topic Re: Very warm Arlo Q in Arlo Q

Very warm Arlo Q

ChrisFredriksso — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 23:31:16 GMT

Hey everyone,

Just testing an Arlo Q and after a few minutes it gets quite hot, of course I can put my finger on it and hold it there for a while..

When measuring I get 50-55 degrees Celcius and around 123 degrees Fahrenheit. That is on the outside plastic of the camera, I don't want to even think about the temperature on the inside which obviously is much higher.

Is the Arlo Q properly designed in this matter? There is not much electronic devices that benefit from a hot environment, most electronics like it cool.. Of course, 5V and 2A is doing its thing to heat up the camera and I'm sure a very decent WiFi module inside does a great job.. But what kind of temperature can we expect and how long do You, Netgear, expect the camera to live?

As a comparison an nVidia graphics card for a computer has an allowed temperature of up to 120 degrees Celcius. Up to that temperature the graphics card should work without problem for at least 2 years - the regular warranty period. Of course, a graphics card has at least one fan on it and should never reach above 80 degrees Celcius.

But with the Arlo Q that doesn't have a fan and possibly could be installed up in a corner near the ceiling, it could get even more hot.

So I'm still wondering, is this a reliable product in that sense? Will it work for at least 2 years? which is the warranty period here in Sweden.

What temperature is a "good" Arlo Q running temperature? Around 50 degrees Celcius or should/could it be less/more?

Thanks!

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

TomMac — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 18:00:27 GMT

There is another thread on this ... you seem to be the second of note running hot.

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Q-Troubleshooting/Your-camera-needs-to-cool-down-before-you-can-use-it/m-p/1071430#M686

I can said mine has been running now since first released (6 months?) and is warm to touch but not hot.... It felt the same way as another brand wifi camera I prev had so I consider it being warm a non -issue.... HOT is a different story

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

ChrisFredriksso — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 18:05:42 GMT

Thanks TomMac!

Well, more or less exactly like my thoughts 🙂 Seems to be failing at a much lower temperature though. Mine hasn't failed yet, I just started testing it today and it has only been on for a couple of hours.

I thought I had looked enough, I've searched and didn't find any other thread about it either, but it was so close.. Last post by you on the 18th 😉

I'm a bit puzzled, hope to see an update in his thread regarding this issue then.

Thanks for your help and letting me know of the other thread!

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

TomMac — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 02:45:06 GMT

Reach out to Netgear re temp

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

hokeysmoke — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 06:06:53 GMT

It's interesting to note that other cameras with similar functions, like the Samsung SmartCam HD Pro and Foscam C2W, have vents. I too wonder if the thermal design was well thought out for the applications.

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

TomMac — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 12:11:08 GMT

I prev had the Nest... it had no vents... and was always warm, not hot.

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

jguerdat — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 12:18:03 GMT

For a single point of reference, my Q is mostly enclosed in a small box but not totally sealed and just measured ~135F. I've had no problems.

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

JamesC — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 16:02:48 GMT

ChrisFredriksso,

Operating temperature for the Arlo Q is between 14° and 122°F (-10°C to 50°C).

JamesC

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

jguerdat — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 19:07:33 GMT

And that's ambient temperature, right? At the high end, the camera itself could be much warmer.

Re: Very warm Arlo Q

hokeysmoke — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 19:35:36 GMT

I am attempting to get the same clarification from my support ticket. For pretty much all products I have had experience with, "operating temperature" refers to the environment the product works in (see link below), not the product temperature itself. Otherwise it would be pretty difficult to determine ahead of time if the product will work in your space.

http://www.dictionaryofengineering.com/definition/operating-temperature-range.html