Enable top third detection

[abt]

I recently purchased three new Ultra 2 camera. After having them for about a week I've discovered why I'm getting very late defections, it is because of the disabled top third of the camera.

I've done some research and it seems like this was introduced in a firmware in 2019 and can't be turned off. It's seems like a redundant and bizarre move given that there is already and activity zones feature to take care of this.

My old cameras don't do this. At this stage, unless I find a solution I plan on returning the cameras.

[StephenB]

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@abt wrote:

it is because of the disabled top third of the camera.

I've done some research and it seems like this was introduced in a firmware in 2019

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No, the camera has always had this limitation, it is due to the design of the passive infrared (PIR) sensors.  Arlo might have started showing it in the UI in 2019 though.

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@abt wrote:

I recently purchased three new Ultra 2 camera. After having them for about a week I've discovered why I'm getting very late detections, it is because of the disabled top third of the camera.

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How did you come to this conclusion?  How late are your detections?

FWIW, motion detection isn't actually disabled in the top third.  It is just less sensitive to motion there.

[abt]

Thanks for trying to help, but I have too disagree with you. There are numerous posts talking about this issue and its implementation in march 2019 firmware. I also have 4 cameras with firmware prior to that that detect motion perfectly in the entire visible frame. 

[StephenB]

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@abt wrote:

I also have 4 cameras with firmware prior to that that detect motion perfectly in the entire visible frame. 

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Ultras or something else?  Since Arlo automatically applies firmware updates, I think they must be a different model (Pro or Pro 2?).  

There were certainly lots of issues with motion detection on the Ultras in 2019, but when I search the forum posts, they appear to have been resolved in a firmware update on 19 December 2019. There were complaints on the shaded region being introduced, and while some users indicated that a firmware update disabled motion detection in that region, I am not seeing a post from Arlo that explicitly confirms that.  And there would be no good reason for Arlo to do that, unless motion detection was generating too many false detections in that region.

The most recent post I know of from Arlo on the shaded area is here: https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Pro-3/Camera-positioning-feature-is-there-a-darkened-portion-at-t...

The shaded area indicates the vertical limit of the motion sensor on the camera. Due to the large visible field of view the camera, motion detection sensitivity in this area may be lesser or inconsistent relative to the rest of the cameras field of view. You should consider this when positioning your camera for best performance.

Back on topic - You are complaining about late detection - not sure if you mean that the video is starting well after the moving object has entered the field of view, or if you mean that the notification is coming later than you want.  Can you clarify what you mean by "late", and give some idea of how late?  And maybe clarify how the lesser motion detection in the top third of the field of view relates to the lateness?

Range of the motion detection is spec'd at 25 feet for the Ultra - though this is nominal.  They will pick up some objects from further away (vehicles for instance), and some things might not be detected until closer (smaller animals for instance).  

The cameras are more sensitive to motion across the field of view, and they are definitely more sensitive at the bottom of the field of view than the top.  If you need more sensitive motion detection at the top of the field of view, you can try inverting the cameras and rotating the video in the video settings.  That will shift the less sensitive region to the bottom of the field of view.