Arlo Ultra 2 - Camera sensitivity zone function is missing on the new app.

[Lannes]

There used to be a function in the old suite of Arlo apps where you could check on the camera positioning so that the sensitivity zone was in the right spot. It showed the camera view with a darkened section highlighting the sensitivity line on the view.  where has this gone as I can’t find it in the camera default modes  ? 

[alex_loo]

is this not available only from subscription?

Alex

[StephenB]

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@Lannes wrote:

There used to be a function in the old suite of Arlo apps where you could check on the camera positioning so that the sensitivity zone was in the right spot. It showed the camera view with a darkened section highlighting the sensitivity line on the view.  where has this gone as I can’t find it in the camera default modes  ? 

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They removed that function - not certain why.  It did create some confusion, as the camera does have some sensitivity to motion in that darkened segment.  The darkened area for the Ultra was the top third of the image when the camera was fully zoomed out. 

[StephenB]

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@alex_loo wrote:

is this not available only from subscription?

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No, it was never a subscription feature.

[alex_loo]

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@StephenB wrote:

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@alex_loo wrote:

is this not available only from subscription?

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No, it was never a subscription feature.

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from app, Devices >> a camera >> cog wheel (device settings) >> Activity Zone, then I will be prompted to "get a plan" (ie subscription).

Is above the "camera sensitivty zone function" mentioned in this discussion topic?

Alex

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Activity Zones is still possible on my Pro 2, but not showing on my Ultra. Yet another feature probably surreptitiously removed from the new app, the one that's advertised as promising lots of (exciting) new features (I'm still to find out what they are). Motion sensitivity is no longer there, or I can't find it. A new feature is that the new app gradually loses functionality. It's a joke, this company.

[alex_loo]

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@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Activity Zones is still possible on my Pro 2, but not showing on my Ultra. Yet another feature probably surreptitiously removed from the new app, the one that's advertised as promising lots of (exciting) new features (I'm still to find out what they are). Motion sensitivity is no longer there, or I can't find it. A new feature is that the new app gradually loses functionality. It's a joke, this company.

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ok these terminologies are simply confusing if not misleading me.  What exactly are they?

(A) Activity Zone

• From ARLO app under NO subscription (Devices >> camera cog wheel >> Activity zone), it says "An Activity Zone focuses motion detection on a specific area within your camera's field of view.  Get improvied notifications as you'll only be notified of motion with the Activity Zone"

(B) However, with Devices >> camera cog wheel >> video settings:

• the video view window can be pinched to zoom in to still focus on part of full view of the camera.

Are (A) and (B) the same thing?

Alex

[alex_loo]

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@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Motion sensitivity is no longer there, or I can't find it. 

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It's still there.  Devices >> camera cog wheel >> Default mode settings.  The first option is for motion detection sensitivity.

Alex

[Edinburgh_lad1]

You're right!

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@alex_loo wrote:
ok these terminologies are simply confusing if not misleading me.  What exactly are they?

(A) Activity Zone

• From ARLO app under NO subscription (Devices >> camera cog wheel >> Activity zone), it says "An Activity Zone focuses motion detection on a specific area within your camera's field of view.  Get improvied notifications as you'll only be notified of motion with the Activity Zone"

(B) However, with Devices >> camera cog wheel >> video settings:

• the video view window can be pinched to zoom in to still focus on part of full view of the camera.

---

To clarify this - the camera positioning that @Lannes is asking about is not directly linked to activity zones.  The PIR sensors in the camera are a lot more sensitive to motion at the bottom of the field of view than at the top.   The camera positioning screen showed this by putting a dark stripe across the top third of the full field of view where the PIR sensor(s) weren't very sensistive.  Many people found that helpful when setting up their camera (whether they used activity zones or not).  I don't know why Arlo took that screen out, but they have.

An Activity Zone defines a section of the field of view.  Your Ultras support polygonal shapes, several camera models only handle rectangles.  Either way, you can create multiple zones to create more complex shapes.  When motion is detected, the cloud checks to see if the motion is in one of the activity zones or not.  If it is not in an activity zone, the notification and the recording are both supressed.  This is always a subscription feature when the camera is battery powered.  There are some camera models that have hardware support for activity zones.  These models let you use this feature w/o a subscription when the camera is AC powered.  Your Ultras unfortunately are not one of those models.

• https://kb.arlo.com/1001908/What-are-activity-zones-and-how-do-I-create-them

Then there are privacy zones.

• https://www.arlo.com/en_be/support/faq/digital-masking-privacy-zones/what-are-arlo-privacy-zones-and...

These are limited to just some cameras, and AFAIK only available in Europe.  I don't know why they aren't available in all countries, as I think they are a useful feature.

Your "B" feature allows you to reduce the field of view of the camera (using electronic pan and zoom).  I don't believe it affects the area where motion is detected.  So if you do use that feature with your Ultras, then one consequence is that you will potentially end up with more recordings that don't show any motion (because the motion is not in the field of view that you set).

There is a related setting on the Ultra, where you can set the camera FoV to 120, 155, or 180 degrees.  I believe that is supposed to adjust the PIR sensor, but that is not something I've tested myself.

[alex_loo]

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@StephenB wrote:

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@alex_loo wrote:
ok these terminologies are simply confusing if not misleading me.  What exactly are they?

(A) Activity Zone

• From ARLO app under NO subscription (Devices >> camera cog wheel >> Activity zone), it says "An Activity Zone focuses motion detection on a specific area within your camera's field of view.  Get improvied notifications as you'll only be notified of motion with the Activity Zone"

(B) However, with Devices >> camera cog wheel >> video settings:

• the video view window can be pinched to zoom in to still focus on part of full view of the camera.

---

To clarify this - the camera positioning that @Lannes is asking about is not directly linked to activity zones.  The PIR sensors in the camera are a lot more sensitive to motion at the bottom of the field of view than at the top.   The camera positioning screen showed this by putting a dark stripe across the top third of the full field of view where the PIR sensor(s) weren't very sensistive.  Many people found that helpful when setting up their camera (whether they used activity zones or not).  I don't know why Arlo took that screen out, but they have.

An Activity Zone defines a section of the field of view.  Your Ultras support polygonal shapes, several camera models only handle rectangles.  Either way, you can create multiple zones to create more complex shapes.  When motion is detected, the cloud checks to see if the motion is in one of the activity zones or not.  If it is not in an activity zone, the notification and the recording are both supressed.  This is always a subscription feature when the camera is battery powered.  There are some camera models that have hardware support for activity zones.  These models let you use this feature w/o a subscription when the camera is AC powered.  Your Ultras unfortunately are not one of those models.

• https://kb.arlo.com/1001908/What-are-activity-zones-and-how-do-I-create-them

Then there are privacy zones.

• https://www.arlo.com/en_be/support/faq/digital-masking-privacy-zones/what-are-arlo-privacy-zones-and...

These are limited to just some cameras, and AFAIK only available in Europe.  I don't know why they aren't available in all countries, as I think they are a useful feature.

Your "B" feature allows you to reduce the field of view of the camera (using electronic pan and zoom).  I don't believe it affects the area where motion is detected.  So if you do use that feature with your Ultras, then one consequence is that you will potentially end up with more recordings that don't show any motion (because the motion is not in the field of view that you set).

There is a related setting on the Ultra, where you can set the camera FoV to 120, 155, or 180 degrees.  I believe that is supposed to adjust the PIR sensor, but that is not something I've tested myself.

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My salute to @StephenB on such a detailed but clear note to explain ARLO's messy confusions 👍.  Thank you so much mate.

For "B", I can test this again but after setting it (by zooming in just to watch a rectangular portion of the whole 180-degree view) this afternoon, I am *feeling* that the camera would NOT record, if there is motion outside this rectangular portion.

(and if my feeling was correct, would that be just a simplest and free-of-charge form of the "activity zone" that is available only from subscription?  note that I don't have subscription here)

Alex

[StephenB]

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@alex_loo wrote:

(and if my feeling was correct, would that be just a simplest and free-of-charge form of the "activity zone" that is available only from subscription?  note that I don't have subscription here)

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Not exactly the same, but if it works for you, then go for it.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Very confusing, indeed, so thank you @StephenB for clarifying. Not sure why some cameras are included in activity zones/privacy zones, but others aren't. I was sure I could use an activity zone on my ultras, but it must have been during the time when I had a subscription, hence the reason why I can't find that feature now anymore. And yes, my pro 2 is connected to AC to record the whole of an activity, rather than the tail of it.

The FoV on the ultra expands the view, and so the range probably, too, but it can also distort the picture due to the fish eye effect. I'll experiment with detection using different settings for FoV and report back.

[alex_loo]

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@alex_loo wrote:@StephenB wrote:

(A) Activity Zone

• From ARLO app under NO subscription (Devices >> camera cog wheel >> Activity zone), it says "An Activity Zone focuses motion detection on a specific area within your camera's field of view.  Get improvied notifications as you'll only be notified of motion with the Activity Zone"

(B) However, with Devices >> camera cog wheel >> video settings:

• the video view window can be pinched to zoom in to still focus on part of full view of the camera.

An Activity Zone defines a section of the field of view.  Your Ultras support polygonal shapes, several camera models only handle rectangles.  Either way, you can create multiple zones to create more complex shapes.  When motion is detected, the cloud checks to see if the motion is in one of the activity zones or not.  If it is not in an activity zone, the notification and the recording are both supressed.  This is always a subscription feature when the camera is battery powered.  There are some camera models that have hardware support for activity zones.  These models let you use this feature w/o a subscription when the camera is AC powered.  Your Ultras unfortunately are not one of those models.

• https://kb.arlo.com/1001908/What-are-activity-zones-and-how-do-I-create-them

Your "B" feature allows you to reduce the field of view of the camera (using electronic pan and zoom).  I don't believe it affects the area where motion is detected.  So if you do use that feature with your Ultras, then one consequence is that you will potentially end up with more recordings that don't show any motion (because the motion is not in the field of view that you set).

There is a related setting on the Ultra, where you can set the camera FoV to 120, 155, or 180 degrees.  I believe that is supposed to adjust the PIR sensor, but that is not something I've tested myself.

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For "B", I can test this again but after setting it (by zooming in just to watch a rectangular portion of the whole 180-degree view) this afternoon, I am *feeling* that the camera would NOT record, if there is motion outside this rectangular portion.

---

@StephenB was correct and my "feeling" was wrong.  Was trying introducuing motions OUTSIDE the rectangular portion of a camera.  Results:

• LIVE view shows no motion at all (since LIVE view is also streaming just the rectangular portion I have defined)
• The ARLO DID report motion detected, still
• The local recording shows a recorded version of LIVE view, ie only showing the rectangular portion.  As reckoned by @StephenB above 👍, the recording "don't show any motion (because the motion is not in the field of view)" 

Conclusion:

• Actvity Zone is a subscription feature that is absent for my configuration (ultra 2 + smart hub + NO subscription).  It helps to filter OUT motion detection taking place within defined zones of the camera view
• Selecting a rectangular portion of camera view ("pinching to zoom into the video", under camera settings) will just change what you can see from LIVE streaming and local recording, but won't change the zones/areas that will trigger motion alerts

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@StephenB wrote:

There is a related setting on the Ultra, where you can set the camera FoV to 120, 155, or 180 degrees.  I believe that is supposed to adjust the PIR sensor, but that is not something I've tested myself. 

I will try this out to see if this will change just the streamed/recorded view, or the angle of motion detection.

Alex