Arlo Pro 2 cameras connected to VMB4000 base station - all offline yet still recording events

[ertriad]

I'm abroad at the moment. When I access my home Arlo system via laptop or iphone, all cameras and base station consistently showing offline (for a number of days now) YET cameras are still recording events.

With Base Station online, mode set to ARM during the late evening and DISARM early morning. 

I have yet to try to access system when system is ARMED !

Anyone else come across this problem ?

NB: Had my system years and has worked perfectly thus far !

[jguerdat]

@JamesC , @ShayneS , @BrookeN this sounds like a good case for that backend sync.

[BrookeN]

Please watch your cameras throughout the day today and let me know if the behavior is resolved by tomorrow. 

[ertriad]

Behaviour unchanged.

Can also add 2x video clips were recorded within last 15 minutes from 2 of my 3 cameras - capturing wildlife in my front and back gardens. Means therefore system must be ACTIVE yet remote interrogation using both my Windows 10 laptop (version 10.0.19045 Build 19045)  and my iPhone 13 (ios 17.5.1) mobile device, show all 3 of my Arlo Pro 2 cameras as offline and the VMB4000 base station as offline also.   

When I get home, I will restart/reset the whole system hoping that will restore full functionality.

[BrookeN]

That would be my next suggestion. Try just one at first and see if that changes the behavior you are seeing. 

[CLangley]

I have exactly the same problem with 3x Arlo Pro2 cameras on a VMB4000r3 Base Station at a holiday home showing as offline for the past 6 days. I am receiving motion & sound notifications, but no recordings showing up. The base station is connected to the router via ethernet & is showing as connected. (I also have 1x Arlo Q-Plus on WiFi direct to the router, which is still working fine).
They are all at a remote holiday home, so I cannot do anything locally. Cameras are all on a Arlo Secure subscription.

They all worked very well for a few years, but very annoyingly are increasingly problematic & less reliable with some firmware updates in recent times. Arlo service is getting worse. Time to move to a more reliable brand?

[ertriad]

Restarted base station (by depowering, waiting 30 secs, repowering).

Everything back to normal, HOWEVER I'm now back home and no longer overseas !

[DannyBearAgain · Accepted solution]

@ertriad 

I would recommend installing a smart plug on the arlo base station so you can power cycle it remotely when your overseas again.

[ertriad]

Great idea. Thanks !

[DannyBearAgain]

Your welcome,

I installed these on all my base stations and externally powered cameras years ago to restore them back after arlo’s continued buggy firmware updates. I use google home app to access them when needed.

[CLangley]

Excellent idea. Thanks.

[ertriad]

I’m getting emails from the “Arlo Community” asking whether my “Power Reset & the remote switch” solved the problem..To my mind, a Power Reset however initiated, offers a workaround to a pre-existing problem..The workaround got me out of trouble BUT the root cause must still be there..will Arlo spend time & resourses on it ? probably not !

[BrookeN]

We are still looking into the behavior you were experiencing. I am glad the work around has you up and running as we continue to look into this. 

[Fifididi]

I have the exact same situation, i’m currently abroad and unable to switch off power.

my main purpose is to have these cameras when i’m abroad…

is it possible to resync remote somehow?

[BrookeN]

@Fifididi Can you please watch your cameras throughout the day and let me know if you see the behavior fixed?

[CLangley]

Last week I asked a friend to go and power cycle the VMB4000 camera hub, which seemed to clear the "offline" cameras. Let's hope the problem does not reoccur.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

As a community, we need to get together and put pressure on Arlo to either stop buggy firmware updates or enable us control when firmware can be uploaded. This nonsense of so many users being unable to access their systems because of firmware issues, as outlined in this post and others, simply cannot continue! 

If anyone would like to add support to that, please add a comment below.

[Fifididi]

The issue remains

[BrookeN]

Please take one of the Pro 2 cameras off the account and re-add it onto the account. 

[ertriad]

For the record, the “smart plug” idea is a great WORKAROUND..It can never be a solution since any power reset enables restoration of service, BUT solves nothing (original cause of problem still existing) ! I have however accepted it as a solution to STOP the following emails constantly asking me to accept the Reply as a Solution !

[Fifididi]

Solved the issue by asking my brother to power of the unit at home.

had to many issues with my setup lately, going to probably replace it, heard that people are happy with eufy

[ertriad]

Hi,

I spoke to soon - problem has returned.

I'm back home now and just noticed via the Arlo Web Portal that all of my Arlo Pro 2 cameras are offline. The Base Station is also showing as offline yet all 3 green lights are still lit on the Base Station itself - so I suspect its not really offline.

In the interests of finding the root cause of this problem, I will refrain from resetting the Base Station but await instead instructions from Arlo as to how to localise this problem.

Naturally I will check tomorrow morning if any events were recorded overnight to prove the 'system' is actually working ok, so I'll say no more but report back tomorrow.  

[ertriad]

Continuing from my 2024-08-16 07:50PM post...

Events were in fact recorded yet BOTH Arlo Web Portal and Arlo Secure ios app, show the Base Station as offline.

The Base Station itself has all three LEDs lit so it appears the Web Portal and ios App is getting false information from the Base Station.

ARLO Support - anything you would like me to do to help localise this problem before I erase with a 'reset' ?

[ertriad]

I have the fault on now - it's returned. How can I help you localise this problem ?

[ertriad]

please delete this post !