Pro4 connected direct to WiFi

[jwood1]

I have 3 Pro4 cameras and one Pro3 floodlight connected direct to WiFi, not to a smart hub.  I have the Smart Plan activated.  However, I was having trouble finding the Rules option but ultimately found it in the "Add Mode" selection for each device.   Rules and Modes really make this a functional security system.  I'm still dialing in all the settings, but so far things seem to be working well.  I will post updates as I get more experience.

[JamesC]

jwood1,

Glad to hear you've had a good experience so far.

For a new user, modes and rules can sometimes be a little confusing. For more information on creating custom modes and rules, take a look here: What are modes and rules and how does Arlo use them?

JamesC

[jwood1]

After about a week, everything is working well.  Motion detection is good and accurate, with one exception:  The siren on one of the cameras will activate, independent of motion within the activity zone set. 

The rules for that camera are set to: when motion is detected, start recording, activate siren, send push notification.  The camera is on a porch with a light, so very good visibility. Activity zone is set to a limited area by the front door., and smart zone set to "person".  I arm this camera at night.  The activity zone seems to work well: the camera will only start recording and send a push when I walk within the set zone.  However, the siren will activate from motion outside the zone, typically a car driving by with headlights, but no video is recorded, nor do I get a push.  However, on my phone, that camera does show the siren as activated and there is a slider switch to turn off the siren.  If I do not turn off the siren, it goes off by itself after about a minute. 

So, is this a known issue where the siren will activate independently of smart zone set? 

[JamesC]

jwood1,

Activity Zones are determined by the cloud. The camera still picks up motion outside the set zone, the cloud just determines whether or not that motion should be filtered based on the zone you have set up. This means a feature like the siren or spotlight will still activate if motion occurs outside the zone.

JamesC

[jwood1]

Thanks for that confirmation, but it should be more clearly stated in the documentation.  I'm sure you can understand why one would only want the siren to activate when motion is detected within the activity zone.  Perhaps this is something Arlo can work on.