Night Vision on Arlo Pro 3 camera

[ErikBang]

Hi, I had Arlo Pro2 cameras before, but upgraded to Arlo Pro3 to get improved video quality (New kit, new base station).  However I see that the videos at night are terrible with Pro3 compared to Pro2.  Night vision is on, but I do not want to use the LED light (will light up the neighborhood at night).  Are there any settings/combination of settings that can give me the same night vision videos on Pro3  that I had on Pro2?

Example picture attached from Pro3, will add also from Pro2 in a reply.

[ErikBang]

And here is example from Pro2

[jguerdat]

Have you checked your brightness setting for the Pro 3 in the Devices tab while live viewing? Have you swapped cameras around to see if it's just that one camera?

[ErikBang]

Thanks for suggestions,

Yes Brightness set to 100%, and I have the same issue on both cameras.

However when motion was detected last night, it was better quality in 1 second, until moving object was out of sight.  After that it just went back to black, just as it is when I try Live viewing.

[Mikey94025]

Just to make sure, the brightness setting of 100% is during live view and not the one in the camera settings.  Right?

The 2K sensor lets in less light than 1080p so it will be darker, but your pics show much more difference.  I also switched from Pro2 to Pro3 - I don't see such a difference but I live in the city where it's never 100% dark.  It looks like the night vision turns on when the camera detects motion, i.e., that's what you noticed when something moved, but during live view it doesn't appear to be on.  The only other difference I saw between Pro2 and Pro3 was the auto-HDR camera setting, so perhaps try switching that and see if anything changes.  Sorry this isn't more helpful.

[JamesC]

ErikBang,

If you do not wish to use the spotlight at night, it can be turned off by navigating to Settings > My Devices > select your Pro 3 > Video Settings > Low Light Settings > Toggle off the Spotlight. This will make your night time recordings black and white instead of color (as long as there is no other nearby ambient light illuminating the environment), similar to what you would be used to with your Pro 2 cameras

JamesC

[ErikBang]

Thanks Mikey,

this seems interesting.  I have only adjusted brightness in camera settings.  How do I get to the brightness setting for Live View?  (could not find it in app).

What you described is my experience too: as soon as motion is detected, a clear view is recorded (nightvision on) until the motion has passed, then the rest of recording is very dark again.

But it still seems that the night vision is off when choosing live view, and that surprise me.

[Mikey94025]

The Live View brightness control I'm talking about is a slider in the Flash player.  I'm using the Edge browser on Windows (the H.265 videos cannot stream in Chrome or Firefox on Windows).  See the attached screenshot.  The brightness control goes from -2 to +2.  If I set it to -2, it's basically darkness.  My screenshot shows the picture level at 0.

Like you, I did not see a similar way to control the brightness during Live View in the mobile app on my iPhone.

[iPjotr]

Same here, bad picture at night, like an early day JPEG. The moment a movement is detected, the quality kicks in (IR and spotlight?) again, reverting back to mediocre after recording stops.

Additional issue: I can’t get a live picture in low light, the image says “connecting” all the time. The moment there is movement detected, connection is established and a good recording is made, to be lost again when recording is over. My other two Pro 3’s have no issues, apart from not so very impressive night color image compression. Lots of artifacts, I guess the IR is off when live viewing, kicks in when movement is detected. Looks like a lot of bugs to me. Waiting for firmware updates...

[iPjotr]

Here’s a screenshot of what’s happening. Also I think it’s strange that my other cameras display in color, whereas the other one is in BW, unless I switch off the “night vision” option in settings for that camera.

[JamesC]

iPjotr,

The one camera showing the image in black and white has engaged the night vision filter because there is not enough ambient light in the image. If the environment is well lit, like the surroundings for your other cameras, the night vision filter will not engage resulting in a color image like you would normally see during the day.

JamesC

[medic459]

I like how you compared the night vision quality to 'an early day JPEG'.  Personally I would say the quality is that of the first cell phone with a camera or perhaps the gameboy camera?  My wife and I spent so long trying to figure out what the camera was trying to show us that we both ending up getting a Bachelors of Fine Arts.  My 9 month old can render a better view of the outdoors at night.  A piece of black construction paper has more pixel quality than the arlo pro 3.

Needless to say...color me (nightvision color of course) woefully unimpressed.