topic Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030 in Arlo

Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:51:13 GMT

Hello. My Arlo camera functions properly when plugged in for batter charging. However, even though the charging icon shows the battery if fully charged, the camera no longer shows up as online when not plugged in for charging. The firmware is 1.092.1.0_9_120d8b7. It's an Arlo Pro camera. I've tried buying new batteries, as well.

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

jguerdat — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:17:06 GMT

You can check the battery connections in the camera but otherwise it sounds like something has died. Can you leave it plugged in?

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:47:10 GMT

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I've had the camera/battery plugged in for numerous hours and it still dropped off after unplugging.

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

jguerdat — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:51:25 GMT

The point is to let the camera to always be AC powered. You can remove the battery for use with other cameras since the camera won't work on battery-only.

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

StephenB — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 16:04:57 GMT

Are you using the Arlo charger? Or a different one?

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 16:06:33 GMT

Yes, using the Arlo charger

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

jguerdat — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:27:13 GMT

BTW, check the charger's label. It has to have both 5v and 9v outputs to charge the battery. A charger with only 5v will run the camera but not charge.

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 16:29:02 GMT

It's the same charger that came with the original package

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

StephenB — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 17:44:34 GMT

@kbr6417 wrote:

It's the same charger that came with the original package

Does the fine print include both 5 volt and 9 volt output?

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 19:14:30 GMT

Yes, the label shows 5 & 9 volt output

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

StephenB — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 19:25:19 GMT

@kbr6417 wrote:

Yes, the label shows 5 & 9 volt output

ok.

Possible causes include

failing battery
bad microusb cable (including a poor fit if not Arlo's)
failing charger (not delivering 9 volts)
failed circuitry in the camera

Sounds like you've already ruled out the first possibility.

If you have another camera, I'd swap batteries and see if the other camera charges normally as the next step.

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 19:35:06 GMT

It might be bad batteries. They sat for a long time after the hurricane and they're about 9 years old. The new ones I got (Amazon) could be defective. I swapped the batteries with another working camera. The working camera stopped working and vice versa.

Re: Arlo Pro camera shows online only when plugged in. VMC4030

kbr6417 — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 14:39:58 GMT

It turns out that it was the charger. I don't know whether it was the cord or the "brick" that plugs into the wall. I purchased a dual charger and the batteries charged without issue.