Arlo doesnt work while charging with solar

[Ezgicanerli]

Hi,

my camera was working all fine and suddenly it stopped working, it says its charging and camera functions are disabled while doing so - but its connected to a SOLAR outdoor charge so it should still be functioning when connected to charge cable (and was connected all these weeks…) what s the best way to remotely troubleshoot this? Thanks. Arlo Wire Free 

[jguerdat]

The original wire-free camera which you have selected as the problem camera never had a solar panel or external power supply available from Arlo. Look inside your camera for a label that shows VMCxxxx and tell us what you see.

Remotely trying to troubleshoot likely won't be possible. If a friend or family member can be present at the camera that would be helpful.

[Ezgicanerli]

I dont have access to my device but this is what i see in settings for serial number: A835277GA01A1

[jguerdat]

The serial number doesn't help me (Arlo support would be able to look it up in their database). Use the app to go to Settings, Support and choose your camera. There's a Product section that tells us what camera it is.

[Ezgicanerli]

Thanks it says Pro 3 Wire-Free Floodlight ! 

[jguerdat]

Ok, back to the original discussion.

Charging with a solar panel does NOT disable camera functions like charging with the indoor charger (the outdoor charger also does not disable functions). Of course, that doesn't mean the panel is charging the battery for various reasons. 

Is the camera working at all? Can you see what the battery level is in the camera settings? If the battery is still alive, do you see a lightning bolt across the battery icon when sufficient light is hitting the panel? How much recordings per day does the camera normally do, in total minutes? Since the panel is a trickle charger, lots of recordings (and live viewing) can deplete the battery in spite of being connected to a panel. If you have activity zones set, you should disable those to get a true sense of recording time since the servers can discard recordings outside the zones.

[StephenB]

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@jguerdat wrote:

Charging with a solar panel does NOT disable camera functions like charging with the indoor charger (the outdoor charger also does not disable functions).

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@Ezgicanerli - that said, if the floodlight thinks it is connected to the indoor charger, then those functions will be disabled.

I'd start by disconnecting the panel, and see if normal operation resumes.  Then check the battery level.  If it is below 20%, then I'd take the camera down and charge it indoors.  You can use the microUSB connector inside the housing for that.  These steps will require help from a friend, or will have to wait until you can go to the site.