Essential spotlight VMC2030 won't reset or join network

[BC1973]

My Essential camera's been offline for a few months and I decided to fire it back up this weekend. I left it on charge for 3+ hours but it wouldn't connect. I decided to do a reset and, according to the manual the power cycle and reset is supposed to be shown by the led turning blue for 2 seconds and then the amber light flashing 3 times but, when I go through this process, the amber only flashes twice and then nothing.

After that, when I press the power button, the amber flashes twice again but the app can’t find the camera.

What am I doing wrong?

[jguerdat]

First there is no "power button" - I suppose you're pressing the Pairing button. Here's the proper FAQ to make sure you're following the right procedure:

https://kb.arlo.com/000063225/How-do-I-factory-reset-my-Arlo-Essential-Outdoor-Camera-2nd-Generation

After charging, did the blue LED light up solid? That indicates a full charge. When first connecting AC power, the LED should blink blue briefly, indicating power has been applied. If the battery didn't actually charge, that may be your issue. Try this FAQ to see if it helps (the key is to plug in power and unplug it multiple times to get enough charge into the battery to then allow it to charge properly):

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

[BC1973]

Probably should have said in the question but I don't think it is a Generation 2, there's just no option for any Essential Spotlight camera in the drop down aside from that model. Full code is VMC2030-100EUS. There's no button on the top but a small one on the bottom as part of the rubber cover for the charging port.

It's odd, when I plug the camera in the blue light blinks rapidly for a couple of seconds and then flashes amber twice but that's it. I'll have a look at the link regarding the power FAQ you linked.

[StephenB]

---

@BC1973 wrote:

Probably should have said in the question but I don't think it is a Generation 2,

---

It's not a Gen 2, it's the original Essential Spotlight model.

[BC1973]

Yes. Not a Gen2 so there's only the one button on the bottom.

[jguerdat]

The reset for this camera is shown here:

https://kb.arlo.com/000062880/How-do-I-factory-reset-and-re-sync-my-Arlo-camera-Arlo-Secure-4-0

[BC1973]

Factory reset isn't working. That's my issue. It states in the instructions that the camera LED should blink blue for 2 seconds then flash amber three times. It only flashes amber twice and then doesn't connect or do anything.

[jguerdat]

That sounds like a dead battery. Did you try the dead battery FAQ above? You need to plug and unplug several times to get enough charge into the battery to allow it to charge normally.

If that doesn't work, use the app to go to Settings, Support and choose your camera. Scroll down to Contacts to see what official support may offer.

[BC1973]

I've plugged it in a few times but I'm unsure if it's charging. It's also not showing as connected on the app, it just has 'add new device'.

[jguerdat]

A few times may not be sufficient. See steps 5-7 on the above FAQ. 

[BC1973]

I'll keep trying. How do I tell if it's charging without it being connected to the app?

[jguerdat]

After the initial blue blink which indicates power has been applied, that's it from the camera. You have to use the app to monitor whether proper charging is occurring.

[BC1973]

Yeah, that's part of the problem. I can't get the camera to go through the setup process. When it asks me to scan the QR code on the app nothing happens.

[jguerdat]

That would seem to be an issue as to how you're attempting to scan the code. Have you tried pinch zooming on the code while using the app? A workaround is to take a clear picture of the code and print it out so you can use that when scanning.

[BC1973]

You're talking about the QR code that's generated during the setup procedure right? I print that one out?

[jguerdat]

Yes although I've never had to do that. It's usually needed for scanning the QR code printed on the camera (specifically a doorbell) rather than one on the phone you show to the camera.

[StephenB]

---

@jguerdat wrote:

Yes although I've never had to do that. It's usually needed for scanning the QR code printed on the camera (specifically a doorbell) rather than one on the phone you show to the camera.

---

@BC1973 :  You can also try generating and printing the QR code using this website:

• https://qifi.org/