Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
× Arlo End of Life Policy Notice
To view Arlo’s new End of Life Policy, click here.

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
MVargo
Follower

Does Arlo sell a stand-alone motion sensor, or is there a commercial motion sensor available that is compatible with the Arlo system ?

jdsylvester
Aspirant

Are there any set dates to release a window or door sensor capable of integrating with the Smart hub? The cameras and motion detection work great, but I am not allowed to put any cameras on the outside of my dwelling and would like a notification as soon as an intruder opened a door or window.

HarryPlopper
Novice

Agreed, in fact I only created a "comment account" so I could ask for this. A simple and cheap device add-on that would only detect motion. I dont need or want a flood light this just alerts people that they have been detected and frankly it cost alot just to be used for its motion detection. I love my Arlo setup but we really need a cheap add on that is just a battery operated motion detector. This detector could be made so it only works to trip a camera, so users still have to buy camera but can be an add on for larger zones. The cameras have very good video but very poor motion detection area. Please make this device for us and I'll be the first to buy at least six of them for the car port area I want to record. Especially because I bought the arlo setup because kids were scratching my cars with rocks but I cant figure out which ones and asking them who did it obviously goes no where. I have an arlo smart account and pay for a monthly subscription, as a user who is continuing to pay for this service please help me to want to keep being a paying user.

carvermon
Tutor

Sigh. Well, since this thread has stayed alive for five years, I will assume that the desired sensors have not yet been, nor likely will be, offered.

GW89
Aspirant
A mailbox/parcel delivery box sensor to alert when letters/parcels are delivered.
A simple weight sensor with wifi connectivity to an arlo base station would be super cool!
SeanSh
Aspirant

I was just coming to make this exact suggestion.

Tim_Kern
Novice

Can we set up the cameras (Pro 3) to look at a narrower field of view? With 160 degrees (also a useless number to know, since that's a diagonal measurement), the camera gets triggered by every car on the street, recording useless stuff and triggering alerts 24/7.
90 degrees is more than I need, so 160 (or whatever it actually is in a horizontal plane) is a waste of pixels.
Can we get (or is it possible to make) a box with wings that we could use to block off some of the field?

HotLoveMonkey
Aspirant

great idea...I tripwire (beam) that either starts the camera or just sends an alert. I would buy one!