Doorbell Lacks Sensitivity with Latest Firmware Update

[Johnny1005]

The doorbell lacks sensitivity respective to "Detects Motion" settings even when set to 100. The latest firmware update has compounded this problem, making the distance much closer to the sensor.  With the previous firmware version 1.2.0.0_621_903a525_c998ba4 the motion sensor would only capture movement around eight feet away.  Now with firmware version 1.2.0.0.624_718aea3_c998ba4 the motion sensor distance has shortened to around three feet.  

With the latest firmware version there is no difference in distance sensitivity when making any adjustment from maximum to minimum when using the Arlo app. 

My doorbell is located next to the door at the height as prescribed in the mounting directions.  My walkway is walled with a distance between the two walls of around 7 feet.  When people come to the door they are walking stright toward the doorbell.  Side to side motion, if any, is slight.

Because of this problem, for example, if a person delivers a package and they are quick, once the motion sensor gets tripped, the resulted recording is of their backside leaving!  This is not acceptable in the event I have a porch pirate.  The backside is not a good description for prosecution if a suspect is later found and I'm requried to positively identify them.

Respective to the doorbell placement, I do think that the majority of doorbells loacted at front doors mostly get straight on motion vs side-to-side motion.  

I respectfully ask the engineers to modify the firmware to the senitivity will capture motion at a distance of at least 20 feet instead of 3 feet.

[Johnny1005]

Here is a picture taken from the doorbell view

[jguerdat]

I don't see a difference in detection distance from days ago to yesterday. I use a zone and a motion sensitivity setting of 45 to eliminate street traffic from recording. It may somehow be those walls causing the issue but I don't know why that would be unless they get a lot of the sun's reflected IR. Is it different at night?

[Johnny1005]

It sounds like your camera placement has a wider angle of view so moving objects are seen many more degrees from side-to-side.  The side-to-side movement does do a better job at tripping the doorbell sensor from greater distances than when coming toward the doorbell straight on.  Only if the people coming to my door would zig zag from wall to wall when approaching. Here, there is no adverse sunlight glare. The doorbell has the same extremely short distance in detection when it is dark. I can only assume that with a straight on approach, the sensitivity settings have little to no effect in range as I have tried many different levels of sensitivity.

[Rhoogenboom]

I think I have the same problem with this firmware update.

Our doorbell has been installed last year October, all throughout Oct, Nov and Dec the motion detection would kick in when a delivery van drives up. At some point, this just stopped working. I almost need to press my nose up in the camera to trigger detection. Cars, vans or semis are hardly ever detected. The settings don’t make a darn difference. All of them always seem to end up at the same 80% or middle for brightness etc.

Is there a way to downgrade to an old firmware?

Regards,

Richard

[jguerdat]

No but it sounds like you're trying to set sensitivity in the motion TEST, which is just a test. A permanent location for this setting is in your modes and rules for the doorbell.

[Rhoogenboom]

O man, never realised there is another place too.

Yes found it. So I have a static guy on the left of the slider and a running guy on the right.

Assuming the number on the slider works the same as on the test. There going to 100 is most sensitive, is that the same here?

You couls interpret the static guy as: you hardly need to move to detect motion vs you need to race by to get detected.

Thanks!

[jguerdat]

Yup, running man/moving to the right side/higher number means more sensitive.

[StephenB]

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@Rhoogenboom wrote:

Assuming the number on the slider works the same as on the test. There going to 100 is most sensitive, is that the same here?

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Yes.

[Rhoogenboom]

Well, I’m having some serious doubts that’s the case.

So we’re away now and I had movement detection on one of the camera’s since we were gone this morning (we have 3 cameras additional to the doorbell).

So I was kinda happy I messed up with the test settings. i went and found and changed the profile sensitivity settings of the front door doorbell. However, since I did that, I’m not getting any detection on anything anymore.

We have two cats running around the house continuesly triggering motion. Since the change: nothing!?!

I took a still from the indoor security cam. It shows a cat through the rear sitting in the patio right in front of the darn camera without triggering motion. WTF?! I get about 400 motion triggers on those cams from the cats and us when we work the garden. Are we 100% or 0% sure about that setting compared to the test window?! Cause to me (and I’m a programmer, it sounds darn confusing and misleading) Maybe the programmers should do a double check and align the labels and functionality between test and setting. Cause this is darn confusing and obviously not working as intended 😵‍💫

I’m pretty sure an ‘o thats weird’ and ‘o I didnt expect that’ will be uttered,.. (been there myself)

I’ll do some testing tomorrow when back home.

Cheers,
Richard

[StephenB]

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@Rhoogenboom wrote:
Well, I’m having some serious doubts that’s the case.

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100 is definitely the most sensitive, 0 is definitely the least sensitive.

Maybe check that all the cameras are still armed.