External Sensors w/o Cameras (External Motion Detection/"Tripwire")

[tboon]

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.

[kylemotycka]

This would be great. If Arlo could work with Homekit this would be an easy enough feature to implement. 

[XJW]

With IFTTT now available this solution becomes even more brilliant.  Any update ?

[XJW]

Another obvious Requirement.  The Arlo cameras are almost useless for monitoring a corridor because motion is towards the camera/PIR. I have the same issue for my front gate.  The Arlo team is too focussed on "pet projects" like Geofencing and a mobile camera rather than giving customers what they need.  Products that do this will eventually fail.  Make the product useful and effective and it will last.

[Jmilay]

This right here!  Excellent Idea.  This would definitely be handy and would be very useful. Placing a camera to shoot out the front door window is something I want but cant have due to it's limitations of sensing motion through glass.  Placing a motion detection trigger outside in the entry way could trigger the inside window camera to record!

[barncii]

I think it would open up a lot more possibilities with how you place and use your cameras. I tried putting my camera in the corner of my front porch so I could see who came to my front door. The only problem is all the motion was coming toward the camera and it was very inconsistent in picking up motion. And if I place it to pick up motion from either side it won't record as much of an area as I need it to. Please look into this nest! I'll definitely buy a few of them!

[theberber]

yes i asked about this yesterday as well. I have a wide front on facing drive, cameras need to be high so cannot be tampered with or stolen, yet a low down pir trigger would be ideal. Come on Arlo team sort out our actual needs please

[ArtWand]

I having the same problem (5 camers where 3 of them sitting quite high)... it would be so good to have stand-alone motion detectors

[PercyStark]

Could you make a metal sensor for driveways? I have an acreage and I find it annoying when my cameras go off because of wind, bugs, animals. It would be nice to only have the cameras activate after a vehicle drove over my entrance! Also I have more than one driveway, so being able to have more than one sensor would be nice. Also people have long driveways so a far transponder would be a bonus

[WhiskeyRain99]

Agreed! Instead of pointing my camera directly down at my back porch I could place multiple motions on the back of the house and reposition the camera to view the entire back yard on motion activation.  I can think of 4 location that I would install the motion detection if offered with the same Rules capabilities as the cameras motion. 

 

[nicholshornlake]

Stand alone motion dector for Arlo wireless cameras.