Pre-Capture Notification

Get notified when an animal is about to enter the trap—before a capture happens.

What It Does

When enabled, Pre-Capture Notification alerts you when an animal is detected approaching the trigger point. This early warning system sends a notification and a photo (if applicable), helping you stay ahead of trap activity.

How It Works

OcuTrap uses a distance sensor to detect animals before they reach the capture zone. It monitors two key areas:

• Early Detection Zone: Approximately 6 inches (150mm) before your set capture distance

  • Example

    If your capture distance is set to 8 inches, then:

    • The Primary Detection Zone starts at 8 inches from the sensor (this is when a capture can occur).

    • The Early Detection Zone starts at 14 inches—6 inches before your capture distance.

    In this case, if an animal is detected at 13 inches, you’ll receive an "Early pre-capture" alert with the message:

    “Early pre-capture: 13.0 in detected”

    This gives you an early warning before the trap activates at 8 inches.

If motion is detected in either zone, the trap will:

1. Take a pre-capture photo

2. Send a push/email alert with the estimated distance

Example Alerts

• "Pre-capture: 10.0 in detected"

• "Early pre-capture: 15.7 in detected"

Units (inches or centimeters) depend on your trap’s settings under Units.

How to Enable or Disable

This setting is configured per trap:

1. Open the OcuTrap app or base.ocutrap.com

2. Tap on the trap you want to edit

3. Go to Settings → More Settings

4. Find the Pre-Capture Notification option

5. Toggle to On or Off

Default setting: On

Why Use This Feature?

• See what’s approaching your trap before it’s too late

• Detect non-target animals early (like pets or skunks)

• Monitor animal behavior without needing a capture

• Improve trap placement and setup based on activity patterns

Need to Turn It Off?

If you prefer to only be notified after a capture, you can disable Pre-Capture Notification in settings at any time. It will not affect the actual capture or release functions.