Two Pro 3s went down at same time

[sotann]

One of them had a new battery so I’m not entirely sure what happened. After yet another poor support experience, I’m probably done. I have two OG wireless cams, two essential cams, pro model, pro 3 floodlight and the doorbell 2. I hate to have kept investing in the platform when the writing was on the wall for the last couple of years.

[DJArlo]

2 of mine have been offline for almost 24 hrs, one is online.  I've restarted the hub, power cycled the hub, power cycled router, power cycled camera, plugged in camera (to wired power):  still offline.

I can get the cameras' LED to flash blue quickly, and the 2 red IR lights flash on, but still "offline" in the app.  Tried website interface, too.  Offline.

Arlo Q thread from SEP 2024 revealed that Arlo IT caused the issue for them.  Bad patch?  See Solved: App showing cameras offline - Arlo Community

Did they push a hub or camera firmware update to Pro 3s?

[DJArlo]

Periodically the offline cameras click, then LED flashes blue quickly, then the 2 red IR lights flash on with amber, then amber flashes quickly.  That may indicate that the camera is repeatedly trying to connect to the hub, but fails. 

The 1 online camera is listed first, so I wonder if the hub started allowing only the first camera connection on/near 18 October. 

Did Arlo push a faulty hub firmware update?

[DJArlo]

Update 2  

The offline cameras are on 1.060.13.0_23_19c4503 firmware (2023).  The online camera is on the recent 1.080.14.1_4_85e8c22 firmware (2024).  Moreover, my SmartHub is at a firmware that was pushed in October (1.25.1.0_1687).  Recent Fw updates are a mere coincidence?  

Now I am strongly leaning towards a faulty firmware push as the cause/issue.

I speculate that the new SmartHub Fw is incompatible with 1.060 camera Fw.   Arlo may have to revert the SmartHub Fw (back to 1.25.0.1_1680), ensure cameras are at 1.080, then update SmartHub again.

[ShayneS]

@DJArlo Which cameras are you experiencing this symptom with?

[DJArlo]

Here are all the details. FWIW, Support was not aware of my SmartHub Fw version. It must be very new! Device Model Hardware Firmware Status SmartHub VMB4540r2 VMB4540r2 1.25.1.0_1687_1f1c874 Online Pro 3 Camera 1 VMC4040P H9 1.080.14.1_4_85e8c22 Online Pro 3 Camera 2 VMC4040P H9 1.060.13.0_23_19c4503 Offline* Pro 3 Camera 3 VMC4040P H9 1.060.13.0_23_19c4503 Offline* *Offline since 18/19 Oct

[DJArlo]

OK, so the app does not format the post as it is Previewed. 2nd attempt SmartHub (VMB4540r2), Fw 1.25.1.0_1687_1f1c874, ONLINE Pro 3 Camera (VMC4040P), Fw 1.080.14.1_4_85e8c22, ONLINE Pro 3 Camera (VMC4040P), Fw 1.060.13.0_23_19c4503, OFFLINE Offline cameras keep trying to sync/connect to SmartHub, but fail.

[DJArlo]

I posted the same issue in detail. Mine have been offline since 18/19 October. Please post your SmartHub and camera firmware versions. I will *NOT* remove/re-add or factory reset my cameras until Support identifies the issue. Otherwise, I could make matters worse. I think a recent SmartHub Fw update will not allow Pro 3 cameras with Fw to connect. My setup: SmartHub, VMB4540r2, Fw 1.25.1.0_1687_1f1c874 Pro 3 Camera (ONLINE), VMC4040P, 1.080.14.1_4_85e8c22 Pro 3 Camera (OFFLINE), VMC4040P, 1.060.13.0_23_19c4503 Search for "1.25.1.0_1687" to find my other posts.

[ShayneS · Accepted solution]

If you're experiencing your Pro 3 camera showing offline follow these steps to recover the device:

1.) Power cycle the SmartHub (detach both the ethernet cable and power cable, wait 1 minute before plugging in the ethernet cable first, and power cable second).
2.) Make sure the Pro 3 cameras are blinking blue LED, if not, press the sync button for 1-2 seconds and release for the LED to start blinking.
3.) Start the onboarding process by going through the add a device (Pro 3) and follow the flow until it connects.

If you're still experiencing an issue, make sure the camera is fully charged and factory reset following these instructions: https://kb.arlo.com/000062438/How-do-I-factory-reset-and-re-sync-my-Arlo-camera

After the reset is complete, follow steps 2 and 3 to re-onboard.

[DJArlo]

OK, this is the canned instructions that don't consider that the cameras are offline due to a bug in the Fw. My cameras are already added and still registered with the SmartHub. Two cameras in the app are OFFLINE. So, Step 3 makes no sense. I cannot "add a device" if it is already added. Is that a new feature? When were 1.080.14.1_4_85e8c22 and 1.25.1.0_1687_1f1c874 pushed (rolled out)?

[DJArlo]

ShayneS!!! You are a genius!!! So I did as you instructed, but I did it one camera at a time (kept one camera off with battery removed), AND I named the camera the **SAME** name as it was before. ***IMPORTANT*** I did **NOT** remove the cameras first. I treated it as if I were adding a new one, even though it was a listed device. (Perhaps that what you intended me to do.) Now both cameras are connected with the 1.080 Fw, and I did not lose any of my existing settings in the app. Thank you!!!

[DJArlo]

ShayneS/JamesC offered a solution that worked for me to get my Pro 3s bac online without having to remove them. https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Pro-3/Two-Pro-3s-went-down-at-same-time/m-p/2424228#M16694 I followed those instructions, but with some caveats. (1) I did **NOT** remove the cameras. (2) I named the cameras the same as they were before. Now both cameras are ONLINE and I did not lose any of my existing settings in the app. Now all cameras have 1.080 Fw. *It seems that going through the Add Device process (even though you are not adding a *new* device) helps the cameras reconnect. I hope it works for you, too.

[Shopgirl828]

Hi, my arlo pro3 is showing offline, but all the others are online. Why?

[StephenB]

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@Shopgirl828 wrote:

Hi, my arlo pro3 is showing offline, but all the others are online. Why?

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Is it charged?

Maybe bring it inside and charge it.  Then see if it shows up on-line when in the same room as your Arlo hub.