less critical because AI filters non-human/vehicle motion.

Post-Record Time

How long the DVR continues recording after the motion event ends. Default (30 seconds) is correct for most installs — leave it.

AcuSense Filtering

On AcuSense DVRs/NVRs, enable AI filtering within the motion detection settings:

Main Menu → Camera → Motion → AcuSense

Select what to detect:

• Human — detects people only
• Vehicle — detects vehicles only
• Both — recommended for most installs

With AcuSense enabled: animals, weather, and lighting changes do not trigger recording. Only people and vehicles do. This is what makes the customer's push notifications useful and keeps them engaged with their system.

Pre-Record

Main Menu → Storage → Schedule → Pre-record

How many seconds of footage before the motion trigger are included in the recording. Default (5 seconds) is correct — it captures the approach, not just the moment of trigger. Leave at default or increase to 10 seconds.

Storage Management — Overwrite

Main Menu → Storage → Advanced

Confirm Overwrite is enabled (default). When the drive is full, the DVR overwrites the oldest footage to make space for new recordings.

If Overwrite is disabled, the DVR stops recording when the drive is full. Always confirm it is enabled.

Managing customer expectations: Explain that footage is retained for a rolling period (dependent on drive size and recording activity) and older footage is automatically overwritten. For longer retention, specify a larger drive.

Playback and Verification

Main Menu → Playback

Select the date and channel. The playback timeline shows coloured blocks where footage exists. Click a motion event block to play it back.

Confirm after setup:

• Motion events are being recorded
• The correct scene is on the correct channel
• Playback image quality is acceptable

Common Configuration Mistakes

Related Documents

• Initial DVR/NVR Setup
• Smart Detection — Motion 2.0 Setup
• Camera Configuration & Image Settings