High capacity battery in Arlo Pro 2

[jsatt]

I just installed a pair of these batteries, Amazon.com: FGGHOO Arlo Pro Battery 2-Pack [Upgrade] 3000mAh Replacement Battery Compatible with Arl..., and even after fully charging them the battery status for both cameras shows them at 32% charge. At that charge level they shouldn't last more than a month or two before needing recharging which would be disappointing to say the least. I'm wondering if this low charge level is actually related to the interaction of the batteries and the camera's firmware? Anyone have any knowledge of this issue?

[JamesC]

jsatt,

These batteries are not supported by Arlo and we do not recommend the use of third party accessories as they may not meet the specs and requirements to work with Arlo products.

I encourage you to purchase an official Arlo branded rechargeable battery as these are designed to meet the desired level of performance.

JamesC

[glorfnog]

I'm having the exact same issue.   Arlo Pro system indicates replacement batteries are 32% when fully charged and remain at 32% after many days of recording.  I would have purchased Arlo-branded batteries but they aren't even available!  Caution to potential future Arlo customers ... your system may be useless after 4 years of use.                  

[liberation]

James C advises to buy an official Arlo branded rechargeable battery for my Arlo Pro2 Camara. Could you please tell me where Arlo sells these replacement batteries? For my internet search and on the Arlo site there are none available except third party batterys which in my experience is an absolute lottery in finding one that last even 2 months. Most fail after 2 weeks. So please share this information that JamesC has so that clients of Arlo with Pro 2 camaras can maintain their systems. Mine is only 4 years old and the original batteries have died.

[EdwardNNC]

I do not see these batteries for sale anywhere either.

[glorfnog]

James C, where can we purchase the Arlo-branded batteries you suggest we use?

[UnknownDan]

Then provide a 3rd party battery that Arlo would recommend since you have abandoned the Pro 2.

[liberation]

Arlo tells us to only use a Arlo Pro2 replacement camara battery but they are no longer sold by Arlo. Third party batteries don't work or fail to hold their charge. If Arlo thinks that Pro2 camara owners will return to Arlo to buy a new security camara they are mistaken. There is a mandate for manufacturers to make spare parts for electrical appliances available within two years of all model launches, and then for between seven and 10 years after the model is discontinued. When was Pro 2 discontinued? I bought mine 4 years ago which is why I need to replace my batteries. There is a requirement for Arlo to make them available

[liberation]

There is a legal requirement in Europe and the USA to supply spare parts.

If Arlo thinks that Pro2 camara owners will return to Arlo to buy a new security camara set up because they cannot get a replacement battery for their camara they are mistaken.

A company that treats customers this way will loose them and any potential new customers when this behaviour is reviewed.

There is a mandate for manufacturers to make spare parts for electrical appliances available within two years of all model launches, and then for between seven and 10 years after the model is discontinued.  Pro 2 was brought out in 2017 and has been discontinued on 1 july 2023 and will be EOL in 2025. I bought mine 2019 which is why I need to replace my batteries. There is a legal requirement for Arlo to make them available

[Retired_Member]

Where can I get replacement batteries?

[jguerdat]

Since Arlo doesn't produce these cameras any more (and hasn't for quite some time), all you can do is use Internet searches to see if any 3rd party replacements can be found. Try to pick ones that aren't the cheapest and have lots of good reviews. If any are available from known manufacturers, try those.

[UnknownDan]

So your sage advice is read questionable reviews on  a seemingly infinite supply of cheap batteries.

[StephenB]

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@UnknownDan wrote:

So your sage advice is read questionable reviews on  a seemingly infinite supply of cheap batteries.

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This is a user-user forum, and neither @jguerdat nor I work for Arlo.

If Arlo no longer sells the batteries, then what other option is there????

[liberation]

JamesC calls himself a Community Manager so I presume he does work for Arlo.

He has not replied to our queries about his strange recomendation to only buy Arlo batteries when they are no longer for sale.

Arlo has a legal requirement to supply spare parts for Pro2 camaras for at least 7 years after being discontinued in July 2023.

I propose that Pro2 camara owners inundate Arlo CEO Matthew McRae with emails to support@arlo.co

and remind him that he is failing in his stated aim to

" build trusted, lifelong customer relationships by creating innovative, smart security solutions that deliver an exceptional user experience and bring peace of mind to everyone,"

[StephenB]

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@liberation wrote:

JamesC calls himself a Community Manager so I presume he does work for Arlo.

He has not replied to our queries about his strange recomendation to only buy Arlo batteries when they are no longer for sale.

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He does work for Arlo.

Though @UnknownDan's reply wasn't directed to him.

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@liberation wrote:

Arlo has a legal requirement to supply spare parts for Pro2 camaras for at least 7 years after being discontinued in July 2023.

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Laws of course are different in different countries.  But googling your statement didn't give me any relevant hits for any country.  Can you provide a reference to the law you are talking about???

FWIW, manufacturing ended for the Pro 2 cameras back in 2019, not 2023.

[UnknownDan]

My solution is to continue to generate bad reviews for Arlo. I've tried 2 different types of 3rd party batteries. They are junk, they do not have the capacity to make them a real solution. Amazon is filled with these rebranded crap batteries.

Drop battery support. Drop the 7 day free cloud storage. They're a crap company.

[TomMac]

on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Arlo-Accessory-Rechargeable-Battery-Compatible/dp/B01LYCMLY5

or

https://thefirealarmsupplier.us/products/arlo-pro-rechargeable-battery

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175455364665?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

[liberation]

Hello TomMac

The first two links show the  Arlo Pro2 batteries as discontinued so not very helpful.

The third is Ebay at a price that is too good to be true and so I'm sorry to say probably isn't genuine.

[liberation]

UK and Europe

Known as ‘right to repair’ laws, the new requirements mandate manufacturers to make spare parts for electrical appliances available within two years of all model launches, and then for between seven and 10 years after the model is discontinued, depending on the type of product.

How long do spare parts have to be available?

Spare parts will have to be available within two years of a product going on sale and must remain available for either seven or ten years after it has been discontinued, depending on the part.

What is California's right to repair law?

However, the California bill stands out in that it requires companies to expand access to repair materials like parts, tools, documentation, and software for a longer period of time. The bill outlines three years for products costing $50 to $99.99 and seven years for products priced at $100 or more.Sep 13, 2023

Arlo now says it's extending EOL dates, with the Pro 2 lineup set to retire in 2025, instead of early 2024. While that's good news for software, things still look rough on the hardware side, and the company notes repair services, refurbishment capabilities, and parts are becoming increasingly limited.Feb 13, 2023

Android Police

[StephenB]

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@liberation wrote:

UK and Europe

Known as ‘right to repair’ laws, the new requirements mandate manufacturers to make spare parts for electrical appliances available within two years of all model launches, and then for between seven and 10 years after the model is discontinued, depending on the type of product.

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In the info I saw, the EU directive listed several specific classes of devices, but not security cameras.  Though I haven't seen anything for the UK.

For instance, section 5 here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52023PC0155

Article 5: Obligation to repair Article 5 introduces an obligation for producers to repair defects outside the liability of the seller upon the request of consumers and against a price. In terms of scope, Article 5(1) limits the obligation to repair to goods for which and to the extent reparability requirements are established in Union legal acts listed in Annex II of this Directive. Those goods include product groups covered by reparability requirements under the ecodesign framework, such as household washing machines, household dishwashers, refrigerating appliances and vacuum cleaners. 

Later in the document link above, Annex II says

LIST OF UNION LEGAL ACTS

LAYING DOWN REPARABILITY REQUIREMENTS

1. Household washing machines and household washer-dryers according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 1

2. Household dishwashers according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2022 2

3. Refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2024 3

4. Refrigerating appliances according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2019 4

5. Electronic displays according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2021 5

6. Welding equipment according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/1784 6  

7. Vacuum cleaners according to Commission Regulation (EU) 666/2013 7

8. Servers and data storage products according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/424 8

9. [Mobile phones, cordless phones and tablets according to Commission Regulation (EU) .../… 9 ]

There are also transitional provisions built into the directive.

In order to allow economic operators to adapt, transitional provisions concerning the application of some Articles of this Directive should be introduced. Thus, the obligations to repair and to provide related information on this obligation should apply to contracts for the provision of repair services after [24 months after the entry into force]. The amendment to Directive (EU) 2019/771 should apply only to sales contracts concluded after [24 months after the entry into force] to ensure legal certainty and to provide sellers with sufficient time to adapt to the amended remedies of repair and replacement.

I understand this to say that the right-to-repair provisions would only apply to products sold 24 months after the directive goes into effect (so products purchased in late 2025 at the earliest).

If you have better information, I'd be interested in seeing it - but probably best shared in a PM, as we getting completely off the original topic.

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@liberation wrote:

What is California's right to repair law?

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Which goes into effect on 1 July 2024.

It expressly excludes "a product or component of an alarm system", though I haven't looked at the definition cited in the bill.

Probably more importantly it says that

Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a manufacturer to sell service parts if the service parts are no longer provided by the manufacturer

It appears to mostly aimed at leveling the playing field  - requiring that unauthorized third parties have equal access to parts, documentation, etc to authorized repair facilities.

[liberation]

Hello StephanB

Google gives various dates about Pro2 EOL so I was please to find this subject already covered on :-

https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/2/23536194/arlo-eol-security-cameras-pro-baby-q-gen-3-lights-doorbel...

The comments section is full of Pro2 owners angry that their expensive equipment has been made unusable in such a short time.

It also has this Arlo document from which I have extracted references to parts.:

ARLO END-OF-LIFE POLICY Effective: January 1, 2023

Upon the EOL Effective Date, the following may occur for the EOL’d Arlo Product: o No support o No firmware upgrades o No security updates o No bug fixes o No maintenance releases o No workarounds or patches o No spare parts o No replacement devices…. etc

There is a table with this Pro2 information:

Arlo EOL Tables December 1, 2022

Model ID -VMC4030P

Product -Pro2

First Manufacture Date- Nov 2017

Last Manufacture Date- Dec 2019

EOL Date Jan 1,2024

The Pro2 batteries have not been available long before the EOL date we haven't reached yet!

Arlo is therefore in breach of its own spare parts commitment.

[StephenB]

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@liberation wrote:

Google gives various dates about Pro2 EOL so I was please to find this subject already covered on :-

https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/2/23536194/arlo-eol-security-cameras-pro-baby-q-gen-3-lights-doorbel...

The comments section is full of Pro2 owners angry that their expensive equipment has been made unusable in such a short time.

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Of course many people are angry, and there are over 1500 posts here on the subject of the EOL.

Though the equipment is still usable.  So far no features have been dropped (other then email notifications, which have been removed for everyone).  Still, the future use of EOL equipment is uncertain, and it is clear that support is no longer available for the cameras that have already reached EOL.

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@liberation wrote:

Arlo EOL Tables December 1, 2022

Model ID -VMC4030P

Product -Pro2

First Manufacture Date- Nov 2017

Last Manufacture Date- Dec 2019

EOL Date Jan 1,2024

The Pro2 batteries have not been available long before the EOL date we haven't reached yet!

Arlo is therefore in breach of its own spare parts commitment.

You have the wrong date on the EOL, it's actually Jan 1 2025 for the Pro 2.  Originally it was earlier, but Arlo revised the date after the first announcement.

I agree that Arlo shouldn't have stopped selling the battery early.  No idea why that happened (though I am guessing it might be due to contracts put in place before the EOL date was changed).  If that can't be changed, then it would be helpful if Arlo could test some of the third-party batteries, and provide some guidance.

That said,  you are arguing that either that Arlo is required to provide batteries under right-to-repair laws, or alternatively that Arlo made a commitment to provide batteries until the EOL date.  I'm not seeing that in the laws you cited (though I am not a lawyer, just someone interested in the right-to-repair initiatives).  And if you read the EOL again, you'll find that it doesn't make any such commitment.  It says that parts might not be available after the EOL date.  It says nothing about whether they will be available before the EOL date.

[UnknownDan]

They stopped selling the battery early because they want to try and force people to buy new cameras and subscribe to the cloud storage.

[liberation]

Hello StephenB

I don't follow your logic when you say about Arlo's EOL document

It says that parts might not be available after the EOL date. It says nothing about whether they will be available before the EOL date.

If parts might be unavailable after EOL date surely this change of status can only come about if the parts were available before?

Thank you for up dating the EOL date to Jan 2025 which makes the unavailability of Arlo batteries 2 years before EOL date even more unacceptable. (I say 2 years because I started looking for replacement batteries in early 2023.)

In July 2023 after trawling the numerous  "Arlo replacement battery" advertised I bought a 27€ battery from

K Kyuer (still working four and a half months later). So I bought a second battery. It went flat in 10 days. I wrote a one star review for " inconsistancy". They offered to replace it. It went flat in 10 days. They again offered a replacement. It didn't charge at all! They replaced it for the fourth time and it has charged this week. I will have to wait and see how long it last. They say they will refund me if I am unhappy. They never wanted the failed batteries back. I am impressed by their self belief but I would not recommend their product obviously.

I don't see that Arlo needs to test third-party batteries when they had a ( Chinese) supplier that they put their name on. They could tell us who it is if, as you say, they may have prematurely cancelled their order.

However, along with Unknown Dan we all know that it is a cynical marketing manoeuver and when you say

The equipement is still usable

The camara maybe, but it depends if it has a power supply.

So to resume, Pro2 was produces in 2017-2019. Still being sold in 2021.  2023 no battery replacement 2 years ahead of EOL in Jan 2025. This is unacceptable buisness practice which they need to be  held to account for. New legislation may put an end to the built in obselence but the exceptions you have pointed out makes it seem unlikely, which means the only alternative is class actions.

[StephenB]

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@liberation wrote:

I don't follow your logic when you say about Arlo's EOL document

It says that parts might not be available after the EOL date. It says nothing about whether they will be available before the EOL date.

If parts might be unavailable after EOL date surely this change of status can only come about if the parts were available before?

You are making the assumption that the text communicates a "change of status" on availability of accessories.  While reasonable, it is not the only interpretation of the text in the document.  Read literally, it makes no promises about availability of batteries or other accessories for cameras not yet end-of-life.  My interpretation is that Arlo is basically saying "you can still use the cameras post EOL, but you are totally on your own if you choose to do that".

(Keep in mind that I think Arlo should have continued to provide batteries and accessories for these cameras).

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@liberation wrote:

I don't see that Arlo needs to test third-party batteries when they had a ( Chinese) supplier that they put their name on

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Their supplier would have been a manufacturer - who often do not sell retail.  But of course if the original manufacturer does sell retail, then Arlo could do that.

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@liberation wrote:

In July 2023 after trawling the numerous  "Arlo replacement battery" advertised I bought a 27€ battery from

K Kyuer (still working four and a half months later). So I bought a second battery. It went flat in 10 days. I wrote a one star review for " inconsistancy". They offered to replace it. It went flat in 10 days. 

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Information like this is helpful to other forum users.  Given that Arlo is no longer providing the batteries, it would be useful to start a thread on Pro/Pro 2 batteries, sharing user experiences with various brands.

As an aside: you might want to try the failing battery in a different camera.  Just to make sure that the issue isn't a camera failure.  I have had the charging circuitry in an Arlo camera fail - the battery was ok.

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@liberation wrote:

However, along with Unknown Dan we all know that it is a cynical marketing manoeuver and when you say

The equipement is still usable

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I've had Pro and Pro 2 cameras for quite a while (beta if I remember correctly).  I have had a couple of them fail, but all the batteries are still ok.  Of course your experience is different.  But still, I suspect most Pro/Pro 2 owners still have healthy batteries.