Arlo cameras don't detect electric vehicles

[DBear]

My Arlo camera that I have mounted directly over my garage works without any issues detecting and recording video of people as they pass by it. But, I noticed that it wasn't recording videos of my electric car as I was driving in and out my garage. However, my Arlo security lights that I have mounted adjacent to the Arlo camera have no problem detecting my electric car driving by.

At first, I thought that this had something to do with the motion sensitivity settings in the camera. But, after I read about how the Arlo cameras detect motion, I realized this issue was because Arlo cameras (Pro, Pro 2, Ultra, etc,) use infrared technology to detect heat variations for their motion detection function. However, the Arlo Security Lights use changes in video frames (i.e. motion) for their motion detection function. Since, the electric car doesn't heat up much (and because the driver is in the car), an electric vehicle can fool Arlo cameras into thinking that there is no movement as it drives by Arlo cameras (even with headlights on).

I was able to fix this issue by cross-triggering the Arlo lights to turn on the camera when the lights detect motion. It's nice to know that my electric vehicle is not generating much heat. But, this seems like it can lead to some security issues.

[jguerdat]

FYI, the lights still use PIR (passive IR) sensors like the cameras. That doesn't mean they're exactly the same or set to the same thresholds but the technology is the same. Only the Q cameras (and possibly the Ultra cameras when plugged in) use pixel detection to determine motion.