Pro 2 - Night Vision Poor

[NightVision-NOT]

Well just purchased a 3 camera pack and its not what it promises. The night vision outsite is poor beyond believe. I tried all the troubleshooting suggestions, nothing. Through my research I have come to the conclusion that you require additional light sourches to get anything.

Support apologising for the problems and thanking me for my cash is not very rewarding either. Just say in your products descrition that additional light is required to get good results would help.

Should have bought Nestcam I guess, cheaper, no quick draining batteries and images couldn't be any worse.

Thanks Arlo for such a wonderful product.

Ah and before I forget, one of the cameras dropped of the magnetic mount the very first night. I think a poossum got to it. By now I have a screw on mount

[st_shaw]

That image is not normal.  It looks like there is a skin on the camera or maybe the plastic protective film that ships on the lens was not removed.

For best results, you also need to aim the camera away from any walls or objects close to the lens, to avoid IR light reflecting directly back into the lens.  This is the case with any brand of IR camera.

[NightVision-NOT]

Nope no film on any lens. To mount a camera on a wall and to protect it from the elements there is no way to point it any other way. I want to monitor my backyard and not my neighbours

[st_shaw]

Do you have a skin on the camera?  Can you post a photograph of the camera showing how it's mounted?

[AncientGeek]

It appears to me the camera is setting its exposure level to the optimal setting for the window in the upper right of the image,  Since that is correctly exposed and the camera doesn’t have HDR, the rest of the image will be underexposed.  

Some locations are better served by cameras with a narrower field of view.  I have found 130° or 140° can catch too much of the sides of house or nearby objects.  This results in IR scatter or difficult exposure situations where the exposure is optimized for objects that are not of primary interest.

If that is your window, try turning off the lights in that part of the house.  It that is your neighbor’s window, try positioning the camera such that the window is not in the image.

[st_shaw]

The bright window is definitely a problem.  Capturing an image with the light off is a great idea.

It doesn't look like the only problem though.  The image looks hazy, like something is reflecting strong IR light back into the lens. This can happen with a skin on the camera or if the camera is too close to a wall, or there is foliage or reflective objects close in front of the lens.

[dmanhome1]

Dude! I've been a professional, licensed, bonded photographer, published 1,189 in 80 mags and rags for 43 years. (dizeman.com)

When it comes to flare, halation ie; extraneous, reflected or specular light striking the auto exposure/Night Vision causing the image to appear to be fogged or hazy... I HAVE A CLUE! TWO CLUES!

That is not the issue people are dealing with, not the walls, not stray light, not bounce back from IR light, not relfected LEDs... there is something wrong with MANY of Arlo's Pro 2 cameras.

I have three Arlo Pro 2 cameras online at this time. Two of them have excellent contrast, excellent exposure and Gamma values, all with very simlar lighting situations. I have portico and porch ceiling lights that illuminate the areas where the cameras are located. Two work fine, one does not. 

This is the second set of THREE Arlo Pro 2 cameras and base stations I have had, totalling SIX cameras and TWO base stations.

Nothing but problems with all of them. Nearly $1,000 in Arlo gear and for that kind of money, heck... for $1, I expect what the seller promised for the $1, it should not be about how much they cost. It should be about the advertisements being misleading, when you have a product that is this buggie.

The equipment clearly has problems, but what makes it really bad, is that every Customer Service Operator I have talked to, had KINDERGARTEN LEVEL ENGLISH SKILLS or WORSE, outside of reading the Tech Script, they were of no value whatsoever, not to ME, nor to NETGEAR.

It is hard for me to believe as someone whom has studied business and owned businesses all of my life, how a company can provide such defective products, a poor streaming infrastructure and some of the worst Customer Service I have ever seen.

NETGEAR appears to me to be one of those companies that thinks Customer Service is good enough if you make the FONTS BIG ENOUGH, but don't actually provide a service to the customers. 

Netgear... FIGURE THIS OUT, FIX THINGS, PUT OUT A BETTER, MORE STABLE PRODUCT!  Or... close up shop and stop disrespecting your customer base that relies on you and believes you will help them. I HAVE NOT SEEN MUCH PROBLEM SOLVING, just YIP YAP!

I would NEVER recommend Arlo to anyone I cared about. NEVER!

When customers buy SECURITY CAMERAS, it is with the intention of SECURING THEIR HOME AND LIVES. If a product is not stable and has all of these issues. USING THE WORD SECURITY CAMERA should be considered FRAUD.

GUESSING IS NOT WHAT GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE DOES!  THEY SOLVE PROBLEMS!

[67Delta]

I have the same problem. After disabling night vision the "fog" disappeared. I have a yellow street lamp out front that in combination with wet weather may be defeating the camera.

[jguerdat]

Some folks have had an issue with using a skin on the camera with night vision. Turns out the issue has been the IR illuminators were reflecting off the hood of the skin. Removal of the skin (or modifying the hood) has resolved these issues for some. Also, the exact positioning of the camera can be an issue since the IR LEDs can be reflected off nearby walls or other objects, causing flare in the video. Careful repositioning can fix this.

[67Delta]

Thanks for your post. These cameras are rock solid in dry weather. No issues.
But the rain has caused IR (i suspect) and other issues like real fogging related to
water vapor. I have a camera under some eaves and it never has an issue, rain or shine.
My next step is to reposition the foggers, and maybe shelter them as well.

No skins, btw.

Thanks

67Delta