Arlo Pro 2 powered by Wasserstein solar panels battery

[rapter83]

Bought 2 #Wasserstein solar panels to charge my 2 #Arlo Pro2 cameras outside. Both panels face south and get sun all day long, not blocked or inhibited in any way. 1 camera battery has died while being connected, while the other does not. Have replaced the battery with a fully charged one and it died within couple of days. Never shows a lightening bolt indicating charging from panel and panel is less than 7 months old. How do I contact support to rectify the situation with either a new panel or refund to correct issu

[StephenB]

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@rapter83 wrote:

Bought 2 #Wasserstein solar panels to charge my 2 #Arlo Pro2 cameras outside.

How do I contact support to rectify the situation 

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You'd need to contact Wasserstein - Arlo has no connection with them. 

[rapter83]

They were purchased on the Arlo store. May not be Wasserstein actually. That was a mistake on my part. They are Arlo solar panels bought from Arlo, recommended by Arlo for Arlo Pro 2 cameras. 

[rapter83]

Solar Panel for Pro & Pro 2

Quantity: 2

Status: Delivered

[StephenB]

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@rapter83 wrote:

They were purchased on the Arlo store. That was a mistake on my part. 

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Then it should be possible to exchange them if they are still under warranty.

But if you don't have a subscription (likely with Pro 2 cameras), then it is difficult to reach support.  I'm tagging the mods ( @JamesC and @ShayneS ) to see if they can help create a case for you.

BTW, don't try to google a support phone number, that will lead to a scam support site.

[ShayneS]

I have escalated your case & someone from support will be reaching out to you as soon as possible. I have provided your escalations number here: 43176235

[RegularJoe]

Did you ever get this problem worked out?

  Seems to me that some Arlo software update disabled a lot of peoples' solar chargers... I can't remember if anyone whose system was Arlo panel powered went down, or if it was just cameras powered with 3rd party panels.

[billkex]

Wasserstein products are a crap shoot. Some work, some don't. 

I had bought a few Wasserstein solar panels a while back through Amazon. A couple of them worked fine, while I had nothing but trouble with the others.

..they were returned to Amazon for a refund.

[RegularJoe]

  From what I read in posts here... I'm not so sure it's the quality of the W. brand product and not the glitchy hardware/software of the cameras.

  Have you not read the posts on the issue of solar panel failures? They all seemed to have coincided with a software update.

[StephenB]

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@RegularJoe wrote:

Have you not read the posts on the issue of solar panel failures? They all seemed to have coincided with a software update.

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There are a lot of recent posts on two specific panel issues that do seem to be linked to a firmware update.

• camera battery discharging quickly when connected to a panel
• camera needing to be disconnected/reconnected to a panel to resume trickle charging

FWIW, the camera does need to distinguish between a connection to a panel and a connection to an AC charger, and of course being disconnected altogether. 

If the camera mistakenly thinks it is connected to an AC charger, then it will drain the battery quickly (because there are some AC-only features it will turn on).  Similarly if a glitch of some kind makes it think it isn't connected to anything, then the camera won't trickle-charge.  So it is quite possible that a firmware bug would account for both these issues.

That said, don't discount @billkex's experience with Wasserstein panels.  He's certainly not the first person to say that he had issues with their panels.

[billkex]

I switched to a different brand of solar panels.

No issues now.

[RegularJoe]

"No issues now"... 
  What brand of panels are they?

  Like I questioned in other posts, what difference can their be in the panels?
  USB voltage output, according to google, is 5.0 volts nominal, and they specify it at .5 amps. That's ½ an amp. 
    Voltage output of these solar panels?  Current output?  Is the Arlo panel putting out 5 vdc?
  And what is the Wasserstein putting out?

  None of them show any specifications on their websites.

  The actual wall wart charger that came with these Arlo cameras of mine (I've got it laying here on the desk) put out 5vdc at up to 1.55 amps. That's DC voltage... the same thing solar panels put out. Solar panel amperage is dependent on the intensity of the sun.... not sure if there are current limiting circuits in the panels of either manufacturer. But, if the wall charger puts out 1.55 amps max... 

  So, these cameras are not be able to tell if the voltage they are being supplied is coming from a wall charger or a solar panel... except the voltage from a solar panel is cleaner...it's pure DC.. it's not rectified AC.

  So, unless the W. branded panels are not putting out the exact same voltage as the Arlo units (which are probably made at the same factory as the W units), how can a camera tell the difference?
  Are there electronics in the Arlo panels that implant some sort of signal in the output to alert the camera that it's "friendly" voltage coming in, is there something in the output that tell the cameras that it's "dirty" and not to accept it?

I highly doubt it.  Solar panels are solar panels... their output varies with the intensity of the sun, and it's up to the thing they're connected to to regulate the input voltage and current.

  The ideal situation would be to be able to test both panels on a test bench, connected to digital voltmeters... to see what they're doing, in direct sunlight, in a side by side comparison.

  Or, simpler than that, would be for the manufacturers to describe the exact output of their panels in the sales literature.

  It's hard to imagine that they went to a lot of trouble to design a camera that would only use a proprietary solar panel of their own design and refuse the charge from a 3rd party panel. Solar panels are "dumb"... their output varies according to the number of cells on them.

  If that's the case, why don't they only charge from Arlo supplied wall chargers. My factory wall charger is a Samsung brand, not "Arlo".

   I think all the problems stem from the recent software update... not the panels themselves.

[StephenB]

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@RegularJoe wrote:

So, unless the W. branded panels are not putting out the exact same voltage as the Arlo units (which are probably made at the same factory as the W units), how can a camera tell the difference?

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FWIW, there are other techniques.  For example, the camera could look at current, or impedance on the cable.  The USB specification also includes means for signaling available power, and they could just be using that.

As you say, Arlo hasn't disclosed exactly what they are doing.  What we do know is that

1. the camera definitely knows when it is connected to a panel (AC activity zones and CVR aren't enabled with a panel).
2. there is pretty good evidence that the technique isn't working quite right with the newest firmware.

Either way, I don't think @billkex was talking about the current issues with Arlo solar panels.  He was just sharing his personal experience with the Wasserstein panels.  Which is useful and relevant information for the community here. It would also be good to  know what he is using instead.

[billkex]

These are the soar panels I bought thru Amazon.com.

So far, they are charging like they should. No error messages like before..

[RegularJoe]

The picture in your comment doesn't show up

[StephenB]

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@RegularJoe wrote:

The picture in your comment doesn't show up

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It's there now.

Mods need to approve embedded images, which can take a little while.