Groups

Groups are containers that organize cameras and their configurations. When you assign profiles and skills to a group, all cameras in that group inherit those settings, creating Detections that appear in the Detections page.

Navigation

Breadcrumb: AI Configuration > Detections > Groups

Groups are accessed from the Groups page, which is a child of the Detections page in the navigation hierarchy.

What is a Group?

A group is a logical container that:

• Holds skills (AI configurations)
• Holds profiles (trigger mappings)
• Assigns devices that inherit those configurations

Result: Each camera gets both profiles, creating 2 Detections per camera (6 total Detections).

Group Structure

Components

Component	Description	Relationship
Skills	AI detection configurations	Stored in group
Profiles	Trigger-to-skill mappings	Reference skills in same group
Devices	Cameras assigned to group	Inherit all profiles/skills

Key Rules

1. A device can only belong to one group
2. All devices in a group share the same configuration
3. Changes to the group update all devices automatically

Why Use Groups?

Configuration Management

Without groups:

Camera 1: Configure skills, profiles
Camera 2: Configure same skills, profiles (duplicate)
Camera 3: Configure same skills, profiles (duplicate)
...
Update needed: Change each camera individually

With groups:

Group: Configure skills, profiles once
├── Camera 1: Inherits automatically
├── Camera 2: Inherits automatically
└── Camera 3: Inherits automatically

Update needed: Change group once, all cameras updated

Fleet Scaling

Groups enable:

• One-time configuration for many cameras
• Instant deployment of new cameras
• Consistent behavior across devices
• Simplified troubleshooting

Groups User Interface

Groups are displayed in a table interface with a detail drawer for configuration.

Table View

The Groups page shows all groups in a sortable table:

Column	Description
Name	Group name (click to open drawer)
Devices	Count of assigned cameras
Profiles	Count of configured profiles
Skills	Count of configured skills
Status	Active/inactive indicator

Group Drawer

Click any group to open the detail drawer with tabs:

• Devices Tab - Manage camera assignments
• Profiles Tab - Add/remove profiles and their associated skills
• Settings Tab - Group configuration options

Navigation

• From Groups Page: Click a group to open the drawer
• From Detections Page: Groups appear as a filter option
• Creating New: Click "+ Create Group" to start

Groups and Detections

Each profile in a group creates one Detection per camera. View the Detections page to see all active detections across all groups.

Creating a Group

Step 1: Plan Your Grouping Strategy

Before creating groups, consider:

Grouping Factor	Example	Benefit
Location	"Warehouse A", "Building B"	Physical organization
Function	"Entrances", "Parking Lots"	Similar detection needs
Schedule	"Day Shift", "Night Shift"	Time-based configurations
Security Level	"Public Areas", "Restricted Zones"	Different sensitivities

Step 2: Create the Group

1. Navigate to Groups in the sidebar
2. Click + Create Group
3. Enter a descriptive name
4. Add optional description and tags
5. Click Create

Step 3: Add Skills

1. Go to the Skills tab
2. Create or import skills for this group
3. Test skills with sample images

Step 4: Add Profiles

1. Go to the Profiles tab
2. Create profiles linking triggers to skills
3. Configure schedules and options

Step 5: Assign Devices

1. Go to the Devices tab
2. Click + Add Devices
3. Select cameras from available devices
4. Click Assign

Group Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Good group names are:

• Descriptive of purpose or location
• Easy to identify in lists
• Consistent with your organization

Examples:

Good	Avoid
"Retail - Checkout Areas"	"Group 1"
"Warehouse Loading Docks"	"New cameras"
"Parking - Employee Lot"	"Test"

Grouping Strategies

By Location (Most Common)

├── Building A
│   ├── Entrances
│   ├── Corridors
│   └── Server Room
├── Building B
│   ├── Entrances
│   └── Warehouse
└── Parking
    ├── Employee Lot
    └── Visitor Lot

Benefits: Physical organization, location-specific skills

By Function

├── All Entrances
├── All Parking Areas
├── Restricted Zones
└── Public Areas

Benefits: Consistent detection across similar spaces

By Security Level

├── High Security
│   └── Data center, executive offices
├── Medium Security
│   └── Employee areas, corridors
└── Monitored Only
    └── Public spaces, lobbies

Benefits: Appropriate response levels

Group Size Guidelines

Size	Recommendation
1-10 cameras	Single group fine
10-50 cameras	Consider sub-groups by function
50+ cameras	Definitely split into logical groups

Performance

While there's no hard limit, smaller groups are easier to manage and update. Changes to a group with 200 cameras take longer to propagate than a group with 20.

Managing Groups

Viewing Group Status

The Groups dashboard shows:

• Device count and online status
• Active profiles
• Recent sessions
• Configuration version

Updating Configurations

When you update a group:

1. Changes save to cloud immediately
2. MQTT message sent to all devices
3. Devices apply new configuration within 30 seconds
4. PolicyAck confirms each device received update

Version Control

Groups have a version number that increments on each change:

Version	Purpose
Tracks configuration changes	Audit trail
Prevents downgrades	Devices reject older versions
Enables rollback planning	Know which version to restore

Device Assignment

Adding Devices

1. Navigate to group's Devices tab
2. Click + Add Devices
3. Select from available devices
4. Click Assign

Note: Devices can only belong to one group. Adding to a new group removes from the previous group.

Removing Devices

1. In group's Devices tab
2. Select devices to remove
3. Click Remove from Group

Removed devices:

• Stop receiving group configuration
• Keep cached configuration briefly
• Need assignment to new group for continued operation

Device Status Indicators

Status	Meaning
Online	Connected, configuration current
Offline	Not connected (network, power)
Pending	Awaiting configuration sync
Error	Configuration issue, check logs

Group Hierarchy Considerations

Anava uses flat groups (no nesting), but you can create hierarchy through naming:

Region - North
├── North - Building A
├── North - Building B
└── North - Parking

Region - South
├── South - Building C
└── South - Building D

Use tags for cross-cutting organization:

• priority:high, priority:low
• type:entrance, type:perimeter
• requires:PPE

Troubleshooting Groups

Devices Not Receiving Configuration

1. Check device is Online in Devices tab
2. Verify MQTT connection status
3. Check for configuration errors in device logs
4. Try removing and re-adding device to group

Configuration Mismatch

1. Compare group version with device's applied version
2. Check for network issues during sync
3. Review PolicyAck events for rejections

Slow Updates

1. Large groups take longer to update
2. Network latency affects sync time
3. Consider splitting very large groups

Example: Complete Group Setup

Scenario: Warehouse with loading docks, storage areas, and offices

Group 1: Loading Docks

Skills:
- Unauthorized Access Detection
- Vehicle Monitoring

Profiles:
- Motion trigger → Access Detection (24/7)
- Object (vehicle) → Vehicle Monitoring (6am-10pm)

Devices: 8 cameras on loading dock areas

Group 2: Storage Areas

Skills:
- Intrusion Detection
- Fire/Smoke Detection

Profiles:
- Motion trigger → Intrusion Detection (after hours)
- Motion trigger → Fire Detection (24/7)

Devices: 12 cameras in storage zones

Group 3: Office Areas

Skills:
- Occupancy Monitoring
- After-Hours Security

Profiles:
- Motion → Occupancy (business hours)
- Motion → After-Hours Security (after hours)

Devices: 6 cameras in office areas

Related Topics

• Detections Overview - How groups create detections
• Skills - Configure detection intelligence
• Profiles - Configure trigger mappings
• Event Flow - How detections process events