Geofencing

[Hitch]

When I use geofencing, I can't tell any difference in it or the "Armed" setting other than it tells me geofencing is on.
When it's on and I'm home, it still alerts me of motion and records a video for me to see ?
I thought it would turn off the cameras when I'm within my radius ?

[jguerdat]

Have you set up what geofencing does for both Away and Home?

[Hitch]

No......didn't know I could or should.

[jguerdat]

Go into the Mode tab select your system and edit the geofencing "mode". Yell with questions.

[Hitch]

It shows that I am armed when away and disarmed when I'm home, but still it alerts me &
records a video from movement when I'm in my house ?

[jguerdat]

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Hitch wrote:
It shows that I am armed when away and disarmed when I'm home, but still it alerts me &
records a video from movement when I'm in my house ?

---

Sounds like the detection of where you are isn't working well. Try using only WiFi and cell location service.

[Hitch]

As far as I know, that's what I am doing already.

[JamesC · Accepted solution]

Hitch,

Be sure you have the correct address set for your camera location. You might also consider increasing the Radius in your Geofencing settings.

JamesC

[richsonja]

How do I set correct address

[JamesC]

richsonja,

Within your Geofencing settings at the top of the screen above the map you can set your address.

JamesC

[dalehg]

I am also having the same issue at Hitch.

But to add to it.. when both my wife and I are home it says we are in range but it still records the selected mode.

It was a custom mode I created.

Several times I went in to check to see if the phones registered as in range when i was still armed.. the status would change as I looked at it in the app and the mode would change then too..

Seems like it it not getting the internal feed to tell itself if the phones are in range or not?

Thanks,

Dale

[JamesC]

dalehg,

Be sure that you are not logging out of the app. For Geofencing to work correctly, the app must be logged in and running for all enabled devices.

If you are still having trouble, consider refreshing your enabled devices within Geofencing settings. Disable all listed devices, save and then enable the devices again.

Geofencing is still a Beta feature at this time and the engineering team is working hard to improve it. We appreciate any and all feedback related to this feature.

JamesC

[dalehg]

It is impossible for the app to be open all the time. I does not stay open on it's own does it?

Once you go to the another app ARLO closes.

It should be a set and forget it option.

You might as well not have the "geofence" option.

if you have to log into the app all the time when you want it to turn on and off.

That does make sound right.. it seems I had to log in so the app would communicate the status to the system.

Also.. i bought a new device with Android 5.0... It says it is incompatible...

Is Android 5.0 not a compatible version or is it the device? It is an RCA tablet.

Thanks,

Dale

[JamesC]

dalehg,

When utilizing the Geofencing feature on multiple devices, additional devices past the primary should use shared access through the Grant Access feature to avoid logging the primary user out as you describe above.

Take a look at these articles for instructions on how to use the Grant Access feature with Geofencing:

How do I add friends to my Arlo account?

How do I add and manage multiple mobile devices for geofencing?

JamesC

[cruiserandmax2]

I think the requirement to be logged into the app for Georeferencing is causing trouble for a lot of users.

It appears, at least for me, that if I ever get logged out of the app while I am at home, logging back into the app does not disarm the camera.

Looking at the Mode tab after logging back in, the camera in question displays "Armed", however if I click on that camera for further mode information, it says it is set to geofencing, and if I click to edit geofencing settings the enabled device (my phone) displays "In zone" !!

So it appears simply making sure you are logged into the app is not enough since if you are ever logged out of the app the system becomes permenently armed even after loggin back in.

The only solution at this point is to disable the device, save mode, re-enable the device, save mode again, and then it will disarm.

For me (on iOS), I seem to get logged out of the app regularly (even though I never kill the app- it is always in the app switcher). One thing that definitely seems to log me out is if I view my camera's through a desktop or laptop in the house. However I seem to also get logged out at times without ever having opened the arlo site on a desktop/laptop too..

If remaining logged into the app is the problem- the app must never be 'auto-logged-out'. Or, you must detect that a user that was logged out has logged back in, and is In zone, and disarm cameras accordingly..

[SteveA_NZ]

Interesting observation.

Since I take my laptop to work I could leave the house and have geofencing turn on my cameras then log in from my laptop at some time during the day but if i do not log in again using my phone before I get home the system will not disarm due to the fact that logging in from my laptop logged out my phone.

Could be solved if you could send yourself a friend access invite - which in my case I would use off my laptop.  Have not tried it yet.  Is it theoretically possible to do that?

Steve

[dalehg]

I have given up playing with the geofencing option.. if I have to worry about it turning on or off, I might as well manualy do it.

I hope they get it working the way it should be.

[SteveA_NZ]

Well I have established that you cant invite yourself as a guest unless you use a different email address.  Makes sense I guess but doesn't solve the problem.

Probably geofencing needs a second app that stays alive in background on you phone and is not effected by your logging into you main account.  That way it would keep logged in just for geofencing even if you logged in to your main account via a different device.  This could also be used on the phone of someone you didn't offer any access rights to.

Good concept but not yet well thought out.  Still, only a beta so we shall see in time whether it ever amounts to anything.

Steve

[dalehg]

i agree.. maybe they will get it all figured out.. I see the Arlo system can be used with the samsung smarthings security system. That system has a geofencing option too.  No clue how that is supposed to work.

[SteveA_NZ]

Not familiar with that.

Have Samsung phone and other phone in the house is also Samsung, so might have to check it out.

Steve

[JamesC]

dalehg, SteveA_NZ

For more information on the Arlo/SmartThings integration, take a look at this article: What is Samsung SmartThings, and how do I use it with my Arlo cameras?

JamesC

[SteveA_NZ]

Doesn't look like Smartthings is available down here yet.

As for geofencing and the schedule I can confirm behaviour reported by others.

I am finding that when I arrive home the system goes into home mode then picks up the current state of the schedule.  It also manages to arm the camera at 21:00 in accordance with the schedule.  Where it fails is at 06:00 in the morning when the schedule has the camera (Arlo Q + ) disarming again.  In this case is stays in the armed state originally set by the schedule the night before until I leave the house, at which point it successfully switches to the away mode.

I doubt it is relevant but to have the camera armed from 21:00 to 06:00 the next morning I have set two armed periods in the schedule - one from 21:00 to 23:59 and one from 00:00 to 06:00.  This is only way I found to do it but I may have missed something.  But the question arises; Is the change of day effecting the failure to disarm according to the schedule when geofencing is in home mode?

Steve

[JamesC]

SteveA_NZ,

SmartThings is currently available for Arlo Wire-free but not yet for the Arlo Q (you seem to indicate above that you are using an Arlo Q Plus).

Geofencing is still a Beta feature at this time and the engineering team is working hard to improve it. We appreciate any and all feedback related to this feature.

JamesC

[SteveA_NZ]

For last two days camera has been disarming itself in the morning according to schedule while on geofencing. So looks like that issue may have bee fixed.

Steve