Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
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External Sensors w/o Cameras (External Motion Detection/"Tripwire")

Because of Arlo's excellent video quality and excellent field of view I am able to see most of a large room/outdoor area with one camera. Unfortunately this tends to minimize the effectiveness of the motion detection as the camera tends to be more centrally located and so it does not detect something/someone until it is halfway or more across the room/area if it detects it at all.  This leaves users with the undesirable options of either compromising their camera placement to accomodate motion detection or using an entire camera exclusively as a motion detector with little to no useful function as a camera. This latter scenario is a situation for which the camera is over-qualified and overpriced.  A separate motion sensor that would trigger the camera to start recording when someone enters the room/access point would alleviate this issue. It could also help with the issue that myself and others  are having with lag in recording start time. The sensor could be placed further out from the camera when necessary so that it could trigger the camera to start recording earlier, accounting for the lag time and recording what users actually wanted recorded.

 

An additional sensor would not be something that would be required of all cameras and placements, but it would be useful for specific scenarios and even having two sensors at opposite inds of a room/area triggering one camera could be a useful setup. As it is though, it is relatively cost prohibitive to expand your system to do this as the cameras are the only sensor option and cost too much to be wasted on being merely a sensor. Additinally these "wasted" cameras eat into your allotment under the current subscription you have and could create additional cost to the user for an upgraded subscription. As it is, I am hesitant to expand my system (currently at 4 cameras), even though I would like to have greater coverage, because of the up front cost of the cameras not being used to their full potential combined with the monthly cost of the upgraded subscription. I would be far more willing to expand my system and upgrade my subscription if there were external sensors that would allow me to use my system effeciently and effectively like I want to without the inflated up front cost.  

 

I could see how this could be achieved either through hardware development of sensors exclusively for Arlo or through software development of integration with already established systems which perform comlementary functions. With either one, if the price is right I'm in, if it stays as it is my expansion is stuck.

Comments
GetADog
Aspirant
HudsonDesign
Novice
We have a long driveway, very long. But have a camera over the door looking down it. Would be nice to have a sensor further from the house so someone walking or driving in triggers the record mode for that particular camera much earlier than is possible currently. Much Kudos, clever and pretty much essential addon for the future IMO
Sheriff
Fledgling

An excellent idea. Would add for much better coverage. 

User23
Guide

In theory, if you had available just motion senser and infared you could add to the night vision range of the Arlo cameras. I'm thinking that with no camera it would go longer on battery and could be made cheaper.

TomMac
Guru

Yes they sell IR flood lights in the range needed for Arlo cams... I've used them to illuminate a 100ft area ( don't know if PIR comes on them )

 

Problem is that anything that gives off a lot of IR needs a lot of power, the whole design idea for Arlo was a wireless setup... sort of beats the designed spec.

sbuursema
Novice

Yes please I need a remote motion sensor to activate a camera I have set up at my front door through the front window. Motion sensor does not work through the glass. Cheers.

User23
Guide

I agree that it's not part of the wireless camera spec and it should not be as it would definitely drain the batteries quickly. I'm simply looking to augment the Arlo wirless camera's range with a plug in IR flood light.

 

Thanks for the info :'-)

So TomMac, if you don't mind me asking, which IR flood light did you go with / recommend ?

 

 

Thanks as always, your responses on this forum are always excellent!

Your suggestions on which rechargeable batteries to go with were spot on as usual also !

TomMac
Guru

User23 wrote:

if you don't mind me asking, which IR flood light did you go with / recommend ?

 


Actually tested ( since I prev owned a Vuezone system ) and ran Arlo with the Vuezone IR flood light

 

But a search of ebay/amazon/etc turn up prices from $10 to 100 depending on what you want

 

You need the 850 nm ir range ( very slightly visiable red glow when on ) flood or spot light depends on your needs

 

Sometging like this may work, seem ok, but I haven't tested it

 

http://www.amazon.com/CMVision-IR56-Outdoor-Illuminator-Adapter/dp/B00EDRMWVG/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qi...

Dj_Mo
Novice

Actually I don't think it would be needed if Arlo gave us the opportunity to determine in the frame what is or what is not considered motion. I had an old Astak camera where you could tell it where on the screen to "watch for motion" along with a weighted level. I have noticed after a few days that when Arlo determines motion it is lagging so much you miss the activity depending on how quick the person or thing moved. Even if they had a "tripwire" it would get you the same results. The major problem which they are afraid of is battery life. If it was armed/active 24/7 your batery would die too quickly. 

 

IMHO I think that should be a setting that the end-user should have the ability to choose (real-time which will burn your battery out faster or Arlo control). Considering we can not have the "live" stream going into a different software application where it can determine motion I think they just need to update the backed-end.

 

I personally have noticed that a small flag in the bottom right corner of the camera gets picked up, yet a car moving across the top of the frame left to right or right to left doesn't trigger as quickly as you'd expect it. Note: I have it set to 93 for motion.

 

I do feel this is a fantastic utility, but all this can be updated with open source and backend firmware code. I hope they wouuld notice this and fix it. 

MarkAndClare
Aspirant

I DEFINITELY HAVE THE SAME REQUIREMENT - DEDICATED MOTION SENSORS ASAP PLEASE ARLO!!!!