Problem with custom modes

[Nomadadon]

I set up a custom monitoring where if my system sets moron on my Pro3, it would capture video for 2 mins on that cam and the same on arlo2 (non-pro). Saved it and it ran fine. A couple weeks later it started recording on pro2 and Arlo 1 instead. I reconfigured and it said it was fine. Hour later it's back on the wiring ones.

Contact support and they said to delete the mode and try. I deleted it, 3 days later it reverted. By this time my ticket is closed. Wow, amazing support.

No fixed it updated and my security camera is now a baby monitor.

Very disappointed but it's an investment now. Anyone have any ideas for a pet food in the original functionality?

[JamesC]

Nomadadon,

What modes are you using, custom or default modes? Are you using a schedule as well?

Check all of your modes to be sure they all have the correct rules set up for which cameras you want to detect motion, if you using a schedule, check each time slot to make sure the appropriate mode is present for the desired times.

JamesC

[Nomadadon]

I'm only using the 1 mode, no schedules or changes.    

I was going to add multiple screenshots but looks like I can only do one.  In the attached, I keep changing the name to "Pro-03" so I can see it at a glance but I've also tried just leaving it alone.

I change the top option from "Arlo-02" to "Pro-03", leave it at detect motions.  Hit "save", not 'back'.

I change the "The do" from Arlo-01 to "Pro-03" and hit save.

Hit Save for the overall config.

Give it from 2 mins to maybe an hour and it resets right back to this config, sometimes adding in if the Cam detects sound also.

  I have deleted any other custom plans.  I have deleted and re-created this plan,  3 times.

[steve_t]

Did you realise your rule says that Arlo-02 motion detection tells Arlo-01 to "Do Nothing"?

[Nomadadon]

Yes, that is what it changes to.  I had it set that pro-3 motion started recording on pro-3, or that AND motion on pro-3 started recording on arlo-1, inside the front door so I got both sides.  It keeps changing.

I good get a new one today.  I reset it to just pro-3 triggers on pro-3.  5 mind later my phone went absolutely nothing. This time it changes to pro-01 motion turned in recording on arlo-2.  As a result my wife walking around my kitchen was sending me a ton of pictures n of my garage.

Had to completely disable monitoring via Arlo.  About to sell the system in eBay and buy used Comcast cameras. Not quite as nice but it doesn't randomly change settings up.

[steve_t]

The only time I see this sort of rule pattern is when people don't know what they're doing and have some funky Smartthings integration. Are you using Smartthings?

[Nomadadon]

I do have smart things. It is however configured in a very basic mode for home (disarmed) and away only. Additionally none of this interacts with smart things and the changes of arlo configs takes minutes when nothing else is happening, changing or bring modified.

[pc2k17]

Are you using smartthings classic app or the new Samsung smartthings app?

Did you connect arlo and smartthings? (have the arlo (connect) smartapp in smartthings)

If so.....

Are you using the smartthings mode in the arlo app or a custom mode you created?

Do you have smartthings set to record in smart home monitor based on certain events and/or motion?

Do you have any routines or smart lighting setup in smartthings that uses the cameras as a trigger?

[Nomadadon]

Replying Inline for ease of read/follow up.

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@pc2k17 wrote:

Are you using smartthings classic app or the new Samsung smartthings app?

I'm using Classic, I've not used the new one at all. 

Did you connect arlo and smartthings? (have the arlo (connect) smartapp in smartthings)

They are connected, have been for about a year when I first got the Arlos ( after I got ST )

If so.....

Are you using the smartthings mode in the arlo app or a custom mode you created?

I'm only using a custom mode in Arlo.  In ST, when it arms, it doesn't change the Arlo mode, just watches the cameras as motion sensors.

Do you have smartthings set to record in smart home monitor based on certain events and/or motion?

Only when the house has all presense away.  For the last 2 weeks of Arlo failures though I've been doing all the config and testing while I'm at home so ST never changed it's own mode ( or thus never changed the Arlo mode ).

Do you have any routines or smart lighting setup in smartthings that uses the cameras as a trigger?

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Not directly. I have a web-core piston that if it see's Motion at the front door at night it will turn on the porch light, but again this was during the day and the sensor was "if after sunset and before sunrise, then if motion on arlo-3, turn on the light"

[JPC]

Try a reset/update your Arlo App/Web login password. It may not help much but it helped me cleanup some odd glitches on my account. I highly recommend this every other update Arlo does or abnormality on the account you suspect.. 

[Nomadadon]

I've tried it on my phone, my tablet, my computer(web), each time I change it logs me out so I have to log in.   As I said the weird part is this ran great for months, then now it's been failing for the last 3 or so week.s

[pc2k17]

You're doing just about the same stuff as me with smartthings, so nothing out of the ordinary there that seems like it would change the custom mode you set up. The only thing I'm doing different is I don't use a custom mode. I just keep arlo in the armed mode all the time and when I don't want the cameras to record or be active I have smartthings just turn them off.

If you can, try using the Armed mode and setup rules in that mode to accomplish what your custom mode did. See if using Armed holds your settings correctly. If it keeps everything the way you want it, then you can assume something with your custom modes is corrupted.

So then options would be.... use Armed mode, uninstall/reinstall the app, try using the smartthings mode in arlo, contact support again and try to talk to a level 2 or 3 tech and tell them armed works but custom doesn't because maybe it's your cloud account not saving custom correctly, and drastic measure would be to reset your phone (but no idea if the issue is on your phone or not).

[Nomadadon]

   I just deleted the Custom mode and tried to edit the Armed mode.  It requires a rule/action for all devices.  I can't delete the action for all but Pro-03 and Arlo-02.   So that's not going to work.

[brh]

@Nomadadon

I have been following your posts, and I am very confused by what you are posting. I think that you are over thinking yourself and/or you don't quite understand the concepts in getting Smartthings and Arlo to work with each other. Bear in mind that there have been some program changes in the past few months in how the two systems work together, so forget about what it used to do. That won't help you troubleshoot the current problem. Secondly, there may be some corruption in either the Smartthings or Arlo hub software, so it wouldn't hurt to remove the power from each unit for a minute or so and just let the systems boot back up to be sure everything is still in sync. Thirdly, I think you have something messed up in Smartthings, so we will need to poke around in there to see if something is not acting correctly. Maybe an app you forgot about.

That being said, Be sure you have completely removed the Smartthings Mode in Arlo. Go into the Arlo Armed Mode and be sure that there is one Rule for every camera, (camera 1 records video on camera 1, camera 2 records video on camera 2, camera 3 records video on camera 3, etc). You may have to tweak a couple of settings later, but at this point set your Mode to Armed, turn off all the cameras, and you are done with the Arlo setup. Do not go back and add custom modes, schedules, custom rules, etc. From here on out all the control will be done with Smartthings.

Now that the cameras are armed and disabled, we need a way in Smartthings to turn on the cameras, (put them in an active or standby mode if you wish). That is where the Smartthings Routines come in. they will act as the on/off switches for the cameras. So in the Smartthings Goodbye routine for example, where it says, "Turn on these lights and switches," select all of your cameras set the Smart Home Monitor to Armed(away). At this point you can go into Things and see that all the cameras are Active. Another example would be the Good Night Routine. You might only want to select your outside cameras and set the Smart Home Monitor to Armed Stay. With the cameras already in the Armed state in Arlo, and Smartthings having set them to Active, any motion on the selected cameras will automatically record video.

But now to fully control the cameras, click on the gear icon at the top of Smart Home Monitor and create a Custom Rule for each camera and specify all the needed items, such as recording length, notifications, what lights to turn on, turn on the Arlo Siren or not, etc. 

If, you want Camera 1 to trigger a recording on both camera 1 and camera 2, this is where you would set that up in the custom rule.

Be sure to have a Routine that disables all the cameras and lights - I'm back Routine or Good Morning Routine or both.

So you will see that you only need to use the Armed Mode in Arlo, and since both Smartthings and Arlo have Rules, you want to only use the Smartthings rules and leave the Arlo Rules in their default settings. Arm Smartthings with the appropriate Routine, not by the three buttons on the Smartthings home page, (they will not activate the cameras). When you have determined that everything is working well, you can setup the Smartthings system to work on a schedule. Another thing, I don't think you need webcore to turn on a light. Smartthings has a Smartapp called Smart Lighting that can do that quite well. Using these settings above, your Arlo rules should no longer change.

Hope this helps you or at least points you in the right directions. If there is anything you don't understand, just ask.

Brian

[Nomadadon]

  No, I think it's I'll give this a try but it's overly complicated or overly stupid.  A couple things.

With or without SmartThings, I want all cameras 'on' but not alarming or recording.  If my wife and I are out my wife occasionally wants to check the cameras and make sure our son is 'ok' (it's a mother thing).  She will now have to open the app, select the all the devices and turn them on and view them until she finds which camera he may or may not be on.  And then they have to all be turned back off.

I want 2 modes. 

1) When the house is empty, all cameras are on and 3 of the 5 cameras to detect motion, send a push and alarm ( my dog still sets off 2 of them ).  This is easily accomplished using SmartThings modes without touching Arlo if the Cameras are on.

2) If I am home, I want 1 camera to detect motion.  If that one dectects motion, 2 of them record and send a push notification.  This requries ( or I say required ) NO interaction with SmartThings.

That's it.  Nothing more, nothing less, while I do have and use ST, this way over complicates what should be a very simple solution.  This worked GREAT for months and in the last month somewhere it broke.  And now it's completely gone to crap.  

[brh]

@Nomadadon

I think the first one is easy as you said. In the Smartthings Goodbye Routine, simply activate the 3 cameras that you want to record video on motion and don't activate the other cameras.

The second one, I believe you can use the Smartthings Good Morning Routine to activate the two cameras you wish to record video on motion detection and don't activate the other cameras. Or you could create an additional Routine and call it something like, "Home," and activate the two cameras. Then select the gear icon in Smart Home Monitor and create a Custom Rule for each of these two cameras. If either of the cameras detect motion then the rule will record to both cameras, (you could possibly do it with one Custom Rule).

Where it says, "What kind of device do you want to use", select Motion Sensor.

Where it says, " Select Motion Sensors," select one of the cameras. Further down where it says, "Only when the mode is," select Home. 

On the next page, you can set up your notifications, turn on lights and select the cameras you wish to record video when motion is detected by that camera.

Do the same for the other camera with a different Custom Rule. (Again, experiment as you might be able to select both cameras in one custom rule).

Now, I don't know of a way to only select one camera to record on motion and have the other one record. Since Arlo is in the Armed mode either camera will record to both cameras when motion is detected, which is why I said you could probably select both cameras in one Smartthings Custom Rule.

If you wish to turn off all the cameras use the Smartthings Good Morning Routine or create another Custom Routine for that.

Brian

[Nomadadon]

Setting up the recording in ST was easy.  But now I have a delima.  If I turn on "Alarm" such as Lights and Siren when I'm out of the house, it's going to get REAL annoying if the FedEx guy shows up when I'm at home since ST doesn't differentiate between the two, you either have alarms or you don't.

As I mentioned, if the Arlo system worked as it did and should, I could, and did, use ST for Armed/Disarmed and Arlo for Home.  Worked GREAT.  No having to turn cameras on or off.  very simple and elegant solution that worked very well for months.

[brh]

@Nomadadon

When you select the gear icon in Smart Home Monitor, you will see a rule caled, "Security." This is a graphical way to setup what devices you want to give you an intrusion alert, (and activate the siren if you so desire), so if you do as I did, you separate your outdoor cameras and sensors from the indoor ones so that the outside devices notify you as a warning but do not trigger an intrusion. Any device, (such as outdoor cameras, etc.) that I don't want to give me an intrusion alert, I simply omit it from this rule. These are the reasons that I arm/disarm my systems wth routines and use custom rules. In the custom rules on the page where you setup your notifications, you can also select, Alert with Lights and Alert with Sirens. For each custom rule, you can decide whether or not you want the siren to activate or not. 

Brian

[Nomadadon]

I finally got through to a support agent via Chat at Samsung.  After about 2 hours of trying various combinations of settings in the Rules and adding/removing my devices they issued an RMA.   It is having issues with the actual inventory of my devices, thus breaking the custom mode.

For using ST though,  here is the 'Stay' setting I want:

  If there is motion on Camera 3,  record video on Camera 3 and Camera 2.  That way if someone walks in the house, I get them outside, at the door, AND when they open the door and walk in ( face ).

If I enable Camera 3 and Camera 2, I get a notification if anyone walks around the from room including my dog.  I also don't want a notification from both camera 3 and 2 when there's motion, just the single from Camera 3.

[steve_t]

When you get your replacement equipment, don't do the ST integration for a week. Then when you do the integration, you'll know if that's the cause of issues