I can only have one device logged in at a time? What a POS system!

[BufordH]

Just set up some new Arlo cameras and was trying to log in on my desktop and phone but it wouldn't let me and then talked to a Arlo CS rep and they informed me that you can only have one device logged in at a time and..... REALLY? What is that???? How on earth is this a system that would work for any household? Even a hermit has two devices! I can't even invite myself as a friend to use in a limited way on two devices because I would need to make a second email account to do that. WOW. What genius thought this up? 

Returning this garbage and getting a different brand immediately. 


 

[Dannybear]

Yes, afaik this has always been a limitation of the arlo login design.
You can have multiple devices using the same credentials but only one has control at any time. I have two iOS devices, they both get notifications if set to run as background.
As an alternative you can invite friends to access the system using their own credentials that have permissions enabled.

[BufordH]

But you have to have a different email for every "friend" you invite to the account. So for me to use Arlo on my phone, tablet and desktop I either have to have multiple emails in use or log out and in every time. Completely ridiculous and I cannot believe a company in 2022 is doing things this way. 

[Dannybear]

I have iPhone and iPad on same credentials with auto login so it opens regardless. Trying to use them both together is an issue as they get logged out when the other is opened.
The issue with using the desktop is the arlo 2FA feature that needs refreshing every time the pc is powered off. Some say using hibernate gets around the issue but this only works for a day for me.
Btw I have three gmail addresses as they are free.

[StephenB]

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@Dannybear wrote:
I have iPhone and iPad on same credentials with auto login so it opens regardless. Trying to use them both together is an issue as they get logged out when the other is opened.

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Me too, and I also use those credentials on two PCs.  One aspect is that I don't use geofencing, so having the phone log out is not a big deal for me.

@BufordH:  While I agree this is a bad design decision by Arlo, I do want to point out that you don't need one account per device.  One account for every phone (if you have family members who need access), and perhaps one more for shared use with your other devices should be enough.    

[BufordH]

That's exactly what I'm saying, though! Both of you are re-iterating the major flaw in this system and while it may not be a big deal for you I assure you it's a huge and annoying deal for me and likely many others. Having to manually log in to Arlo on my phone every time I leave the house and then log into my desktop or tablet when I get home is so mind-bogglingly ridiculous that I cannot believe a company did it with a straight face. If they allowed an email to have a master account and then log in as a "friend" on other devices it might suffice but it doesn't allow that. And I'm only framing this as a single person! Imagine if a family had to navigate this crap with a married couple and kids who all use different devices at different times of the day and in different locations. Everybody would need multiple email addresses to keep track of!

Anyway my Nest cams are arriving today and I'm shotputting this nonsense back to Costco and hopefully they throw it in the trash heap where it belongs. 

[williegs]

I agree 100%! That this option is not made available to account holders is asinine! I will very likely look elsewhere for security cameras if this is not corrected soon.