Motion Detection Delayed

[Allindsey1978]

The recording delay seems to be very delayed. The postal carrier brought a package to my door and the recording didn't start until after he dropped off the package and was halfway back to the truck. Had it been an intruder, i would have no images of their face since it started so late recording. I have the settings in the middle between best video and best battery life and the motion sensitivity set to 100%. Any other ideas on how i can get it to start recording instantly motion is detected?

[steve_t]

Besides the motion sensitivity setting, you either have to position the camera in a way that triggers it quicker or you need another trigger.

PIR motion detectors don't easily detect an object coming directly towards the camera. They work most effectively with side-to-side motion. If you can position the camera to a slight angle, you'll get better detection and will hopefully still be able to see the person's face in the video.

The other option is another trigger eg another camera or an Arlo Security Light. You would then have a rule that this other device triggers your existing camera to record and you would position the second device closer to where the person was approaching from.
Other factors that may or may not increase the lag are camera-base signal strength and internet connection ping and speeds

[Allindsey1978]

My sister came home and stopped at the end of the driveway to check mailbox. The video only shows her already out of her car and at the mailbox them goes back to her car. That's it. Doesn't show her drive up the street before turning into the driveway even though that should be plenty of motion to be picked up. Also it doesn't show her resume driving the rest of the way up the driveway. So why would the recording stop when there is no interruption in motion? A seocnd video shows her retrieve the package mentioned in my earlier post. But all the recording shows is her picking up the package and walking out of frame. No her entering the frame. Again, by the time the recording starts she's already walking away and you can't see any faces cause they've already got their backs to the camera. Wifi signal isn't an issues as the camera is only 8 ft away from the main unit. I have it set to record as soon as there is motion, not 5 seconds after motion has begun. I might as well return the cameras if I can't see people approaching my house and only get them walking away or the recording stops when there is still motion going on. Also, they recording cars on the street from 40 feet away, but if someone is 10 feet away it won't detect the motion. I have literally had recordings of cars coming down my cul-de-sac, turn around and pass by again, and all I get is the first pass after the car is already in the middle of the frame, then when it comes back by, the recording ends while the car is again in the middle of the frame. Sensitivity is at 100%.

[Allindsey1978]

Also it is set to record until motion ends, so again why does it stop recording literally in the middle of a car driving by when the same car is what set off the motion and recording to begin with?

[steve_t]

Vehicles have a large IR signature that will trigger the PIR sensor from much further away. People have a relatively small IR signature. 
You could try recording for a set length of time (up to 2 minutes) per motion activation but you will probably find you will need to charge/change the battery more frequently.

The Arlo Pro 2 with AC power will pre-record 3 seconds of video before the motion detection. Additionally, under power, the Pro 2 can have CVR (continuous video recording) so you never miss anything.

As to the recording stopping while the trigger car drives by, how slow is that car going?

[Allindsey1978]

The trigger car drives by just as fast coming and going. Also, I was mistaken on my sensitivity settings. They were at 80%. I have now changed that to 100. Will the increase affect how soon the recording begins? I don't have the means to connect AC power to the camera. Even if people have a smaller IR signature, i wouldn't think they should be able to be 30 feet away, walk at a regualr pace toward the camera, get to the camera, turn around and walk away and get 15-20 away before the recording starts. That to me seems like a lot of continuous motion to not get picked up by the camera sooner.

[steve_t]

Yes, hopefully at 100, you'll find it a lot better. In fact, you might find it too sensitive. I normally suggest people create a mode of their own and rules in the mode where the sensitivity starts at 100 and each time you get a false alert within 30 mins of a previous alert, turn it down 1. This allows you to fine tune the system to be as close to optimal as you can get. Most of my cameras work in the low 90s for sensitivity during the day and I schedule a night mode that has 100 for all cameras sensitivity.

HOWEVER, raising your sensitivity setting will make it more prone to vehicles triggering it. Again, the way to combat this is to reposition your camera or the other option is to subscribe to Arlo Smart but I'm not sure how effective that is

[Allindsey1978]

Even at 100% it still doesn't record the passing cars until 2/3 of the way across the screen. Therefore I have little hope for it to capture the face of an possible intruder if they can make it from the street to the camera and halfway back to the street before the camera even kicks in. Cars aren't even triggering it, much less a person until it's too late.

[Allindsey1978]

Now if this doesn't beat all: one of my cameras picked up the motion of fireworks in the sky from a couple miles away, but still cars and people are late setting off the motion detection until the car is almost out of frame or people have already made to the door and back to the street before motion is detected. Either the motion detection isn't very good, or the motion detection is fine but there is lag between motion and when the recorder kicks on.

[steve_t]

Share the video of the fireworks here. One, it'll be nice to watch. Two, it'll give us the POV of the camera and we can see if there's anything we can suggest re placement of the camera. Three, the link you share is only available for 24 hours so no need to delete it or be overly worried about it being seen by a large number of people

[Allindsey1978]

1. I don't know how to post the video, and 2. I already deleted it. But if I get another similiar one, i can post if someone tells me how.

[steve_t]

From the library, click on the ellipsis (3 dots) under the video. From there the options menu will give you the option to Share. Click "Share" and then click "Copy Link"
Then paste the link to your post here

[Allindsey1978]

Here are some examples. The first 3 are street view. The rest are backyard.
1. Birds from 10 feet away setting off the motion seemingly right away.
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/BB4918B082D82D26_201807
2. A car that makes it almost halfway across the screen before recording begins.
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/5B9587F0790AA7C6_201807
3. The same car after it turned around to come back (i live in a cul-de-sac) in which the recording begins as soon as it emerges from behind the brick wall. Obviously triggering the recording to start much sooner than in the previous one involving the car.
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/B6E8363FC11F4B8B_201807
4. Three videos that involve my sister letting out dogs and pulling a few weeds. The recordings stop even though there is still motion. Recording seems to resume via further videos?
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/A57E85F2F4C9695E_201807
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/C515A9F791BE8209_201807
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/E0CC27C8BB8A46A9_201807
Notice in the last one she goes inside and about 10 seconds later the recording stops presumably due to no motion. Yet in the first 2, sister and dogs are still in motion when recording stops. Why don't they continue recording since there is still motion? Why not one long continuous video instead of three short ones. During the breaks in between, crucial images may not be picked up if those were intruders. Same issue with the street view videos.

[Allindsey1978]

Now i can't explain this one, but here is another street view of another car. But in this one, the recording begins much sooner than they usually do. This time right after entering the frame when compared to other car videos.
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/548B51FCA6E5B040_201807
I have other videos of cars entering from the right side from behind the brick wall where the recording starts right away. There seems to be no consistency as to when the recording starts even when circumstances are the same across several videos that have different starting points. I also have videos of the same car emerging from behind the brick. In one of them, recording starts immediately after passing the brick. In the other, it has almost left the screen entirely before the recording starts. No consistency at all! A car in the background triggers it, but a person close up does not. The size of an object shouldn't make a difference. A big object in the bg and a small object up close take up the same amount of space on a 2 dimensional camera.

[jguerdat]

1) The birds are close and fast.

2) The car is partially blocked by your car. The big issue is that you're trying to use a PIR detection system to capture the whole scene. Do you want a motion-detection light to light up every time a car drives by? Rotate the camera down so it only sees your driveway.

3) The car isn't blocked by yours.

4) Define "motion". First, your sister stops moving for many seconds - the cameras detect that as lack of motion. If you want recording to continue in situations like that, use a timed recording for a long enough time.  Then your sister is well out of range of the PIR detectors so recording stops. People detection is a max of 25 feet but can be less. And the last one just doesn't have motion except for a jogger (?) WAY in the background.

5) Maybe your car isn't blocking as much or the car in the street is further away from your curb. In any event, you're trying to pick up the wrong things for a PIR system.

[steve_t]

I would definitely suggest you angle the camera downwards more. Also, change the video setting to Best Video for a sharper image

[Allindsey1978]

Taking all this comments and suggestions under advisement, i will adjust the camera downward. However, i still feel that a mailman should set it off sooner than when he is halfway back to the mail truck. There are no obstructions on the walk up to the door. So from the street to the door should be plenty of space and movement on his part to trigger faster.

[Allindsey1978]

The one where you say there is a jogger way in the background. Look again. Before the jogger there are several seconds of my sister walking back toward to back door to go in. She was far enough away and still triggered motion when she was walking toward the camera, but the mailman at a similar distance away didn't trigger when walking straight toward the camera with nothing obstructing the camera's view of him.

[Allindsey1978]

https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/5831EB316FA50E6D_201807
Two cars in the driveway and motion still detected from a car while still on the street behind them from closer to the left side of the frame. More obstruction and still recorded sooner. https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/138FF319E1E330CE_201807
Earlier in the day. One car in the driveway, not two. Fewer obstructions. Recording doesn't start until midway through frame.
https://arlo.netgear.com/hmsweb/users/library/share/link/CAA63D609B87A535_201807
And here's one of another car pulling into my driveway behind the two cars already there. Note that it wasn't recorded coming down the street like the cars in the first video.

Please tell me how a car in the street with only one car in the driveway can delay a recording because the driveway car is "in the way" but when there are two cars in the driveway, "in the way", the camera saw past them and detected the street car sooner. Not trying to be a smartass, just trying to prove that with only one car in the driveway a recording of a car started later than a recording of a car when 2 cars in the driveway obstructed a street car. This is what I mean by no consistency of when recordings begin. The settings were exactly the same on both videos.

[jguerdat]

Your links have timed out (24 hour limit) so we can't see.

The issue of whether cars are blocking something in the street is really rather moot since that's not how these cameras work best. It's a distraction - focus on getting people detected best within ~25 feet or less.

[Allindsey1978]

Jguerdat, It's not moot when:
1. I say that cars driving in the street aren't getting detected and I'm being told it's because cars in my driveway are blocking the street movement, yet I have other videos of street cars moving behind the driveway cars and they ARE being detected.
2. I have videos of visiting cars in my driveway already parked, but no videos were made of said car pulling in or leaving.

My point is that I'm being told that certain things are causing the motion detection to delay, yet those same certain things don't seem to be an issue in other videos. There is no consistency about how these things detect motion. One minute, a car doesn't get picked up until halfway through the frame and it's blamed on "parked car is in the way". Then, when the same parked car is still "in the way", another car comes by and gets picked up the entire time it takes to go from left to right while going at the same speed. Then of course there are the instances where there are no cars in the way, and I have video of passing cars being detected early and video of passing cars being detected too late.
Then there's the issue of why a car coming or going from my driveway wouldn't trigger a recording to be made. Or why a mailman stopping in the street, getting out and walking to the door and walking back doesn't get recorded (blamed on people being too small to give off a certain signature), but neighbors walking by on foot DO get recorded.

[Allindsey1978]

Steve, i have adjusted the camera more downward and tried to eliminate some of the brick wall from view so I can hopefully eliminate more non-moving stuff from view.

[steve_t]

Let us know how you get on. It's always hard to get the perfect positioning and then the perfect motion sensitivity. There are always tradeoffs. That's why I always tell people to try out a location, if they can, before they drill holes for the mounts.