SOLUTION for Allowing activity zones without power

[getalex]

I am practically giving you the solution to your customer's heavily requested and valuable feature.

Due to intense processing required to monitor so called "activity zones" you currently do not allow this feature in battery operated mode. I propose you allow activity zone configuration, and trigger the camera on motion detection, the same way you currently operate. The video feed goes out to the base station as usual. However, the main difference is that you do not push a notification or save the recording to the server *yet* -- your software processes the first few frames of the video to see if the activity zone was triggered, continues processing as you see fit to determine if any of the motion captured falls within the trigger zone.

If you don't find anything, you discard the video (or let the user review it later, without notifiactions). If you have a good indicators that you caught something within the activity zone, great. You push the notification and keep recording/processing. If this is too complex, at least provide your customers with the option, and expose the limitation that setting up a "battery-powered" activity zone is not as robust or instant as the standard always-powered option.

This is a happy compromise. I absolutely welcome your communication if you need any proof of concept help or implementation approach.

[Mejohnson5135]

I would love to know how much battery life is used by activity zones. For me even if the battery use is 12 times as much it would be worth while. For example I want to monitor the side walk. Cars in the street set of the motion sensors every 5 minutes, while I only get people walking by every hour. 

How much of a difference does the activity zones make?

[MikhailIvanov]

I wish I had read this before buying those cameras. Bought them as wireless cameras, to find that you need to cable them in order to activate active zones. Right now they are useless to me. Every time a car drives past, my phone beeps. I had to angle the camera so much towards the house to avoid as much bippery as possible that night vision does not work. If there are no plans to make it possible for people to use Active zones wirelessly for free, then I need to return this product. Answer fast please.

[JClark1959]

Disappointed to learn that the Active Zones are not available with the wireless solution.   If I had known I would have stayed with the solution that I utilize at my office.

[berbmil]

Well, not only did i need to spend money on "Arlo Smart" for activity zone on battery the setup of the zone zooms to 25% view so you can't set a proper zone. Then to make matters even worse you can't "move cameras to and from "Arlo Smart" in the move camera option. 

[This-is-BS]

I have a arlo pro 2 system and I use to have the ability to set multiple activity zones whether plugged in or not. I use to use it to narrow down an error to reduce cars passing by and my neighbors cutting their grass. I’m not sure when I lost that ability, but it feels like it may have happened when they forced users to install a different Arlo app. Why would they take away features that I paid for when I purchase the unit.

[StephenB]

@Fledging wrote:

I’m not sure when I lost that ability, but it feels like it may have happened when they forced users to install a different Arlo app. 

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It wasn't related to the new app. 

Cloud activity zones were introducted in June 2018 and I believed always required a paid subscription (or of course a trial subscription).  Certainly they've required one for a long time (well before the new app was introduced last summer).

[Swimmingly]

Not being able to use Activity Zones when off AC power is a big deal!  I have three Arlo Pro3 Cameras that are all on solar panels.  I have zones set up on each one.  Had I known the zones would be useless when on Solar power, I would have gone with a different solution (as in not Arlo).  Arlo should immediately modify the camera firmware to allow Activity Zones to function when on battery power.  Yes, it will drain the battery faster.  It is up to the user to decide if the solar panel can keep up with the battery drain.  This, coupled with the software modifications already mentioned in this thread (reducing the power consumption), would make this a much better product.

For my other properties, I will be using a different solution.  How disappointing...

[antomori]

Hi

I have Arlo Pro 2 and active zones still do not work with battery.

Are there any signs of resolution?

Thanks

Antonio

[Dubsy]

I second this 

[tsailipu]

I understand from Support as well as Q&A in as old as this and this and also in this Arlo article  that Activity Zone feature needs continuous AC power and that solar panel charging doesn't qualify as continuous AC power to allow Pro4 to have such feature without subscribing to the Smart plan.    My question and ask is why not?  Obviously if the camera subscribes to Smart plan, on solar panel, activity zone works.  Even if solar panel doesn't provide as ample power if not on Smart plan, why not enable Activity Zone?  When power isn't enough (say below 20%) or at night, just disable Activity Zone feature on Arlo4 even if the camera isn't on Smart plan.  Allow users such option and control.