Any ideas on how to insulate the Arlo Pro cameras

[jun3280]

Well living up in Alberta, Canada - the cold weather finally came last night (-17 degrees Celcius).  This morning when I check my Arlo Pro cameras' status - they are no longer operable. One camera simply states it is "offline".  The other says "the camera needs to warm up before it can operate".  Is there a "weather proofing" case I can buy for the camera?  I don't imagine the silicon cases will be too effective - as weather can often hit -30 degrees Celcius in the winter months.  Maybe if they create an "insulated" silicon case that would help.  Any suggestions on how to rectify this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

J

[TomMac]

Running my Arlos in weather down to 0 f, I found it needed fully charged li- ion cells at the start and they had a shorter life....

hitting -30 c , you getting near the lower limits of li- ion cells or near the " voltage droop"  area whic can occur starting around -20 c

Your  right, some form of insulation but also a small heat source inside same is prob needed.  In my installs of outside cams, many of the cases were heated...of course these were wired so power wasn't a problem.

Not much to do in that cold and stay wireless .

[steve_t]

You might need to use an active heating device if it's -30 degrees there. That doesn't really go with the whole wire-free thing but I don't think the cameras are designed to work in those temps.

You could get a 4 pack of arlo skins and try stretch all 4 on one camera and see if that helps at all, but I'm skeptical. Or get someone to knit one out of wool for you 😉

[jguerdat]

Unless the camera was active to generate heat, insulation won't help. You'd need to be constantly using live view and be changing batteries regularly.

[bgasbury]

I'll be anxiously following this post.  It's only November, so we're just starting our cold weather.  At 8,500 ft up in the Colorado Rockies, we'll be cold for the next few months, and this morning I got the same message .... basically too cold to operate.  We have 10 set up, inside and out, and this new 'Pro' is the only one that doesn't work.  The camera is set up as intruder protection because of the audio, but its not much good if it doesn't work all night.  Any ideas if putting it in its own little 'house' will help?  Maybe wrapping in something more substantial than the silicon cases?  It was barely below zero, so not quite parka weather..... we'll get a LOT colder here.  I can swap it out with one of the old ones thats indoors, but then there's no point in spending that much money.  Thanks for any help in advance....

[jun3280]

Hi bgasbury,

I've gotten a few responses from some of the more experienced Arlo users, and it doesn't appear as though there is a solution to this issue.  Like you, I assumed weatherproof included temperature as well.  It appears the Arlo literature indicates the cut off is around -10 degrees Celcius.  As such, in our Canada winters, the Arlo would be out of commission for anywhere from 2-4 months out of the year.  As far as easy solutions, there aren't any. Running a wire defeats the purpose of purchasing a wireless device. Building an enclosure is possible, but you would need to take into account that the Arlo can not work behind glass for motion detection.  The Arlo unfortunately just is not suitable for our environment.  I love the design, concept, and ease of use - but this issue is one I can't ignore.  As you stated, these are expensive devices, so you'll need to consider whether it's worth the cost given this deficiency.  Good luck to you, but I'll returning mine.  There are a few products (some implemented differently) out there that might work in colder weather.

[bgasbury]

Let me see if this video works..... it was taken on an old Arlo camera.... NOT ArloPro.  It was just as cold.... just to show that the old ones work in sub-zero weather.  Not sure how to make it work.....ugh.

[Usmcvet]

I have not tried this but this idea may inspire a working solution.....

Make a box with a rubber front so that the face of the camera sticks out and the rubber forms seal protecting inside of box where there is insulation. On inside put heat tape or cord they use for pipes or roofs to prevent freezing. Could also look into the heating element used in shoe driers.

Not sure if any of those are 12 v compatible to run off solar like arlo plans to incorporate or not.