Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
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dmyatt
Tutor
Tutor

I reported that my Arlo Go would not allow me to move it to "active" within the arlo smart app (which I pay a monthly subscription to).  I was advised that this is a known issue.  After I researched a little more I found that customers have been compaining about this issue since 11/2018.  This is 5/2019.  I find it very frustrating that Netgear and Arlo has been unable and/or unwilling to fix this issue in over 6 months!  We (The customer) purchase these devices for $249 and then pay Verizon $20/mo for service and then Netgear/Arlo another $3-$20/mo for the cloud and it's all useless unless it works.  I was asked to call a number today from my last trouble ticket so that I could do more trouble shooting.  I called and was adised that there still wasn't a fix.   HORRIBLE customer service!  Horrible doesn't even describe it.  The WORST customer service I've ever experienced in my 51 years of life and I'm basing that on multiple attempts to get this problem fixed not just one or two instances.  Overall customer service is HORRIBLE!   DO NOT purhase this product.

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Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice

I have contacted chat support and they were unable to get my smart alerts working on my new arlo go camera. I have followed up with the emails but no one has responded after weeks even though the support email specifically asked if I still have the issue so I guess this is my only option left.

I have one camera and it’s a arlo go att version and I have the correct plan to have smart alerts but when I go to setup smart alerts it’s blank with no camera there and when I try to manage smart alerts under “Arlo Smart/smart notifications” the only thing on the screen is “move camera here” with absolutely no camera listed. I really need to be able to use the smart alerts and limit the area of motion detection or this is just unusable for my application. I would love to be able to use these functions but the camera won’t show up under Arlo Smart. The regular motion alerts work and I t detects motion and sends alerts but I cannot configure the activity zones etc. under smart - absolutely nothing under smart as the camera isn’t listed. So if someone has a answer please let me know. I have deleted the camera and added it back. The support guy says he has resynced my subscription and had me log out delete the app reboot my phone etc even though this is across all my devices but I still have no camera listed under arlo smart - none. I know I’m repeating myself and I apologize in advance but I’m so frustrated. The only thing I haven’t tried is removing my camera, deleting my arlo account and completely starting over which I was reluctant to do for fear it wouldn’t let me re register the camera and would say it was already owned by someone else. Please tell me how to get my camera to show up and be configurable under smart notifications. There is no delivery beta notification option shown either. It’s like I have a plan that doesn’t include smart notifications but I do have the initial free 30 day smart premier plan.

Thank you in advance for any help.

jguerdat
Guru Guru
Guru

I think you posted this in another thread but I'll repeat the apparent solution here: unsubscribe and then resubscribe. Others have said that has worked well.

Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice

I canceled and then resubscribed to the smart premiere and I still don’t have the option for smart alerts. The only thing that’s changed is the subscription date. 

 

Is is there anything else I should have done like remove the camera after cancelling or waiting any length of time before resubscribing? This so frustrating. Can I cancel again and leave it cancelled longer or will the sysyem get really ticked at my constant changes. Also when I canceled it kept the free plan on my account. Is there some other way to cancel that I should Try? I really want to get this working. 

 

Thank you,

Richard 

Mdterps
Apprentice
Apprentice

If you haven't already tried, try to add the camera to the active cameras for arlo smart using the website.  I had this problem before and the app wouldn't show the camera to move it to the active cameras, however, using the website worked.

Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice

Wow that seems to get me half way there. At least not using the app the camera shows up. It shows as inactive and when I try to move it to active it hangs with a “PLEASE WAIT...”. Thank you I at least feel I’m getting closer.

Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice

I have tried everything that has been suggested here and still no Arlo Smart. I have called tech support who first told me that smart didn’t work for my arlo go because I used att for my data plan/cell service and not Arlo but after many brief holds he relented but never acknowledged to me that Arlo Go would work regardless of what cell company (they don’t admit when they’re wrong) I used to get the video to them. He had me go though all the motions on his printout and still nothing. I’m so frustrated. The weird thing is the camera will show up on the list of inactive cameras under arlo go on a web browser but just hangs at “please wait” when I move it to active. Under  iOS using the app it isn’t listed at all across multiple devices.   What’s weird is feel like it briefly worked when I set the camera up initially because I received rich notifications which I don’t anymore because I’m no longer able to use smart. I wonder if a firmware update killed it for me. I emailed tech support screen shots and they told me I had to call back in 24 hours and I wasn’t able to find another two hours the next day to do so and it appears they never got my screen shots anyway because they keep saying I’ve never sent what they asked for in follow up emails even though I have repeatedly. Do you know if they even read their email? It’s really weird the way they ask if you’ve followed up when I have multiple times. I’m sorry, I digress. Any other ideas on how to make this go cam work with smart? Who has a couple of hours to waste each day with a incompetent tech person who tells one how wrong the customer is then changes his story and you go through this every time you call or chat.  I’m just to the point of throwing this thing in the trash. But I spent too much money on it. Grrr. Is there a way to get a problem escalated to a smart non rude tech person? I know Ive asked fifty different questions of you but I can’t believe I’m the only one experiencing this issue, there has to be a solution. Is there away to cancel everything and completely remove my camera from their system? Every time I cancel arlo subscription  it’s like it never cancels completely because all my rules are there when I sign back up. Weird. Apologies for the wordiness. Just frustrated. Thank you for any help you can give. 

 

MrClown
Initiate
Initiate

I’m having the same issue. Any resulution?

Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice
Sadly no I have not found a resolution to the problem. As I didn’t have two hours a day to explain the issue on the phone over and over to people that don’t understand the problem and don’t care so I’ve basically given up trying. I just hope that they issue a update sometime in the near future that fixes the issue. If you ever get yours fixed please share the answer, I’ll do the same. It’s been so frustrating as their tech support is so poor. If anyone out there has any other ideas please chime in. Please keep up the pressure on tech support and get the issue escalated if you have the time to spend on it.

I have deleted the camera, deleted the subscription to arlo smart, deleted the app on everything it’s installed on, tried signing backup on multiple different platforms, tried adding the camera back on multiple platforms and the closest I get is via a web browser on a pc (I really think it’s platform independent and a problem on their end because the weird thing is the camera will show up in the list of available cameras to add to smart only on a pc’s web browser yet it always hangs when attempting to add it to smart). I really kept thinking if I could get them to totally forget my account and the camera and I could sign up again on a pc’s web browser it might work as it seemed to one agent I spoke to on chat like a issue related to something that occurs during signup with linking and synchronizing the arlo smart subscription on their end (this agent was the only one who seemed remotely like he cared) but as I never was able to make it forget me entirely and tech support couldn’t understand why I wanted to try.

I really hope you get yours working.
Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice
Just a quick update and question. My Arlo Go has finally shown up in my list of smart cameras but now I have no options to manage smart notifications. No activity zones, package, people or car etc just no settings for smart are available in the iOS app as they once were. I haven’t tried a web browser yet. Any ideas how to get the smart options back? For months I had them and the camera was never in the list of smart cameras, now it’s in the list but no smart options and I haven’t touched anything yet they claim this is my problem at support. Also I only have one camera but under smart cameras it says add 8 more when it should say add 9 more as the subscription allows 10 cams. Any idea how to remove the phantom ghost camera? Or where to find it?

Thank you in advance for any help.
Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice
I have been dealing with this issue and had given up trying. A few days ago my arlo go showed up in my arlo smart list of cameras. I never added it because it had never shown up in the list of available cameras to add...well you know how that goes. Any way it’s now in the active smart list and I did nothing so maybe they fixed it. Problem is I have no option to co figure smart anymore. No settings for packages, activity zones pets etc. So it seems they fix one thing and break another. This has been so frustrating. Calling tech support was a joke except that I lost several hours of my life that I’ll never get back for absolutely no help. At least they admitted it was a problem.

I am curious if you ever got your Arlo Go working with arlo smart?
JessicaP
Arlo Employee Retired

Hey @Socrates99,

 

I've escalated your case to our support team so they can help you further with this. They should be responding to you through your case via email. If you don't hear back after 24 hours, feel free to send me a private message.

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide


im having the same issues since march terrible product and developers

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

im having the same issues since march terrible product and developers

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

im having the same issues since march terrible product and developers and customers service go to fair trading i did and got a refund

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

 having the same issues since march terrible product and developers and customers service go to fair trading i did and got a refund

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

Im having the same issues since march terrible product and developers and customers service go to fair trading i did and got a refund

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

 the same issues since march terrible product and developers and customers service go to fair trading i did and got a refund

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

 same issues since march terrible product and developers and customers service go to fair trading i did and got a refund

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide

issues since march terrible product and developers and customers service go to fair trading i did and got a refund

peterbio
Initiate
Initiate

I have the same problem.  Is there any fix?

I got the Arlo Smart Premier subscription.  I can't activate my camera.  I get a message. Please wait. 

Danlarimer
Guide
Guide
Yep terrible please take your matter to higher level of your government departments that deal with products and start a case with arlo as this issue is not getting resolved appropriately by arlo
woodworker2002
Initiate
Initiate

I purchased my first Arlo Go in January 2019.  I had the single camera only plan (I don't think they have that anymore) and Smart worked good on it, no problems.  I added two more camera and upgraded to the Premier a few months back.  Now I have no Smart features even though I pay for the Premier package.  I've spent hours on the phone with tech support to no avail.  I've tried everything that's listed in the thread and nothing works.  My daughter has access to my cameras and she uses an IPhone, I'm going to get her to try and configure the cameras from her phone and see if she has any luck.  I'll post the results.  One last thing; Netgear, you are an 800 million dollar company.  You seem to have no problem taking our money, how about giving us some decent service in return.

peterbio
Initiate
Initiate

Arlo support told me that their engineering is aware of the issue and are working to fix it.  I hope this gets fixed soon.

Socrates99
Apprentice
Apprentice
Well I have officially tried everything now so I sincerely hope that their engineers are not just aware of but are aware of and are going to fix the problem. I’ve tried unsubscribing for over 48 hours as someone suggested and I still cannot get any smart options to work after resubscribing. I know the problem has changed over time in that the dysfunction is different than it originally was but it still doesn’t work. Nothing seems smart about this cameras backend software side, they should call the camera smart and their cloud services GO. I have some cameras that are from a brand made famous for their video doorbells that work flawlessly. I know not everyone has that experience with them but the amount of trouble I have had with Arlo is ridiculous when I consider the fact that I have multiple cameras of that other brand and never even needed to reach out at all to them. I really like the idea of a cell phone network based camera and if they could get it to work right I’d buy a couple more and actually recommend them to people who are always asking me about cameras especially for one that would work where there is no wifi but until they get all the functions to work or at least most of them I cannot recommend them to anyone.
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