Few issues with cameras....upgrade from Pro 2? Move to WiFi while keeping base/HomeKit?

[m_valpreda]

Currently have 5x Arlo Pro 2 cameras, the Arlo Doorbell (AVD1001), and a base station/hub (VMB4000r3). It is all in HomeKit and doing local storage for the cameras. The doorbell has the most basic $4.99 plan.

Been having an issue here and there with the cameras that are further away from the base station - either can take a long time to connect or the video has the top half viewable and the bottom half just artifacts. The 'bad' video is on both live and recorded clips. It does not always do that, but often enough for my wife to express concern.

Biggest issue is the garage camera. It can take 15-20 seconds to connect to live video where the others take 2-3 seconds. In fairness, the garage camera is the furthest away and has the most amount of walls between the camera and the base. There is good WiFi and power in the garage.

Wondering if I can upgrade the cameras to one of the ones listed on the compatibility chart and gain WiFi connectivity back to the base.

Appreciate any input!

[jguerdat]

If the garage camera is struggling with the connection to the base, replacing it likely won't help much. Can you move the base away from the router or possibly into another, more centrally-located location to allow all cameras to have decent connections?

[m_valpreda]

The way my condo is laid out, there is no real way to get the base station in a place where it will be able to be wired to the network and be able to reach the garage. That is why I was wondering if the newer cameras connected in a different way than the Pro 2s. Under the impression that the Pro2 doesn't use WiFi, but some of the newer cameras do. Didn't know if a newer camera could connect to WiFi and still use the base station to keep me in the HomeKit ecosystem.

[StephenB]

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@m_valpreda wrote:

Under the impression that the Pro2 doesn't use WiFi, 

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It does connect with WiFi.  The base creates a closed WiFi network that is used by the cameras.

A mesh router setup might create a stronger signal.  You could try measuring the wifi upload speed with your phone at the camera location.  Use the free Ookla app (speedtest.net), and turn off mobile data during the test.  1080p Arlo cameras need at least 1 megabit per second of upload speed, 2K cameras need 2 megabits, 4K (ultra) cameras need 3 megabits.  You want some margin, as the wifi signal quality isn't constant.

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@m_valpreda wrote:

 Didn't know if a newer camera could connect to WiFi and still use the base station to keep me in the HomeKit ecosystem.

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HomeKit requires the camera to be paired with the base.  Hopefully Arlo will start rolling out homekit for cameras directly connected to home wifi, but that hasn't happened yet.

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@m_valpreda wrote:

The way my condo is laid out, there is no real way to get the base station in a place where it will be able to be wired to the network and be able to reach the garage. 

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If the garage's electric power is controlled from the same circuit breaker as the condo, then you could try a powerline networking kit.  If that gives enough throughput, you could put the base in the garage.