Arlo Pro 2 Base Range Diminished. Had 2-bar connection and things worked fine but now shows offline.

[PeteVO]

Earlier this summer I put a Base station in my boathouse and a camera in a tree about 60' distant.  I had a 2-bar connection and things worked fine.  Suddenly about 2 months ago, I kept receiving messages that the battery needed charging even though there was no battery and it's on AC.  I replaced the camera which is now offline saying there is no internet connection.  It seems as though the base station has reduced power.  It hasn't been moved, it's just like it was when it all worked.  I see that there isn't any way to extend the range of the base station, but has anyone seen this issue and had a solution for it?

[JessicaP]

Hi PeteVO,

If you have two bars for your signal strength, it may go offline or show out of range. You may need to move your Arlo Pro 2 camera closer to the Base Station. You can read more about it here: How do I interpret my Arlo camera's signal strength?

[PeteVO]

Hi Jessica,

Thank you for your response.  The Arlo app only has 3 bars for signal strength so 2 would seem to be ok and it worked for months before reaching this state and it has not come back online.  The base station is in a cabinet there are 2 3/4" boards and a cinder block between the base and open air to the device.  Unfortunately there aren't any trees with power other than the one it's in.  The documentation you sent suggested changes in the environment may affect the connection.  Can you be more specific?  What is the minimum db strength that should ensure a connection.  I can usually get -65db in the area.

[JessicaP]

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@PeteVO wrote:

The base station is in a cabinet there are 2 3/4" boards and a cinder block between the base and open air to the device.  

I would suggest to try moving the Base Station temporarily out of the cabinet and try testing again to see if the results improve.

[PeteVO]

OK...well it's spring now so I could get back down.  I moved the base out of the cabinet and behind cinder block.  I can get -62db to -71db strength of signal, however the device still won't connect and it's still about 30' away.  I also moved it behind a metal vent fan and couldn't get connected.  Let's remember...this worked fine til last fall and I've replaced the camera.  What strength should the base deliver?  This is virtually useless as is.

[jguerdat]

I'm 15-20 feet away from any hub/base through a wall or ceiling and see something like 50-55 dB using a phone app. It depends on where you're measuring - at the camera or near the base?

You can move the base to a better location by using a powerline or WiFi extender with an Ethernet port.

[PeteVO]

Hi!  Thank you for your help.  I agree.  That's my point that it seems as the base unit has diminished power.  My other unit can deliver -57db at about 20m through a wall.  In contrast I can get -67db through cinder block or through a metal vent fan at 15m (base to camera).  I can't use an extender because it's unit/wall/ 15m of air/camera...no other place to put it except outdoors and that's not possible.  Remember that it USED to work just fine for 6 months and then stopped receiving from that camera.  I have one more idea, but it's a project to move my other base to this location, resync the devices and see if it really is the base or something else.