topic Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective? in Arlo Ultra 2

Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 22:26:29 GMT

I just purchased an Arlo doorbell and a 3 pack of Arlo Ultra 2 Cameras. I had no problems setting up the doorbell, and setting up the Hub for the cameras went smoothly. However, after fully charging all the batteries I inserted them into the cameras and no lights come on on any of the cameras. I tried to connect them anyways, but obviously none of them connect. Also already tried using the sync button and doing a reset by holding it down for 15 seconds. No matter how I switch around the batteries between cameras, no lights come on at any time. Are all my cameras just defective?

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

jguerdat — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 13:25:46 GMT

WHile seemingly obvious, make sure there's no film covering the battery contacts on the batteries as well as the cameras.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 19:54:35 GMT

Nope, triple checked and all the film is off of both the batteries and the camera. Plus, the batteries did charge on the charging station which they presumably wouldn’t do if there was still film on them.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

jguerdat — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 15:25:01 GMT

If not charging in the camera, I'd guess the camera isn't fully seated in the case. Use both thumbs on the sides of the camera face and wrap your hands around the case. The camera has to click into place for the electrical contacts to be made.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:01:15 GMT

I definitely have them completely in—they click into place and are locked in.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

StephenB — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 13:09:54 GMT

@MurdockCam wrote:

I definitely have them completely in—they click into place and are locked in.

Based on your first post, it sounds like you charged the batteries using an external charger (charging first, then installing them into the cameras).

Was this an Arlo charger?
Have you tried charging the batteries while they are in the cameras?

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 21:02:06 GMT

It is an Arlo charger—the one that came with the camera set. I haven’t tried charging them while they’re in the camera because that would require me to purchase an external charger and I’m not looking to spend even more money on something I can’t get to work!

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

StephenB — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 23:39:24 GMT

@MurdockCam wrote:

It is an Arlo charger—the one that came with the camera set. I haven’t tried charging them while they’re in the camera because that would require me to purchase an external charger

Charging them outside the camera requires you to purchase an external charging station.

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/accessories/VMA5400C-100NAS.html

Is that what you have?

Charging them in the camera requires connecting the magnetic cable to the normal Arlo USB charger.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 20:56:36 GMT

The camera bundle that I purchased came with a dual external charging station—the same as the one in the link you included. It did not come with a magnetic cable that would allow me to charge them in the camera. So to try that I have to purchase a magnetic cable.

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/arlo-ultra-2-spotlight-camera-security-system-bundle-w-3-wire-free-indoor-outdoor-4k-cameras-white-only-at-best-buy/15521257

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

StephenB — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 11:02:57 GMT

@MurdockCam wrote:

The camera bundle that I purchased came with a dual external charging station—the same as the one in the link you included. It did not come with a magnetic cable that would allow me to charge them in the camera.

Thx for clarifying.

Just to confirm what you are seeing - are the charging station LEDs showing solid green status when you put the charged batteries into it?

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 17:45:51 GMT

Yes. The light was orange when I first put them in the charging station out of the box, but turned to solid green after some time charging.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

StephenB — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 20:46:08 GMT

@MurdockCam wrote:

Yes. The light was orange when I first put them in the charging station out of the box, but turned to solid green after some time charging.

So definitely charged.

I have no explanation for why the blue LED isn't coming on when you insert the battery and put the camera into the housing - especially when you are seeing this symptom with all your cameras.

I'm tagging the mods ( @JamesC and @ShayneS ) in case they have some ideas.

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

MurdockCam — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 22:02:04 GMT

Thank you.
To be clear, I think I mentioned it before but I had no issues installing a separately purchased Arlo video doorbell camera or the Arlo SmartHub that came in this bundle. I am generally pretty good with technology, so I don’t think that I am making any basic errors!

Re: Could my whole 3 pack of Cameras be defective?

ShayneS — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 17:41:19 GMT

Please reach out to the Support Team to further investigate this issue you are experiencing. You can find several options for contacting support though the Arlo Mobile App by navigating to Settings/System/Support.