Garage door left open: an AI camera Event

Use a clear view of your garage door and a plain-language Event to notice when it remains open during your monitoring schedule.

Create and schedule the Event →

Start with this instruction

The garage door is open. The opening beneath the door is clearly visible. Do not count a person or vehicle passing in front of a closed door.

Example workspace preview. A starting point to test with your own camera.

Add Event

What should your Agent notice?Describe something visible, including the location if it matters. For example: “The garage door stays open.”

Garage door left open

Which cameras?

Garage

Reuse this Event on multiple cameras. Without a camera, it is saved for later.

When should it watch?

Advanced Standard detection and notification settings

Notify whenDetection needs sufficient evidence. Processing and confirmation take time; alerts are not instantaneous. Consider it over after

How long observations must show the situation has ended. Missing footage does not count as clearance.Remind me while this continuesMinimum time between new alerts

Limits how quickly a separate incident can open after the previous alert. Reminders have their own interval.Location context (optional)Add detail if it is not in your description. This is guidance, not a precise drawn boundary. Also notify me when it ends

Save a Message when the incident clears and send Push to devices where you enabled it.

Choose a view that answers one question

Can you clearly tell whether the door is open or closed? Place the camera so the whole opening stays in view, including at night. Avoid headlights, reflections and parked vehicles obscuring the door.

Use an existing compatible local-stream camera and an awake Station. This recipe does not require a garage-door controller and does not open or close the door.

Create and schedule the Event

Create an Event named “Garage door left open” and use the instruction above as a starting point. Attach it only to cameras that clearly show this door.
Set the Event schedule to the hours when an open door matters to you. Configure a required duration if you want to ignore brief openings; test the chosen duration rather than assuming an exact notification deadline.
Choose the camera’s analysis mode and review its estimated provider usage. A door can remain open without movement, so check quiet-scene behavior as well as the opening action.

Test open, closed and obstructed views

With monitoring active, leave the door closed and check that ordinary passing activity does not create the Event.
Open the door under supervision, keep it visible and inspect Messages after analysis. Try your schedule and required duration, then repeat after dark.
Check a partly obscured view and adjust camera placement or wording if results are ambiguous. Enable Push on the device that should receive notifications.

Understand the limits and the cost

An example Message might say: “The garage door is open and the opening is visible.” This is an illustration, not a recorded customer result or a guaranteed detection.

AI can miss or misinterpret a scene. Sampling, connectivity, provider response time and your Event settings affect when a Message arrives. Keep normal security routines; this is not a door sensor or a guaranteed alarm.

Camera slots and AI provider usage are separate costs. The calculator estimates usage for your schedule; plan subscription fees are excluded from that estimate. Station sends selected frames directly to your chosen provider using your own key.

Your next steps

Estimate monitoring costs →Include your schedule, camera slots and separate AI provider usage.Set up your Station →Pair an available Station, then connect your camera.Fix a stream that works only in VLC →Browse camera setup guides →

FAQs

No. This Event reports a visible situation. It does not control the door.

No. The camera, Station and required network connections must remain available. A phone running Station must also meet its platform’s foreground-monitoring requirements.