Dash Cam Calibration

After you Install a Dash Cam and enable AI Event Detection, Samsara dual and front-facing dash cams with AI capabilities undergo an Automatic Calibration process for determining the vanishing point (where the center of the lane meets the horizon line). This calibration takes 30 minutes while driving at speeds exceeding 45 mph. If you need to trigger events before the calibration finishes, you have the option to Manually Configure Calibration for the vanishing point.

Automatic Calibration

The dash cam automatically determines the vanishing point based on the following assumptions:

• The vehicle is within the default lane positions.

• The vehicle type is accurate. Dash cam height is determined by the vehicle type. If you need to adjust the dash cam height, you can manually adjust this setting on a per-vehicle basis or when you Enable and Configure AI Event Detection.

• The dash cam position is perfectly centered on the lane and horizon.

After an automatic calibration, the dash cam automatically re-calibrates every two weeks to ensure that it can accurately detect safety events such as Following Distance (Tailgating) Detection and Forward Collision Warning [Beta]. If either detection type is enabled and an event is detected before calibration is complete, the vehicle receives an in-cab audio alert and the event is marked automatically with a Dismissed status (Safety > Safety Inbox > Dismissed) in the Samsara dashboard. To verify the dash cam position, Test Dash Cam Positioning.

Manually Configure Calibration

If needed, you can perform a manual calibration before the automatic calibration is complete. Manual calibration will override the automatic calibration process and can result in false positive events if the camera shifts. Samsara recommends that you re-perform the manual calibration if you experience false positive events.

To calibrate the dash cam manually, perform the following workflow:

1. Select the Settings icon ( ) at the bottom of your Fleet menu to view dashboard settings.

2. From Fleet settings, select Safety > Event Detection.

3. Within AI Event Detection settings, click Camera Calibration Settings.

4. If desired, use the search to quickly locate a dash cam by device name, or narrow the scope of the result with tags or Filter by Camera Configuration (Unconfigured or User Configured).

5. On the image thumbnail, select the more actions menu (...) > Edit.

   

   The crosshairs turn from green to blue during editing.

6. Click the location where the center of the lane and the horizon line meet to set the vanishing point. For example:

   

   The vanishing point saves automatically.

7. Re-perform manual calibration as needed to ensure accuracy.