New Essential Spotlight Camera VMC2030-100NAS

[Gnarly]

I'm Brand new to Arlo, I purchased  a single essential spotlight camera.

Finally got camera to pair after many (at least 10) tries. It would chime with the QR code, but never find the camera. Yes, phone/camera on the 2.4Ghz wifi. Is working now.

Questions:

Can this camera set an "alert" zone so I don't get triggers with cars driving down street?

Or is it anything in the camera view?

Is there any FAQ available for the mobile app, on how to set up alerts, etc.?

How long is video available to view in case of alerts? (no subscription).

When battery wears out, is this a paperweight? Not seeing a way to open camera?

Thanks for any input.

[jguerdat]

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@Gnarly wrote:

Questions:

Can this camera set an "alert" zone so I don't get triggers with cars driving down street?

Or is it anything in the camera view?

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Start by positioning the camera down so the street isn't in view or is at least minimally in view. You likely should also reduce motion sensitivity in your modes and rules:

https://kb.arlo.com/42/What-are-modes-and-rules-and-how-does-Arlo-use-them

If needed, you can also use Settings (person icon top left), Home, Smart Notifications to (de)select what you want notifications for. Note that recordings are still made but discarded by the servers according to your settings so battery is still used.

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Is there any FAQ available for the mobile app, on how to set up alerts, etc.?

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Yes, lots of them. Look in the Support section at the top here or do what I do - Google for something like "arlo modes" or "arlo notifications".

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How long is video available to view in case of alerts? (no subscription).

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Maybe instantaneously but basically not at all unless you have the camera connected to a SmartHub that also has local recording enabled. Try Google-ing "arlo local storage" to get:

https://kb.arlo.com/1146857/How-do-I-set-up-local-storage-backups-on-a-USB-device-using-my-Arlo-base...

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When battery wears out, is this a paperweight? Not seeing a way to open camera?

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Properly maintained like any li-ion battery, it will last for years. WHen the end does finally come, yes, it's a paperweight. The non-Essential cameras come with replaceable batteries.

[StephenB]

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@Gnarly wrote:

How long is video available to view in case of alerts? (no subscription).

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You need a subscription to get any cloud storage.  So no video to view without a subscription.

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@Gnarly wrote:

When battery wears out, is this a paperweight? 

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yes.  Though it should last for a long time.

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@Gnarly wrote:

Can this camera set an "alert" zone so I don't get triggers with cars driving down street?

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Yes, you can set up an activity zone.  You can also set up smart notifications (telling the cloud not to notify you for vehicles).

Though the best approach is to adjust the camera so the street is not in the field of view.  That will give you the best battery life.  Activity zones and classifications are processed in the Arlo cloud, not the camera.  So every vehicle will result in video being streamed to the cloud (even if the recording is supressed).

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@Gnarly wrote:

Is there any FAQ available for the mobile app, on how to set up alerts, etc.?

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There are lots of knowlege base articles.  But at the moment, Arlo is slowing transitioning to a new interface.  The old interface has "library" on the main menu.  The newer one has "feed".  So you do need to make sure you are looking at a relevant article.  Here are a few:

• https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/products/arlo-essential-spotlight.html

Make sure the articles include VMC2030 in the "This article applies to" list.  Some of the articles on the essential spotlight link above don't (which is a mistake on Arlo's part).