Whoever designed these cameras should not be proud

[smalldog]

I have two outdoor Arlo cameras and since the very beginning I found the setup cumbersome and annoying. The very first problem is charging. I have numerous chargeable devices and all of them can be charged with the mobile phone charger and a mini USB cable. Arlo is different, and I couldn't, for the life of me, charge it. Eventually I was able to do it by connecting the camera to the PC, but only with one cable. 

At some stage the battery ran out, and after charging the camera I couldn't get it going on the app. I removed the device from the app and reconnected it as a new device. Simple? No! On the app you have to select the type of the camera - Pro, Essential or Ultra. How do I find out which one I have, is it stated somewhere on the device? Nope. So you have to try various types of cameras and waste considerable time to do so. 

Don't step on the same rake twice... I did and bout another Arlo camera. The type I had was discontinued, so I had to get another one. Guess what, it ran out of battery and I cannot charge it. Every charger I have in the house and every mini usb cable are rejected. 

I am very tempted to smash both damn cameras and switch to another make. Seriously, I can't think of a way to make a device more fidgety and user unfriendly than this one. 

[DannyBearAgain]

You can get the camera model number from a label in the camera battery compartment. Remove the battery and note the VMCxxxx details.

 If you have the arlo pro(4030) or the pro2(4030P) then the battery is 7.2v so will require the QC USB charger and cable that came in the box.

The camera will run from a 5v USB cable and charger but it does not charge the battery since you need the 9v from the Qualcomm QC adapter.

 If the battery ends up going flat the camera will not allow charging of the battery without human intervention.

https://kb.arlo.com/000052305/My-Arlo-Pro-or-Arlo-Pro-2-battery-is-dead-what-do-I-do 

[Edinburgh_lad1]

The OP is right. The process of adding cameras and having to know what kind you have is very poor. Not clear to me why there isn't just one option to add cameras and the app itself can detect what model it is. 

[smalldog]

You can get the camera model number from a label in the camera battery compartment. Remove the battery and note the VMCxxxx details.

 If you have the arlo pro(4030) or the pro2(4030P) then the battery is 7.2v so will require the QC USB charger and cable that came in the box.

This is exactly what I am talking about. After several months I have no idea which camera I have, and I cannot find the way to find out. I posted in this section because... I have no idea which camera I have. My camera does not have  the battery compartment, so I am guessing it is not a Pro2. Oh, one more thing - It didn't come with a charger, only a cable. And thanks for the great news - running the battery flat is an unforgivable mistake which will cost me time to get someone to fix it. 

I can charge any Samsung phone made in the last ten years with pretty much any adapter that has a USB plug. I am guessing it is too hard to ensure the same compatibility with the cameras. 

Anyway, if I don't manage to charge my cameras in the next few days they are going to the bin.  

[StephenB]

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@smalldog wrote:

I have no idea which camera I have. My camera does not have  the battery compartment, so I am guessing it is not a Pro2.

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Correct, it's not a Pro 2, since its housing opens.  If yours doesn't, then It looks like an Essential XL from the picture.  If so, the model number would be VMC2032.  

The Essentials use a microUSB cable for charging - if you purchased a Pro 3/Pro 4/Pro 5s/Ultra model, then it would use a magnetic cable.

There are two ways to tell the model.  FWIW, I agree this should be easier.

One is to go into the support area of the app, and select the camera.  Then scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and you will find the model.  That works for any Arlo camera.  But it does require that the camera be in the the account.

As @DannyBearAgain says, if you have a camera with a removable battery, then the label is inside the housing. In the case of the Essential, you open the flap that you open to connect the charger.  There will be something printed on underneath (on the camera, not the back of the flap).  It can be hard to see.  That is specific to the Essential (because the housing doesn't open).  

Not sure why your normal chargers won't work, as the Essential should charge with any 5v 2A charger.  Is the camera still covered by the warranty (typically one year)?

[smalldog]

I figured out the model of my camera - found the email receipt. As far a charging is concerned - for fairness sake I must mention that the camera is currently charging with the Samsung charger. The problem is - there is no way to be sure if it does without getting to the app. The blue light flashes for a few seconds then stops. 

[DannyBearAgain]

Did you identify the model numbers of the two cameras you have?

The arlo essential camera should take about 4hrs to charge using a 5vdc 2A adapter. If it has a lower amperage value it can take 24hrs.

Some generic adapters will not charge the battery if the output voltage is slightly less than 5vdc. This can be because of a dodgy cable or dodgy brand.

Adding the camera is best using a pc web browser to login to the arlo web login site my.arlo.com, ensure the pc is connected to your local network router using the Ethernet.

The app cannot find the device since it needs direct network connection with local wifi network if using a mobile.

[StephenB]

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@smalldog wrote:

The blue light flashes for a few seconds then stops. 

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The blue LED should be solidly lit when the charging is complete.