Trap control

Each trap's detail screen has a Controls card. This card sets the trap's arm mode and sends commands to the device. In the mobile app, open the trap and tap Controls to reach the same commands.

Arm mode

At the top of the Controls card is the arm-mode dropdown. Use it to set the trap to Unarmed, Scouting, or Armed. The dropdown explains each mode before you choose:

• Unarmed: Trap stands down. No catching or alerts.
• Scouting: Watches and sends photos, never catches.
• Armed: Catches and holds an animal, then alerts you.

Picking the mode the trap is already in does nothing.

Armed State

• Purpose: The trap is set to capture an animal.
• Safety Requirement: The user must manually open the door to activate this state. This ensures safety during the arming process.
• Behavior: Once armed and the door is confirmed open, the trap enters a low-power mode, conserving energy while remaining active for an animal to enter.
• Check-ins: The trap checks in with the cloud about every 20 minutes, armed or not. The app shows a trap as Online if it checked in within the last 30 minutes, so a healthy trap stays online between check-ins. You can turn on Offline alerts for each trap to be told when it goes offline and when it reconnects. See Notification settings.

Scouting State

• Purpose: The trap watches activity without closing the door.
• Safety Requirement: The door must already be fully open before Scouting Mode can be enabled.
• Behavior: Scouting detects animals like Armed mode, but the door stays open.
• Activity feed: Scout Alert records an animal entering the pre-capture area; Scout Trigger records it reaching the normal trigger distance. Each event type is limited to once every 5 minutes, while photos may continue. Scouting events appear in the trap activity feed only — they do not send push or email notifications and do not appear in the notification Inbox or bell.

For full details, see the Scouting mode page.

Unarmed State

• Purpose: The trap is not set to capture and is in a standby mode.
• Behavior: In this state, the trap listens for commands and does not close the door automatically if motion is detected.
• Transition: After a verified capture, the trap moves to Captured state with the door closed and locked. It stays there until you tap Disarm & release and confirm, or use the buttons on the trap. See After a capture for the full guarantee.

Primary action

Below the arm mode is the main door control:

• Open door / Close door: moves the door. The button shows the command that fits the last door state the trap reported.
• When the trap is Captured, the door button is replaced by Disarm & release (returns to Unarmed and opens the door) with a Snooze option for the capture reminders. See After a capture.

Mobile

• The mobile app asks you to confirm before it sends Open door or Close door. Tap Confirm to send the command.
• While the trap is Armed or Scouting, a Disarm button sits beside the door button. It sets the trap to Unarmed without moving the door. On the web app, choose Unarmed in the arm-mode dropdown instead.

Releasing a captured animal: tap Disarm & release, then confirm in the Disarm & release? prompt. This opens the door and returns the trap to Unarmed in one step. The trap never auto-releases. See After a capture.

Before Scouting Mode: the door must be fully open. See Scouting mode for how scouting works without closing the door.

Quick actions

A row of quick actions handles the most common commands:

• Request image: request a fresh, good-quality photo from the camera. See Requesting photos.
• Quick image: request a faster, lower-quality photo.
• Location: request an updated GPS location. See GPS.
• Buzz: sound the trap's buzzer, handy for locating the trap or confirming it's responsive.

Advanced

Expand Advanced for less-common commands:

• Data refresh: ask the trap to take a fresh set of readings and send them in right now, instead of waiting for its next scheduled check-in. Use it when you want up-to-the-minute battery, signal, or temperature values. The trap has to be awake and in range to answer.
• Reboot: restart the device. Asks you to confirm first.
• Sleep: put the trap into hibernation (sleeps until you press the power button or change the battery). Asks you to confirm first. See Power modes.

Command status

After you send a command, a status line under the controls shows its progress: Sending…, then confirmed or failed. Photo requests show their progress on the camera view instead (Camera starting…, Capturing image…, Image incoming…, Processing image…). This tells you whether the trap received your command.

Checking data, network, and charts

Device and network details live outside the Controls card, on the trap detail screen:

• Vitals: battery, signal, temperature, and Last heard. Select Last heard to Ping the trap (ask it to check in right now). When the trap answers, Last heard updates to show that check-in. That is how you pull the latest data on demand: it will check in right away if it's connected. If there is no answer within 15 seconds, the app shows Device offline. In the mobile app, the Last heard tile reads Tap to Ping.
• Charts: graphical history of the trap's performance over time. Pick a reading (battery, signal, and more) and a time range. A trap builds this history as it checks in, so a newly added trap has little to show at first and fills in over the following days.

The camera view and the map for the trap are on that same detail screen.