Are my cameras dead?

[Dells51]

I brought a multi pack of Essential outdoor cameras (w spotlight) a couple of years ago, set two of them up outside and due to the quick draining of the batteries (would need a recharge weekly) promptly discarded using them. Weve recently wanted to try and use one for some bird watching; so I took both cameras down to 'recharge'. However I now believe the batteries may be fried as I cant seem to troubleshoot them back to life, but wanted to confirm through the community if anyone else has seen the LED combos I am experiencing. For additional context I have tried recharging, tried the put on and off charge cycle recommended to 'reboot' the batteries, tried rest (that did not work) and unfortunately have "removed" them from my account based off the troubleshooting suggestions so cant check to see if the power cycling method has worked or not. 

The LEDs I get when plugging the cameras in: 

Camera 1: long blue, rapid blue, long blue - off | Update, its now a solid blue when I connect (how long should I leave it to know if its actually "charging / Charged"?? how do i know when its charged if its not connected via app and i cant get it to connect?

Camera 2: long blue, rapid blue, long blue, amber - off

for a period of time one of the cameras was solid blue when connected to charger, but is now not the case. 

If i press the sync button on Camera1 i get nothing, unless it is connected to charge. 

Camera2 however will slow blink when not on charge. 

Both cameras will sound a chime/ding when i attempt to connect them through the App, but for some reason the connect device through browser doesnt work at all as the page freezes on the network selection page. refreshing reboots to main page and ive been stuck in that cycle of doom multiple times. But niether one can be "found" when tryign to connect.

I have invested more than a couple of hours trying to recover these cameras already and just need to know if i have exhausted all possibilities before e-recycling them and walking away from Arlo for good?! 

[jguerdat]

If you suspect the batteries may be fully depleted, try this procedure. The key is the plug in and unplug many times to get enough charge into the battery to then allow it to charge normally.

https://kb.arlo.com/000052305/My-Arlo-Pro-or-Arlo-Pro-2-battery-is-dead-what-do-I-do

Once the batteries are charged verify that these devices are or are not in your account. Trying to add a camera that already is in your account will fail so delete those entries and try again. A reset may also help:

https://kb.arlo.com/000062438/How-do-I-factory-reset-and-re-sync-my-Arlo-camera

[Dells51]

Thanks for the reply @jguerdat; 

I have gone through the plugin\unplug procedure, numerous times. 
"The key is the plug in and unplug many times to get enough charge into the battery to then allow it to charge normally" 

a) can you quantify how many times is required? as a minimum? as I have sat there for over 20mins cycling them on and off, each time getting the light combination as noted in my original post. (>10+ plug/unplug cycles) 

b) Do I need to wait 10mins between each PLUG/UNPLUG - RePLUG cycle? as currently its only around 30sec I am waiting.

c) how do I know if its charging normally? A solid blue LED? Does that change when its fully charged? 

I currently have Camera 1 on charge with a solid blue light and it has been like that for almost 24hours, with no change in the LED. I have tried to onboard it/sync to my account while still plugged in, but my phone still cannot find it. I tried the "reset" process, and now i get a slow amber LED (while still on charge).  

I can also confirm that both cameras are no longer connected to my account, so I cant see if the power cycle reboot process for the battery worked or not, as I am under that assumption taht a slow amber blink means low battery. not sure why its doing that while attached to charge cable. 

[jguerdat]

Having never let my batteries get to that point, I can't quantify how many plug/unplug sequences may be needed as well as how long between those sequences. The extra time may be needed for the battery to "settle down" but since I'm not chemical engineer, I can't say. When the directions say to do something, I suspect it's for a reason.

Charging normally would mean that the LED is off and the app displays a lightning bolt through the battery icon. A solid blue LED means that the battery is fully charged or that there's a problem with the camera.

The inability to sync the cameras again could be due to the batteries or the need to reset the camera. Try this:

https://kb.arlo.com/000062438/How-do-I-factory-reset-and-re-sync-my-Arlo-camera