VMB3000 not connecting

[Kaythal]

I have 2 Arlo hubs VMB3000. They used to work fine. Since I moved house they're not able to go ONline. The internet led keeps blinking green, sometimes it's solid green for a few seconds but starts flashing again. 

After factory reset it is dedected by the app and it's possible to check for the latest firmware. 

I'm not able to check the modem settings because it's password protected by the provider (Fibranet Spain) 

[jguerdat]

It sounds like the bases are online since the internet LED is green and you can add it to your account. What am I missing?

[Kaythal]

In the app it says that my devices are offline. 

 

[jguerdat]

It sounds to me like it's an ISP issue. Are you using your home WiFi? Have you tried disabling WiFi and just use cell service?

[Kaythal]

Thanks for the tip. Just tried it, but unfortunately result is the same: offline 

[jguerdat]

I'd still contact the ISP to see what they say. 

@JamesC , @ShayneS , @BrookeN any thoughts?

[ShayneS]

Hi @Kaythal 

Thank you for the feedback,  Since this issue started after moving to a new ISP, a likely cause can be network configuration on Fibranet's router.

We'd recommend contacting Fibranet and asking them to ensure UPnP is enabled, that no firewall rules are blocking outbound traffic from the base station, that there is no double NAT configuration, You may also want to ask if any device restrictions or parental controls are enabled.

Please let us know how it goes and we'll be happy to assist further.

Thank you!

[StephenB]

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@ShayneS wrote:

We'd recommend contacting Fibranet and asking them to ensure UPnP is enabled, that no firewall rules are blocking outbound traffic from the base station, that there is no double NAT configuration,

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FWIW,  I have UPnP disabled and also use double NAT on my own network.  No issues at all with my smarthubs (although it has been a long time since I used a VMB3000).  Anything blocking outbound traffic could be a problem.

A while back there were users complaining that the base station failed when they configured three or more DNS servers in their router.  I don't recall any reports here of that being fixed.  So that is another thing you could ask them about.

Also make sure there is no DNS blocking going on - parental controls for example.  That might be getting in the way.

[Kaythal]

The problem is probably the outgoing port 123. When I do a test on this port I get an error "unsafe port" . Trying to get support from my isp. 

[StephenB]

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@Kaythal wrote:

The problem is probably the outgoing port 123. When I do a test on this port I get an error "unsafe port" .

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This is used for NTP (network time sync), so it is not unsafe.

What test are you doing?

[Kaythal]

Bron: Outgoing Port Tester http://portquiz.net/

[StephenB]

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@Kaythal wrote:

Bron: Outgoing Port Tester http://portquiz.net/

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I see this

PS C:\> Test-NetConnection -InformationLevel detailed -ComputerName portquiz.net -Port 123


ComputerName            : portquiz.net
RemoteAddress           : 35.180.139.74
RemotePort              : 123
NameResolutionResults   : 35.180.139.74
MatchingIPsecRules      :
NetworkIsolationContext : Internet
IsAdmin                 : False
InterfaceAlias          : Ethernet 2
SourceAddress           : 10.0.0.140
NetRoute (NextHop)      : 10.0.0.1
TcpTestSucceeded        : True

No indication of anything "unsafe"  Do you perhaps have internet security software running on the PC that might be blocking the outbound connection?

[Kaythal]

I thought the problem was in the router, but on 5g mobile I get the same results. 

 

[StephenB]

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@Kaythal wrote:

I thought the problem was in the router, but on 5g mobile I get the same results. 

 

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Why are you checking netgear.com????

[Kaythal]

Isn't this the server the hub needs to connect to?

[StephenB]

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@Kaythal wrote:

Isn't this the server the hub needs to connect to?

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No. 

• Arlo was divested by Netgear 8 years ago.
• The base needs connected to the Arlo Cloud,not the customer-facing Arlo website

No idea what the URL is for the Arlo Cloud interface.  We do know that their cloud is hosted by AWS (amazon) and that they connect via CloudFlare.

But I doubt that your ISP has a full firewall on your connection.  If they are blocking any outbound ports, they would be blocking them no matter what the destination is.

I recommend testing using the instructions on the portquiz website.  portquiz.net should be the destination server.

If you use Windows, then 

# For Windows PowerShell users
PS C:\> Test-NetConnection -InformationLevel detailed -ComputerName portquiz.net -Port 80

 If you use a Mac, then

$ nc -v portquiz.net 80 
Connection to portquiz.net 80 port [tcp/daytime] succeeded!

The web browser instructions won't work for port 123, since that port is dedicated to NTP (internet time sync).  But the tests above will work.

[jguerdat]

My old Python scripts (that no longer work due to 2FA) use Arlo.com. No idea how that resolves in DNS - haven't checked recently.

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

My old Python scripts (that no longer work due to 2FA) use Arlo.com. 

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Because you were downloading from my.arlo.com.  That's not relevant for the base->cloud connection.

[jguerdat]

@StephenB  I'm no network guru but it would seem to use the same connection point regardless of web access vs. the base connection. It's certainly possible that the base firmware uses a different DNS name but without sniffing the network during access I can't be sure. Why do you think it's different?

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

I'm no network guru but it would seem to use the same connection point regardless of web access vs. the base connection. 

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No, it really doesn't work that way.  There is a fabric of servers with more than one connection point.  Arlo hasn't given out details, but there are some listed here:

• https://www.netify.ai/resources/domains/arlo.com

In any event, my.arlo.com and the app are portals you use to reach Arlo cloud - not the cloud itself.    Cameras and bases use different apis, so connect in a very different way.

@Kaythal  was checking port 123 before.  That is used for the ntp time sync protocol.  If the netify info is correct, then the base is likely connecting to ntp.arlo.com using that port.  I'd expect there that URL is actually a cluster of more than one server (likely ntp01.arlo.com etc from the netify list).   That provides redundancy.

Other servers in their cloud would be used for different functions.  For instance updates.arlo.com likely is their update server.

[Kaythal]

testing with power shell on port 123 seems to be succesfull:

but in the app the hub is still offline

ComputerName : portquiz.net
RemoteAddress : 35.180.139.74
RemotePort : 123
NameResolutionResults : 35.180.139.74
MatchingIPsecRules :
NetworkIsolationContext : Internet
IsAdmin : False
InterfaceAlias : Wi-Fi
SourceAddress : 192.168.68.69
NetRoute (NextHop) : 192.168.68.1
TcpTestSucceeded : True

[StephenB]

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@Kaythal wrote:

testing with power shell on port 123 seems to be succesfull:

Which is what I found also.

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@Kaythal wrote:

but in the app the hub is still offline

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Which is odd.

Starting from the beginning - can you see the "attached device" list in router?  If so, are you seeing the hub listed there?

What color is the internet LED on the base?

[Kaythal]

At start-up the power led is amber for about 30 sec and becomes solid green then the internet led is starting to  blink green and becomes solid green after another 30 sec . It stays solid for about 15 sec and starts blinking again. This keeps on repeating solid/blinking/solid/ blinking.....

I'm not able to check the isp router because it's password protected by them

In the app I can see the hubs but showing offline

[StephenB]

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@Kaythal wrote:

At start-up the power led is amber for about 30 sec and becomes solid green then the internet led is starting to  blink green and becomes solid green after another 30 sec . It stays solid for about 15 sec and starts blinking again. This keeps on repeating solid/blinking/solid/ blinking.....

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Blinking is fine, as long as the LED stays green. That suggests that the base is connected to the internet.

Looking at your screenshot - it looks like the app is showing the base as off-line (not just the cameras).  Is that correct?

Did you remove the cameras from the account when you reset the base?  They also would need to be installed again.

[Kaythal]

Looking at your screenshot - it looks like the app is showing the base as off-line (not just the cameras).  Is that correct?

Correct