Arlo Pro 5S - unreliable junk (missing events, taking snapshots). Pro 4 in same location works f

[chicane]

I've had ongoing headaches with my Pro 5S cameras not detecting events or taking snapshots instead.

Today I did a side by side test with a Pro 4 camera in the same location. Both devices are on 2.4GHz and connected to an outdoor Ubiquiti AP (great signal strength for both). I did try the device on 5GHz and found it to be similarly flaky so reverted to a hopefully more stable 2.4GHz connection. Unfortunately not.

Since I have done this side by side test, the Pro 4 is detecting every event (and recording a video). 

The pro 5 recorded video once, completely missed one event and recorded a snapshot instead for the third event. With the video was choppy and audio partially missing at the start, while the Pro4 was smooth and had audio for the full clip.

Both devices are active under my subscription, set identical under the routine (to record video), and smart notifications set the same.

I've had this replaced with a new sealed unit by support for the second time with the same outcome.

Are these devices inherently faulty? anyone else experiencing similar?

[BrookeN]

The firmware has started rolling out. It should be completed within the next week. As soon as that is fully rolled out the behavior you are seeing will be resolved. 

[BrookeN]

I have this escalated to the engineering team. I will update the community as soon as possible. 

[BrookeN]

I reached out to Jeff today to see when he was going to move those over. He has been out this week, so I have not been able to reach him until today. I will keep you posted. 

[BrookeN]

@chicane and @roundball your cameras have been moved to production. 

[roundball]

Thanks...and just to be sure I'm understanding:

My Firmware is still the same:  # 1.050.33.3_41_9322fd5

So do you mean they've been placed in some sort of "production queue" and will actually upgrade during the night tonight or something?

[BrookeN]

As the other firmware it happens in the early morning. Since they were moved over today, you will see the new firmware by tomorrow morning. 

[roundball]

@BrookeN 

OK, thanks a lot...

[AlixO]

Hi @BrookeN - I’m also experiencing the slow motion detection and slow notification issues. Is there a different firmware my Pro 5s should be on to try and sort this out? 

[roundball]

@AlixO 

Not answering for BrookeN, just mentioning that she normally doesn't work weekends so it'll probably be next week before she sees your post.

Meanwhile, do you at least have the "5s Field Trial Firmware" installed on your 5s cam(s)?  ( Firmware #  1.050.33.3_41_9322fd5 )

That firmware is not perfect but at east it fixed some odds & ends.

[AlixO]

Thanks @roundball - I’ve got the field trial firmware on my Pro 5s but wasn’t sure if there was something more recent that deals with the slowness. 

It’s definitely getting tiring keeping up with all these issues 😔 

[roundball]

Amen to “tiring” !!

They must only have 1 support staff.

Been on the planet a lot of years and have never before experienced this quality level of support.

[chicane]

Since having the latest production firmware applied I can’t say I’m impressed.

Worse missed events again compared to field trial firmware!

latest production firmware is:

1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b

what is going on @BrookeN?

if this firmware was not ready for prime time why are they releasing it?

[BillRho]

My Arlo Essential 2nd generation camera was junk.  I think it worked for about a month, just long enough that I couldn't return it, even though it was junk.  I will never buy from Best Buy again nor purchase anything with the Arlo name.  Arlo support was no support at all.  The camera is now worthless.

[roundball]

@BrookeN  and others

08/24/24 FIRMWARE UPDATE

My Four Pro5s cams all had Field Trial Firmware on them.

( # 1.050.33.3_41_9322fd5 )

Last night the ‘Production Version’ of Field Trial Firmware was supposed to be installed on all Four 5s cams.

This morning all Four Pro5s cams Firmware had been changed.

BUT………..

Two of the 5s cams had # 1.040.28.7_93_caa9491 installed

Two of the 5s cams had # 1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b installed

WHY ARE THERE 2 DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF FIRMWARE ?

WHICH FIRMWARE IS THE CORRECT PRODUCTION VERSION ?

Thanks

[roundball]

@BrookeN 

Good Gracious !!

The "Post Field Trial - Production Firmware Version" ...

that support installed on TWO of my 5s cams last night...

was nothing more then the ORIGINAL firmware they had on them while they were on a Base Station PRIOR to the Field Trial Firmware coming out: 

The original Pre-Field-Ttrial # 1.040.28.7_93_caa949 that was re-installed on two 5s cams.

If you could @BrookeN, please have 'Support' straighten this out ASAP so they'll work on WIFI ?

Thanks a lot...

[chicane]

@BrookeN / Jeff Navarrosa:

(I have emailed him this thread so he can familiarise himself with the frustrations we are having)

What is going on. You allude to a production firmware being available and assumed that you were referring to a NEW firmware that is bug free. Once you changed my Driveway Pro 5S camera to this latest production firmware, I noticed a HEAP of missing events when it was in-situ with the "production" firmware.

Sure, the unexpected snapshot instead of videos issue is no longer occurring, but missed events? Why are you releasing such poorly tested and developed firmware for this camera? Do you even have quality developers working at the company any more? Do you even track these bugs properly? What is the status of all the aforementioned issues that you surely are aware of? 

I have removed the Driveway Pro 5S camera and put a Pro 4 back there. I don't know about you, however the whole idea of having security cameras is to have them working when you need them.  Does this seem unreasonable? 

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Firmware-Release-Notes/Arlo-Firmware-Release-Table/td-p/1920885

Product

Model

Current Firmware

FW release date

Arlo Pro 5S 2K

VMC4060

1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b

August 07, 2024

Pro 5S firmware versions on my devices:

bs5s-1.040.28.7.93_caa9491 <- old firmware, why?

fypro5s-1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b <- latest 'prod' fw

drivewaypro5s-1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b <- latest 'prod' fw

pro5sd002e-1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b <- latest 'prod' fw

[roundball]

Correcting a typo from above…added the right most number “1” which didn’t  make it in the above post.

# 1.040.28.7_93_caa9491

[chicane]

Looks like my last post was deleted - why?

attention to @BrookeN and Jeff Navarrosa

I also notice two different firmware on my Pro 5S cameras (the same as @roundball)

However, since this 'new' prod firmware was deployed to my Driveway Pro 5S camera, I noticed a HEAP of missing events again. I have since put a Pro 4 back in place. 

How on earth is this acceptable to have security cameras that do not record events reliably? 

Is there any testing going on in the dev team there? I am baffled how anyone can consider this acceptable and for it to drag out so long time wise. 

[roundball]

@BrookeN @chicane 

Who can confirm the following?

1) Official 5s POST Field Trial / PRODUCTION VERSION FIRMWARE NUMBER ?

2) How can I download it myself like we normally download available firmware updates ?

Thanks

[chicane]

Hi @roundball 

I found this firmware release table link:

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Firmware-Release-Notes/Arlo-Firmware-Release-Table/td-p/1920885

This is the latest production firmware:

Arlo Pro 5S 2K

VMC4060

1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b

August 07, 2024

You can try factory resetting your field trial firmware and it will then obtain this public prod firmware?

I spoke with Jeffery N yesterday - He seemed a bit surprised about my remarks about ongoing missing events. Even though I had flagged snapshots as the primary issue originally, I have reiterated on multiple occasions (even with this thread title, posted months ago) that missing events was a problem. It seems their development focus has been on snapshots and not on missing events, although I wonder how much of it is a n ESL (English as a second language) barrier. 

I did ask how many staff they had in the L3 team @roundball apparently it's a team of 3. They did not indicate the dev team size but I will try find that out as well.

I'm getting fed up with the lack of serious attention to these significant defects. 

[roundball]

@chicane 

Thanks for sharing.  Interesting that # 1.040.28.17_195_ac8359b

is now the current 5s production...and has been for weeks... but they installed something else much older on two of my 5s cams.

By contrast, when I was removing a spare 5s off of a base station to test it on WIFI a few weeks ago, the process said I needed a firmware update, and that's the number it updated to...weeks ago.

[Chkpost]

I have missing events also.  So many I did a side by side test.  I put  2 cameras right next to each other so they had the same lighting conditions etc.  If I walk right in front of them, 1 detects me and 1 doesn’t.  Try again….  sometimes the other camera picks it up.  What has never happened is that BOTH cameras pick me up. 🤯🤬

The firmware on all of my cameras is 1.050.33.3_41_9322fd5

[a102768]

My Pro 5 has excelled itself in the last week. I usually keep an eye on the live feed around the time that my wife is due home so that I can remotely flick the garage door open so that she doesn't have to empty the contents of her handbag looking for her garage remote.

Twice now, she has actually come into the house but there is no sign of her or her car on the live feed. She even opened the app on her phone yesterday to check the live feed on that and it was showing the same as mine. It is almost as if the camera or app is just showing a still but thinks it is showing a feed. I wonder if that is something to do with what the cameras are doing when people are missing alerts?

Interestingly, both time, I noticed the light icon appear on the app feed as she came home so the camera seems to have detected something and reacted but wasn't showing it in the live feed and didn't alert to any movement. 

[roundball]

@Chkpost 

And that firmware, as you know, is the Field Trial Firmware that arlo thinks fixes the 5s problems...it doesn't.
Yet they sending out a replacement "production version" of it as if they've finished fixing 5s problems.

Every 5s day / week / month just continues to be problematic.

[roundball]

@a102768 

Not sure how "excelled" fits with the problems you described, LOL

[roundball]

@BrookeN @chicane 

Following up with this BrookeN...we need your help.

Good Gracious !!

The "Post Field Trial - Production Firmware Version" ...

that support installed on TWO of my 5s cams last night...

was nothing more then the ORIGINAL firmware they had on them while they were on a Base Station PRIOR to the Field Trial Firmware coming out: 

The original Pre-Field-Ttrial firmware  that was incorrectly re-installed on two of my 5s cams is # 1.040.28.7_93_caa9491.

If you could @BrookeN, please have 'Support' straighten this out ASAP so they'll work on WIFI ?

Thanks a lot...

[BrookeN]

@chicane and @roundball the original behavior you were seeing was the snapshots instead of recordings. That was fixed with the field trial and then with the production firmware that you all now have. However, some of the other behavior that you have been mentioning are now being looked into as they are separate behavior then what was originally posted. I check up on this post daily as well as reach out to our development team for updates. I do understand the frustration of not seeing all behavior fixed fully. But they are being worked on and looked into. The missed events and slow loading to feed are all things I have made the development team aware of. I will update you as soon as I get updates as I have been doing. I will be in touch soon.