Drowning in Notifications? How to Tame Your Arlo Camera Alerts
Your Arlo security camera is a fantastic tool for keeping an eye on your home, but its effectiveness is diminished when it bombards you with constant, unnecessary notifications. Alerts for passing cars, swaying trees, or your pet chasing a toy can become so frequent that you start to tune them out—a phenomenon known as "alert fatigue." This can lead to you missing a genuinely important notification.
If your phone is constantly buzzing with alerts from the Arlo Secure app, don't worry. You have a powerful set of tools at your fingertips to filter out the noise and ensure you only get notified about what truly matters. This guide will show you how to solve the "too many alerts" problem and make your Arlo system smarter.
Why Your Arlo Is Sending So Many Notifications
Understanding the cause is the first step. Here are the most common reasons for an overload of Arlo alerts:
- Motion Sensitivity is Too High: The default setting might be too sensitive for your camera's environment, causing it to pick up on every minor movement.
- No Activity Zones Configured: Without specific zones, your camera monitors its entire field of view. If this includes a busy street or a neighbour's garden, you'll get constant alerts.
- Environmental Triggers: Wind moving branches, shadows from clouds, car headlights, and even insects can be misinterpreted as significant motion.
- Smart Notifications Not Customised: If you haven't told Arlo what type of motion to alert you to (like people vs. animals), it will alert you to everything.
How to Reduce Excessive Alerts from Your Arlo Camera
Follow these steps within the Arlo Secure app to gain control over your notifications.
1. Adjust Motion Detection Sensitivity
This is your first and most effective line of defence. A small adjustment can make a big difference.
- Open the Arlo Secure app.
- Tap on the Devices tab.
- Select the camera you want to adjust and tap the settings icon (a gear).
- Go to "Motion Detection".
- You will see a slider for "Motion Sensitivity".
- Try lowering the value by 10-15 points. Test the camera's response before lowering it further. Finding the sweet spot may take a little trial and error.
2. Create Custom Activity Zones
Activity Zones are essential for cameras monitoring outdoor areas. This feature tells your camera to only detect motion within specific areas that you define.
- In your camera's settings, go to "Video Settings" and then "Activity Zones".
- Tap "Create Zone".
- You can then resize and reshape a zone to cover only the areas you care about, such as your walkway, porch, or driveway, while excluding the public pavement or road.
- You can create multiple zones for a single camera. Make sure they are active.
3. Customise Your Smart Notifications
With an Arlo Secure subscription, your camera can identify what it sees. Use this to your advantage.
- Go to your camera's settings and select "Smart Notifications".
- Here, you can choose to receive alerts for People, Vehicles, Animals, and All Other Motion.
- For a front door camera, you might only want to be alerted to People. For a camera watching your driveway, you might want alerts for People and Vehicles, but not Animals. Customise these settings for each camera's specific job.
4. Optimise Camera Positioning and Angle
Sometimes, a simple physical adjustment is all that's needed.
- Angle it Down: Position your camera so it looks down towards the ground rather than straight out. This focuses the view on your property and reduces the sky, which can cause alerts from changing light.
- Avoid Constant Movers: Try to frame your shot to exclude things that move all the time, like a rustling bush, a wind chime, or a flag.
- Check for Reflections: Be aware of any reflections from windows or water that could show movement and trigger an alert.
5. Use Arming Schedules
You probably don't need motion alerts from your indoor cameras when you're at home.
- In the Arlo app, go to the Mode tab.
- Select your base station or camera.
- You can set a Schedule to automatically arm (activate motion detection) and disarm your cameras at specific times on specific days, so you only get alerts when you need them.
By implementing these strategies, you can dramatically cut down on unwanted notifications, making your Arlo system a more precise and valuable security tool.