3rd party support for cables, solar panels

[seanwilson]

I am extremely frustrated with the power features of the arlo go camera.  I have been trying to use one in a remote location for months and continually experience issues with it.

1. I cannot recharge the battery using any method other than plugging it into an AC outlet using the provided power cable.  I've tried a battery pack and a cable plugged into a running vehicle.  Neither works.  How does netgear expect a user to charge the battery in a remote location?

2. The netgear solar panel does not work. It never registered the charging icon (Z) over the battery.  I made sure there was direct sunlight and ensured the cable was properly seated at the camera and the panel.

3. Since the netgear solar panel wouldn't work, I purchased a third party one and confirmed it was working (by charging a cell phone).  I installed it last weekend, (300 miles from where I live, which is the whole point of having an arlo go camera), and the application displays an error message, "The charging source connected to the camera cannot charge your battery. Please use the power adapter designed for your camera."  This is ridiculous!  The solar panel is rated at 7W and the netgear one is only 2W.

4. All of the support articles on this site and in chatting with customer service are impossible given the remote location of the camera.

5. I am returning this POS to AT&T as soon as I am able.

[JamesC]

seanwilson,

As long as your Arlo solar panel is set up and positioned appropriately, it should charge the battery in your Arlo Go camera. If you're still experiencing issues, take a look at the tips in this article: My Arlo Solar Panel is not charging my Arlo Go or Arlo Pro camera battery; what do I do?

JamesC

[seanwilson]

JamesC - that article is not useful at all.  The cable is plugged in correctly, the panel is in direct sunlight.  It doesn't charge the camera battery and never has.

Please share my comments with the product manager. Third party cables, power packs, and solar panels should all work with the arlo go camera IMO and I bet if you polled the user base, they would overwhelming agree.  Does netgear listen to it's customers?  It doesn't appear to be the case.

thanks.

[alien_scones]

Read the Amazon reviews on the Arlo Solar panel and the 3rd party solar panels.

While Netgear/Alro have not issued a fix for the official Arlo Solar panel, they did release a firmware update to block the 3rd party solar panels from working with your expensive arlo go camera. 

[jguerdat]

You think Ford would allow and warrant Chevy parts in your car?  Just because it might work at some point doesn't mean it will under all conditions.

If I were a manufacturer, I wouldn't be keen on allowing 3rd party components that could cause problems.