Security Camera Stops Working Every 30 Minutes

[security4camera]

The Arlo Pro 4 camera seems to shut down after about approximately 30 minutes (maybe 31 minutes). I have tested this repeatedly. Insert the battery it works fine, and then it is no longer functioning 30 minutes later. The battery is fully charged. I brought it into close range of the base station and the issue was not affected. It is inside my house for testing so there is no temperature issue. I would chalk it up to a hardware failure except the time is not random. It appears to be running the latest firmware. Is there any way to resolve this issue? I am frustrated with this and about ready to move to a different system.

[jguerdat]

Are you trying to use live view for extended time? That will time out at 30 minutes but shouldn't knock the camera offline.

[security4camera]

No, the camera just simply seems to stop working. No motion detection. Allows no connections to itself. I assume it’s locked up. If I pull out the battery and put it back in then it works fine again for another 30 minutes. 

[jguerdat]

WHat happens if you bring the camera closer to your router or hub for testing?

[security4camera]

I did bring it close to the base station.  That did not change the 30 minutes to a firmware crash (or whatever is actually happening). Also, my other two cameras do not have this issue. I have tried a different battery, and it seems to have the same issue.

The one thing I did notice is that when I did a factory reset of the camera the lights on the front do not blink, but it did reset without issue.

[jguerdat]

You can try using the app to go to Settings, Support to see what official support may offer. If still within warranty, they may offer an RMA.

[security4camera]

It sounds like the warranty only lasts for a year. No help there I guess. I am frustrated that there seems to be no way to get technical support. One would think there should be a boot log or error log on the camera that can be downloaded to figure out what is going on. This experience doesn't leave me feeling very positive about their product.

[StephenB]

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@security4camera wrote:

It sounds like the warranty only lasts for a year. No help there I guess. 

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They still might offer you a discount on a replacement.

Have you tried the hardware reset procedure?  You'd remove the camera from your account.  Then open the housing and press the "Sync" button inside until the LED flashes amber (about 15 sec).  Then reinstall.

You might also try installing to your home wifi network, and see if you get the same behavior.

[security4camera]

Yes, I did the hardware reset it worked except there is no flashing LED. I am not aware of any discount. I’ll keep my eyes open for that. I think I am going to try taking it apart and see if there is damage or something. 

[StephenB]

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@security4camera wrote:

I did the hardware reset it worked except there is no flashing LED.

Then it didn't work.  Are you sure you held it long enough?

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@security4camera wrote:

 I am not aware of any discount. I’ll keep my eyes open for that. 

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The cameras do go on sale.  But that was not what I meant. 

If you contact support, and they decide that your camera has failed (but is no longer in warranty), then they often will offer a replacement at a discount.  Of course they don't have to do that (and might not always), but it is worth a try.

[security4camera]

I am not sure why the LED never blinked, but I had to resync the camera to the hub etc., so I am pretty sure it carried out the hardware reset. It did not seem to have any impact on the issue with the camera crashing every 30 minutes, however.