iSentry

Frequently Asked Questions

Setup & Installation

  1. How do I install the app? Please visit the installation page for detailed instructions
  2. Does the app work with all Mac webcams? – Yes, iSentry is compatible with all built-in Mac Webcams
  3. Can I use an external webcam? – Yes, iSentry is compatible with external webcams, including iSight cameras and USB cameras.
  4. What versions of Mac is iSentry compatible with? – iSentry works on any Mac running macOS 10.14 or later. Built‑in and USB webcams are supported. 
  5. What’s the difference between iSentry Free and iSentry Pro? – Please see the Installation page for a chart showcasing all differences between versions.
  6. How do I upgrade from Free to Pro or Enterprise? – Open the app and go to Help ▸ Upgrade to Pro. After purchase, you’ll receive a registration code by email. Enter the code in the app under Help ▸ Register. If you don’t receive the code, check your spam folder or contact support with your purchase email. iSentry Enterprise must be purchased separately from the app store. You can find a download link on the Installation page.

Features & Functionality

  1. What happens if motion is detected on my webcam? – When motion is detected within the parameters set in the settings section, iSentry will play an alarm noise of your choosing, begin video recording, and send you an email alert.
  2. Where do the videos get saved? – Videos get recorded by iSentry are saved to a folder/directory of your choosing, the exact destination is configurable upon launching iSentry.
  3. Is there sound detection or only motion detection? – Only motion detection is supported at this time, please keep an eye on this website to stay up to date on any updates or new additions.
  4. Can I change which email my notifications get sent to? – Yes, this is fully configurable in the settings menu.
  5. Does the app work in the background while the computer is off? – iSentry will not run while the computer is asleep. Make sure your computer is not set to go to sleep automatically in System Preferences > Energy Saver. However, iSentry will be running if your display goes to sleep.
  6. How do I set up email alerts in iSentry? – Go to Settings ▸ Notifications and enter your email address. To use your Gmail account, you may need to enable app-specific passwords or enable “less secure apps” in your Google settings. Check that your SMTP server and port are correct. Some providers (like Gmail or iCloud) block unknown apps by default.
  7. Q: What video codes are supported for video recording/streaming? The full list of supported video codecs can be checked on this page.
  8. How can I reset all iSentry settings? To reset configuration, you should quit iSentry, then launch Terminal.app and enter this: defaults delete com.codeminders.isentry.enterprise
  9. How can I connect to iSentry remotely and view video from cameras? – Unfortunately, iSentry doesn’t provide support for streaming video for remote clients. However, you can connect to your Mac remotely using some third party software such as Apple Remote Desktop or TeamViewer. Alternatively, you can setup email notifications and select a destination for saved video/image files in a folder synchronized with a cloud storage service such as Dropbox, iCloud, Amazon Cloud Drive or Google Drive. Then, you start motion detection and when something happens, you will receive email notification and videos/images will be uploaded to the cloud. Also, you will be able to access these files on any device where you’ve installed cloud storage service software.

Privacy

  1. Is my video footage private and stored only locally? – Yes.
  2. Do you collect any data from users?– iSentry does not collect any data from users other than crash reports. However, use Crashlytics, a service by Google Inc. Crashlytics is a crash reporting service. For these crash reports, certain information about the crash such as device type, operating system version and some technical data about the mobile device is sent to Crashlytics. No personal data is transmitted and no conclusions can be drawn about specific persons. This analysis program uses anonymous IP addresses of users for analysis purposes. For more information about the data collected by Crashlytics, please see https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Customization

  1. Can I schedule surveillance times or set it to activate automatically? – Yes, start times can be scheduled to begin monitoring automatically in the free version. Advanced scheduling is available for the Pro and Enterprise versions. Please view the User Guide section on Scheduling for more information.
  2. Can I customize the area that the motion captures? – Yes, this is configurable in the settings page in the Pro Version. See the User Guide section on Area Masking.
  3. Can I adjust the sensitivity of motion detection? – Yes, in the settings page
  4. Is it possible to turn off notifications or customize how I’m alerted? – iSentry currently only supports email alerts. They can be turned off in the settings page.
  5. Can iSentry use an IP camera instead of a built-in webcam? – iSentry currently only supports built-in and USB-connected webcams. Support for IP camera feeds is under consideration for future releases.
  6. Does iSentry support the email notifications via iCloud mail? Yes, still you need to generate an app-specific password for iSentry and use it instead of your personal iCloud password. Email settings if you are using iCloud:
  • Username: Your full iCloud email address including your name and @icloud.com. An example is johnsmith@icloud.com
  • Password: An app-specific iCloud Mail password.
  • Server Address: smtp.mail.me.com
  • Server Port: 587
  • Use TLS (Secure Mail): Yes

Troubleshooting

  1. iSentry opens, but the camera doesn’t activate and nothing is recorded. What should I do? – Ensure your webcam is not being used by another app. Go to System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Camera and confirm that iSentry has camera access. Also verify that detection is enabled in Settings ▸ Detection, and test motion by waving in front of the camera.
  2. Why isn’t iSentry detecting motion or saving any video? – First, open Settings ▸ Detection and move the Activation Threshold slider a bit lower. Wave your hand in front of the camera until you hear the alert sound. Next, make sure the Save Folder is writable (no red warning in the Status window). Finally, keep the Mac awake; iSentry cannot record while the computer is asleep.
  3. My alert emails arrive late or out of order. How can I fix that? – iSentry sends the email as soon as motion is detected. Any delay is on your email provider’s servers. Gmail and iCloud are the fastest. If you would like real‑time alerts, enable Dropbox or a push service instead.
  4. I’m not recieving any emails at all! What can I do? First of all, check if you’ve properly set up email notifications in Preferences > Mail. Also, make sure that you have received and entered the verification code for the email address entered. Bee sure to check your spam/junk folders. Some email providers may block messages sent from our server (codeminders.com). In this case, please contact your email provider to remove codeminders.com from the black list. Or you can try using another provider (e.g. Gmail from Google).
  5. The video clips are too short. Can iSentry record longer footage? – Yes. Go to Settings ▸ Recording and increase the Maximum Clip Length. You can also enable Continuous Mode to keep recording until motion stops.
  6. Why does iSentry stop uploading to Dropbox after a while? – Make sure the Dropbox client is running, you are signed in, and there is enough space in your Dropbox account. Large video files or a slow network can cause skipped uploads.
  7. The SMTP Settings button is disabled. How can I edit the SMTP settings? The SMTP Settings button becomes active only if the “To:” field is filled in.

Download and Purchasing

  1. Is iSentry free? Are there any subscription features? – iSentry offers standard, Pro and Enterprise versions. iSentry is free, while Pro costs a ont time fee of $29.99, and Enterprise costs $199. Please see the Download page for more information.
  2. Can I use one iSentry Pro license on multiple Macs? – Each Pro license is valid for one Mac. If you need to move your license to a different device, email support and include your original purchase information.

My question isn’t answered here. What can I do? – Please email us at support@isentry.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.