Is Your Arlo Camera Failing to Detect Vehicles?
It can be frustrating when a key security feature like vehicle detection stops working. Your Arlo camera is designed to provide specific, intelligent alerts, and when it fails to notify you about a car in your driveway, it compromises your peace of mind. This guide is here to help you diagnose and solve the problem, getting your Arlo system back to accurately identifying vehicles.
We will walk through the most common causes for this issue, from subscription status to intricate camera settings, providing clear, step-by-step instructions to restore your camera's functionality.
Common Symptoms of Vehicle Detection Failure
First, let's confirm the signs of a problem. If you're experiencing any of the following, this guide is for you:
- No Notifications: You receive no alerts at all for cars entering or leaving your designated detection zones.
- False Alerts: The camera sends notifications for other moving objects like animals or shadows but consistently misses vehicles.
- Intermittent Performance: Vehicle detection works sometimes but is unreliable and misses obvious events.
- Partial Detection: The camera successfully detects people but completely fails to identify cars, lorries, or other vehicles.
- Delayed Alerts: The notification for a vehicle arrives so late that the event is already over.
- No Recordings: The camera does not trigger a recording when a vehicle is clearly in view.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide
Follow these steps in order to identify and fix the root cause of your Arlo's vehicle detection issue.
1. Verify Your Arlo Smart Subscription
Vehicle detection is a premium feature and requires an active Arlo Smart subscription. If your trial period has ended or your subscription has lapsed, this feature will be disabled.
- Check Your Plan: Open the Arlo app and navigate to Settings > Subscription.
- Confirm Status: Ensure your account shows an active Arlo Smart or Arlo Secure plan. If it has expired, you will need to renew it to restore vehicle detection and other premium features.
2. Optimise Camera Placement and Angle
The camera's position is critical for the AI to work correctly. A poor viewing angle can prevent the camera from recognising the distinct shape of a vehicle.
- Height: Mount your camera between 2-3 metres (7-10 feet) off the ground.
- Angle: Angle the camera downwards slightly. A bird's-eye view can distort the shape of a car, making it unrecognisable to the AI. A 30-45 degree angle is often optimal.
- Clear Line of Sight: Ensure there are no obstructions like tree branches, garden ornaments, or walls blocking the view of the area where you expect to detect vehicles (e.g., your driveway).
3. Configure Activity Zones Correctly
Activity Zones tell your camera exactly where to look for motion. If they are not configured properly, the camera might ignore the area where vehicles appear.
- Open the Arlo App: Select the camera you want to adjust.
- Go to Settings: Tap the gear icon and go to Activity Zones.
- Define the Zone: Create a specific zone that covers the driveway, parking space, or road you want to monitor. Make the zone large enough to capture the entire vehicle as it moves. Avoid including areas with constant irrelevant motion, like a busy pavement or swaying trees.
4. Adjust Motion and Smart Notification Settings
You need to explicitly tell the Arlo system that you want to be notified about vehicles.
- Navigate to Smart Notifications: In the camera's settings, find the "Smart Notifications" or similar menu.
- Enable Vehicle Detection: Ensure that the toggle for "Vehicles" is turned on. If it's off, you will not receive alerts for them.
- Check Motion Sensitivity: Go to the motion detection settings. If the sensitivity is too low, the camera may not trigger on a passing car. Try increasing it slightly and testing the results.
5. Reboot Your Camera and Base Station
Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve temporary software glitches that may be affecting the AI detection features.
- Reboot the Camera: If your camera is wireless, remove the battery for 30 seconds and then reinsert it. If it's a wired camera, unplug it from the power source for 30 seconds and plug it back in.
- Reboot the Base Station/SmartHub: Unplug your Arlo Base Station or SmartHub from power, wait for a minute, and then plug it back in. Allow a few minutes for it to come back online and sync with your cameras.
6. Update Firmware and App Version
Outdated software can lead to performance issues. Ensure both your Arlo devices and the app are running the latest versions.
- Firmware: In the Arlo app, go to Settings > My Devices. Select your camera and Base Station and check for any available firmware updates.
- App: Go to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and check if there is an update available for the Arlo app.
By systematically working through these steps, you can address the most common reasons for Arlo vehicle detection failure and restore this valuable security feature.