Help! I Bricked My Pro 3

[Aprilfool]

Let me start by saying this camera is far out of warranty.

Several nights ago I was walking through my house at 3 am and saw this camera blinking blue and amber.  It took me by total surprise and I took the battery out.  BIG MISTAKE.  Since then the camera has been a semi-brick.

I have, multiple and many times, reset the camera, removed and re-added the camera, reset the base station, tried different batteries, and on and on.  And this is what happens:

The camera is recognized, it is added back in, it shows in the app, the spot light turns on like it sees motion at night, but I cannot view the live camera nor does it record anything.

Anyone have any ideas?  I hate to toss out what was a perfectly good camera before I messed up.

Thanks in advance,

Shelley

[ShayneS]

Hi @Aprilfool

Thank you for your patience. Based on what you've described, it sounds like your Pro 3 camera was in the middle of a firmware update when the battery was removed. The alternating blue and amber LED indicates a firmware update is in progress, interrupting this process can leave the firmware in an incomplete state, which explains why the camera is recognized and the spotlight works, but it can't stream or record.

For future reference: During firmware updates, please do not open battery doors, remove batteries, turn off, or unplug any Arlo device. Updates typically occur automatically between 3:00–5:00 a.m. local time and only take a few minutes to complete. More details here: How do I update my Arlo firmware manually?

To attempt recovery, please try the following:

1. Remove the camera from your Arlo account in the Arlo Secure App.
2. Factory reset the camera using the sync/reset button.
3. Re-add the camera to your account, the firmware should update during the reinstallation process.
4. Make sure the camera has at least 15% battery charge and is close to your SmartHub during this process.

If the firmware still fails to update after re-adding, please refer to: How to troubleshoot Arlo Firmware Update Errors

Please note the device will need to be at 15% battery or more to update firmware, I see it's at 1%, so that might be factor as well. 

Unfortunately, if the above steps do not resolve the issue, the camera's firmware is likely permanently corrupted from the interrupted update and the device may not be recoverable.

[StephenB]

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@Aprilfool wrote:

Several nights ago I was walking through my house at 3 am and saw this camera blinking blue and amber.  It took me by total surprise and I took the battery out.  BIG MISTAKE.  Since then the camera has been a semi-brick.

FYI, that LED status indicated that a firmware update was in progress.  

Not sure if there is any possibility of recovery.  I am tagging @BrookeN and @ShayneS in hopes one of them can push the update again to your camera.

[Aprilfool]

Stephen,

I do know, now, what the blinking lights mean.  For as many years as I’ve had Arlos, back to the days of VueZone, I have never seen that before.  Live and learn the hard way.

BTW - I have tried to restart the firmware update several times.  I forgot to say that in the original post.

Thanks so much for helping!  

[Aprilfool]

@StephenB 

Do you know if anyone ever tried to push the update to my camera?  I have tried multiple times to do the firmware update. 

The camera will, at times, show that it is connected but but there is still no image.  

Thanks,

Shelley

[StephenB]

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@Aprilfool wrote:

@StephenB 

Do you know if anyone ever tried to push the update to my camera? 

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I don't work for Arlo, so I have no visibility into stuff like that.

I'm tagging @BrookeN and @ShayneS in hopes one of them will check.

[ShayneS]

Hi @Aprilfool

Thank you for your patience. Based on what you've described, it sounds like your Pro 3 camera was in the middle of a firmware update when the battery was removed. The alternating blue and amber LED indicates a firmware update is in progress, interrupting this process can leave the firmware in an incomplete state, which explains why the camera is recognized and the spotlight works, but it can't stream or record.

For future reference: During firmware updates, please do not open battery doors, remove batteries, turn off, or unplug any Arlo device. Updates typically occur automatically between 3:00–5:00 a.m. local time and only take a few minutes to complete. More details here: How do I update my Arlo firmware manually?

To attempt recovery, please try the following:

1. Remove the camera from your Arlo account in the Arlo Secure App.
2. Factory reset the camera using the sync/reset button.
3. Re-add the camera to your account, the firmware should update during the reinstallation process.
4. Make sure the camera has at least 15% battery charge and is close to your SmartHub during this process.

If the firmware still fails to update after re-adding, please refer to: How to troubleshoot Arlo Firmware Update Errors

Please note the device will need to be at 15% battery or more to update firmware, I see it's at 1%, so that might be factor as well. 

Unfortunately, if the above steps do not resolve the issue, the camera's firmware is likely permanently corrupted from the interrupted update and the device may not be recoverable.

[Aprilfool]

@ShayneS 

Thanks Shayne.  I have already tried what you lined out many many times.  

I’m pretty mad at myself for trashing this camera.  

I do appreciate your time and the information.

Best,

Shelley