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. The bar at the bottom of the trap's screen shows the current arm mode (Unarmed, Scouting, or Armed) next to the Controls button.

On the web app, the trap's page opens with its tab row (Overview, Images, Activity, Charts, Settings, and Sharing for the people who can share). Below the tabs, on a wide window, the page has two columns: the latest photo on the left, and on the right the trap's name, the status tiles (battery, signal, and Last heard) and the Controls card. On a narrow window these stack: the name and tiles first, then Controls, then the photo.

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. The prompt names the trap, for example "Open door on North fence?", so you can check that you picked the right one. Tap Open door or Close door in the prompt to send the command, or Cancel to go back.
• 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. A prompt names the trap, for example "Disarm & release North fence?". Tap Disarm & release in the prompt to confirm. This opens the door and returns the trap to Unarmed in one step. The trap never auto-releases. See After a capture.

In a prompt, a trap that has no name shows as "Unnamed trap" followed by the last four characters of its Device ID, for example "Unnamed trap (…A7B8)".

When controls are paused (mobile)

The mobile Controls screen puts the reason at the top, above the controls, so you see it before you tap anything:

• Trap offline: the notice reads, for example, "Trap is offline (last heard 2 hours ago). Commands are paused until it checks in." A sleeping trap reads "Trap is asleep. Commands work again after it is woken at the trap." A trap that has never checked in reads "Trap has not connected yet. Commands work after its first check-in." See Trap offline or won't connect.
• Billing: the notice names the problem: No subscription yet, Payment past due, Subscription paused, Subscription suspended, or Subscription canceled. When a paused, suspended, or canceled subscription has turned commands off, it adds "Close, Arm, and image commands are off. Open door, Disarm & release, and Ping still work." If you own the trap, tap the notice to resolve billing. If you do not, contact the trap's owner.

A trap that is online shows a single Online line above the controls instead.

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. On the web app this button is on the trap's photo, not in the quick actions row. It is the only Request image button on the page. In the mobile app it is in the quick actions. 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. While the trap is asleep its status shows Sleeping. See When the app shows Sleeping and Power modes.

Capture reminders are off

When a trap's Capture reminder setting is Off, the trap's detail screen shows a notice near the top: "Capture reminders are off. This trap will not remind you again after a capture." It shows in every trap state, including Captured.

Select View trap settings in the notice to open the trap's settings. You see the notice even if you can view the trap but cannot change its settings. To get reminders again, someone who can change the trap's settings chooses a number of hours for Capture reminder. See Capture Reminder Settings.

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 on Controls says Tap to ping. On the trap's details, an offline trap shows Ping trap in place of Last heard.
• 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.