Arlo Pro 2 Six Camera Set - Camera Six Does Not Register

[russday]

Like others I have purchased the six camera set at Best Buy and tried to register all six cameras.  I did this after returning a four camera set that had a camera fail to properly update, it seized up and quit working.  Of course this happened the night that someone happened to steal the propane tank off my trailer...

Although frustrated by this, I returned the four camera set and purchased a six camera set since they were back in stock (they were unavailable when I bought the four camera set - sold out).  I registered the base station on the same account that my four camera system was on.  Long story short, the sixth camera did not register.  I call the customer service number and eventually get through to someone who tells me the same story I've read here on the forum - that you have to register the six camera sets to an email address that hasn't been subscribed before.  This seems completely moronic to me, the base station serial number should be recognized at the time of registration as being a six camera system.  I was told that if I register the base station on a new account it will work...

So I play the game and set up a new gmail account and register the system to that fresh new email address and... of course it doesn't work!  The software says that I can't register more than 5 cameras on the account.  Back on the phone with customer service...

Talk to a new person who says that what I was told previously was not true, that "there is a known problem with registering some of the newer six camera systems".  No resolve is offered, just that "they're working on it".  So I have an open customer service case and a pile of wasted time and money tied up in this system.  As good as the Arlo hardware appears, the software end and customer service is just useless. 

To clarify the mis-truth about the "special code" with the six camera set - there is nothing different about the set-up guide between the six camera sets and those with less, it's identical.  I found no "code" anywhere.  

I might try re-registering the system again, I find the set up process for some of the Arlo products unreliable and flaky.  Unfortunately I spent even more money on this junk thinking I could get it to work and bought a pair of security lights.  It took me five attempts to get the Bridge to register, update and sync with the system.  Each time it seemed to freeze on a step and I had to restart the process, at each attempt it went a little further until it finally registered but I spent a considerable amount of time getting there.

If I can't get this to work then back to Best Buy it goes, no doubt to be regurgitated to some other poor unsuspecting consumer...

[brh]

@russday

After reading other posts on the subject, it appears that in order to be able to use the 6 camera free plan, it can only be installed on a new email account, so if you are using the same credentials as you did on the previous 4 camera set, it will not work. Set up a different email address, remove the devices from the current email address and reinstall them to the new email address. So if you are using, say,  a gmail account, try setting up another email account, say, for hotmail.com and adding the system to that account.

Brian

[russday]

If you read my post, I did that. New email address, same result. If that’s the way Netgear have set up their account system it makes no sense, what’s the point? To try to pretend to only allow new subscribers access to a six camera no fee system when the work around is widely known to be to set up under another easy to set up email account?

That’s just a stupid inconvenience. The system is obviously capable of knowing what serial number base station you are using and how many cameras are on the account.

[russday]

Problem still not resolved with no word from Netgear, doesn't seem that they're interested in doing anything about this problem.

[Kgroschi]

Same problem here. Bought a set at Costco today. Base station plus 5 cameras. I still have an Arlo Q on the account and I can't get the 5th (Arlo Pro 2) camera (6th camera of my complete setup) to work. Quite frustratiing. Probably going to return this if this doesn't get solved soon. I want to keep my Arlo Q as a backup in case somebody unplugs my base station or the base station freezes while I am out of the country. That way I still have an independent Arlo Q as backup.

The funny thing is if you go to "settings" and "My Devices" the 5th Arlo Pro 2 shows up. So it's obviously linked to the base station, but Netgear is blocking the app from allowing me to view that 5th camera.

[jguerdat]

There's a difference between adding cameras to an existing account (you're limited to 5 total regardless) or buying a 6 camera set and using a brand new account. The latter apparently uses both the new account as well as the base serial number to get you the 6 total cameras when set up all at once. The former will always require that you upgrade your subscription or use a second account and spread the cameras between them (use Settings, Grant Access to view all at once). It's always been that way.

[russday]

After waiting three more weeks, still no resolve.  I got an email saying that Netgear was closing the complaint because they had not heard from me - unless I call them to keep it alive.  Strange because they were supposed to call me once they’d figured the problem out.

I spent 15 minutes on the phone with another person at the call centre on a long distance call at my expense (toll free number was not offered) and was told to just take the cameras back and exchange them for another set.  I said that I’ve done this twice already and I’ve had the same result.  I was once again told that the complaint was going to be elevated to someone in “Engineering at level 2”, whatever that means.  I replied that this was supposed to have happened already, that I was waiting for someone to get back to me.

Yesterday I took the cameras back for a refund.  Arlo and I are parting ways.  The hardware is really good, it’s a shame that there is such a high level of incompetence in the software and customer service department.  Relying on a forum to solve customer problems is a really poor policy.

I’m going to buy a set of Lorex wireless pro all metal cameras, I would have been happy to keep my Arlo Pro 2 set but not if I can’t use the cameras that I paid for.