External motion triggered light usable with Arlo?

[Schorschi]

Has anyone installed or experimented with external (infrared) light sources with motion sensors to see if they could be used with the Arlo system?

I'm thinking of a completely independent (infrared) light that has its own motion sensor, but with a much higher coverage range than a single Arlo camera. Would that light trigger a motion event on an Arlo camera? If not, how could it be made to do so?

The separate light system would have a sensor with a higher sensitivity and trigger with movement much farther away than the Arlo camera would sense. Question is, could that light trigger the Arlo camera to record? The camera would then record a much larger area illuminated by the external light source.

I'm thinking mostly of a nighttime scenario. Illumination done either by regular or infrared lights.

[jguerdat]

I'vepondered getting one of these myself.  While I have no real information to report since I don't have one, it seems like the amount of IR would be far less than that provided by the sun.  On top of that, there would have to be a differential detection by Arlo, meaning the stationary IR source wouldn't trigger anything.

Just guesses but seems reasonable...

[Schorschi]

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jguerdat wrote:

it seems like the amount of IR would be far less than that provided by the sun.  On top of that, there would have to be a differential detection by Arlo, meaning the stationary IR source wouldn't trigger anything.

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You're probably right in assuming that an IR light reflected from the surveilled area would not trigger an Arlo camera, because it would be too weak. However, I don't understand why a stationary IR light source should not be able to trigger an Arlo camera when pointed at it. The differential is between off and on. Isn't that enough? I mean, it doesn't have to be a moving IR light source, does it?

I wonder if perhaps installing a small mirror right in front of the external IR light source such that it reflects the light onto the camera right next to it could trigger a motion event in the camera when the light turns on. The mirror could probably be coin-sized and installed in front of a corner of the light source, so that it blocks only a fraction of the light. The proximity of the light to the camera should throw a strong enough light onto the camera's IR sensor and trigger a motion event.

The differential would occur twice though, once when the light source turns on, once when it turns off. Whether that would create two motion events in an Arlo camera, I don't know.

[jguerdat]

Not speaking with absolute authority here but on/off shouldn't trigger since its not motion. Just as moving towards the camera sensor doesn't work nearly as well as across the field of view, the way I understand the detection to work is a difference in left and right. Turning a light on would only produce a left AND right, with no variation between them. The various descriptions posted here say there's a Fresnel lens that splits the light coming in so a differential over time can be detected. If there's no movement, there's no differential over time.

[TomMac]

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Schorschi wrote:

Has anyone installed or experimented with external (infrared) light sources with motion sensors to see if they could be used with the Arlo system?

snip

Question is, could that light trigger the Arlo camera to record? The camera would then record a much larger area illuminated by the external light source.

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Yes, I have use an extenal flood light of 850nm  ( actually it's the external flood sold for the vuezone night/day cameras )

And while they light up an area which is about 5x( better range too) then Arlo IRs on the camera, it does NOT help the Arlo camera trigger motion detect any... it just allows much better illumination.

I can't see ( at this time ) any external motion sense device activating the Arlo record unless it's tied into the base ( physically or wifi )