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.

[XJW]

From experience ARLO is almost useless for monitoring a corridor.  I have tried both Horizontal and Vertical orientation but as the direction of motion is towards the camera and the subject does not cross the path makes the camera mounted PIR almost useless.  I get many recordings where, if I am lucky, I will see someones heel or shadow after they turn to walk into a room.  To make ARLO effective you need separate PIR modules so that Camera position and Trigger can be placed separately.

[XJW]

I note that WEMO and SWANN have systems with separate PIR modules and separate Cameras and many other modules, options and features.  It looks to me like NETGEAR have some catching up to do.

[smartwire]

D-Link has separate PIR which triggers any of their cameras.  Come on Netgear you can do it!

[MGRA]

My use case is to survey our house front / garden. Maximal reach of built-in motion sensor is by far much too low. So I either need

- an "outdoor" version of the camera with extended motion sensor reach or

- a separate motion sensor as discussed here

In fact, the latter one would be a great feature. I could use multiple sensors per house front / side, and it would also be great if we could assign rules that make use of m:n relationship between sensors and cameras

Thumbs up for this idea

Michael

[nboylan]

 I think this issue could be expediently resolved with integration with IFTTT (yes, I kudos'd the other thread) or something like Wink (which I use) - as external motion detectors or other sensors could then be used to establish rules with which the camera turns on.

For example, I want to trigger my camera when I detect motion at the end of my driveway (someone pulling in), however I want a camera near the head to capture the whole thing. if I place one of my regular motion detectors I have with Wink/IFTTT I would like it to trigger recording on my Arlo.

[clearwave1]

I have another camera system that allows the user to specify regions on the captured video that will trigger motion detection and recording. With this solution, the camera can be far back and capturing a nice large area but the area that triggers motion based recording can be a configurable subset of that image. This should be an easy solution for Netgear as it can all be done through software.

[arlo_jr]

Stand alone motion sensor is exactely what I need.  I need to use Arlo to keep an eye on my patio, but I don't want my camera's outside where they can be stolen.  I would like to use them in the window sills from inside the home, but in that use case the motion sensors don't work.

If the motion sensor was reasonably priced, then I would have no issue leaving those outside.

Thanks

[Bigjimmy]

I also think that additonal sensors would be a great / much needed addition, I have recently purchased and installed the cameras but they are not capturing motions on the entrace to my driveway and additional sensor would rectify this issue.

So Netgear are you planning to make these sensors? It sounds like that people on this thread are willing to pay extra wonga to make this happen!!!

Thanks

[thecoooch]

The motion detection capabilty on the camera is very limited - this combined with the lag in the camera turning on is a major issue with "best in class" security. 

I need a seperate motion detection device (a tripwire), I can place at the end of my driveway, which is still in wifi range, and then use the existing "rules" cabability to activate the cameras I want.  This will also allow me to point this tripwire in a position where it will not record street activity but only activity that passes my driveway entrace - avoiding all of the false alerts I get by large trucks passing in the street. 

This will also allow me to place them lower.  I am afraid to place the cameras lower than 10 feet as they will be easy to steal.  A small tripwire motion detector can be hidden better - people could even look at and not know what it is. 

The tripwire can still be sold at a profit point  Anything less the $150 will be fine.  a nice $49.99 tripwire motion detector would make my day and increase the value of you solution by 200%.

[GetADog]

Add my vote for this feature. It wouldn't be as necessary if the response lag were neligible. But even then, it may be a good feature to have.