Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras

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Peter_AU
Guide
Guide

I have the Arlo Plus secure subscription 5 cameras and one newly added doorbell.

After purchasing the doorbell and setting it up the app needed to be upgraded which I did.

After I logged in all my setting were gone, like it was a new setup.

I have gelocation enabled along with a schedule. This new app is totally different to setup and configure and to be honest I find it very confusing.  My workflow is as follows

 

  1. When I am away the mode is set to AWAY mode and all cameras are on including door bell
  2. When I get home then a schedule is applied
    1. Between 6:30AM and 5PM only front 3 cameras are on rest are off
    2. Between 5PM and 6:30AM all cameras are on.

Issue is when I leave the house I get a notification that I am in AWAY mode, but dashboard shows I am still home. So I have to manually turn on AWAY mode. I then arrive home, get an app notification I am home but the app is showing AWAY mode. I have left it like this for a few hours but it never changes.

Second issue it ignores the schedule.

I have  a ticket open now with support for over a week but no resolutoin, I spent 2 hours on chat tonight trying to get them to configure if for me, but they did not know really how to setup the app. The asked me so set the option "When I arrive" to set the mode to be away?

 

Oh and the audio alerts issue still remain (eg Audio alerts stops working after a few hours, just visual notifications) Not sure if anyone can walk me through configuring the app.

 

Running Android 13

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

App Version 4.12.5_28655

7 REPLIES 7
Peter_AU
Guide
Guide

OK it seems odd, but apparently with the newer version of the APP does not support Scheduling and Presence location, even though the app clearly allows you to set these options.

 

Arlo informs me they are working on it, but I suspect it wont get fixed any time soon.

Cant believe that the app allows and even promotes these options but they don't work.

Not sure if I can now use some sort of external app or workflow to automate this better. (I checked IFTTT but even there they don't support changing modes or turning specific cameras on or off based on time of day)

Arlo for a premium service its lacking in simple configurations. ($200 a year service excluding camera upgrades)

jguerdat
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Guru

I use scheduling and geofencing all the time with the new UI. While there are some quirks I haven't figured out (geofencing is away but the schedule supercedes) it generally works fine.

 

Are you using any other automations such as IFTTT, which you mentioned? You may want to try removing that connection to see if things then work properly.

Peter_AU
Guide
Guide

I was thinking about using IFTTT but that is also very limited as mentioned they dont support modes only all armed or all off. So deleted all of the applets.

 

So how do you schedule specific cameras to be disabled and enabled in the new UI? I am not able to see that in the automation. There are lots of options like change Mode, record a video etc, but nothing about enable disable specific cameras based on time of day.

 

I thought about using the modes but as there are only three modes.

  • Away (all cameras armed)
  • At home (some cameras armed)
  • Standby

The logic is not very exact, you could schedule the app to switch modes based on time of day, but then when you leave and come back what will happen.

 

  1. Schedule 1 (Activated Every day at 6:30AM)
    1. Change mode to At home
  2. Schedule 2 (Activated Every day at 5PM)
    1. Change mode to AWAY

if I leave it automatically moves to AWAY

when I arrive it moves to at home, but then does the schedule kick in?

 

I have tried all the above and its just confused and is away, then at home some cameras are on or they are all on. Regardless of time of day or location.

 

The older UI was much easier to use and worked!

 

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

You can use the 3 default modes as you need - Standby is just a name so you can add rules to do what is needed. Weird but it works. The security system hub only supports the 3 modes so that's the decision to only have Arm Away, Arm Home and Standby. Maybe it will change, maybe not.

 

Disabling cameras simply means there's no rule in the current mode - no rule = Disarmed. You then use the schedule automations to switch modes as appropriate. Unlike the old method of scheduling, you generally need at least 2 schedules - 1 to start using a mode and other to switch to a different mode.

 

And then there's the Leave/Arrive (geofencing) automations. It sounds like you have something set up there, too, causing modes to switch. Check out these FAQs to see if they help:

 

https://kb.arlo.com/000062777/About-Arlo-Routines-Modes-Rules-and-Automations

 

https://kb.arlo.com/000062942/How-do-I-add-a-Schedule-Automation-to-my-Arlo-system

 

https://kb.arlo.com/000062822/What-are-Arrive-Leave-Automations-and-how-do-I-set-it-up-for-my-Arlo-s...

Peter_AU
Guide
Guide

Hi,

 

this is my issue, I have scheduled to change mode based on time of day. But it only triggers changing from At Home  to AWAY at  5:30 PM and all cameras are on. It ignore the following schedule and does not then switch to at Home at 6:30AM stays in Away mode.

 

Do I need to enable

  • Both these schedules in AWAY and At Home modes
  • or
  • 6:30AM schedule in the At Home mode and just the 5:30PM  in AWAY mode or vice versa (separate them based on Mode)

given these two scenarios;

 

  1. I stay at home all day and night
    1. Mode is "At Home" = some cameras are enabled
    2. At 6:30AM is see schedule move to At Home mode (already so nothing changes)
    3. At 5:30 PM it sees schedule move to AWAY mode (all cameras on)
    4. I dont leave the house, should it still activate the first schedule at 6:30 AM even though its not in the Home Mode now.
  2. I leave the house after 5:30PM and stay out for the weekend
    1. As the schedule has already put it as AWAY mode nothing changes
    2. Will it switch to AT Home at 6:30AM even though I am still away (I want Geo location to over ride the scheduling?)
jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

Try removing the geofencing automations to see if the schedule then works.

 

You may also want to add an action of enabling (or disabling, as appropriate) an automation in the Then: section. It's not something that I've tried although I just set it up to see what happens.

 

There's a lack of information on how to use the options available in the various automations so experimentation is needed.

Peter_AU
Guide
Guide

Ok I've removed the "When I leave" etc options. I'll monitor it over the weekend and see if that works.