Arlo Essential spotlight keeps factory resetting itself.

[essej818]

Ive used my arlo camera for a few months and it worked until 15 days ago when I looked on my app and the camera was not linked to my account anymore. It took me 15 days to get the time to climb my way up there to factory reset it.

It worked again for 2 hours until I got a notification on my phone that my camera received a factory reset signal.

It has been removed from my account again.

What or who is sending my camera a factory reset signal and how can I stop this. Nothing I search online is helpful or remotely relevant. Arlo support is completely useless.

[JamesC]

Many of the cases that have been reported that result in the symptoms being discussed here include damaged or improperly seated charging cables/solar panels. Third-party accessories have also been known to result in the symptoms discussed in this thread. For those experiencing these symptoms after having ruled out a third party accessory or damaged charging cable/solar panel, I encourage you to reach out to Arlo Support to further investigate the issue. You can find Arlo Support contact options within the Arlo Secure mobile app under Settings > Support.

JamesC

[ekrueger]

I have 5 cameras total.  3 of them are older, pure battery and connect thru a base station.  I also have 2 x Pro4’s that both have solar panels.   The first three are on the gutter downspouts ( so somewhat in the weather).  The 2 x Pro4’s are both on fence posts and completely exposed.  One of those is perfectly fine and the other is exhibiting this reset issue.   The latter doesn’t allow for discovery and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi now.  

[Thhr]

Same issue.  Factory reset in the middle of the night.  Support said reset it.  Have done that repeatedly.  Stays up for awhile and then get the message of a factory reset.  Based on this thread, it has been an issue for some time with no solution from Arlo.

[bgot]

I am updating my reply after reading some of the other issues and reflecting on my situation. Only one of my 4 cameras has this problem. All are exposed to elements, but only the problem camera had the solar charger hooked up. I live in an arid environment and the camera started having the issue after rain. 

Other users stated pressure washing, a storm, using power supplies, and another using dehydrators to get it working again. I brought my camera in and treated it like technology that has been wet. After giving it a couple of weeks in a dry environment and the charging cover open, it started working again without the error. It is still working a couple of months later without any errors. I no longer use the solar charger and make sure the rubber charging cover is sealed and not open. I am sure there is more than one reason for this error on this thread. I think that some of our problems have to do with moisture at the charging port getting in, or poor factory sealing allowing moisture to get in. Why it gives that specific error goes back to Arlo's programming. 

Before you throw an expensive camera out try a dehydrator, tub of rice, or similar for a long period of time. Then see if it has the problem still. It may be worth putting your own bead of water proofing silicone around all seams of the case if you get it working again (in case it is poor factory sealing).

Just my two cents from my experience. It certainly won't work for everyone but there are some common pieces in some of these responses with water/humidity or using the charging port. 

[curious-soul]

@JamesC

"JamesC Community Manager

Community Manager

‎2023-05-15 11:28 AM

The development team is currently investigating reports of this issue. I will provide an update as soon as I have more information to share.

JamesC"

James, It's been over 2 months since you said you will provide more information and that the development team are aware of the issue. 

Please can you comment? 

[photoneffect]

So long story short I’ve found out that the culprit in my case is the magnetic charging cable. I tested three Arlo Pro 4’s with it and all of them functioned fine until I plugged them in one by one into the cable that I was using when it rained heavily. Within 10 minutes each got the factory reset request.  I reset each of those cameras and they worked fine again on battery power. Plugged them in one by one using a different cable and they worked and charged for hours.

I think in my case my cameras are fine (there was no observable water inside the case when I opened them), but I think water got in between the charger and the case and caused some kind of short in the cable.  This is the second time a cable was damaged in this fashion too.

I’m going to try again with a new cable and this time seal the connection best I can somehow.

[BP99]

Update -- I just shipped my second "new" Pro4 back, because once again, factory reset in the middle of the night followed by taking the camera down, resetting, climbing back up the ladder - only to have it happen again in a couple days. After doing this for about 2 weeks I'm done. This is garbage. I have 3 of these all connected to solar panels - it's not the cable. It's the camera.

And for those who posted about water issues, you've been duped. If you sell a camera that you market as an "outdoor" camera it should work that way - or it's a lie. Consumer fraud, etc. 

And NOTHING from @JamesC. Really, does it take months to do a fix? Or all the student engineers on summer break?

[photoneffect]

Did you try running the cameras without the solar panel to see if it happened on battery power?  If not then how can you tell it’s the camera and not the cable/charger?

[BP99]

Yes, yes, yes. With only battery. With AC plugged via extension cord. Solar.

Tested it all. Thanks for the question though. 

[curious-soul]

I can vouch for it that it's the camera, I never had solar panel connected. 

Arlo really need to acknowledge this issue, @JamesC we are all waiting for your response.

Not being able to fix is one thing, but not responding is bad customer service after so many people tagged you. 

It's just a matter of time before the sentiments in this thread end up as public feedback on Amazon, ebay, Arlo google reviews, trusted reviews, trust pilot and other public portals that can influence the company to take action. 

Arlo, Before there is further reputational damage, you may want to respond and acknowledge and offer to help. 

[photoneffect]

It's definitely possible that there's more than one issue at play here, but good to pool our experiences nonetheless.  As I continue testing my case is pretty consistent which is good.  I have 6 cameras exposed to direct weather.  All 6 on battery have never had a problem.  When plugging into a cable that went rogue during a very heavy rain all 6 of them factory reset.  When they go back on battery they have no issues.  I now have 2 rogue cables and both cause the same issue when plugged into any of the 6.  All 6 work fine when plugged in to a new cable that's never been in the rain.

I'm not exactly saying the cable is "bad", but the relationship with the cameras with those rogue cables so far has a 100% fail rate for me.  I'm currently testing one of the rogue cables now that it has dried out for over a week to see what it does.  It's possible that water was trapped into the magnetic connector which was affecting the camera perhaps leaking into the sync button that's right next to it causing a short and registering it as a button press.  It's a working theory anyways and perhaps could explain why some people are having the issue even when running on battery power (i.e. - water is leaking in even without the cable present trapping the water).

I'll also agree that it's a bit ridiculous that an outdoor camera would have these kinds of issues being....outside.  I'm still going to move forward with using new cables and sealing the connector to see how that goes.  May be some time before I would be able to call them a success, but here's hoping.

[Thhr]

I have two rogue Arlo Essential Spotlight cameras.  They were bought at the same time two years ago.  About a month ago they started giving the factory reset message.  One was on a power cable, the other was on a solar charger.  I took both down and charged them then swapped their positions (the power cable became connected to solar and the solar to power).  After resetting them, the one that is now on power has not gone offline (nearly two weeks now).  The one connected to solar dropped out after a couple of days.  

I have an open ticket with support.  They can still see the camera that is offline, but I can't.  They said it looked like the firmware on it needed updating and to do that.  Since the cameras are 300 miles away, it will be a while before I get out there to try this.  Originally, I thought the solar panel might have gone bad, so I replaced it, but within two days it went offline.

I have 3 other cameras that are Arlo Pro 2 and are four years old.  Have never had a problem with them.  I hope this gets resolved soon.  The purpose of having them is to watch my remote property.  I can't just drop what I'm doing and run outside and press the sync button as if they were in my backyard at home.

[Hjford16]

Following with hopes of a resolution.

Of all my exterior cameras, specifically the one that is mounting and sheltered from the elements (literally inside a building) has been factory resetting several times in the last few days. Today has been the worst, 5 times today alone. Last time I repaired it…. It lasted 8 minutes before resetting again. Given everything on this feed, and my current experience- this is absolutely a firmware issue that Arlo is failing to address. Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera 

[Noconate]

And now, I've lost one cell in the battery after just a couple of months.   I put a meter on it and am only getting 1.8v. Arlo wants another $60 for a battery. I'm done with this system. Cancelled.y storage plan and will go to a PoE system that can survive getting cold, got or wet. 

Great idea, terrible implementation.

[JamesC]

Many of the cases that have been reported that result in the symptoms being discussed here include damaged or improperly seated charging cables/solar panels. Third-party accessories have also been known to result in the symptoms discussed in this thread. For those experiencing these symptoms after having ruled out a third party accessory or damaged charging cable/solar panel, I encourage you to reach out to Arlo Support to further investigate the issue. You can find Arlo Support contact options within the Arlo Secure mobile app under Settings > Support.

JamesC

[photoneffect]

You’re implying that it’s user error or bad luck that’s the culprit.  It’s not.  It’s a faulty design.  Your faulty design allowed water infiltration which in turn caused the problem at least in my case.  Funny thing is I had Arlo Essentials exposed to direct rain for more than a year plugged in with a USB micro cable and never had an issue. Your magnetic charging cable is not waterproof and you refuse to admit it.

[ekrueger]

@JamesC 

So I opened a case on my situation.   I now have the camera back online, and it did the most recent firmware update.

Support seems pretty happy that the camera is connected again.

I'm still waiting on them to answer questions posed for more than a week: (case was opened July 12)

1- Is there a known issue that caused my camera to notify me that it received a factory reset -- when no such instruction was specifically sent to the camera?   I explained that it was "ok" if it is a known problem but without a current fix, as I fully understand development and engineering cycles.

2- Did the July firmware which was applied have any specific fixes related to the issue that I reported?   I asked for a Change Log / Release Notes for the July firmware.

Neither question was ever attempted to be answered.  Instead, I received a statement about not interrupting the firmware update when it is happening.   (Which I told them was already completed, so it was worthless advice).

While it's nice that the camera that went down is up and running again (nothing that Support specifically did made that happen), I have no confidence that Arlo understands root cause or is even acknowledging that there is an issue; but instead, just happy to take the tactical approach of restoring service.   It's hard to want to invest more or recommend that anyone should do so when I feel like it's just a ticking time bomb until the camera is reset again and goes offline.  

Thanks,

 Erick

[BP99]

This is a joke. ALL my equipment is Arlo. Every camera, solar panel, cable, mount. Customer support is a joke as well - did you take the battery out? Have you connected to a 2.4G network? Is your app up to date? Have you tried using an AC powered charger? Have you changed the battery and housing out with a known working camera?  

The one question they don't ask - have you climbed the ladder a dozen times in 100+ degree heat? Have you wasted countless hours of your time that we don't really appreciate or consider to be valuable? Have you flown home from across the country to try to get your security camera(s) working again which are supposed to be protecting the property you're paying ridiculous service fees for?

This is garbage for support. What I want is Arlo to stand behind its equipment and if *your* equipment is not working as specified I expect you to replace it - at *your* cost including shipping. Even if it's a day outside the "warranty". Full Stop. 

So, have someone from "customer excellence" contact me via this chat. Others will want to know you actually stand behind your products as well. 

[Thhr]

Yes, a joke.  I made the 300 mile drive this past weekend to try to connect again.  No success, so I brought the camera home with me.  Charged it for 5 hours, then connected to my home network without a base station.  It connected fine, so I placed it outside at my house to test. Firmware showed no update available, so it is running the latest. Running on battery power only. It lasted from Sunday at 8:00 pm until this morning at 9:00 am.  Then the familiar "Arlo camera has received a factory reset" message popped up.  Camera is now not showing up.  So, the 3rd party equipment argument is invalid since it was running on battery only and it hasn't rained since I put it outside.  It worked fine for two years prior to about 6 weeks ago.

[ekrueger]

Well, I had a case open with Arlo Support.   They closed my case tonight without resolution.  The last action was me asking them to confirm whether the latest firmware update in July for the Pro4 had an expected fix to this problem; and also a request for a Change Log for that firmware release.  

Instead, they closed my case.  

What a joke at this point.  I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and clearly acknowledged it was OK if there was acknowledgment of a problem and a fox wasn’t readily available yet.  

@JamesC — truly a disappointing experience with Arlo support.  I informed them in their survey that I will now share the information about the problem in all public forums and could never recommend someone make an investment with Arlo without taking that into account. 

[mrw_e36]

Well, I have an update on my own situation. I took one of my cams down, and shook it and could hear water in it. Two out of my three seem to have take on large amounts of moisture. I shook some water out of one and the infrared lights came on but nothing else. 

The unfortunate part is I ordered these cameras exactly a year ago, so my warranty is probably up today. If I can’t get these fixed, I’m getting off of arlo platform entirely. How can these be labeled as outdoor cameras if they can’t hold up to rain?

[Thhr]

I have had an open case with support for the past few weeks.  Their last response 3 days ago was that they were happy to hear that the camera reset itself and if there was anything else they could assist me with.  I responded that it was NOT supposed to factory reset.  No one had pressed any button.  Have had no response from support since then.

[Santerianumero1]

Everything that has been said in this thread, I'm also experiencing. I have a solution for everyone's issue. Take the Arlo products and put them in a bucket. Take a spray bottle and fill it with the cheapest possible gasoline sold in your area. Take a match and throw it in the bucket. Make sure to not have put too much gas so as to not cause an explosion.  Stand back and watch the cameras perform the best task they were designed for. 

Not only are these the worst products, but the customer service is also a cherry on top. Constantly telling you to do tasks that you've done a million times before. Or, blaming accessories THAT WERE PURCHASED FROM ARLO!  Like others, my camera requires me to climb a ladder in extreme heat or cold (it went down in the winter also).  Truly these products and customer service are both terrible. 

I hope Arlo goes bankrupt. I'm not ever buying a product from them again!

[Santerianumero1]

Arlo will never fix this..but you can!

 

[nodice4]

Since it seems a Arlo Firmware push may be the cause of the problem for many of us, Could Arlo push the working version of firmware available just before the introduction of this issue while it resolves the problem? Having so many cameras sitting idle can not be good for anyone.

[Emily44]

I have been chatting with customer service regarding this issue for nearly an hour now. Two out of eight of my 3 month old cameras are affected. I was told that Arlo is aware of the problem and are working on a solution. I was told to "not worry" and just wait for an email when a solution has been found. I refused repeatedly, and agent Sriram has been going back and forth with higher level teams. Sriram is unable to specify a timeframe for when a solution might be found. Sriram refuses to initiate a return and replacement, just tells me that he will keep the case open and repeats that I should "not worry." 

I indicated to Sriram that what he's offered is the worst possible solution, and if that's the best he can do, I will be contacting the BBB, leaving reviews everywhere, and also contacting my state's attorney general for WARRANTY FRAUD (or maybe breach of contract? I'm not an attorney.). I recommend others here also contact their state's attorney general. This may also be a cause for a class action law suit. 

After one hour and four minutes, Sriram has indicated that "the next-level team" has approved a replacement camera, although they are not sure that this will resolve the issue.