How to set motion detection sensitivity in C#

This example demonstrates how to adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection in C#. To implement this example, you need to have Ozeki Camera SDK installed, and a reference to OzekiSDK.dll should be added to your Visual Studio project.

How to set motion detection sensitivity using C#?

To establish the connection properly between your application and an IP camera you should apply the same code snippet what you have used in the example (How to connect to an IP camera device using C#?). Important: you should study this article in order to find out how to setup your Windows Forms/WPF Application correctly. It's also recommended to visit the How to setup viewer side motion detection article before you begin to study and use this functionality.

Getting started

To get started it is recomended to Download and Install the latest version of Ozeki Camera SDK. After installation you can find the example code discussed in this page with full source code in the following location on your harddisk:

Download Ozeki Camera SDK: https://camera-sdk.com/p_6513-download-onvif-ozeki-camera-sdk-for-c-sharp.html
Windows forms version: C:\Program Files\Ozeki\Ozeki SDK\examples.zip\Examples\Other\
Motion_Detection_Sensitivity_WF\Motion_Detection_Sensitivity_WF.sln
WPF version: C:\Program Files\Ozeki\Ozeki SDK\examples.zip\Examples\Other\
Motion_Detection_Sensitivity_WPF\Motion_Detection_Sensitivity_WPF.sln

To compile this example you will need Microsoft Visual Studio installed on your computer.

The two additional methods of this example are the following:

private void trackBar_Intensity_Scroll(object sender, EventArgs e)[...]
	

this method belongs to the "Pixel intensity" trackbar that can be seen on the graphical user interface. It is a new component as well and the method has been implemented in order to react properly to the scroll events of the new trackbar. It can be used to give the new value of the camera's "PixelIntensitySensitivity" property. The minimum value for the position of the trackbar's slider is 0 and the maximum value is 255. The lower the value the more sensitive the motion detector will be because it will react to a lower amount of pixel colour changes.

private void trackBar_Amount_Scroll(object sender, EventArgs e)[...]
	

this method belongs to the "Pixel amount" trackbar that can be seen on the graphical user interface that is a new component as well and the method has been implemented in order to react properly to the scroll events of the new trackbar. It can be used to give the new value of the camera's "PixelAmountSensitivity" property. The minimum value for the position of the trackbar's slider is 0 and the maximum value is 10. The "PixelAmountSensitivy" property's value can fall between 0 and 1 (because 0 is equal to 0% and 1 is equal to 100%), so we have to divide the trackbar's value by 100. The lower the value the more sensitive the motion detector will be because it will react to a lower number of pixel changes as well.

Set motion detection sensitivity example in C#

Windows Form WPF  

Windows forms version

Form1.cs

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.IO;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Mail;
using System.Net.Mime;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Ozeki.Media;
using Ozeki.Camera;

namespace OnvifIPCameraMotionDetection06
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        private IIPCamera _camera;
        private DrawingImageProvider _imageProvider;
        private MediaConnector _connector;
        private VideoViewerWF _videoViewerWf;
        private MotionDetector _motionDetector;
        private Image _image;
        private SnapshotHandler _snapshot;

        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            _imageProvider = new DrawingImageProvider();
            _connector = new MediaConnector();
            _snapshot = new SnapshotHandler();
            _motionDetector = new MotionDetector();
            _motionDetector.MotionDetection += _motionDetector_MotionDetection;
            _motionDetector.MotionColor = MotionColor.Red;
            _motionDetector.HighlightMotion = HighlightMotion.Highlight;
        }

        private void MainForm_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            _videoViewerWf = new VideoViewerWF
            {
                Size = new Size(260, 180),
                BackColor = Color.Black,
                TabStop = false,
                FlipMode = FlipMode.None,
                Location = new Point(40, 30),
                Name = "_videoViewerWf"
            };
            CameraBox.Controls.Add(_videoViewerWf);
        }

        // If motion has been detected we are going to create a snapshot using the actual date in its name and call the SendEmail() method
        private void _motionDetector_MotionDetection(object sender, MotionDetectionEvent e)
        {
            if (e.Detection)
            {
                InvokeGuiThread(() => label_Motion.Text = "Motion detected");

                var date = DateTime.Now.Year + "y-" + DateTime.Now.Month + "m-" + DateTime.Now.Day + "d-" +
                                DateTime.Now.Hour + "h-" + DateTime.Now.Minute + "m-" + DateTime.Now.Second + "s";
                var filename = "Camera_" + date + ".jpg";

                Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
                {
                    var snapshot = _snapshot.TakeSnapshot();
                    _image = snapshot.ToImage();
                    _image.Save(filename);
                    SendEmail(filename);
                });
            }
            else
                InvokeGuiThread(() => label_Motion.Text = "Motion ended");
        }

        private void SendEmail(string file)
        {
            try
            {
                var fromAddress = new MailAddress("from@gmail.com", "OZEKI");
                var toAddress = new MailAddress("to@gmail.com", "OZEKI");
                const string fromPassword = "myPassowrd";
                const string subject = "Alarm Snapshot";
                const string body = "Motion detected";

                var attachmentFilename = file;
                var attachment = new Attachment(attachmentFilename, MediaTypeNames.Application.Octet);
                if (attachmentFilename != null)
                {
                    ContentDisposition disposition = attachment.ContentDisposition;
                    disposition.CreationDate = File.GetCreationTime(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.ModificationDate = File.GetLastWriteTime(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.ReadDate = File.GetLastAccessTime(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.FileName = Path.GetFileName(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.Size = new FileInfo(attachmentFilename).Length;
                    disposition.DispositionType = DispositionTypeNames.Attachment;
                }

                var smtp = new SmtpClient
                {
                    Host = "smtp.gmail.com",
                    Port = 587,
                    EnableSsl = true,
                    DeliveryMethod = SmtpDeliveryMethod.Network,
                    UseDefaultCredentials = false,
                    Credentials = new NetworkCredential(fromAddress.Address, fromPassword)
                };
                using (var message = new MailMessage(fromAddress, toAddress)
                {
                    Subject = subject,
                    Body = body
                })
                {
                    message.Attachments.Add(attachment);
                    smtp.Send(message);
                    InvokeGuiThread(() => label_Email.Text = "Sending successful");
                }
            }
            catch (Exception exception)
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Error: " + exception.Message);
            }
        }

        private void button_Connect_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            _camera = new IPCamera("192.168.112.109:8080", "user", "qwe123");

            _connector.Connect(_camera.VideoChannel, _motionDetector);
            _connector.Connect(_motionDetector, _imageProvider);
            _connector.Connect(_camera.VideoChannel, _snapshot);
            _videoViewerWf.SetImageProvider(_imageProvider);
            _videoViewerWf.Start();
            _camera.Start();
            _motionDetector.Start();
        }

        private void InvokeGuiThread(Action action)
        {
            BeginInvoke(action);
        }
    }
}
		
Code 1 - Set motion detection sensitivity example in C#

Please note that none of the cancel and disconnect methods are included in the example because of the demonstrating intent and briefness of the article.

GUI

the graphical user interface of your application
Figure 1 - The graphical user interface of your application

After the successful implementation of the functions and the GUI elements, the application will work properly. Pressing the connect button will load in the image of the IP camera device connected to your PC into the panel that you can see on the picture. Beside this you can set detection sensitivity for the camera with the two trackbars.

Below you can find the code that belongs to the interface of the previously presented application. With the help of this section your Windows Forms Application will be able to work properly.

Form1.Designer.cs

	namespace OnvifIPCameraMotionDetection06
{
    partial class Form1
    {
        private System.ComponentModel.IContainer components = null;

        protected override void Dispose(bool disposing)
        {
            if (disposing && (components != null))
            {
                components.Dispose();
            }
            base.Dispose(disposing);
        }

        private void InitializeComponent()
        {
            this.groupBox1 = new System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox();
            this.button_Connect = new System.Windows.Forms.Button();
            this.CameraBox = new System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox();
            this.groupBox2 = new System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox();
            this.label_Email = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
            this.label_Motion = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
            this.label2 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
            this.label1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
            this.groupBox1.SuspendLayout();
            this.groupBox2.SuspendLayout();
            this.SuspendLayout();
            // 
            // groupBox1
            // 
            this.groupBox1.Controls.Add(this.button_Connect);
            this.groupBox1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(10, 10);
            this.groupBox1.Name = "groupBox1";
            this.groupBox1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(110, 70);
            this.groupBox1.TabIndex = 0;
            this.groupBox1.TabStop = false;
            this.groupBox1.Text = "Connect";
            // 
            // button_Connect
            // 
            this.button_Connect.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Microsoft Sans Serif", 8.5F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(238)));
            this.button_Connect.ForeColor = System.Drawing.Color.Black;
            this.button_Connect.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(15, 25);
            this.button_Connect.Name = "button_Connect";
            this.button_Connect.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(80, 23);
            this.button_Connect.TabIndex = 6;
            this.button_Connect.Text = "Connect";
            this.button_Connect.UseVisualStyleBackColor = true;
            this.button_Connect.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.button_Connect_Click);
            // 
            // CameraBox
            // 
            this.CameraBox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(10, 85);
            this.CameraBox.Name = "CameraBox";
            this.CameraBox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(345, 230);
            this.CameraBox.TabIndex = 3;
            this.CameraBox.TabStop = false;
            this.CameraBox.Text = "Live camera ";
            // 
            // groupBox2
            // 
            this.groupBox2.Controls.Add(this.label_Email);
            this.groupBox2.Controls.Add(this.label_Motion);
            this.groupBox2.Controls.Add(this.label2);
            this.groupBox2.Controls.Add(this.label1);
            this.groupBox2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(145, 10);
            this.groupBox2.Name = "groupBox2";
            this.groupBox2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(210, 70);
            this.groupBox2.TabIndex = 4;
            this.groupBox2.TabStop = false;
            this.groupBox2.Text = "Motion alarm";
            // 
            // label_Email
            // 
            this.label_Email.AutoSize = true;
            this.label_Email.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;
            this.label_Email.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(105, 45);
            this.label_Email.Name = "label_Email";
            this.label_Email.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(2, 15);
            this.label_Email.TabIndex = 3;
            // 
            // label_Motion
            // 
            this.label_Motion.AutoSize = true;
            this.label_Motion.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.FixedSingle;
            this.label_Motion.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(105, 20);
            this.label_Motion.Name = "label_Motion";
            this.label_Motion.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(2, 15);
            this.label_Motion.TabIndex = 2;
            // 
            // label2
            // 
            this.label2.AutoSize = true;
            this.label2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(10, 45);
            this.label2.Name = "label2";
            this.label2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(78, 13);
            this.label2.TabIndex = 1;
            this.label2.Text = "E-mail sending:";
            // 
            // label1
            // 
            this.label1.AutoSize = true;
            this.label1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(10, 20);
            this.label1.Name = "label1";
            this.label1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(42, 13);
            this.label1.TabIndex = 0;
            this.label1.Text = "Motion:";
            // 
            // Form1
            // 
            this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 13F);
            this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;
            this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(374, 324);
            this.Controls.Add(this.groupBox2);
            this.Controls.Add(this.CameraBox);
            this.Controls.Add(this.groupBox1);
            this.FormBorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FormBorderStyle.FixedDialog;
            this.MaximizeBox = false;
            this.Name = "Form1";
            this.StartPosition = System.Windows.Forms.FormStartPosition.CenterScreen;
            this.Text = "Onvif Camera Motion Detection Emailing Snapshot";
            this.Load += new System.EventHandler(this.MainForm_Load);
            this.groupBox1.ResumeLayout(false);
            this.groupBox2.ResumeLayout(false);
            this.groupBox2.PerformLayout();
            this.ResumeLayout(false);

        }

        private System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox groupBox1;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Button button_Connect;
        private System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox CameraBox;
        private System.Windows.Forms.GroupBox groupBox2;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Label label_Email;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Label label_Motion;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Label label2;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Label label1;
    }
}
		
Code 2 - GUI example in C#

WPF version

MainWindow.xaml.cs

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.IO;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Mail;
using System.Net.Mime;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using System.Windows;
using Ozeki.Media;
using Ozeki.Camera;

namespace OnvifIPCameraMotionDetection06Wpf
{
    /// 
    /// Interaction logic for MainWindow.xaml
    /// 
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        private IIPCamera _camera;
        private DrawingImageProvider _drawingImageProvider;
        private MediaConnector _connector;
        private MotionDetector _motionDetector;
        private SnapshotHandler _snapshot;
        private Image _image;

        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();

            _drawingImageProvider = new DrawingImageProvider();
            _connector = new MediaConnector();
            _snapshot = new SnapshotHandler();
            _motionDetector = new MotionDetector();
            _motionDetector.MotionDetection += _motionDetector_MotionDetection;
            videoViewer.SetImageProvider(_drawingImageProvider);
        }

        private void Connect_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            _camera = new IPCamera("192.168.112.109:8080", "user", "qwe123");

            _connector.Connect(_camera.VideoChannel, _motionDetector);
            _connector.Connect(_motionDetector, _drawingImageProvider);
            _connector.Connect(_camera.VideoChannel, _snapshot);
            videoViewer.Start();
            _camera.Start();
            _motionDetector.Start();
        }

        // If motion has been detected we are going to create a snapshot using the actual date in its name and call the SendEmail() method
        private void _motionDetector_MotionDetection(object sender, MotionDetectionEvent e)
        {
            if (e.Detection)
            {
                InvokeGuiThread(() => label_Motion.Content = "Motion detected");

                var date = DateTime.Now.Year + "y-" + DateTime.Now.Month + "m-" + DateTime.Now.Day + "d-" +
                                DateTime.Now.Hour + "h-" + DateTime.Now.Minute + "m-" + DateTime.Now.Second + "s";
                var filename = "Camera_" + date + ".jpg";

                Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
                {
                    _image = _snapshot.TakeSnapshot().ToImage();
                    _image.Save(filename);
                    SendEmail(filename);
                });
            }
            else
                InvokeGuiThread(() => label_Motion.Content = "Motion ended");
        }

        private void SendEmail(string file)
        {
            try
            {
                var fromAddress = new MailAddress("from@gmail.com", "OZEKI");
                var toAddress = new MailAddress("to@gmail.com", "OZEKI");
                const string fromPassword = "myPassword";
                const string subject = "Alarm Snapshot";
                const string body = "Motion detected";

                var attachmentFilename = file;
                var attachment = new Attachment(attachmentFilename, MediaTypeNames.Application.Octet);
                if (attachmentFilename != null)
                {
                    ContentDisposition disposition = attachment.ContentDisposition;
                    disposition.CreationDate = File.GetCreationTime(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.ModificationDate = File.GetLastWriteTime(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.ReadDate = File.GetLastAccessTime(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.FileName = Path.GetFileName(attachmentFilename);
                    disposition.Size = new FileInfo(attachmentFilename).Length;
                    disposition.DispositionType = DispositionTypeNames.Attachment;
                }

                var smtp = new SmtpClient
                {
                    Host = "smtp.gmail.com",
                    Port = 587,
                    EnableSsl = true,
                    DeliveryMethod = SmtpDeliveryMethod.Network,
                    UseDefaultCredentials = false,
                    Credentials = new NetworkCredential(fromAddress.Address, fromPassword)
                };
                using (var message = new MailMessage(fromAddress, toAddress)
                {
                    Subject = subject,
                    Body = body
                })
                {
                    message.Attachments.Add(attachment);
                    smtp.Send(message);
                    InvokeGuiThread(() => label_Email.Content = "Sending successful");
                }
            }
            catch (Exception exception)
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Error: " + exception.Message);
            }
        }

        private void InvokeGuiThread(Action action)
        {
            Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(action);
        }
    }
}
		
Code 1 - Set motion detection sensitivity example in C#

Please note that none of the cancel and disconnect methods are included in the example because of the demonstrating intent and briefness of the article.

GUI

the graphical user interface of your application
Figure 1 - The graphical user interface of your application

After the successful implementation of the functions and the GUI elements, the application will work properly. Pressing the connect button will load in the image of the IP camera device connected to your PC into the panel that you can see on the picture. Beside this you can set detection sensitivity fo the camera with the two trackbars.

Below you can find the code that belongs to the interface of the previously presented application. With the help of this section yor WPF Application will be able to work properly.

MainWindow.xaml.cs

	<Window x:Class="OnvifIPCameraMotionDetection04Wpf.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:controls="clr-namespace:Ozeki.Media;assembly=OzekiSDK"
        Title="Onvif camera motion detection sensitivity" Height="407" Width="336" ResizeMode="CanMinimize" WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen">
    <Grid>
        <GroupBox Header="Live camera" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="10,37,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Height="226" Width="308">
            <Grid HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="204" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="296">
                <controls:VideoViewerWPF Name="videoViewer" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Background="Black"/>
            </Grid>
        </GroupBox>
        <Button Content="Connect" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="10,10,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="75" RenderTransformOrigin="-0.107,-0.364" Click="Connect_Click"/>
        <GroupBox Header="Motion detection sensitivity" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Margin="14,268,0,0" VerticalAlignment="Top" Height="101" Width="304">
            <Grid HorizontalAlignment="Left" Height="79" VerticalAlignment="Top" Width="292">
                <Grid.RowDefinitions>
                    <RowDefinition Height="1*"/>
                    <RowDefinition Height="1*"/>
                </Grid.RowDefinitions>
                <Label Content="Pixel intensity" HorizontalAlignment="Left" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
                <Label Content="Pixel amount" HorizontalAlignment="Left" Grid.Row="1" VerticalAlignment="Center"/>
                <Slider x:Name="trackBar_Intensity" HorizontalAlignment="Right" VerticalAlignment="Center" Margin="0,9" Width="194" Maximum="255" PreviewMouseLeftButtonDown="trackBar_Intensity_Scroll"/>
                <Slider x:Name="trackBar_Amount" HorizontalAlignment="Right" Grid.Row="1" VerticalAlignment="Center" Width="194" PreviewMouseLeftButtonDown="trackBar_Amount_Scroll"/>
            </Grid>
        </GroupBox>
    </Grid>
	</Window>

		
Code 2 - GUI example in C#

DISCLAIMER: Please note that the following features will only work if your IP camera supports the given function. You should check the user manual of your IP camera to make sure it supports the feature that you wish to implement in C#.

Related Pages

FAQ

Below you can find the answers for the most frequently asked questions related to this topic:

  1. How can I get the URL of the camera?

    You can get the URL from the producer of the camera. (In the 10th tutorial you can find information on how to create an own IP camera discoverer program.)

  2. I have not managed to build the solution. How to solve it?

    • Please set the Target framework property of the project to .NET 4.0.
    • You should add the System.Drawing.dll and the OzekiSDK.dll to the references of the solution.
    • Please import the missing classes.

More information