How to Record a Barking Dog Problem

It's no surprise that we get a lot of customers looking for a way to record a barking dog problem. The barking is often worst late at night or happens on and off throughout the day, and by the time someone else is around to hear it the dog may be quiet. We also hear from customers dealing with loud music, shouting, vehicle noise, and other nuisance sounds coming from a neighboring property.

A lot of these customers are not looking to install a complete security camera system. They just want a camera that can hear the noise, record video and audio with a date and time stamp, and save the event so they can go back and review it. That is exactly what the audio detection feature in our IP cameras is useful for.

While our IP cameras are not made specifically to recognize barking dogs, cameras with audio detection can be set to record when the sound level changes enough to trigger an event. Using the threshold and sensitivity settings, you can fine tune the camera for the normal background noise around your property and the type of disturbance you are trying to record.

What you need to know is that the camera won't know if a dog is barking, someone is yelling, music is playing too loudly, a horn is honking, or another loud sound occurs - it simply detects changes in audio level. That can help with a barking dog situation, as well as many other noisy-neighbor situations.

To make this easier for someone who only needs one camera, we now offer a Barking Dog and Noisy Neighbor Camera Kit. It includes the camera with built-in microphone, a 256GB microSD card, PoE injector, and the network cables needed for a basic standalone installation. No, you do not need an NVR to get started.

Recommended Setup

Barking Dog & Noisy Neighbor Camera Kit with Audio Detection

SKU: DogBarkingCam

Includes the 4MP camera with built-in microphone and audio detection, 256GB microSD card, 30W PoE injector, and Ethernet cables needed for a standalone setup.

Special Price $319.99 Regular Price $419.99 24% off

Add to Cart View Product Details

What's needed to record a barking dog?

If you use the kit above, most of what is needed is already included. The basic setup consists of the following:

1. A camera with a built-in microphone and audio detection. The Barking Dog and Noisy Neighbor Camera Kit uses a black Avalonix 4MP PoE camera with a built-in microphone.
2. A microSD card installed in the camera for local recording. The kit includes a 256GB microSD card.
3. A PoE injector to power the camera and connect it to your computer network. A 30W PoE injector is included with the kit.
4. Network cabling. The kit includes a 6ft CAT5e cable for the router side and a 100ft CAT5e cable for the camera side.
5. A Windows PC is recommended for the easiest access to the camera's web interface and for adjusting the audio threshold and sensitivity. A Mac can also be used, but for configuration we recommend Windows.
6. A router or network switch so the camera can be accessed on your network.

An NVR is not required for this setup. The camera records directly to its microSD card. If you later find that you need longer recording storage, want recordings from several cameras in one place, or want to expand into a larger system, a compatible NVR can be added later.

What does the setup look like?

Short answer: it's pretty easy to set up. The camera is powered through a process known as Power over Ethernet, or PoE. That means one Ethernet cable can feed the camera power and connect it to your network, so there's no need to run a separate power cable to the camera.

The basic connection is:

Router or Network Switch → 6ft CAT5e → PoE Injector → 100ft CAT5e → Camera

The short cable connects the router or network switch to the data side of the PoE injector. The longer cable connects the PoE side of the injector to the camera. That one cable going to the camera carries both its power and network connection.

If you're new to security cameras, the picture below should give you a good idea of how easy this is to connect. This setup is not limited to professional installers. Homeowners and DIY users who are comfortable connecting Ethernet cables can handle the physical connections themselves.

If you have never connected a standalone IP camera before, follow our Standalone Security Camera Guide to get the camera onto your network and access its settings.

How the camera records a barking dog

Once the camera is mounted and connected to your network, the next step is to adjust Audio Detection. This is what allows the camera to react to sound instead of relying only on motion in the video.

For example, if the camera is looking over a backyard or property line, it can continue watching the area while the microphone listens for changes in sound. When a bark or other noise crosses the audio settings you have configured, the camera can create an event and record it to the microSD card.

The camera is not identifying the sound as a dog bark. It simply knows that the audio level changed enough to meet the conditions you set. That distinction is important because it means you have to spend a little time testing the sensitivity and threshold for your particular property.

How to set up Audio Detection based recording

Once the camera is set up and accessible on your computer network, use its web interface to configure Audio Detection. A Windows PC is what we recommend for this part of the setup because it gives you the easiest access to all of the camera settings.

Below we have the video that shows the process. The written steps are directly underneath it.

1. Access the web interface of the security camera. Follow our Standalone Security Camera Guide if you are unsure how to access an IP camera on your computer network.
2. Go to the camera's Storage settings and make sure the microSD card is installed, recognized, and formatted.
3. Make sure Local storage is selected for alarm or event recordings that you want saved to the microSD card.
4. Check the recording schedule and make sure the camera is allowed to record alarm events during the hours you want Audio Detection working.
5. Go to the Camera > Audio settings and make sure audio is enabled.
6. If the camera gives you a choice of audio input, select Mic for the built-in microphone. Line In is used for cameras that support an external microphone connection.
7. Adjust the microphone volume as needed. You can also test the noise filter if the camera model provides one.
8. Go to Event > Audio Detection.
9. Enable Intensity Change.
10. Adjust the Threshold and Sensitivity while watching the audio activity graph.
11. Enable recording as an action for the Audio Detection event.
12. Test the setup by creating the type of noise you want to record, then go to Playback and make sure the camera saved the event.

Fine tuning Threshold and Sensitivity

This is usually the part that takes the most trial and error. There are no perfect settings for Audio Detection because every property sounds different.

A camera in a quiet backyard may only hear occasional birds, wind, and a dog barking. A camera beside a busy street may constantly hear cars, trucks, people talking, and other background noise. The settings that work well at one house may be useless at another.

Threshold controls how much audio activity is needed before the camera considers the sound important enough to start an Audio Detection event. Sensitivity gives you another way to fine tune how the camera responds to those changes.

The graphical representation in the camera's web interface makes this much easier. Watch the graph while normal background sounds are happening. Then create or wait for a sound similar to the one you want to capture. Adjust the settings until the normal background noise stays below your trigger point while the louder disturbance causes an event.

You may have to come back and adjust the settings after the camera has been outside for a few days. Wind, traffic, landscaping equipment, and other normal sounds around a property can be different depending on the time of day.

For more information on these settings, see our Audio Detection settings guide.

Setting a schedule for barking or noise events

The Period setting tells the camera when Audio Detection should be active. This is useful if the problem usually happens during a particular part of the day.

For example, if the dog only becomes a problem at night, you can set Audio Detection to run during nighttime hours. If the issue is happening while you are away during the day, set the schedule for those hours instead.

You can also leave Audio Detection active for the entire day if you need to monitor the area all the time.

The Record option tells the camera to save video when the event occurs. To store those recordings locally, the microSD card must be installed and selected as a recording destination.

Recording to the microSD card

For one camera, recording directly to a microSD card is usually the easiest place to start. The Barking Dog and Noisy Neighbor Camera Kit includes a 256GB card that installs inside the camera.

That means the camera can record video and audio locally without an NVR and without a required cloud recording subscription.

How long the card holds recordings depends on the resolution, frame rate, bitrate, compression settings, recording schedule, and how often Audio Detection events occur. Event recording generally gives you more useful storage time than recording every second of the day when your main goal is to document occasional noise problems.

You can review recordings from the camera's web interface. Once you find the event you need, it can be played back and exported.

When would you add an NVR?

An NVR is optional for this application. You do not need to buy one just to record a barking dog or noisy neighbor with one camera.

However, an NVR makes sense if you decide you need longer storage time, want several cameras around the property, or prefer to manage and play back all of your cameras from one recorder.

The nice part about starting with the standalone camera is that you are not painting yourself into a corner. The same camera can later be connected to a compatible NVR and become part of a larger security camera system.

If the 256GB microSD card gives you enough recording history for the problem you are trying to document, there is no reason to add an NVR just for the sake of having one.

This setup is not limited to barking dogs

Although barking dogs are one of the most common reasons customers ask us about Audio Detection, the camera does not care what is making the noise.

This applies to any situation involving a noisy neighbor too - music played too loudly, someone yelling, a car making excessive noise, honking horns, construction, machinery, or any other recurring sound near your home, rental property, or business.

Once you have the camera installed, you can also continue using it as a normal security camera. It is not a single-purpose barking dog recorder. The camera can still be used for motion detection, Smart Motion Detection, Tripwire, Intrusion Detection, night vision, remote viewing, and everyday surveillance around the property.

Do you need internet for this to work?

No. Internet service is not required for the camera to record video and audio to its microSD card.

The camera does need to be connected to your local network if you want to access its web interface from a computer. An internet connection is needed if you want to view the camera remotely while you are away from the property.

Once Audio Detection is set up on your camera, you don't need to keep a PC running - it will continue listening for Audio Detection events and recording them to the microSD card on its own.

Start with one camera and keep it simple

If your goal is just to capture one barking dog along your property line or somewhere around your home, there's no need to overcomplicate things.

The Barking Dog and Noisy Neighbor Camera Kit gives you the camera, 256GB microSD card, PoE injector, and network cables needed to get started with one camera. It's a high-quality security camera, but the setup is simple enough for homeowners and DIY users to install and use on their own.

Once you need to store more footage or add more cameras, you can add an NVR. Until then, let the camera do what it's designed to do and record to its microSD card.