Is there a T on the photo info strip?
The first thing to check is the letter on the photo info strip. If it's T, as shown in the photo below, time lapse is on. Turn it off and request a settings update.
This shows time lapse on in the regular trigger settings, but if you are using Start-Stop times, check there, as well.
Is there an M on the photo info strip?
If there is an M on the photo info strip, then the camera is sensing motion. Both wind and temperature variation (bright sun/warmth vs. shade/cool) can cause false triggers. You may need to increase the trigger interval during the time of the day that the false triggers are more common and/or use Start-Stop times to use longer trigger intervals during the problem time of the day and regular ones for the rest of the day.
You can try adjusting Sensitivity, but it's usually best to leave it on Normal even when temperatures are outside the suggested range. Low is for temperatures colder than 10° F, Normal for between 10° F and 80° F, and High for temperatures higher than 80° F.
Wind
If you are getting photos with nothing in them like the one shown below and the nearly identical ones in the app's grid view, request a video. That may show you foliage or vegetation moving in front of the camera (the closer the vegetation or foliage is to the camera, the worse the false triggers will be) or even the tree the camera is mounted on moving. If the camera is capable of Photo + Video, set it to that and request a video from one of the photos.
There's nothing obvious in this photo.
However, there are lots of nearly identical photos with nothing in them.
The video makes it quite clear that wind is causing the magnolia tree to move and that is triggering the camera.
Temperature contrast
Sometimes when there are areas of dark shade (cooler temperatures) and bright sunlight (warmer temperatures), the camera will false trigger. It's particular prevalent when there are cool mornings and warmer temperatures in the afternoon or in especially hot weather. The photo below shows an area where bright sunlight has washed out an area of the photo and shady, cooler areas elsewhere.
Ants
A camera infested with ants often sends frequent motion-triggered photos. If you discover that your camera is infested, seal it inside a sturdy zipper-seal plastic bag with ant powder then freeze it for at least 48 hours to kill all the ants. When you redeploy it, sprinkle a little ant powder inside the battery compartment and inside the security box if you use one. You can also spray the tree around the area where the camera is mounted but be careful about spraying the camera because some sprays damage plastic. Test first. An ant infestation can sometimes damage a camera so badly that it's no longer functional.
Damaged PIR sensor cover or bad PIR sensor
A damaged PIR sensor cover or a bad PIR sensor can cause false triggers. Damaged PIR sensor covers are inexpensive and easy to replace. A bad PIR sensor is not repairable. Please contact support, support@spartancamera.com or 770-582-0004 8:30 am - 6:30 pm Eastern M-F for either of these issues.
You can test for PIR sensor problems but running the camera face down on a flat surface or in a closet or drawer where there is no chance of there being movement. If the camera continues to take/send photos, there is probably a problem with the PIR sensor.
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