Scheduling mode improvements

[jwimberley]

I have an Arlo Ultra video doorbell and need to add it to my schedule but it needs to be on a different schedule than my cameras. Can you add concurrent multimode schedules to the app? I have my cameras on only at night but I need the doorbell camera to be on all the time. I just bought this camera/doorbell combination 1 month ago and have all of the updates in it.

[jguerdat]

Read the FAQ here on creating your own custom modes. Each mode will have only the cameras needed to have rules for a specific time periods. Any camera without a mode will be disarmed. Once you have enough modes to cover all eventualities, use the schedule to automate the switching.

Mode 1 - rules for all cameras

Mode 2 - rule for only the doorbell

Schedule - Mode 1 from 12:00AM to 7:00AM

                    Mode 2 from 7:00AM to 9:00PM

                    Mode 1 from 9:00PM to 11:59PM

(Hopefully the formatting I used for the schedule is preserved.)

[jwimberley]

I tried your suggestion but it will not let my doorbell be on all the time. Your schedule 2 is just what I have set up but it is only on during the day and not at night. I need to have the doorbell on all the time but the cameras on only at night.

[jsaus63304]

I do pretty much what you want.  I have the doorbell plus 3 cameras on the base.  With the base, I arm all the cameras including the doorbell.  I created a custom mode for doorbell only to arm it.  During the day, I use the "doorbell" mode and only the doorbell is active.  When I leave and at night, I arm all cameras with the default built-in mode.  That gives me doorbell all the time and all cameras only when desired.  I arm/disarm with the app or Alexa, but scheduling should work too.

[jwimberley]

But does that mean you have to manually start a schedule each night? I want it to all be automatic.

[jsaus63304]

I do it manually because I am not on the same schedule every day.  You can use scheduling if you desire.  Just edit the schedule that is in the app to arm the base (all cameras) for the hours you want all cameras active,  Then schedule the "doorbell" custom mode for the remaining hours of the day.  Note. for night, you have to use two schedules one until 11:59PM and one from 12AM to doorbell time.  Of course you can always manually change modes as your schedule changes.

[jwimberley]

Well, mine has to be automated and I need to find a way to request this to the Arlo team. I guess this is just the community forum and they may not see our posts. Thanks for your efforts though.

[jsaus63304]

You can automate it.  Once you create the schedule you want in the app, you just turn on schedule and let it go.  The app is not to intuitive and takes time to figure out, but it does allow you to do most of what you want to do.

[jwimberley]

Unfortunately though, it will not let me have concurrent different schedules in the same one. Like I indicated, I need to have the doorbell run all the time and the cameras only at night and that would cause an overlap which it does not seem to allow.

[jsaus63304]

No overlap.  What you need to do is create two modes.  one mode is Doorbell only.  The other mode is all cameras.  You schedule all cameras for the hours you want total coverage and schedule the other mode for doorbell only for the other hours of the day.  The all camera mode will have the doorbell on and so will the doorbell mode.  The doorbell will be armed all the time.

[jwimberley]

I did try that but it would not let me create more than one mode in the schedule. I am doing it from my desktop computer and have not tried it on my iPhone. The problem seems to be that you can only have one schedule so if you have successfully done this, please give me the step by step way to do it. I have tried everything I can think of to no avail. I even called the support line and they said it cannot be done currently. Thank you for your response.

[jsaus63304]

OK, go to the schedule mode in the app,  Next to the word schedule, click add.  Tap the word Armed.  You get a pop-up.  Select your Doorbell mode.  Pick the day and time you want it active and save it.  You should now see it highlighted in black on your schedule.  I use android so yours may be a little different.

[jwimberley]

I have tried that but what it does when I add the doorbell in is wipes out all of my camera's settings and all I get is the doorbell. I need both to be in my schedule.

[jsaus63304]

Make sure you are not overlapping times.  For example set doorbell mode 9AM-5PM and set all cameras mode to 5:01PM-11:59PM and 12AM-8:59AM.  Should work.  You will get doorbell only from 9-5 and all cameras including doorbell the rest of the day.

[jwimberley]

The doorbell has to overlap the other cameras because it needs to be on all the time. That is why this does not work because you only have one schedule. All of my other cameras should be on only at night but my doorbell camera needs to be on all the time. I think this is why the schedule will not work because it will not allow overlapping and at this point only one schedule is available. Thanks for you attempt to help.

[jsaus63304]

You need to wrap you mind around the way the base works.  You do not have to have the doorbell only mode on all the time because the doorbell is included when you use the arm all cameras mode.  You are just switching from doorbell only to cam1 plus cam2 plus cam3 plus doorbell.   You just need to have a mode created that does what you want in a given time period.  Both modes need not and should not be on at the same time.  Try it that way and if your mode is created properly, it will work on schedule.

[jwimberley]

I am sorry but I just don't follow how to do this. I have tried every option I can think of but the doorbell will not work when I set the schedule up for 12:00am to 6:00am on and 9:00pm to 11:59pm on. This is how I need my cameras to work but it will not allow my doorbell to work at all like this, so the doorbell must not be included in the schedule. It appears to be separate from the other cameras. Right now, I have to add the doorbell in to operate in the daylight hours for it to work at all by scheduling it to 6:00am to 9:00pm on. But doing this only lets it work from those hours and not during the night hours.

[jsaus63304]

OK lets back up a little.  First of all is the doorbell connected to your smart base along with your other cameras or is it on WiFi by itself?  If it is by itself, you need to remove from your account and then reinstall it and pick the base instead of WiFi.  If you have the doorbell on WiFi and have your subscription on it, you can just leave it on all the time and save everything to the cloud.  When your subscription expires, it will cost you $3/month to keep it that way.  I assume the cameras are all on the base.  You can then just schedule them to be on at night.  

To check what is on the base, go to devices.  Click on Smart Hub/base.  Click on the base and look at connected devices.  Make sure the doorbell and all cameras are there.

[jwimberley]

Everything is on the base because I have an SD card installed in the base and I like being able to retrieve my videos from either the cloud or my local storage.

[jsaus63304]

One other thing to check.  Under Mode, select the edit icon next to Armed.  Does it say"if motion on Doorbell camera"  as well as all the other cameras?

[jwimberley]

     Well, amazingly enough, the doorbell camera is actually working all the time after all! I was just up early before 6:00am and went outside and it recorded me. I had never gotten any other videos of the animals that always walk by at night on the doorbell camera so maybe it just does not pick up the smaller objects as well on this camera as  the others do. So, thank you so much for staying in there and helping me work through this. It looks like I am working as desired now.

     I was also pleased when I learned that I can retrieve my videos from the SD card right within the app without having to take it out and insert it into a computer. That was not possible on my earlier model of the Arlo base station.

[jsaus63304]

Glad you got it working.  That app is not very intuitive, but once you figure out the modes and rules, it will do most of what you want.  I did not renew my subscription and although I lost a couple minor features, I do not miss it.

[jwimberley]

I may not renew my subscriptions either since I can access the SD card. And I probably won't miss the features either especially since it slows down your getting the videos back quickly. The cloud based one sometimes takes up to 10 minutes for me to be able to view it. I do wish the doorbell camera could pick up animals that pass by it though so I will have to do more research on that. Thanks again for your kind help on all this. 

[jsaus63304]

You can probably play with the sensitivity.  Without a subscription, you lose person detection and I was picking up too much with motion.  Had to turn it down to 17 to keep from getting every car or truck that passed the house.

[jwimberley]

I could not find a sensitivity setting for the doorbell. But I can live with it like it is. The next time I call the support group I will ask them how to do it. Thanks.