Person Alerts help you monitor areas of your home where people are not expected to be when in Away Watch or Dark Watch mode.
Person Alerts are available only to Shield Select subscribers.
When a configured camera detects a person while Away Watch or Dark Watch is active, an Alert or Critical Alert is generated, depending on your phone type.
- For iPhone users, a Critical Alert is generated. Critical Alerts appear on the Lock Screen and play a sound even when Do Not Disturb is on or your iPhone is on silent.
- For all other types of phones, Alerts come through as standard push notifications.
Important: Person Alerts depend on camera placement, visibility, lighting conditions, network connectivity, and whether a person is within the camera's field of view. Person Alerts only alert you to whether a person is within the camera's field of view and is not a professionally monitored home security service.
What are Person Alerts?
Person Alerts use camera-based person detection to identify when a person enters a monitored area. Person Alerts can be set up separately for Away Watch and Dark Watch, allowing each camera to respond differently when your home is empty or household members are asleep.
How Person Alerts work
- A camera is selected for Person Alerts in Away Watch, Dark Watch, or both.
- When the selected mode is active and a person is detected, an Alert or Critical Alert is sent.
- You can open the Xfinity app, review the camera’s Live View and Activity, and decide what action to take.
- If enabled and appropriate, you can use Urgent Response after verifying the event.
How to turn on Person Alerts in Away Watch or Dark Watch
Use the Xfinity app to choose which cameras can trigger Person Alerts.
- Open the Xfinity app and go to the Home tab.
- Select the gear icon near your Modes status to go to Mode settings.
- Select Away Watch or Dark Watch, depending on the mode you want to configure.
- Open the Cameras section for that mode.
- Select the camera you want to configure.
- Turn on Person Alerts for that camera in the selected mode.
- Repeat these steps for any additional cameras and for the other mode if needed.
You can test your Person Alert settings by activating Away Watch or Dark Watch mode while at home, then walk in front of the camera you selected to confirm you receive the expected alert.
Tip: If you also use camera notification settings, see Turn on notifications for an Xfinity Camera to learn how to turn them on or off in the Xfinity app.
Use Person Alerts with Away Watch and Dark Watch
Away Watch is best for rooms that should be empty when nobody is home. Dark Watch is best for rooms that should remain unoccupied overnight.
Here are some suggested uses:
- Use Away Watch for living rooms, home offices, kitchens, basements, garages, and vacation homes when nobody should be present.
- Use Dark Watch for areas that should stay empty while household members are sleeping, such as a home office, basement, main living area, or lower-level entry path.
- Set up each camera separately so you only receive alerts from spaces that matter in that mode.
Recommended uses
Person Alerts work best in areas where a person should not be present while the selected mode is active. Common examples include:
- Living room: Covers a large common area and can provide visibility into major traffic paths when the home is empty.
- Home office: Helps monitor valuable equipment and sensitive workspaces during Away Watch or overnight during Dark Watch.
- Kitchen: Can be useful in open floor plans where the kitchen connects multiple rooms and pathways.
- Basement: Adds awareness for lower-level spaces that may not be visited often.
- Vacation home: Provides visibility in a property where occupants are rarely expected.
- Homes with pets: Many customers use indoor cameras to check on pets. Person Alerts may still help by focusing on person detection rather than general room activity.
Person Alerts and WiFi Motion
Person Alerts and WiFi Motion can both help monitor activity, but they work differently.
- WiFi Motion detects activity by using changes in WiFi signal behavior throughout the home.
- Person Alerts rely on camera-based person detection.
- If WiFi Motion is already monitoring an area, it is usually better not to configure a camera covering the same area for Person Alerts.
- In many homes, broader coverage comes from using WiFi Motion in one area and Person Alerts in another area rather than overlapping both in the same space.
Related: For more information, see Using WiFi Motion in the Xfinity app for setup and guidance.
Respond to a Person Alert
- Open the Xfinity app.
- Go to the camera’s Live View.
- Review the video feed and recent Activity to determine whether the event is expected.
- Clear the alert if the activity is expected.
- If the activity is unexpected and Urgent Response is enabled, use Urgent Response if needed.
Learn more about clearing an alert in the Xfinity app at Using Home Watch, Away Watch, and Dark Watch in the Xfinity app.
FAQs
Are Camera Person Alerts available with WiFi Shield?
No. Camera Person Alerts are available only to Shield Select subscribers.
Will a Person Alert trigger a Critical Alert?
Yes. If a configured camera detects a person while the selected mode is active, a Critical Alert is generated for iOS devices. For all other types of phones, Alerts come through as standard push notifications.
Can I enable Person Alerts in both Away Watch and Dark Watch?
Yes. Each camera can be configured independently for each mode.
Should I enable Person Alerts on every camera?
Not necessarily. Person Alerts are most effective in areas where people should not be present while the selected mode is active.
Can I use Person Alerts and WiFi Motion together?
Yes, but it is generally better not to use both features to monitor the same area because WiFi Motion will often detect activity first.
What should I do if I receive a Person Alert?
Open the Xfinity app, review Live View and Activity, and decide whether to clear the alert or use Urgent Response if needed.
Additional information
Visit our Online Support Center to find common solutions.
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