Problems with Arlo Product

Grover517 — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 16:30:42 GMT

It seems Netgear just isn't what it used to be. When anyone asked my opinion on networking or other products, my first choice was Netgear. But now, that is not the case any longer.

I ditched my Netgear Nighthawk and repeater a couple months ago due to Netgear's software/firmware development practices that seemed to focus more on adding what they consider "features" over stability.

Now it appears that the Arlo team has adapted this same "Form over function" mantra where they prioritize more on looking good than being good. The ONLY thing they got right with this last release was the new icon.

I understand the need to add support for new devices and functionality, but when you also think it to be a good idea to break things that weren't broken and make an application/setup harder to use than easier, well that is where I have to start wondering about the true focus of the development teams behind a product.

What used to take me seconds and without requiring me touching the mouse or the screen to obtain the information I needed, now requires user interaction for every single camera. Streaming videos from the library was reliable, now I can't stream at all in MS Edge and have to switch browsers to view them. Notifications are even more delayed now, sometimes up to 5 minutes or more. Even the Elite subscription software broke because now I get constant "motion" notifications on top of the "person detected" notifications for every camera even though I have the motion option turned off on all of them and resetting the options doesn't help. There were a few minor bugs before this latest update, but now it's all but useless. I would love to know who alpha and/or beta tested this release. My guess is no one. Why anyone at Arlo thinks this would be an acceptable solution for a security system is beyond logic unless they really aren't interested in really marketing this as a "security" system but rather a "monitoring" system that one should not expect to be available 24/7..

I saw where Arlo did roll out a second update 2 days after the first disaster where the battery icon will show up when the battery level is low. Can I rely on that? And what does "low" mean? 20 percent? 10 percent? Even their firmware notes are vague and unhelpful. This action, along with the survey pop up I got yesterday in my app tells me more than anything. The Arlo team is now scrambling to find anyone that can help them justify their recent disaster. And by just re-adding the battery icon in a VERY limited sense, not only tells me that they could readd those icons if they wanted to, but they won't. It also tells me that the Arlo development group is entrenched with this new UI design and it won't be rolled back. It's basically their way or the highway.

Well guess what Arlo, that's not good enough. So my initial reaction to these latest developments are to return the 4 camera expansion that I just purchased to add to my existing 4 cameras and not renew my elite subscription. I have also notified the three family members and a neighbor that I recently recommended Arlo to, to now consider other options. I am sure the loss of my purchases and that of those I recommended Arlo to previously isn't going to worry Arlo a bit but I cannot recommend or support a company when it seems that they care more about looking good than being good with no real interest in what their user community thinks OR needs. I will stick around a few more weeks just to see how things progress but once I have landed on a replacement setup and things haven't changed for the better, the four Arlo cameras I currently have will be simply used as a visual deterrant, which at this point is all they are REALLY good at. Really sad.

Re: Problems with Arlo Product

jscirocco — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 16:30:53 GMT

Is there another camera system you're considering?

Re: Problems with Arlo Product

Grover517 — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 16:31:02 GMT

Just getting started on my search, so no not yet. So many choices, its going to take a few weeks. I will post when I find what I am looking for.

Re: Problems with Arlo Product

jscirocco — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 19:13:37 GMT

Grover, any luck finding a new system?

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Problems with Arlo Product

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Re: Problems with Arlo Product