Does the doorbell include a siren? If so, how do you setup and use it?

[splinternet]

I'm trying to find out if the siren feature is included in the wireless video doorbell.  I've seen conflicting information, but nothing concrete even from Arlo.  There's a KB article...

1. Does the Arlo Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free have an integrated siren?
   Yes. The built-in siren can be activated manually within the Arlo app, or you can set the siren to automatically ring when motion is detected to deter unwanted visitors.

But how?  The Essential Video Doorbell Wire-Free User Manual has 11 references to "siren". The first reference says "Built-in smart siren. Trigger your siren automatically, or manually from the Arlo app."

Later, there's a section "Turn the siren on and off" which says "Open the Arlo app, Tap Siren on upper right".  I don't see the Siren symbol anywhere.  Then there's a picture...

 

When I open the Arlo app and navigate my way to the live doorbell camera feed, I don't have the siren symbol nor for that matter the other symbols - my layout is entirely different....

I'd welcome some help in trying to make sense of all this.

[StephenB]

When you livestream the doorbell, you should see the siren icon in the upper right of the video.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000062913/How-do-I-turn-the-siren-on-my-Arlo-camera-on-or-off-Arlo-Secure-4-0

[splinternet]

Well, the second picture I posted was the live feed of the doorbell, and the siren symbol is nowhere to be seen!  Pressing the settings cog at top right gives two pages' worth of options but not siren...

I'm wondering if I've got a new firmware level that has taken everyone by surprise:  1.8.0.0_4_4a16fed_758744c

[StephenB]

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@splinternet wrote:

Well, the second picture I posted was the live feed of the doorbell, and the siren symbol is nowhere to be seen! 

I see it (though I was using the AVD1001, not the AVD2002 or gen 2).

In general - when you start the live streaming, there are several controls/indicators that show up over the image.  That includes the stop control (square icon in the middle), and and Siren control.  After a few seconds, all those controls/indicators disappear.  If you touch the image again, they reappear.

[jguerdat]

At least on Android I don't see a way to activate the siren initially. When I use the full-screen (double-headed arrow top right) capability, a shield will pop up at the top that allows you to activate the siren. I have to be full-screen for this to happen.

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

At least on Android I don't see a way to activate the siren initially. 

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iOS appears to work a bit differently.

[splinternet]

OK.  I now see that (a) I have to be watching the live doorbell feed, and (b) I have to tap the picture and then very quickly tap the double arrows symbol at top right which then shows the siren icon.   This seems non-intuitive and doesn't seem to align with various sets of instructions I've seen.  So now I see 'Activate Siren' and 'swipe to confirm'.  This seems a bit clunky especially if I'm ever in a situation where I want to quickly see off some ne'er-do-well from my front door.   And why on earth does the siren also sound through the Chime's which are plugged in around the house?

[jguerdat]

You don't have to "very quickly tap the double arrows" - just tap someplace in the live view to bring up the controls again.

I can't comment on why the chime also sounds the siren although it could be a backup for the doorbell assuming the subject has already entered the house.

[splinternet]

Well, @jguerdat, you and I must be on different versions of the Arlo Firmware or the Android OS.  Let me explain what I see...

When I get live feed up, I can tap the screen and the double arrows symbol appears for two seconds before it disappears.  Here's a screenshot I managed to take within these two seconds:

So I have two seconds to tap this symbol.  Then, my live feed goes full-screen with the siren symbol at top right:

I then tap the siren icon and at the bottom of the screen 'Emergency Options' appears, and beneath this 'Activate Siren'.  Then I get 'Swipe to sound siren' with a red strip saying 'swipe to confirm' .  Then the siren goes off, not only in the doorbell but also in the two Chimes around the house - can anyone confirm whether this is working as designed?  Then I have to press 'Deactivate Siren' to stop the siren.

Having gone through this clunky procedure, I've noticed the Emergency tab along the bottom of the screen which seems to be a short-cut taking me to 'Swipe to sound siren'.  This is about as close as I can see to a one-button panic press of Siren in an emergency.

Is there any way I can choose to have the Chimes not sound the siren? 

And can I set the volume of the siren and how long it will sound for if the Deactivate button is not pressed? 

[jguerdat]

I think you misinterpreted my comment above. I meant that once the double arrows disappear after the initial couple of seconds, you can bring them back by tapping on the live view screen anyplace other than the square stop button. It's just a way to get controls out of the way but still be able to bring them back later on.

Anyway, I just tested the siren here (I have never used it) and, yes, my Chime 2 also kicked off. A second chime, the original one, not a Chime 2, did not since it doesn't appear to have that functionality. I don't see any way to prevent that from happening, perhaps due to the idea I postulated above.

You can change the volume and duration of a manually-triggered siren in the chime settings.