Arlo|Smart Home Security|Wireless HD Security Cameras
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SmartHub disappeared from Arlo app

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Wrathchild
Guide
Guide

I’ve been an Arlo user for many years. Running Pro 2 cameras and a Ultra SmartHub base. I use an iPhone 10 to operate the app and my internet is not the issue. Everything is fully updated to whatever the most recent available updates are. 

 

Anyways, I disarmed my system today to do yard work. When I tried to rearm the system I noticed nothing appeared on the “Mode” tab of the app. It should allow me to arm or disarm the system. Instead I’m greeted with an empty screen. I went back to the “device” tab and it says all cameras are offline. 

 

I’ve rebooted, reset, etc. everything multiple times. If it’s a possible trouble shooting method, I’ve done it. Trust me. I’ve done it.  Nothing helped. All I did was waste my entire evening that I should have been spending with my family…thanks Arlo.

 

I redid my entire system. Set up the SmartHub and all my cameras across my property as if they were new. This worked. The “new” hub appeared in the app and each camera did as well once I synced and named them. The cameras picked up my movement and I have those recordings in my library. I turned off each camera, using the “device” tab, after I set up them up and confirmed it worked. Thinking my issue was solved, I went inside to call it a night. Once inside my home I opened the app and clicked the “mode” tab to arm all devices and was once again greeted with a blank screen…fantastic. 

I went back to the “device” tab and noticed the SmartHub device was no longer appearing on the list below my cameras. When I clicked on a camera it said it was connected to “base station”. This is not what I named my SmartHub. It’s as if app forgot my SmartHub existed in the time it took me to walk inside and made my cameras revert connection to some bogus placeholder hub name. 

Long story short, I’ve wasted hours on this stupid system and gone in a giant circle accomplishing nothing. It would be one thing if my Smarthub randomly crapped out while I was doing yard work and never worked again. But the fact that I redid the entire system, confirmed it worked, then minutes later my Hub magically disappears the moment I’m ready to turn everything on seems very suspicious. Arlo, fix this nonsense immediately. I’ve wasted enough time on this. 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
JamesC
Community Manager
Community Manager

A fix for this issue has been implemented. This will allow users to safely use the device order feature without resulting in any issues.

 

For users that are experiencing their base station no longer being visible within the Arlo mobile app or web client, you will need to re-onboard the base station by tapping "Add New Device" select Base Station/Hub and follow the on screen instructions.

 

If the base station cannot be found, follow the reset instructions linked here and then attempt onboarding again: https://kb.arlo.com/1057976/How-can-I-reset-my-Arlo-SmartHub-or-Base-Station

 

JamesC

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Best answers
  • JamesC
    Community Manager
    Community Manager

    The development team is investigating an issue with VMB4000 and VMB4500 base stations being removed when adjusting device order within Arlo account settings. 

     

    We apologize for any inconvenience caused and are working on a resolution.

     

    For additional updates on status, please refer to status.arlo.com

     

    JamesC
     

  • JamesC
    Community Manager
    Community Manager

    This topic has been escalated to the development team and these reports are currently being investigated. I will provide an update as soon as more information becomes available.

     

    JamesC

169 REPLIES 169
Dannybear
Master
Master

I believe arlo is investigating a number of reports of mode operational issues from customers post Base station firmware updates.

 

This is in addition to prior failures of the arlo web portal app.

Wrathchild
Guide
Guide

They better have it resolved asap. Errors like this are not just a massive inconvenience. It’s an absolute failure in upholding their very purpose in existence. No update should cripple something’s entire function. Content should be adequately tested before released though it was clearly not. This is unacceptable behavior from a security system provider. 

agentthumb
Apprentice
Apprentice

I have a VMB4000, 4 x Pro 2, 1 essential wire free doorbell, 1 essential spotlight camera. I use an iPhone with the latest iOS and app version.

 

Starting with a completely reset base station, everything works fine. As soon as I reorder the cameras, the base station disappears from the devices tab. The mode tab appears blank. The “Devices Settings” section in settings disappear. 

Back on the devices tab, the icons show the cameras are no longer detecting motion to record, however, new recordings continue to appear in the library, so the selected mode is still functioning.

 

I can still stream the cameras on my device, Apple HomeKit also continues to work. However, my wife, who is using shared access with full admin rights, cannot connect to the cameras. On her Devices tab, all the cameras are just stuck on loading. Her Mode tab is also blank, but she still has the “Device Settings” section under settings. When I click into any of the “shared devices”, it says the camera is offline.

Tranman79
Tutor
Tutor

I'm having the same issues with the two base stations on my account.  Started happening today.  

agentthumb
Apprentice
Apprentice

I just confirmed the bug in reordering by resetting the system, added a pro 2 and essential spotlight to the base.

 

Confirmed everything works as expected. Then I reordered the 2 cameras. Bam, the same problem happens.

JasonCCC
Star
Star

EXACT SAME ISSUE!!!

 

I have 5 hubs and 26 cameras and two days ago the hubs all disappeared from my devices. 
nothing in mode. I could still live stream as the cameras showed up but connected to “base station” rather than the actual base name. Nothing was going to library. 

At supports advice I reset all 5 hubs and reconnected all 26 cameras and reset up my custom mode. 

everything was fine… 

for 8 hours. Then at 12:15 last night it happened again. All my base stations are gone. 

support said they are aware of the issue but no time line for fixing!!!!

Tranman79
Tutor
Tutor

I did the same thing, reset and re-added...but it only took like 30 minutes before the Base Stations disappeared. 

JasonCCC
Star
Star

Also I can confirm that videos are still being recorded and placed on the usb drive I have hooked to my hub.

Based on details in those videos I can tell that it is operating on the last mode I had set up on the hub before they disappeared. 

 

Wrathchild
Guide
Guide

Sounds like you lucked out with yours still recording. I’m currently still sitting here with hundreds of dollars in security equipment and a busted app that can’t do its job of running it. I don’t feel comfortable leaving the property knowing everything is so exposed. Critical errors like this is why I have not, nor will I ever, buy a subscription. If I can’t trust the product to perform its basic function, why would I ever consider giving them even more of my money. 

patriot64
Aspirant
Aspirant

On Friday night into saturday morning right after midnight my entire Arlo system started to have major issues. I have five cameras. The app is where I first noticed an issue. Everything stopped working and all the cameras just said getting status. The mode button was slow to load and the cameras just have a rotating white circle looking for status. My app kept crashing and I got a warning that the system had a bug. 

 

I then went to the online dashboard same story nothing was working. I reset the base station nothing changed. I reset my internet nothing changed. Pulled batteries in camera's nothing changed.  I contacted support they were totally clueless and gave me information on how to re connect the base station or a camera. NOT WHAT I need. All the lights on the base station are working fine. All internet is working fine. I actually have  a 6th security camera with Kuma that is working flawlessly.  This just started happening out of nowhere.

RodC74
Aspirant
Aspirant

I’m having a similar issue. I went from resyncing to factory reset. Basically, the app and system is not recognizing the base/hub. I have a ticket open. My guess is that ios16 has something to do with it. 

Smith5sm
Aspirant
Aspirant

I have 8 Arlo cameras, all different models connected to my base station. Yesterday I added one more plus a floodlight. I turned off my system afterwards because the kids were playing outside, but a few hours later when I went back to turn it on, the modes had all disappeared. I reinstalled the app, restarted my phone, restarted my base station, and tried access modes and cameras through my laptop. Nothing works. I hate to reset my base station and add each one individually if there is another solution. I do have an older base station, but all the lights on it are green, so it is receiving signal. Also, I see there is a light bridge. Do I need that?  Suggestions?

zeadlots
Guide
Guide

I have the same setup.  pro 2 base and ultra base.  I had the "unable to access recordings on ultra base" and had to factory reset the ultra yesterday and recreate all my schedules and modes.  That fixed the ultra. (the pro 2 base and cameras were working fine).  Now today I wake up and my pro 2 base and cameras are gone.

 

I don't exactly want to spend an hour re-adding and re-creating all my modes just to have it disappear again like you did.

 

I will wait for a response from the mods.  Guess my pro 2 cameras are dead for the time being....

Tranman79
Tutor
Tutor

Seems like anything attached to a SmartHub or Base Station is messed up. I have Light Bridges and Arlo Q cameras that don’t seem to be affected. 

zeadlots
Guide
Guide

I should also add, that I can only use the web browser app on my PC.  If I click on the modes tab on my android arlo application it crashes.  So my mobile app is now broken also.

MB-SOCAL
Apprentice
Apprentice

My smart hub disappeared last night around 11:30 PST and my cameras are showing up and I can go live mode with them but they are not recording and securing my home. Subscription here with 8 cameras.

patriot64
Aspirant
Aspirant

Maybe but it isn't working on the online dashboard on the internet and we are having issues with a Android phone and Ios phone so it has to be more than Apple.

JasonCCC
Star
Star

Support called me today and asked me to email my app logs…

I did so but was like, this is clearly not an app issue since I see the same thing (or should I say don’t see the same thing) on the website. This is an issue with my hubs not being on my account anymore or

not communicating with the central sever. 
I also mentioned that there are lots of people effected by this (and it looks like more by the hour). 

 

MB-SOCAL
Apprentice
Apprentice

Are they working on this issue at the present time?

TheWord
Initiate
Initiate

Same issue after changing camera order- no devices show under My Devices and Mode Screen Blank. Tried everything including rebooting base. Must be an issue with Arlo system itself.  Terribly unreliable. Arlo support very difficult to work with and rarely solve issues. Most of the time, they are unaware of the bugs in their own system. 

JasonCCC
Star
Star

Yes. 

one support response in my case indicated several people with the issue and that they are working on it, but wanted to not “set any expectations “ on when the issue would be fixed. 

MB-SOCAL
Apprentice
Apprentice

Thank you for your reply 

 

RodC74
Aspirant
Aspirant

Yeah I noticed that online as well. Was thinking maybe there’s a correlation since iOS 16 just came out and the folks ar Arlo are tweaking. If anything changes on my end I’ll post. I’m losing 3 days of coverage and I have the subscription but more importantly my house feels vulnerable.

patriot64
Aspirant
Aspirant

I agree 100%. I have five cameras and the subscription. These cameras are vital and I got them to protect our property and surrounding. I have arlo 4s that are on our pond and a arlo SECURITY light that is USELESS right now. I don't even have the light from it. This is unacceptable. I was going to buy some more arlo cameras but am thinking about looking at going another direction with things. I told Arlo support that there was activity going on in our area and I need these working. They were not concerned. One of the times I actually need this system and it is down.