Arlo False Triggers With Sunlight / Shade

[Retired_Member]

Arlo really need to address the recent issue with their systems given so many false triggers now due to sunlight and shade combinations .

Over about the last six months this has been a real issue for my system and reading the forums I’m not the only one . I suspect it has to do with a system update they have not fixed the bugs on with the IR algorithm .

I have had an Arlo system for about 3 years now , got 2 cameras with the system at purchase , purchased another camera shortly after from a different shop and then purchased 2 pro cameras at different times from both different shops . So in total I have 3 regular arlo cameras and 2 pro cameras .

I have 3 cameras outside , 1 at the front of the building and 2 at the rear and 2 cameras inside , the cameras have been in the exact same spot since I installed them at purchase 2-3 years ago and there have been no major changes to the outside environment eg new buildings , cut down trees etc which affect the sun/shade from before .   

I originally had the camera sensitivity set around 80% to 75% on the outdoor cameras and was lucky if I got 1 false trigger a week which was great .

However since about 6 months ago I get like 20 to 40 false triggers a day with sun rise and sunset and I have moved the sensitivity all the way down to 5%.

I have even tried moving the cameras around by placing the inside cameras in the outdoor positions, the cameras that were indoors have been giving no false triggers while inside however when I place them outside they give numerous false triggers , the outdoor cameras which I then place inside do not give false triggers . I have tried this with all 5 cameras which were all purchased at different times and locations and 2 are different models so it is not a hardware or hardware batch issue .

The whole system has also been restarted by myself and also an Arlo tech over the phone which has done nothing for fixing the issue

You can see screen shots attached for the front camera there is noting else that could give the false trigger , and it only happens on the front camera during sunrise which cast long shadows and sunlight over the front of the house .

The rear two cameras only happen in the afternoon when the sun is setting and doing the same .

If Arlo could admit they have a bug in the algorithm update and fix the issue instead of ignoring it would be appreciated

[Captcurt31]

I too have the same issue.  From about 8:30 am until about Noon on bright sunny days, two of my cameras will false from the shadows.  Lowering the sensitivity on a schedule helps a bit on days with harsh shadow.  The draw back is it the change in sensitivity has to be so great that it affects how well the cameras pick up on dreary days.  Anybody have any thoughts? 

[jguerdat]

The other most likely choice is to change the camera angle and/or position to eliminate trees, bushes and shadows. Don't forget that the sun's angle changes over time increasing or decreasing the issue.

[Retired_Member]

Sorry but did you bother reading my post or looking at the screen shot or just read the title of the post ?

1. As advised above the cameras worked fine for the last 2-3 years prior , this issue has only started in the last 6 months or so  there have been no significant changes to outdoor environment in terms of buildings or trees / shadows etc so your answers to fix is totally false .

Please try to read the posts before putting in unhelpful solutions

[Retired_Member]

Well seem Arlo / Net Gear cant be bothered to reply or look into the current issue with Sun light / shade combination setting off the cameras due to an update they did to the algorithm . attached is a picture of the notification from the front door camera over 30 false triggers so far this morning with the camera sensitivity set to less then 5% , this is become a joke , I was lucky to get 3 false triggers previously when it was set to 80% sensitivity and there has been no changes to the outdoor environment as above post and it is not a hardware or camera issue as they are all having the same issue . Even one of my work colleagues who has the Arlo system with 10 cameras all different models and purchased at different times and shops has said the same with in the last 6- 12 months since they did an upgrade he has got nothing but issues with false triggers with sunlight 

[MemphisRiverRat]

I do not have a solution do your problem but just wanted to post that I also have the exact same issue. Somedays I get a false trigger every minute from 10am until 4pm and the only way to prevent the false triggers is turn the camera off. The camera has been in the same position for well over a year with no false sunlight trigers until sometime late last year. I am sure it started after one of the firmware updates. It is difficult to tell exactly when it started due to all the problems with the iOS updates and previous issues with firmware updates last year (seems every firmware and iOS update solves one issue but creates two new ones). I have tried the typical troubleshooting: reset, battery swap, camera swap, lower sensitivity, etc. to no avail. I have also tried pointing camera down like someone has suggested (which is a silly solution). However this is supposed to be an outdoor camera and to recommend that the camera has no sunlight or shadows in the view is ridiculous. I think you are correct that this problem will probably not be solved by Arlo.

[jguerdat]

Creating custom modes with different sensitivity settings for the time of day is the correct way to fix this. No PIR sensor is going to be able to differentiate between a person or reflected IR from the sun. Moving branches/leaves will always be an issue for PIR sensor devices. Positioning the cameras to eliminate those objects reflecting the sun's IR may be possible but using a lower sensitivity setting in a custom mode will help, also. 

Once you've settled on a lower setting that still detects people as you need, use the schedule to automate the process. Note that different seasons may require schedule or setting changes due to the difference in the sun's angle.

[MemphisRiverRat]

Thank you for the suggestions. I understand the custom modes and such that I could create and change back and forth and try to figure out this problem. I have tried adjusting sensitivity settings just like kirkulles and it has not solved the problem.

I believe what kirkulles and I are complaining about is that this issue was not a problem before Arlo changed the algorithms/firmware sometime mid/late last year. Just like kirkulles, I had cameras in the same place last year and I did not have this issue with the the sunlight. I am guessing the new "smart" detection algorithms are causing these problems.

[Skinner]

FWIW I too had this issue and found that adjusting the sensitivity on the web portal on a pc not my phone solved the issue for me... finally stopped around 88% on one camera and 86% on 2 others

[Retired_Member]

As mentioned in my original post, this is not an issue with adjusting modes or sensitivity settings, but an issue Arlo / net gear have created when they have made adjustments to the algorithms.

I have had the cameras in the same position for years prior to this with them set to 80% sensitivity and was lucky to get a couple of false triggers a week. There have been no major changes to the outdoor environment or the position of the cameras that would give different shadows / sunlight to what was previously there. By the picture I attached in the original post you can clearly see the area is very basic with not a lot of in the image.

I have set the sensitivity to 2% and getting like 40 or more false triggers a day when not overcast days. About half or so when overcast depending on how overcast it is. No false triggers at night. So clearly this is an issue with sunlight / shadows

I have like 5 different arlo cameras which are different models, purchased different times and from different shops and all of them have the same issue when I put them in the front door location even with same sensitivity setting of 2%. When they are moved back to there other locations, I have no issues. I have done 2 hard reset of the base station and Net Gear have also guide through done a reset and has had no impact on the issue, so clearly this is not a hardware issue.

A college at work who has 10 camera system all different cameras purchased different times of the year etc has advised he is experiencing the same issues since some time last year as well with cameras that are positioned outside.

Clearly this issue has come about sometime last year with an update to the cameras algorithm detection which Arlo has not cared to address

[Retired_Member]

So even tried to adjust the camera sensitivity down to like 2 or 1% today and set a zone for the front camera just around the upper part of the front door yet still getting like 40 odd false triggers as day . As per screen shots attached there isn’t much that has moved just the angle of the shadow with the rising sun . Funny how this never happened in the 2 years prior to the update with the sensitivity set to like 80% 

[jguerdat]

There's a lot of potential for reflected IR from the sun in those shots but unless something is flying through the scene, causing a flicker, it doesn't seem likely to be the case. You are changing sensitivity in your modes, right, and not in the motion test? If so, open a case with support:

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/contact.aspx

[punkfoomasta]

I wish I had helpful advice - i feel your pain. I also purchased the special sun-shade skins for the outdoor cameras to reduce the angles possible for light to reflect. Now I have annoying ugly skins on the cameras that haven't helped AT ALL. 

There are limits to where these cameras can be placed in order to capture the entirety of the space that needs to be covered. turning the cameras off is NOT a solution as that renders the cameras MOOT because it's hours that trigger false motion sensitivity.

I've had 107 false triggers on ONE camera between 10:40am and now, 12:50 pm. Another camera in a completely different location has a ton of triggers as well despite no sun issues, simply shadows changes that quite frankly don't even make sense. I mean... I get it when bugs fly by, leaves fall close to the camera/reflect light, and there's crazy unusual wind moving the trees more than normal. But these cameras simply don't appear smart enough to distinguish basic things that other systems (my neighbors') do.

Add to this my remote microphone no longer works from my phone (all troubleshooting performed), the actual motion capture doesn't seem to work right (humans walking across frame and it stops recording mid-motion.... setting it to keep capturing limits the capture to 2 minutes which isn't always enough and yet motion duration setting seems to cut out at 13 seconds or less). I'm considering returning the whole system but the main thing holding me back now is the fact that to install all of them the screws sent in the kit are cheap and stripped on install despite the right bits, and i'll have to do some fixes to cover the mount locations as the other systems i'm considering mount differently.

That and i've tried communicating with customer support via tickets but they always say i have to call them when i'm on my home wifi in order to troubleshoot anything. They've stopped responding to my emails entirely with no resolution on these community tickets either. Seems they don't really want to help anyone and are quick to move on from old systems now that they're releasing the new one. They don't seem to care that when they make changes consumers interested in receiving those notifications don't have a way to opt in. And it feels like the app and algorithms keep changing and every time something new breaks. i bought mine through Costco so if I continue to get zero support I'll be returning them once i land on replacement product. 

[harley239]

I have the same problem with the sun for years. Only way to fix it is to get rid of Arlo!

[jguerdat]

Actually, the way to get rid of it is to understand how passive IR sensors work. ANy device with these sensors will have exactly the same issue. Positioning and sensitivity settings are the key.

[tfdwyer]

Has anyone or Arlo figured out how to fix this sunlight problem yet?

[jguerdat]

Until PIR sensors are impervious to the sun's IR, your solution is to change sensitivity for the time periods affected as well as camera positioning.

[mennis]

I tried changing sensitivity settings and also the camera position. What I found is there is no "sweet spot" and I either still get some false positives or it doesn't pick up motion and I miss events. What I don't understand is why the software couldn't determine that the entire view dimmed or brightened by the same amount. They must do some of this for their upgraded service since supposedly you can detect more specific types and also set up regions. I feel this is a huge flaw in Arlo's design. 

[M-Theory]

I've been having this issue too since the last update.

From 7am-2pm every day it records the movement of shaded areas under the porch and records 40-60 videos between 1 and 4:30 minutes long. I now have to charge the batteries every 4 days, but the other two cameras don't have this problem.

I even set motion sensitivity to 10 with no change. And since I would need to overlap schedules having some cameras active 24/7 and this one alone on a schedule that the built-in schedule doesn't support, I had to write an app that would set Privacy mode on each camera individually on a schedule. I should not have to write my own code to get this working properly. Very frustrating.

I wish I could return this poorly designed system for a Blinx XT2.

[jguerdat]

I'll wager you're not setting the sensitivity in your modes and rules. The motion test is just a test that you can use to modify your rules.

[punkfoomasta]

..

[M-Theory]

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@jguerdat wrote:

I'll wager you're not setting the sensitivity in your modes and rules. The motion test is just a test that you can use to modify your rules.

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You are correct (I assume you were addressing my comment). I thought the sensitivity slider was a global widget since it uses the global modifier in the base code. I guess it is only global for that canvas.

Thanks! Now everything is working to my liking.

[ianc911]

Happening to us too in our back yard. Getting 10-20 false triggers per morning when the sun is shining. None on overcast days.  Set sensitivity and brightness way down but no luck. Called in to support and they had me remove the cam and re-add but of course that did nothing. A security system is only as good as it's ability to alert you of meaningful events. If I get so many false positives I don't have time to check them all, what good is that doing me?

PLEASE FIX, THIS IS REALLY ANNOYING!

[ShayneS]

Hi @ianc911

What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far? I do not want to suggest anything you may have previously performed.

[Nrod9]

This is also happening to me. It's maddening. Arlo, please help