How to set a capture schedule
Control when a camera captures, uploads, and livestreams by managing its schedules.
A schedule decides when a camera does its work: when it captures photos, when it uploads them, and when it livestreams. Getting the schedule right keeps your timelapse smooth and your data usage sensible. This guide covers viewing and changing a feed's schedules on both web and mobile.
Before you start
- Editing a schedule is an administrator task.
- Decide the window (the hours the camera should be active) and how often it should capture within that window before you start.
View a feed's schedules
Open the feed and select the Schedule section. On the left is a list of the feed's schedules, grouped into Capture, Upload, and Livestream. On the right, a This week panel shows a 7-day rollup so you can see the pattern at a glance.
Add or edit a schedule
- To add one, select Add and choose the type (Capture, Upload, or Livestream).
- To change one, select the edit (pencil) icon on its row.
In the dialog you can set:
- Name for the schedule.
- Recurrence and the days of the week it runs.
- The time window (start and end time).
- The frequency (how often within the window, from every minute up to several hours, with a custom option).
- For a Livestream schedule, additional options such as streaming to the server and recording locally.
Select Save. To remove a schedule, use the delete (trash) icon on its row and confirm.
Done
The camera follows its new schedule from the next capture window.
Good to know
- Capture, upload, and livestream are separate schedules. A camera can capture often but upload less frequently to manage data usage.
- The timezone on the feed's General settings controls how the schedule's times are read, so make sure it is set to the site's local timezone.
- Complex schedules are edited on the web app. The mobile editor is for simple, uniform weekly schedules; it will tell you when a schedule is too complex to edit on mobile.
Common questions
Why can't I edit the schedule on my phone? The mobile editor only handles simple weekly schedules. If yours has multiple sessions or varying windows, edit it on the web app.
What's the difference between capture and upload? Capture is when the camera takes photos. Upload is when it sends them to Sentinel OS. They can run on different frequencies.
Does a livestream run all the time? Only during the window set on its Livestream schedule.