Security System Design

[dbsoccer]

I currently do not have a security system for my house but am thinking about installing one. It has been recommended that I use Arlo hardware. I need some help in matching my needs to the hardware available yet I don't see that any sort of design assistance is available from Arlo. Is there people at Arlo who can help a new customer select the products that will meet their needs? 

[BrookeN]

Everyone here in the community is a wealth of information and can help a lot. If you tell us more of what you are looking for in a system, we can point you in the right direction for your wants/needs. 

[dbsoccer]

As I said Brooke, I have limited knowledge of security systems. I felt a doorbell camera would be a good first step. But I'm not sure how it works. Is there a router required or does it connect WIFI directly to a phone? What trips it? Is it someone pushing the button or does it detect motion on the front step and send an alert to the phone or both?

I have a large back yard that is not fenced-in. People and animals (deer, etc) can easily wander into my back yard. I'd like to know if people do but I'm not so much concerned about the deer or the squirrels. And if someone/thing wanders in the yard does this activate the camera and it starts taking pictures or does the camera taking pictures 24-7? At night light will be needed for picture taking. How does that work? On all the time or does it come on when motion is detected. And when motion is detected would I get an alert on my phone. 

My back yard is 90 feet wide and 50 feet deep. Outside of my property line people walk and ride bikes all the time. I don't want to take their picture. Can the sensor range be set so that it is only after someone/some thing crosses my property line that pictures are taken, lights light up and notifications are sent. 

At this point, cost is secondary to getting a system that works and doesn't send me alerts that are of no concern.  Pictures of such quality that you can't tell who or what is in them are of no use. Color is good.  

So that is a start. To me it would be easier and more efficient to discuss on the phone but let's give this a try. 

Thanks for your help. 

[jguerdat]

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@dbsoccer wrote:

As I said Brooke, I have limited knowledge of security systems. I felt a doorbell camera would be a good first step. But I'm not sure how it works. Is there a router required or does it connect WIFI directly to a phone? What trips it? Is it someone pushing the button or does it detect motion on the front step and send an alert to the phone or both?

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Current Arlo cameras connect via your home WiFi or a SmartHub. For simplicity, the WiFi connection is generally used but if you want your own local recordings (Arlo is cloud-based so videos are stored in the cloud and uses the Internet to manage the system) as well as certain other features a hub may be desired. The phone is used only as an interface into the system and connects only to the Arlo servers. Pushing the doorbell button initiates a call to your phone and can also ring a chime. It will record anyone walking within range (10-15 feet) whether they ring the bell or not. 

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I have a large back yard that is not fenced-in. People and animals (deer, etc) can easily wander into my back yard. I'd like to know if people do but I'm not so much concerned about the deer or the squirrels. And if someone/thing wanders in the yard does this activate the camera and it starts taking pictures or does the camera taking pictures 24-7? At night light will be needed for picture taking. How does that work? On all the time or does it come on when motion is detected. And when motion is detected would I get an alert on my phone.

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All the outdoor cameras detect motion via PIR (passive IR) sensors like this found in outdoor motion detection lights. Range is similar to those lights - maybe 25 feet when motion is across the FOV, not directly at the camera. You set the system up to record as you wish some or all cameras can be active and switching between those modes (some vs. all) can be automated via scheduling. Most of the cameras have spotlights which are designed to get color recordings at night, not to illuminate a large area. There are 2 floodlights with cameras you can use for brightly lighting up the yard. One is wired like an outdoor light and the other is more like the other cameras. Check Arlo.com for product descriptions and details.

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My back yard is 90 feet wide and 50 feet deep. Outside of my property line people walk and ride bikes all the time. I don't want to take their picture. Can the sensor range be set so that it is only after someone/some thing crosses my property line that pictures are taken, lights light up and notifications are sent.

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There is a setting for sensitivity but the range is generally only out to 25 feet so you may or may not need additional settings. 

Ask away...

[dbsoccer]

Thanks Guru, 

So let's start with the doorbell. Currently I have a wired doorbell which, when pushed, sounds a chime - standard stuff, obviously.  The Arlo replacement would, when pushed send a notice to my phone and would also sound the same chime as I have now. And since it records anyone/thing within 10-15 feet of the doorbell, it would capture a picture of the person pressing the doorbell. I am assuming this is all correct. If not please correct. With regard to the pictures being captured - both from the button pushers and the people - like Amazon - who just drop stuff off at the door and don't push the button - I'd like to be able access to and review those picture but would prefer to not have to pay someone for storing them. I have WiFi in my house. I would also consider setting up additional hardware with the thought that such hardware would be used by the outdoor camera(s) that I also like to add. But let's wait on the cameras unless they impact the doorbell choices. Thanks for your help. 

[jguerdat]

With the addition of a SmartHub that is configured for local recordings (a USB thumb drive or microSD card, depending on which hub you choose to use), any detected motion would be recorded there for viewing. It's not the same experience as with cloud recordings but can be adequate if your expectations and testing  are appropriate. Since any new camera gets a trial subscription, you can compare cloud recordings to local ones to see how they work and give you the opportunity to make an informed decision. Any camera connected to the hub would record videos locally - any connected to WiFi would not since the video has to pass through the hub to be recorded. Manual recordings are not supported for local recordings but motion detection videos are.

It's also worth noting that the system still needs to be connected to the Internet regardless of where the recordings are. Without that connection, all devices would be seen as offline. Recordings would still be made but you'd have to pull the drive for viewing on a computer and you wouldn't be able to control the system.

[dbsoccer]

I reviewed the doorbells on the Arlo website and found that the doorbell don't use the Smart Hub but link directly to the WiFi. But the security cameras are different in that they can use a Smart Hub. Am I reading this correctly? 

If the doorbell camera is linked to my home WiFi it seems the amount of storage is limited by the size of the hard drive on my computer. And I could access this data using an app on my phone as well. 

[StephenB]

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@dbsoccer wrote:

I reviewed the doorbells on the Arlo website and found that the doorbell don't use the Smart Hub but link directly to the WiFi. But the security cameras are different in that they can use a Smart Hub. Am I reading this correctly? 

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No.  The doorbells (and most of the cameras) can connect either to a smarthub or your home wifi.  The Ultras are the only exception on the website - they only connect to the smarthub.  Several older models (Pro, Pro 2, Pro 3, etc) also only connect to smarthubs, but Arlo no longer carries those models.

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@dbsoccer wrote:

If the doorbell camera is linked to my home WiFi it seems the amount of storage is limited by the size of the hard drive on my computer. And I could access this data using an app on my phone as well. 

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No.  When the doorbell (or other cameras) are connected to your home wifi, then all the recordings are saved in the Arlo Cloud - which requires a subscription.  You can manually download recordings to your PC (or Phone) from the Cloud.  But the cameras will not record directly to your phone or PC hard drive.

Smarthubs do allow you to use local storage (connected to the smarthubs).  These recordings can be useful as a backup to the cloud, but many people do also use them instead of a subscription.  If you do get a VMB4540 or VMB5000 smarthub in order to avoid paying for a subscription, then there are several limitations you should be aware of.

One is that activity zones also require a subscription.  They often are needed with the doorbells, because the cameras can't be easily re-aimed or re-positioned.

Local storage itself has several limitations:

• recordings are only accessible in the app - not the PC browser.
• recordings are only accessible using the primary account - not shared "Friend" accounts
• there are no thumbnails, so recordings have to be downloaded to your phone before you can see anything.
• there is no way to take manual recording or snapshots
• remote access requires router setting changes that many find difficult, and which aren't available with some internet service providers. 

The VMB5000 smarthub provides a microSD slot for storage - not USB.  The VMB4540 provides USB.  I recommend using a thumb drive instead of a hard drive.  The max storage supported in the smarthubs is 2 TB.  But you only need between 128 gb and 512 gb of storage - that will store a lot of recordings.  Larger thumb drives (or microSD cards) are problematic - many are scams that don't actually have the capacity that they claim.  So be careful to get a name brand, and be careful if the price is a lot lower than other models with similar capacity.