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AlertCatcher - Smart Guardian User Manual

Patent Pending | v1.0.1

Learn how to set up your edge-AI home & traveler guardian and receiver system for private, secure monitoring.

Quick Start: Link & Monitor

Choose Role: Select Guardian (monitors room) or Receiver (receives alerts) on launch.
Pair & Approve Devices: Copy your unique Guardian ID (or scan the QR code) and enter it on the Receiver device. The Guardian device will display a prompt to approve or deny the link request. Once approved, the devices are linked. (If you temporarily disconnect and link again under the same Link Code, pairing will activate automatically without asking for approval again.)
Configure Detection: Toggle Audio and Camera inputs. You can turn on Motion Detection to analyze video frames for movement, or Video Sentry to record video when sounds occur. Tap 'Sound Detection Listen For' to select specific sounds to monitor.
Blackout: Tap 'Blackout' or wait 10 minutes for the screen to auto-blackout. This cools the device, saves battery, and prevents OLED burn-in.
Exit Blackout: Double-tap anywhere on the black screen and enter your iPad Passcode / FaceID to wake.

1. The Guardian Dashboard

Decibel Meter: Shows live ambient sound pressure levels in real-time.
Live Camera Feed: Displays a local preview when Motion Detection or Video Sentry is active.
Motion Detection: Detects movement in the room. When triggered, it automatically saves a video clip and broadcasts a motion alert.
Glowing Option Cards: Active sensors light up with custom glows (Orange for Motion, Crimson for Video, Teal for Sound, Amber for Blackout).

2. Cloud Alerting & Pairing

Encrypted Pairing & Device Approval: Uses secure cloud Pairing IDs and Device Tokens. For security, any new Receiver linking to a Guardian must first be approved via an interactive request prompt on the Guardian device. Approved devices are stored on the Guardian and can disconnect and reconnect seamlessly without needing re-approval (as long as the Link Code remains unchanged).
Real-time Push Alerts: Sends instant push notifications and logs alert details on paired Receiver screens.
Heartbeat Connection Sentry: The Receiver automatically monitors the Guardian's connection status. A real-time indicator displays whether the Guardian is Online (Green), Offline (Red, last seen > 6 minutes ago), or in Background Standby (Yellow, app minimized or screen locked).
Remote Deterrent Siren: If an alert is received, tap 'Trigger Guardian Siren' on the Receiver to remotely activate a very loud alarm sound on the Guardian device to scare off intruders.
On-Demand Live Camera Stream: Tap 'VIEW LIVE CAMERA' on the Receiver to view a secure, real-time video feed from the Guardian. To protect privacy, a flashing 'LIVE CAMERA ACTIVE' banner displays on the Guardian. The stream auto-pauses after 1 minute of viewing to save battery and cellular data.

3. Evidence Library & Gestures

Visual 24h Timeline: Displays event icons mapped to the exact time they occurred.
Tap Matchmaking: Tap any event icon on the timeline to automatically match, load, and play the closest recorded audio/video clip.
Date-Grouped Sections: Folder list items are grouped by date. Today's folder auto-expands on launch; older dates collapse automatically to save vertical space.
Swipe Actions: Swipe left to share or delete clips instantly.

4. Foreground vs. Background Behavior

Foreground Execution Mandatory: Because Apple's built-in Sound Classifier AI model and iOS camera capture are both GPU/hardware accelerated, iOS automatically suspends them when the app goes into the background to protect device security and power.
Blackout Mode: To monitor your space securely (using Sound AI, Camera, or Motion Detection) without keeping the screen bright, tap the 'Blackout' button. This keeps the app active in the foreground under the hood while turning the screen completely black.
Background Standby: If you put the app in the background, the AI analysis and camera feeds are safely suspended to use zero CPU, and the app enters standby.

5. Resilience & Interruption Handling

Interruption Handling: Automatically pauses and resumes monitoring when phone calls or system alerts interrupt the audio hardware.
Power Disconnected Alert: If the Guardian is unplugged from its charger while armed, it immediately sends a critical 'Power Disconnected' alert to your Receiver phone before losing battery power.

6. Troubleshooting Tips

Notification Latency: Ensure your Receiver phone has a stable cellular or Wi-Fi connection and that Push Notifications are enabled for AlertCatcher in iOS Settings.
Background & Locked Screen Alerts: Push notifications are delivered directly to your device lock screen even if the Receiver app is closed or minimized. If you are not receiving alerts while minimized, verify that you have allowed notification banners in iOS Settings → AlertCatcher → Notifications.
Connection Link Failures: Verify that both devices are linked to the exact same Guardian ID.
Permissions Missing: The Guardian device requires Microphone permission (and Camera permission for Video/Motion Sentry). The Receiver device requires Notification permission to display alerts. If the system prompts did not appear, open iOS Settings → AlertCatcher to enable them manually.

Privacy Commitment

AlertCatcher processes all audio and video locally on your device using Apple's SoundAnalysis framework. All recorded intrusion evidence (audio and video clips) is stored strictly on your device's local storage and is never uploaded to any server. For the optional Live Sentry streaming feature, only a single, real-time image frame (approx. 1Hz) is temporarily sent to your secure, encrypted Firebase cloud database to enable remote viewing. This frame is immediately overwritten by the next frame, and is permanently deleted as soon as the stream ends. Your raw media is never processed by, stored on, or shared with third-party servers.