ArloQ activity zone bug - zoomed picture and zones ignored

[iliannak]

dear users,

i have a double problem with my Arlo Q since a while.

a) activity zone zoomed image in the settings menu

I use mainly the app through on android, on a samsung S7 and on a Huawei P20Pro. When I access through the settings the menu for activity zones for setting or editing i don't see the image the camera is capturing but I get an enlarged image covering only the upper left corner of the full captured image, and therefore I cannot set Activity Zone in the remaining invisible area.

firmware 1.9.0.0_269 and hardware 6 according to the device info.

the video settings are in 720 and I have tried even to lower them, following the solution provided to another user for the same problem on ios, unfortunately it did not work in my case. 

in the past the activity zone menu was working fine. the problem is recent.

if you open the account through windows on a laptop, then the activity zones area is shown correctly and you can set and edit viewing the whole image/scene.

any advice on how to solve the issue and having the activity zone part of the app working properly again?

b) activity zones ignored

our Arlo Q is often ignoring the activity zones set and is reporting activity even for zones left out. I have set a specific custom mode for only two zones and I still receive notifications for zones supposed to be ignored. our Arlo Q faces in the garden and in winter when the fence is less green it keeps reporting cars passing by in the street. so getting Arlo Q to work correctly with the activity zones is for us extremely important. 

this problem is constant and was present even before the bug issue with the image shown in the activity zones menu. any advice on how to make the activity zones set respected by Arlo Q and avoid  unnecessary notifications ?

many thanks in advance for your replies

[ShayneS]

Hi @iliannak

  Have you tried contacting customer support regarding this issue? I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

[lisadlf]

I am also having this same problem with the zoomed image. Any solution?

Running Android version 2.11.2_26080

[ShayneS]

@lisadlf

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

[voigtek]

I’ve been having the same problem with the zoomed-in image on my new Ultra cameras. I stumbled into a solution for this that worked for me on the iOS app. If you first play the live stream of the camera and then open the activity settings while it streams, the image appears correctly and you can set your zones properly.

[iliannak]

@voigtek many thanks for the tip. unfortunately it did not work for me.

[iliannak]

@lisadlf 

for the problem with the zoomed image for in the activity zones settings:

- i have tried to change the resolution of the video and to further reduce it, I have it at 720, i tried all lower levels without success. 

- i have tried to launch first the camera in live mode and then open the settings and try to set the activity zones. nothing

- i have tried to take a new snapshot, using the video menu through a computer and then to reset the camera and to open the app through my phone, nothing the image remains zoomed

- i have tried to reset the camera fully, back to factory setting and to reinstall it completely, nothing.

for the issue of setting the activity zones and having Arlo respecting them

- i have tried to set different custom modes, to set different activity zones, more restricted, avoiding any window or possible source of reflection it partially works 

- i have also tried to reset the camera a few times

- i have also tried to change a bit the position of the camera 

for both, i use only a computer to work and set the activity zones now as on the mobile phones i can only see a zoomed part of the image  

any further suggestions would be more than welcome. many many thanks in advance

ilianna

[ShayneS]

I would suggest contacting customer support.  I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

[pharmdjt]

I am also experiencing the same issue, whenever I try to set my activity zones, it will give me a zoomed image, not the normal size image to work off of. Please help

[iliannak]

@ShayneS 

thanks for suggesting to contact the customer support. i have tried already twice to get a live chat and I get as reply message live chat not available. I don't know if it's due to the time difference between our Europe zone and the States or if they have a problem. I will try agai. thanks anyway

[ShaneM]

I am also having this problem where the camera view on the Activity Zones pages on the Android App are zoomed. This makes the 2 activity zones show in the wrong place. 

I've tried launching the live stream then going to the Activity Zones page, but this doesn't resolve the problem. 

Wondering if this is something to do with Shared Accounts and perhaps those I've granted access to might have logged in and zoomed in, but never zoomed out and the setting when I look is being overwritten? Just a guess. 

Hope to get an answer soon. 

[voigtek]

ShayneS, that’s a frustrating answer, since I did send a message to customer support 12 days ago and have not received a reply.

[_willow_]

Just to build the thread. I am also having these issues.

First it was just one camera with only the top left portion of the picture, now a second has started doing it.

I have tried resets, factory settings, update snapshots, flip 180 (This makes it pick the bottom right... or new top right as it were...)

Can't figure it out.

[_willow_]

I just called support in case they had anything they could try at this point.

They immediately knew about the issue and said it was new but they are working on it, hoping to have a patch shortly.

Whilst I know that isn't much information, just hoping it will help others. Don't bother resetting cameras etc etc, nothing wrong on your end!

Cheers

[ShayneS]

The Arlo development team is currently investigating this issue. We will provide an update as soon as we have more information to share with the community.

[ShaneM]

Just to highlight the impact that this is having. Because my activity zones are not being considered, every activity within the camera view is being tracked. Evey person walking by on the sidewalk triggers recording and light activation when dark. As such my battery died within 3 days of installation of this new product (from 100%). I recharged to 100% yesterday and since last night its already down to 85% in just over 12 hours of use.

As a new user as of this week, is this normal? If so that's pretty terrible battery life.

[_willow_]

Thanks for the update ShayneS.

I am happy it is being worked on. If you hear any updates, would be appreciated to keep us in the loop!

Cheers.

[Drunkpunk082]

Arlo Ultra, same issue with 1 of the 4 cameras. I have tried iOS, Windows 10, Android, and multiple browsers. No matter how I access it, I always get the zoomed in view on the one camera. I've tried all of the fixes, camera is up to date, still can't set activity zones properly. Glad that they have acknowledged the issue but for a $1000 setup I'm strongly contemplating returning it for something with actual SmartThings integration and working software. My Ring doorbell however works flawlessly with everything 🤔

[Timbukyou]

I have the Arlo Ultra but I am having the same issue. Activity Zones only offer the upper left quadrant of the full picture to create a zone. I have reset both the cameras and the hubs. This shows up this way on my computer AND my cell phone so it has something to do with my Arlo account or the Arlo equipment.

[ShayneS]

@Drunkpunk082 @Timbukyou

Thank you for this information, The Arlo development team is currently investigating these reports. We will provide an update as soon as possible.

[Tef]

Having the same problems with the Arlo Ultra cameras. I’m having so many activations that I’ve turned it off. I can’t see the full view when trying set activity zones or when I’m in the camera video settings. My cameras are new so I’ve never had this working. Is this a new issue after working properly? I really need my cameras working properly before going away.

[_willow_]

It's a new issue. Was working fine recently. Hopeful of a quick fix because of that.....

If too many activations, are you using smart notifications? Then turn off some you don't want. ( I've temporarily turned off vehicles till this is fixed as anything on the road out front sets it off otherwise... This has alleviated that issue. Not a perfect fix, but better than nothing)

[Drunkpunk082]

Same. Im getting 60+ notices a day because I can't set the activity zones properly. Pretty useless as far as reliable warnings for real security issues. On the bright side I can afford 5 Ring cameras for what I paid for this Ultra kit. I give em a week and then I'm taking mine back. Wanted the better cameras Arlo offers but the higher resolution is useless if the cameras can't be setup properly.

[voigtek]

I know I’ve posted this before but I think I figured out a way to (unreliable) reproduce my success. If you start your camera’s live feed and then immediately get to the activity zone settings screen (before the video starts playing) it sometimes will show the full video. Sometimes, it will blip back to the top corner again (cue angry face) but if you keep doing that trick over and over, it seems to eventually land on the full video. After trying for a while, I got it to work for all three of my Ultra cameras.

What I can’t yet tell is whether the zones themselves are accurate after leaving the page. I just got excited that I finally was able to draw zones on full pictures that I came straight here to post.

I’m hopeful this reduces my daily notification count from the 150 it was today!

[ShaneM]

@ShayneS

When should we expect an update on this critical issue? It's been over a week since an update.