Can’t activate siren on5S

[Jeff__h]

So I have 3 cameras that have sirens.  But I can’t activate them individually.  When I try to set off the alarm, only the base stations works.  Why is this?

[Solenya]

Hi there,

mine has been the same for over a month now. Something happened after an update.

i can not activate any individual camera sirens on demand anymore.  It wants to trigger the base station only.

[Jeff__h]

Amazing!  Arlo has broken everything with their new app.  Complete idiots!  Guess we have to wait months or a year for a fix!  SMH.

Thanks for letting me know I’m not the only broken customer.

[BrookeN]

Can you make sure that each camera is set up correctly for siren:

https://www.arlo.com/en_fi/support/faq/000062913/how-do-i-turn-the-siren-on-my-arlo-camera-on-or-off...

[Jeff__h]

Thanks for reaching out.  I have 2 5S and an essential.  The app recognizes them as having sirens.  I’ve done what you link states and all that happens is the base unit siren sounds.  Not a peep out of the camera.  I did not test the trigger function for motion detected.  Not something I would use.   Appears that when tapping the alarm symbol it goes to a display, without any cameras listed, and triggers the base only.

sure hope this issue is addressed as I bought these cameras specifically for their siren.  If the app won’t support it, then I would have never bought them.  Why sell cameras with sirens if they won’t function with the app individually?

Awaking your reply and thanks again.

[StephenB]

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@Jeff__h wrote:

  I did not test the trigger function for motion detected.  Not something I would use.   Appears that when tapping the alarm symbol it goes to a display, without any cameras listed, and triggers the base only.

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So you are only triggering the siren manually?

Are you going to the "Emergency" screen?

Or are you livestreaming a camera, and then pressing the siren control on that camera's video?

[Jeff__h]

I go to devices

Select a camera with a siren

Start live streaming

Expand the live streaming view to full screen

Tap the emergency icon in the top right corner

This brings up the emergency response screen.

Only option is activate siren.  Does not allow selection of which device.

Slide the bar to activate and only the base console sounds.

Same issue on both iPad and iPhone running latest version of iOS 

Base unit VM 4500r2 firmware 1.26.0.0_4612_12a0681

Arlo app version 6.0.4 (9414)

[BrookeN]

That is the incorrect spot, on the link I sent you it has the correct steps. These steps are what you will want to do to get the outcome you are wanting.

To create a rule that includes a siren trigger:

1. Launch the Arlo Secure App.
2. Tap Routines.
3. Tap Arm Away or Arm Home.
4. Under Rules, select your camera.
   If your device is not listed, tap Add a Rule.
   Select your camera.
   Tap Save, then select the camera under Rules.
5. Under When, tap the Motion Detected or Audio Detected switch.
6. Under Then, tap the Activate Siren switch.
7. Tap Finish.

[Jeff__h]

So what you’re saying is cameras with sirens can’t be manually activated?  That is very restrictive for my security requirements.  We have stray cats and if I need to set the routine to activate a siren, it would be going off day and night.  I get motion detection alerts and when I do, I open the app and live stream the camera that triggered the alert.  At that point if I see something concerning, I want to activate the siren only for that device.

Your solution is restrictive and disappointing!  Even if I do want to activate sirens, the emergency response screen only activates the base and not all the cameras with sirens.  If I have a break-in and visually see an intruder, I want all sirens activate as the ones with sirens are on the outside and my neighbors would be alerted.  So there are severe limitations on siren usage according to your reply.  Unacceptable but not unexpected from Arlo.  I now have a bigger hole in my security desires and I’m not comfortable with the fact that the system locks out my desires to monitor and react to security issues in my home.

Security should not have limitations.  Every situation is different.  Customers should not be pigeonholed to a design developed by engineers.  It should be designed for openness and customer oriented.

I hope that this issue is brought up to the developers.  Why sell cameras with sirens when they can’t be used in various situations?

Very disappointed to find this out.  This new app keeps limiting me to control my own environment.  One size fits all is shortsighted.

[StephenB]

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@Jeff__h wrote:

So what you’re saying is cameras with sirens can’t be manually activated?  That is very restrictive for my security requirements.  We have stray cats and if I need to set the routine to activate a siren, it would be going off day and night.  I get motion detection alerts and when I do, I open the app and live stream the camera that triggered the alert.  At that point if I see something concerning, I want to activate the siren only for that device.

Is there a reason you are using the hub?

If you pair the camera directly with your home wifi, I think your steps will activate the camera siren.

[Jeff__h]

I had zero success with pairing them with my wifi.  They would only connect to the hub.  I’m fine with the hub but now I’m told the activating the security response only triggers the base and none of the other capable devices with sirens!

I have the Google Mesh router.  Stood right next to an access point and tried to get the 5S connected….no luck so I couldn’t even test that scenario.

I will look into it again but my expectation level is very low.

Thanks for engaging.

[BrookeN]

Can you send me a picture of your routines for the camera with the siren and then a picture of the spot you marked activate siren, when you click next it says choose a device that you would like to use for this action can you send me a picture of that as well. 

[Jeff__h]

Not sure if the pics uploaded.

Pic of screen with camera view and icon i selected to activate siren

Pic of emergency response screen

Pressed activate siren

Pic of screen to swipe to activate.  Does not show any option select a camera.

Let me know if the screen shots uploaded ok.

[Jeff__h]

Even if I just try to activate sirens, and even though it shows my 3 cameras and the base unit all checked, only the base unit is activated.

[BrookeN]

You can set up the camera sirens within Routines, Modes and then set up rules for when the siren activates and which device activates the siren. Where you are setting up siren from is the emergency response and yes that is expected behavior. However, if you want the cameras to activate a siren you need to set it up with the instructions I have previously provided. 

[Jeff__h]

Unfortunately that doesn’t work for me.  I want some way to manually activate a siren which appears that Arlo rejects that solution.

Then for emergency response, why does only the base unit activate when there are three other devices with sirens?  I want all the sirens activated if in fact I want to trigger it.  Just the base unit does not scare possible intruders outside nor would my neighbors hear it.

I await your response.

[StephenB]

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@BrookeN wrote:

 if you want the cameras to activate a siren you need to set it up with the instructions I have previously provided. 

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Well, @Jeff__h  doesn't want the camera to activate the siren.  He wants to manually activate the siren on a camera.  It sounds like there is no easy way to do that.

An automation could be set up to do it, but @Jeff_H would need to switch to the "Routines" page, select the "Automations" tab, select the automation, and then select "Test Automation" to use that method. 

[Jeff__h]

Automation routine requires you set a schedule day and time.  If you don’t select, it uses the current time.  If routines allowed actions not based upon a schedule, yes, that would solve my case.  But as it is, problematic .

[Jeff__h]

A simple solution to the app would be to add an icon for the siren next to the emergency response icon.  That could be programmed to then activate that particular camera’s siren. Would not require any changes to the base functionally of the app.  
My biggest issue now is even emergency response won’t activate all the devices with sirens.  If those unit are check in the siren section of the location, then those checked devices would also be triggered.

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@Jeff__h wrote:

Automation routine requires you set a schedule day and time.  If you don’t select, it uses the current time.  If routines allowed actions not based upon a schedule, yes, that would solve my case.  But as it is, problematic .

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You select any time you want for the schedule, and keep the automation disabled.

When you want to run it, you select "test automation" on the automation page.  (Note I said to select that in the post above).   Then the siren will sound. 

Certainly a hack, and not very convenient.  But it should work if you aren't in a rush to sound the siren.

I'm not using a VMB4000 (and the newer hubs don't have a siren inside).  So it is possible that the automation would also sound the base siren for cameras paired to the base - I have no way to test that.

[Jeff__h]

Cool. Thanks for the work around. It worked and only the camera siren activated. Much appreciated. Hacks are useful. 

[Solenya]

How is this solved? Typical Arlo. They broke the app on an update. And won’t admit it.

i used to be able to select siren and CHOOSE what camera or base station I want to go into alarm.

now a camera can only go into “siren or alarm” if motion is detected and set in the rules.

thats okay for some cameras but not all! I’ve had to set the door bell off before because of package theft. I don’t want an alarm every time someone walks up to the front door.

admit it’s broken. 

[StephenB]

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@Solenya wrote:

now a camera can only go into “siren or alarm” if motion is detected and set in the rules.

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Well, there is a workaround in post #22.  Not ideal, but good enough for the OP.

I don't work for Arlo, and agree it would be good to make this easier.

[Jeff__h]

My question is….why do they sell cams with sirens if the emergency routine only activates the base???  Even my open issue about integration with Google home hasn’t been fixed in 6 months.  The camera feeds in Google home keep dropping the connection!  Yet they still advertise the cams work with Google home!  So market cams with sirens and integration with Google yet either you can’t use the sirens or the integration doesn’t work.  Hum..false advertising!

I agree. When you select emergency it should either activate all sirens or allow you to select which ones to activate.  Yes, setting up a fake routine is a work around but if the company was really concerned about customer security they would be replying to posts and doing something about it.  To them we are a playpen and they are not truly a security company!  They only want things their way not ours!

We are just pissing in the wind hoping they address our issues.