Thought Arlo Baby was supposed to significantly reduces latency

[stephenk503]

Can someone from Netgear please respond with what the ideal video latency/delay should be on the newly released Arlo Baby, and how that would be obtained?  I just received mine and the latency is not to my liking.

One of the biggest selling points, to me, for this model was the supposed significantly reduces latency that is advertised (see link and text below).

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Knowledge-Base/What-new-features-does-Arlo-Baby-offer/ta-p/120...

• Streaming over local wireless network. Streaming over your local wireless network significantly reduces latency when your streaming device is connected to the same WiFi network as your Arlo Baby camera. Data from your Arlo Baby is sent to your router and then directly to the streaming device, instead of going up to the cloud first. This feature requires an Internet connection for both the camera and your computer or mobile device.

After trying several different products, including an Arlo Q, I've been using a competitors product (that I will not name, unless someone asks) from a long-time well known brand that streams to my iPhone at 1080p with a delay of 0.5 sec on wifi and 2sec on cellular.  The only thing I don't like with this competing product is that you have to have a paid subscription to be able to go back more than 24 hours in footage.

In comparison, this Arlo Baby streams to my iPhone with a delay of 4.5sec on wifi and 9sec on cellular.  The local network delay is "significantly" reduced, as advertised, than off my network but I feel it's an unacceptably long delay for a baby monitor. On paper, 4.5sec doesnt sound bad, but this is now being compared to a product with a 0.5sec delay at HALF the cost.

This is with the Arlo Baby sitting only about 10 feet away from my router connected using 5GHz and my internet connection speeds are 75up/75down.  The "competing product" is the same distance away and connected with a lesser 2.4GHz.

If I can't figure out if/how to reduce the latency, the Arlo Baby will be returned within 2 weeks, which is when my return window is up for the competing product.

Someone from Netgear please advise.  Thank you.

[m_z]

The first review on Amazon seems to confirm this.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3SEJU5AYSOA7X?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B071RD1KSN&cdForum=Fx1RH05LJEI70ZI&...

I'm still waiting for mine, but if the latency is indeed like the regular Arlo, I will be returning it as well...

[snip3rboy]

Hi stephenk503,

Curious, what is your network setup at home? Which router are you using? Could you confirm if this happening on the latest iOS and Android Arlo apps?

[stephenk503]

My network setup is a 75down/75up FIOS connection and using eero routers.  I'm able to confirm through the eero app that the Arlo Baby was connected to a router less than 10 feet away with a 5GHz connection.  And I'm using the most recent 2.4.0 version of the app on my iPhone 7.  There was a camera firmware update that was released early yesterday (5/12) that made no difference to the latency.

[mrsteve100]

Stephenk503:
Can you let us know the model of this competitor, please?
I was thinking of getting the Arlo Pro to do some baby monitoring but the delay is an issue. 0.5second is comparable to a traditional baby monitor!
Thanks

[stephenk503]

The competing product that I'm using with a 0.5sec delay is a Logitech Logi Circle.

A couple other points I didn't make in my original post are:

1. Arlo app needs to be updated to bring up the live feed immediately.  As it stands right now, the app loads up (1-2 seconds on my iPhone 7), checks status of camera (2 sec), then I have to click the "Live" button (4 - 9 sec, depending on phones connection type).  Even if you go to the home screen and immediately into the app, it'll check the status and require you push the Live feed button again.  This is unacceptable as a baby monitor.
   • Logi Circle's app brings you to a live feed immediately after it's loaded and nearly doesn't take as long as the Arlo app.
2. 2-way talk feature, admittedly something I'll probably never use, is exasperated by the latency since you're having a conversation at 2x the delay.  (ie: 5 seconds for my voice to reach the camera, another 5 seconds for the response from the camera) 

The only way I'd consider keeping the Arlo Baby is if there's a miracle update within the next week or so that brings it down to <1 sec delay.  But even then, the app isn't as convenient to use.

[m_z]

This is sad. Amazon reviews start to trickle in, and so far it's 1.5 stars.

Mine is in shipping already, but not sure it's even worth opening the box...

So disappointing 😞

[snip3rboy]

Hi @stephenk503,

I sent you a PM. Please take a look at your earliest convenience.

[JamesC]

As you know the Arlo Baby camera recently launched, bringing baby monitors to the next level with HD streaming, advanced night vision, temperature/humidity/air quality sensors and more. It has come to our attention that several users have experienced some lag or delay when live streaming the camera. The best way to improve streaming responsiveness is to make sure you are streaming from a mobile device that is connected to the same WiFi network as your Arlo Baby camera. If you are streaming from a mobile device that is on a different network, the video stream is sent to the cloud first before it reaches your playback device, which may increase the latency.

We are actively investigating all the performance characteristics in the wild and we are going to continuously put in enhancements to optimize your experience with Arlo Baby. Please feel free to reach out to our team at Arlo Support if you have a question or are experiencing issues with Arlo Baby.

Please see our Knowledge Base article with more details on how to setup your network for the Arlo Baby to optimize your viewing experience. As we get more information we will be updating the article with additional details.https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Knowledge-Base/How-can-I-reduce-video-streaming-lag-or-delays-...