Smart Notifications

[chrisA14]

I have had an Arlo doorbell for 1 year and has worked great.

I have now added 2 x Next Gen Cameras to have a view of the whole house.

Unfortunately I have not been that impressed. I have one camera facing my driveway and one the back garden.

The notifications are ridiculous - i have put the motion sensor to almost 0 (Not sure how they figure users to be able to understand what is the best setting), have drawn and activity zone so reduce the chance of getting a notification but it's just getting ridiculous that I have had to turn both cameras off.

Before with my doorbell I could select a setting to ONLY send notifications to my phone for Person Alert i.e remove Animal and Vehicle. This now only seems to be available for the feed on the app.

Is there no way to limit what notifications get sent to your device. Seems a key feature to have.

Appreciate any advice.

Thanks

[jguerdat]

Smart Notifications are the only way to potentially limit notifications however I'd first look at your cameras' positioning. Eliminate what's not of interest (street, sidewalk, trees/bushes with waving branches, etc.). Screenshots of the cameras' views may be useful for suggestions.

[StephenB]

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@chrisA14 wrote:

(Not sure how they figure users to be able to understand what is the best setting),

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Normally you run the motion detection test while walking in the area of interest, and find the smallest setting that detects you reliably.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062895/How-do-I-change-the-motion-sensitivity-on-my-Arlo-camera-Arlo-Secure-4...

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@chrisA14 wrote:

The notifications are ridiculous - i have put the motion sensor to almost 0 (Not sure how they figure users to be able to understand what is the best setting), have drawn and activity zone so reduce the chance of getting a notification but it's just getting ridiculous that I have had to turn both cameras off.

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Are you perhaps getting audio notifications?  If you are, then try disabling audio detection.

[chrisA14]

Thanks for the feedback.

My Driveway backs onto the road so it's difficult to "remove" this. I have drawn a zone but it still picks up vehicles.

This would all be resolved if i could remove animal and vehicle notifications as a push notification. They seem to have removed this feature. 

Is there any way of contacting Arlo themselves?

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

If the camera is triggering on motion with the threshold set to 0, then something is wrong.  The first things to check are that audio detection is disabled, and that CO/Smoke detection is turned off in the smart notifications.

If that doesn't help, then you should try swapping the two cameras, and see if the other camera also misbehaves. 

Then try a factory reset on the problem camera(s).  Use the pairing button method as described here:

• https://kb.arlo.com/000063225/How-do-I-factory-reset-my-Arlo-Essential-Outdoor-Camera-2nd-Generation

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@chrisA14 wrote:

This would all be resolved if i could remove animal and vehicle notifications as a push notification. They seem to have removed this feature. 

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No they haven't. 

1. Press the profile icon in the top left of the screen
2. Press Home
3. Select Smart Notifications.

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@chrisA14 wrote:

Is there any way of contacting Arlo themselves?

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Yes.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062993/What-is-the-Support-Center-in-the-Arlo-Secure-App-Arlo-Secure-4-0

This requires a subscription, but you need that anyway if you want smart notifications and activity zones.

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@chrisA14 wrote:

My Driveway backs onto the road so it's difficult to "remove" this. I have drawn a zone but it still picks up vehicles.

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If practical, you can try aiming the camera downwards.  Or position the camera so it aims across the driveway (and not at the road). 

FWIW, the activity zone and the smart notifications work independently.  The recording won't be supressed if there is any motion at all inside the zone.  That can include shadows, and (at night) stray light from the vehicles on the road.  Then the Arlo Cloud will classify what it detects in the entire scene (including any vehicles outside the zone).  This also includes parked vehicles.

Note that smart notifications don't effect recordings - they just filter the notifications you receive.  Also, smart notifications and activity zones don't help with battery life.

[chrisA14]

Wow how did i miss smart notifications!

Thanks will give it a go now.

Cheers