Detections
Working with the wallpaper behind your windows, you don't have to keep an eye on it. When a camera sees a person or an animal, PanoPaper tells you: a quiet line at the top of the screen, a soft chime, and outlines around them on the wallpaper - and, if you like, a notification in Notification Center. One click shows the camera in Full Screen.
Detections are part of PanoPaper Pro. In the free version, their settings are locked.
How it works
Your UniFi cameras detect people and animals themselves, as set up in UniFi Protect. PanoPaper learns about each detection as it happens - from every camera, not only the one on your wallpaper - and tells you only about real people and animals: moving water, a flag in the wind or reflections never set it off.
Everything happens on your own network - on your cameras, your NVR and your Mac. Nothing is sent to us or to any cloud service.
The detection overlay
A small box at the top of the screen with the pointer - the detection overlay - names what was seen and where: "Person · Port Dome". A line goes a few seconds after the person or animal has left the picture. With several cameras seeing someone, each has its own line; a line that has been there for two minutes - someone sitting still - dims.
- Click a line to watch that camera in Full Screen. If no display shows that camera, the display with the pointer switches to it for the moment; Esc brings your usual cameras back.
- Or press your Full Screen shortcut within a minute of a detection: it shows that camera too.
A soft two-tone chime plays when someone is first seen.
In Notification Center
With 'Show in Notification Center' on in Settings ▸ Detections, each detection also arrives as a macOS notification the moment PanoPaper sees the person or animal: "Person at Port Dome", with the camera's picture of them. The notifications make no sound; the chime is enough. Each camera's notifications are grouped together, so you can look back at what happened while you were away.
- Click a notification to watch that camera in Full Screen.
- The first time you turn it on, macOS asks whether PanoPaper may send notifications. If they are turned off for PanoPaper, it offers to open System Settings.
- Whether they show as banners that go away by themselves or as alerts that stay until you close them is up to you, in System Settings ▸ Notifications ▸ PanoPaper. There you can also keep them off the lock screen, or turn them off.
Outlines on the wallpaper
When the wallpaper shows the camera that sees someone, PanoPaper draws a frame around each person (yellow), face (orange) and animal (green), with its name above it. The frames follow them as they move - behind your windows too, and in Full Screen. They are not drawn over a flattened 360° view.
Choosing what and how
In Settings ▸ Detections you turn detections on or off, choose people, animals or both, choose which cameras count, and whether you get the detection overlay, notifications in Notification Center, the outlines and the chime (and how loud).