Pre-configuration checklist
Review site schedule - Only schedule alarms during times when the monitored areas are expected to be unoccupied. This helps avoid triggering alarms during normal business hours or regular activities.
Identify expected after-hours activity - Document any routine off-hours events such as janitorial services, maintenance, deliveries, or scheduled pickups that could affect alarm behavior.
Evaluate coverage areas - Check if any devices are monitoring publicly accessible or outdoor areas that might have regular public activity, such as sidewalks or loading zones. Consider excluding or adjusting alarm settings for these zones to prevent unnecessary alerts.
Best Practices
Schedule
Only arm your alarm system during periods when the area is expected to be unoccupied. This minimizes false alarms caused by normal activity during business hours or scheduled events.
Predicting Expected Activity when using schedules
Use the Show Examples tool when configuring camera triggers. This tool estimates the number of alarms that may occur per week based on your configured regions of interest and historical activity during the selected arm schedule.
For camera partitions, click into each camera trigger to view activity trends. Use this data to fine-tune the arm schedule or adjust protected regions.
Click this arm schedule.
See Configure Camera Alarm Trigger Events for New Alarms for more information.
Authorized after-hours activity Configuration Options
Avoid using schedules for high-traffic after-hours activity such as cleaning crews or delivery personnel. Instead, install BK22 keypads at entrances to allow authorized users to disarm and re-arm the system.
Assign keycodes to specific partitions or the entire site. User keycodes are tied to individual Verkada users, while general keycodes are shared and intended for groups such as cleaning staff or guests.
If the keypad is located indoors, and outdoor or entrance cameras are set as alarm triggers, configure entry and exit delays to allow enough time for users to disarm the system.
Alternatively, use the Command mobile app to let authorized users remotely arm or disarm the system. This offers greater flexibility and helps reduce false alarms.
See Configure New Alarms Site Settings for more information.
Exclude Public Areas
Prevent false alarms caused by public activity by excluding publicly accessible areas, such as sidewalks, roads, or neighboring properties, when configuring camera triggers.
For indoor cameras installed near glass doors or windows, adjust the protected area to exclude any outdoor spaces visible through the glass to avoid capturing irrelevant movement.
Outdoor Camera Configurations
To reduce false alarms in high-traffic areas, configure camera triggers to use loitering detection instead of person detection.
Alerts with BZ11 action for first line of defense
Set alerts to trigger on person detection while reserving alarm triggers for loitering to allow people time to leave before an alarm sounds.
Use BZ11 speakers to provide courtesy announcements, such as verbal warnings that the area is under live monitoring.
Door contacts and context cameras for monitoring entrances
Install door contact sensors paired with context cameras to provide video verification instead of relying solely on camera triggers.
Alternative Solution for Open Areas
For outdoor areas without fencing or access control that experience unauthorized after-hours activity, use alerts with automatic talk-down via BZ11 speakers instead of traditional alarm coverage.
See Create Camera Event Alerts for more information.
Post installation checklist
Conduct thorough testing of all devices and configurations before arming for after-hours
Perform end-to-end trigger testing: arm the system, raise an alarm, verify notifications, and confirm alarms can be resolved and disarmed as expected.
Verify scheduled times, entry/exit delays, and mobile app integration are functioning correctly.
Confirm entry and exit delays provide sufficient time to disarm
Validate that publicly accessible areas are excluded from alarm monitoring.
Final reminders
Set alarm schedules carefully to coincide with expected activity.
Regularly review and update your alarm system configuration.
Exclude public or frequently trafficked areas from alarm monitoring.
Maintain a verified contact list with active users who understand and accept their responsibilities.
Prefer to see it in action? Check out the video tutorial.
Need more help? Contact Verkada Support.