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Has anyone else had issues with the volume of the doorbell when using the two-way audio? The sound of the person at the door is quite clear and loud on the phone, but when you speak back to the person at the doorbell it's very quiet even at 95% volume.
I've been in contact with Arlo support, and was told the engineering team could reproduce the issue, but the lack of comments on here about this issue make me wonder if the unit I have is just defective and an exchange for a new one would be a good idea.
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Yes, I have also had the hourly recording, usually just at night but not always. The camera has a slight view of the doorbell and I can see the ring light on the doorbell flashing so it thinks it detected something. I switched from having the doorbell detect to just have the camera do the detection. That way I get the ability to adjust sensitivity, too, which the doorbell doesn't have.
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@Blinx wrote:
Why is the speaker not able to draw power from the existing wiring of the doorbell?
Because there is no usable voltage on the two wires - the doorbell does just close the loop to provide power to the bell. Doing so would require rewiring, additional cable/wire to the doorbell and last but not least because there are many different systems (from a few volts DC to 230 V AC) there would be a major hardware effort be required.
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"Almost every other manufacturer (Ring, Nest, etc...) are able to power their devices from the existing doorbell transformer/wiring."
In all fairness, power from an existing doorbell has its own set of problems. Read through some Ring reviews and you'll find that often the existing doorbell transformer is the wrong voltage or has some other problem. Also, some older homes may have damaged or broken wiring, making a wireless doorbell the only option. For those reasons, Ring also offers a battery-only edition. That one suffers from the need to maximize battery life, which results in compromised functionality when compared to the doorbell transformer powered version. In my particular case, the homebuilder put the doorbell button in an odd location--odd enough that a lot of people never even saw it. Arlo's battery powered doorbell can be mounted anywhere, and since it is not also a video camera, doesn't have the serious power issues that the battery powered Ring unit does.
All that said, it does appear that the Arlo doorbell was rushed into production without sufficient R&D, with the low volume being the big problem. I was able to get a version 1.3 replacement for my original, and that one is OK, but just barely. Volume setting must be at max, and if there is a truck passing (I'm in Katy Texas surrounded by hillbillies, who all drive Xtra large pickup trucks!) then someone at the door will miss what I'm saying to him/her. A bargain priced accessory speaker/mic would be nice.
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I do know that the original Ring door bell (maybe the current gen as well) was battery powered, and the power from the doorbell transformer was used to trickle charger that battery. So the homeowner never had to change or charge the batteries.
Also, from personal experience, I’d say it’s safe to assume that many of the issues reported, as it relates to powering those products are due to improper installation.
That said, I’m sure part of Arlo’s decision to make the product battery power only was to keep it installation friendly, and minimize issues associated with improper installation, which would reflect negatively on the product.
Come to find out, that really didn’t matter as product has been a failure as was their new Ulta cameras.
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@rseward wrote:
Almost every other manufacturer (Ring, Nest, etc...) are able to power their devices from the existing doorbell transformer/wiring.
On the push buton most installations don't have power - it's just a loop to close by the push button. Figure...
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Installed the replacement hardware version 1.3 on Feb 2. One month later, battery voltage still at 95%.
So, better volume, much better battery life.
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Their inability to address and their lack of response to this thread on their forum makes me rethink my faith in the entire Arlo platform. They seem to have decent resale value on e-bay(except for the doorbell), maybe that's the best route.
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I returned my defective doorbell for a refund when I realized that there was a volume problem. I will likely purchase the improved model when it's available in stores. I wonder when that will be?
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These USB power supplies (for the cameras, I guess you talk about these) are a little critical - the longer the cable, the more voltage loss. Yes, for an Arlo Q one tend to mount higher up on a wall the cables are a little bit short. I had argued this during the Arlo Q Beta already 8-/ as these hanging power supplies half up the wall don't look that great indeed.
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I had no volume when speaking, but the preset messages worked fine. I didn't even bother dealing with support, since if it didn't work right out of the box, I'm not interested. I'm certain they continue to know this is an issue and continue to manufactor the doorbells. Unfortunate, since it's a great idea, but it has to work as described. I might consider going to a Ring or Nest door bell if Arlo can't get it right in the near future.
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Same here! Couldn't beleive how quiet it was, visitors cant even hear me.
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I also have a motion phenomona occuring with my doorbell motion sensor. Whenever it goes off I get a series of alarms 1 hour apart. I have hardware version 1.2 and am waiting for my version 1.3. I ended up turning the motion dection on the doorbell and relying on my camera.
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A very bad customer service strategy and a very bad product. I’m completely turned off by this product. Netgear you used to be a decent company what happened to you???
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I've been watching this thread grow for months and haven't seen anything of substance from Netgear. My Arlo doorbell has since shorted out my doorbell transformer as well. I think I'd be foolish if I didn't buy a Ring when Prime Day rolls around again. That said I think Arlo/Netgear is short sighted thinking I'd want their cameras once I need to start using Ring's App and can add their flood light cameras.
Netgear/Arlo will you ever respond to us with a resolution/solution?
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@Mattlick12 wrote:
The v 1.3 is better with sound but can’t be used to trigger motion recording on a camera. If you do it falsely registers motion. That said if you don’t use it for that I would suggest calling back, telling them you were disconnected and just tell them the date you got it as a gift. If you’re going to return it you would at least have the store name. I also got mine as a gift and just gave them approximate dates and told them where I assumed they bought it and I had no issue with the exchange.
I followed your advice and gave them an approximate date and they were able to process the replacement request. But what a hassle it was to call and ask where the item was purchased. luckily my daughter remembered the store. I will post an update once I get the 1.3 version
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Has anyone tried connecting an external speaker to the doorbell? I get the possible power issue regarding hooking the doorbell up to house power, but that battery is doing fine for me. What about rewiring the built-in speaker to go to an external speaker? Besides the low volume, the doorbell does not look like something someone would talk to, so if I could mount the more usual type of speaker grille next to it, I think it would be more intuitive as well as provide better volume.
Seems like you would just need to know the built-in speaker specs to confirm the input and then you could build a simple amplifier with an LM 386 chip and misc. to power, say an 8 ohm 3" speaker. Am I completely off-base here? Besides voiding the warranty on the doorbell, any other issues that I may not be considering? I'm thinking build a weatherproof box to hold the doorbell and the amplified speaker kit, battery powered (9V) and mount it in the wall next to the door.
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Here's an example of a simple amp I'm thinking of: http://learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/How-to-connect-a-LM386-audio-amplifier-chip
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