Static and chipping sounds

[desertrat1981]

2 of the 3 Pro 4 cameras are making static and chirping sounds just after 2 weeks of having these cameras. One is battery powered and the other plugged in. The other Pro 4 is flawless and the Pro 720p are also flawless. Tech support had no answers or a fix for me. Hopefully the community and/or tech support here can help. Thanks.

[JamesC]

pc2k17,

If you feel your camera is defective or has a hardware issue, I encourage you to reach out to support using the Arlo Secure mobile app under Settings > Support and open a ticket to further investigate the issue.

JamesC

[JeepsNBeers]

2 brand new cameras just received last week.  Both with static and chirps.  Sounds like birds are building nests on top of the cams.  This is annoying AF.  Waste of money.

[jayelle1]

What is RFI?

[jguerdat]

RFI = Radio Frequency Interference

ANy wireless device is potentially subject to interference from other wireless devices that use the same frequency.

[Krieger0311]

Incredibly frustrating. I have 5 Arlo Pro 2's and two brand new Pro 4's.

Only the 4's have this problem, and they are in two different physical locations. They've been factory reset, plugged into power, battery, and solar panels and make the noise regardless. It's rendered the audio feature completely useless, which is necessary for one of the two locations.

There's no way both devices purchased at separate times are defective with identical issues, and given the number of posts here, on Reddit, and other pages it seems to be a very wide spread issue with the Pro 4's.

[QuintusPre]

I have the same issue with my Pro 4s and it is intermittent. Sometimes they sound great and other times I have static and chirping sounds. I also have a Pro 3, 2 Essentials, a Pro 2, Pro and a video doorbell and none of them have this issue. Come on, Arlo, it has to be a software issue with the Pro 4! Fix it!

[rickw12]

• I got my Pro 4s a few weeks ago and they have been making that noise--static and chirping--off and on, sometimes when live, but more on recordings. Although, as with others, there is no pattern. I haven't done anything yet because my dealings with their support with my previous cameras was unsatisfactory. If it hasn't been more than 30 days, I will contact them.

[MarkHershey]

I have the chirping and static issue on my Arlo essential XL cameras as well. What’s interesting is I only notice it on my iPad. It does not do it on my iPhone. My iPad is a generation nine. My iPhone is a 14 Pro. Both have the latest iOS version installed and the cameras are updated as well. My Arlo wired doorbell camera works fine on both my iPad and my iPhone with no noise issues.

[Robustiano]

Mark my chirping is in reverse to yours it is clear on my IPad chirping and static on my iPhone 13 no matter where I place the cameras and like you my door bell is fine on both

[Nocode]

I bought 4 pro 4 spotlight cameras in January and they all chirp and squeak on live or via playback.    

I did contact support and they had me do several “troubleshooting” steps and then closed the support ticket.  

I will never buy Arlo products again.  I bought these because I had the older 2 cameras that had reached their “End of Life” and they weren’t gonna support playback for them anymore. Now after I spent $400+, I got an email later in the spring that said they had changed their mind and would still off playback options for the older setup.

I honestly wouldn’t mind having the Pro4s and paying for the subscription service if the freaking things didn’t sound like a family of mocking birds building a nest inside them.  Now I just have buyers remorse.

[QuintusPre]

This is terrible. Come on, Arlo, you have a good product here. Something is obviously wrong with the Pro 4s and it’s time that you own up to it and fix the problem!

[shizam76]

They have known about this for a VERY long time and there is no peep out of anyone over there.  The CEO should resign.  I will never buy another arlo product again, and I hope others follow.

[camsi]

Same issue and my cameras are brand new. I got 1 replaced already b/c they wanted me to test one new one out to see if the problem was resolved. Same issue. Now all 3 of my Arlo Pro 4 cameras have the static. I'm tired of troubleshooting w support! Uninstall/reinstall app, remove camera, reset camera, re-sync, move closer to the base station/Smarthub, etc. Nothing has resolved the issue.  The only reason I got new cameras is b/c I got an End of Life email from Arlo for my Arlo Pro original cameras -- which still work great. Now I'm considering looking into other brands b/c I'm so frustrated with the amount of time spent troubleshooting these new cameras! But I don't even know which brands are comparable to Arlo. 😞

[camsi]

This has apparently been an issue since 2022 and the only answer from Support is to "please bear with us and wait for a resolution from engineering". What?!! It's been over a year and still no resolution. Would this be acceptable if you bought a new TV and it had loud static? Absolutely not. Arlo has lost my confidence.

[QuintusPre]

I do not understand it. There are lots of online reviews and these cameras get rave reviews yet we are all experiencing this problem.

The cameras are great when they don’t make this chirping noise. It has to be a software issue given that it is an intermittent problem.

And these cameras as still being sold in stores! Not like these cameras are largely out of commission.

Once again, I ask that Arlo step up to the plate and tell us what they know and what they propose to do to fix it. Maybe it is a hardware issue and they can’t fix it without recalling them all!

[MOBILEWINK]

Bought mine from COSTCO.  Getting ready to thorw it all in a box and get my $$$$ back.  This Arlo Chirping Machine is worthless and I plan to voice my stern criticism toward COSTCO.  COSTCO needs to fill that ARLO space with a security camera company that can solve problems.  DONE!

[Nocode]

Arlo has yet to respond to me about the chirping and squeaking.  I am done with arlo, their poor customer service, and the lack of care for the thousands who are stuck with **bleep**ty cameras that they won’t support.

[bww129]

Each of the four Pro 4 cameras I just set up a week ago have this same behavior but it's always a crap shoot as to which ones are affected. Sometimes they record audio perfectly fine, other times the periodic clicking/ticking/interference noise is pretty loud. It can happen on just one of the four or sometimes all of them. The only constant is that it always seems to be affecting at least one camera. These cameras are connected to a VMB5000 smart hub.

At first I thought it was the IR cut filter acting up but that's a distinct mechanical sound like a camera shutter, and this is more of an electronic interference sound or a beat frequency from two electromagnetic radiators that are operating at close to the same frequency.

My questions for the Arlo engineers are:

1. Is the microphone circuitry really close to the wifi chip or a switching power supply? I've heard of cell phones and other wireless equipment causing similar issues with the audio inputs on certain poorly shielded/filtered amplifiers. 

2. Can the gain of the microphone be reduced or manually adjusted? It seems like the software automatically adjusts the gain on the fly and during quiet periods the gain is maxed out and it makes the noises worse or at least more noticeable.

3. Do they have any idea what causes this and potentially how to fix it?

[QuintusPre]

Those are great questions bww129. Now if only Arlo would provide us with some feedback or support on this issue.

I am so frustrated with these Pro 4s yet too heavily invested to dump them. 

[FreddyTheFrog]

I have 14 Arlo Cameras out on my property.

The issue you describe is common in 1/2 of my cameras. Squelching, clicking, static... all show up at the worst times when I actually need the audio recording.

Inconsistent, when I check in LIVE on a camera, it can squelch and tick-tick-tick. The same camera a day later can get clean audio.

I cluster cameras, so thought it may be when another Arlo camera comes on, but that would consistently be the issue, and it isn't.

Rain, fog, cold... there is no correlation with weather as in it does not happen during rain events, but will often happen during clear weather conditions.

I wish Arlo would be "clear" about the sound issues and how to avoid them. Audio is a critical part of my information-gathering practices with wildlife as the subject. 

I would swap out all of the offending units with new ones if the audio issues would not continue.

Is there some maintenance? Some sort of cleaning that can be done for the pickup microphones?

This remains a very frustrating puzzle. 

I will continue to search for a resolution. 

[FreddyTheFrog]

I have noticed the clicking and static are hit-and-miss even when the camera remains in its designation location.

It can be clear and crisp one night, and unusable static on another even though the mounting position and location are the same.