Arlo Microphone Audio Terrible

[DeviantCelt]

The microphone audio is barely audible and scratchy. Yes, alll of the mic settings are at their highest, yes I have the latest firmware, yes my phone has permissions.

This problem has happened ever since I purchased this but due to some settings changing themselves without my input I was fixing the issues and decided that this should be addressed.

Why is my microphone audio barely audible? Why is it unintelligible? I would like this fixed since it is a feature that does not work and never has. 

Thanks. 

[Jenmisu3]

I'm having the same exact problems! So frustrating to spend that amount of money and the audio not work.

[DeviantCelt]

This isn't the first time I've seen this question asked and so far I haven't seen a solution. 

[DeviantCelt]

Not letting this one go. I would like to get an answer from Arlo.

[DeviantCelt]

Still not working.

[JessicaP]

Hi @DeviantCelt and @Jenmisu3,

What Arlo camera are you using? Have you tried to reboot your Base Station? Try to remove the batteries of the camera and put it back in and give it a few minutes for it to sync and see if the audio works.

[DeviantCelt]

I'm using the Alro Pro. VMS4330. It's the 3 camera system that came with the extra battery.  

I've reboot the system countless times. Switched batteries, recharged everything, set it up completely from scratch, etc. 

[pc2k17]

Since I have never had an issue with the audio, I can hear it perfect 15-20 feet away, here are my thoughts.......

You either have bad camera(s) or...

There is some radio interference that is disrupting the audio (could be from your home or a neightbor, or...

You have internet bandwidth issues not allowing you to stream video and audio with this system (there is more to a good internet connection than just up/down speed)

My guess is interference. Try taking your base and one camera to a friends house away form yours. Hook it up to their router/internet and test the audio. That might give you a clue if it's interference or internet or the camera(s).

[DeviantCelt]

It happens to all 3 cameras. I just did a test and have 167Mbps down and 10Mbps up. I also have a wireless scanner that I tested out in my neighborhood and the 2.4GHz channel is pretty full so I put it on the 5GHz channel which is almost empty around here. 

So either all 3 of my cameras are defective. Or my base station is defective. I have the station set up on a clean wireless channel so that shouldn't be an issue and I've never had a problem with any wireless device or radio equipment anywhere around here so I have no reason to believe it's interference. 

[pc2k17]

Arlo only uses 2.4ghz, doesn't matter if your router is set to use 5ghz. If 2.4 is overloaded in your neighborhood that could be an issue.

[DeviantCelt]

Yeah that might be true. I just switched a few things to 5GHz and that may not have been one of them. 

However I have no issues with other things on my 2.4GHz. Everything else functions (relatively) fine with the cameras. I can view it live, record, etc. That would use far more bandwitdth than audio.

[pc2k17]

I recently read an article about a guy who had an indoor garden, vegetables and such. He was using a HPS light with a cheap chinese ballast (ballast needed to power a HPS light). This ballast was putting out some kind of frequency that was interferring with the cable TV in his neighborhood. He had no idea there was a problem until the cable company came knocking on his door and said they tracked the interference to his house. Once he turned the light off cable in the neighborhood went back to normal.

Recently a buddy of mine discovered that a cheap LED bulb he had in his bathroom was interering with radio and TV signals in his home. Once the bulb was removed the interference was gone.

Point is, interference can come from any type of electronic. Most people don't want to hear that because if something in their area is causing interference it's hard to find and there's essentially nothing you can do about it. In this case it's not a firmware bug or hardware issue because as I mentioned it works fine for me, just tested it now, and for millions of others as well I'm guessing. Arlo sales probably wouldn't have doubled in the last year if a main feature simply didn't work.

Only other advice I have is if your still under warranty exchange the cameras and/or base and see if the issue happens with a new system.

[DeviantCelt]

I understand what you're getting at and that you're trying to help, but come on man. You're really grasping here. 

Many people over the past year since I've had this have had the same problem. Arlo has never adressed this issue (as well as many others). I don't believe it is interference that only affects one of my many, many wireless devices.

[pc2k17]

I gave you real world TRUE stories of how this connected world we live in can cause issues with how it all "connects". Like others, you are resistant to the idea because you want a fix, you want to blame Arlo, but it's not the system this time, the feature works fine. I am not one to blindly defend arlo, when they mess up like with the new app, I call them out. BTW, just wanted to also mention that the 2 way audio feature isn't designed to have minutes long conversations over, it's for a quick Hey get out of my yard or who are you or go away type stuff.

Define "many". Arlo has 2.3 million users. If 100,000 have an audio problem, that may seem like alot, but that's less than 5%. Whatever the issue is with your audio it's specific to your setup. You either have bad hardware or something else is causing it.

Troubleshooting 101, swap the system out and see if the problem remains. If not it was the hardware, if it does remain, it's your house/area. Or bring the base and a camera to a friends and test, if it works at the friends it's your house if not it's the system. Maybe while troubleshooting you do find a legit bug then you can join the beta program like many of us and submit a bug report. If you just sit around and wait for Arlo to come up with a "fix" you'll probably be waiting a long time as like I mentioned I doubt this is on their radar. I haven't seen any reports in the beta community of audio issues, at least not lately.

[DeviantCelt]

I've done basic trouble shooting and it didn't work.

You're using anecdotal evidence. "Well I heard this ONE time." Yeah, that's not proof.

I'm not having conversations with anyone. I can't even get audio. If you've been paying attention, that's why I created this thread.

"Many" as in I've seen this issue posted in this very forum numerous times. Sorry that I didn't keep track of each one.

"You either have bad hardware or something else is causing it." Yeah. I know. After the troubleshooting and not assuming there is radio interference since there is no evidence to support that, I'm guessing it's a hardware issue. 

[jguerdat]

And such is life on a user support forum...

[EPOC]

WOW!

I’m a new user n of course new to this forum. WOW again..

I’ve just read this thread through an I can see how people can get heated here. 

Way too many people are having problems with this two way audio, it’s all over the web. 

It makes no sense to offer “maybe this or that suggestions” this is a real issue that Arlo should just fix, Its sad to say but I’ll be returning this whole setup just before the deadline for the refund. 

I would have went all out with their products but the way this annoying issue is being addressed by Arlo only leaves me to believe that it’s just easier for them to pass the buck (problem) onto an invisible entity. Just fix it already!

[JoeCymru]

The audio is not Google Assistant or Alexa. From day one, my audio has been comparatively marginal. When I read the reviews from tech sites before buying (yes, I try to do some research before I buy so I do not have to run back to the store when something does not meet my expectations from just reading the manufacturer's hyperbolic blurb) I see Arlo reviewer's in many cases have the audio in the "con" column as not very robust. The delay is mentioned, as well as the person speaking through the camera being rather faint. As mentioned, the two way audio is intended for "get off my lawn" or "leave it on the porch ... and get off my lawn" or "Hi, Betty, I'm in the bathroom. I'll be there in a second". Not chit chat. I bought it anyway, since two way communication was not why I wanted some extra security: being able to scream "I called 911, scumbag, and they are on their way. You are toast!" I actually wouldn't use "scumbag" but for here that suits the purpose.

If you add radio interference to to this your audio will most likely be substandard. The speaker is tiny. On my set up the mic works well, and on recordings and live view background noise or person input, it is acceptable. If Arlo ups the power to the speaker to further amplify it, it will consume more battery, and perhaps overdrive the miniscule speaker. 

From day one I did not expect to be using Arlo like communication software, but even then, I was a bit disappointed with the lag of a second or two. Lags and buffering in streaming can screw up audio. Note that some people on these forums report that the audio recording they get are just fine, but they have issues with live communications. I personally do not expect improvement through firmware in the Pro H8 or 11. The only hope is to insure everthing is set as optimally as possible.

[EPOC]

i guess I need not say anymore about people’s attitudes..... 

this person actually thinks I want to have a conversation when  all I want to say is just leave the package or can I help you ...... 

so  apparently this person didn’t get that .....   there’s always one of them lingering 

[JoeCymru]

Well, rereading my own post, that is exactly what I said: It is for leaving a package or yelling at intruders and such. The audio is not great. Mine works. It is marginal. People in certain situations and environments are having problems but not everyone - by far - is having loss of function. My entire point is that there are specific issues people are having and since the base "normal" is not all that great, any local environmental or hardware or system issues will exacerbate the already minimal performance. A magical firmware fix from Arlo for existing cameras for those who are experiencing local problems is not something I would put any money on. That is the point.

[DeviantCelt]

Yeah I don't get the having conversations thing with it. It's clearly not what that purpose is for. If I friend comes over and I'm not here I'd like to be able to tell him I'm omw home. This exact thing happened with his Ring Doorbell and it worked great. He wasn't home, I rang the doorbell, he was alerted on his phone and was able to hit the microphone and talk to me. 

You can't understand the audio coming out of my camera. The recordings and incoming audio are fine. I just can't use the microphone to talk to anyone. It's completely garbled.  

[EPOC]

Thank you for that, it’s nice to know someone reads through the post completely before responding.
Do you know anything about the doorbell audio?
Only want to be understood when I say .....
I’ll be pulling up in a minute
Or
You can leave the package
or
Come around the back
Etc. etc. etc.

Can anyone let me know if it’s worth Dabbling with the doorbell ....
audio clarity on both ends

[JoeCymru]

I do not have direct experience with it, though have consider it a couple of times. It is true dual communication, not push to talk, and they claim no delays as with talking through the camera (yes, in the blurb for the doorbell they actually admit to the camera audio delay).

[EPOC]

Thanks all!
I will be setting up the doorbell tomorrow, will let all know how communication at both ends work.
Happy New Year

[DeviantCelt]

Excellent. We'll see how it works out.