Arlo Pro Charging Station

[armsil1234]

What's going on with availability on the pro charging station? Anybody have luck buying it?

Seems like it can only be pre-ordered right now at a few places (amazon, frys, insight), but they keep pushing out the expected available date. What's the hold up? I don't think netgear should allow a pre order on something they don't know when they will provide. Is there an engineering or manufacturing problem with it?

[DaveWoj]

I think it's just poor supply and availability.

The same thing happened with the silicone skins.

The cameras were being sold without accessories being widely available or available at all.

My suggestion for any future products is to have about 50 of the top contributors on here be given complimentary new products to test before coming on the market to eliminate many of the problems before they happen.

The Pro system should probably have been delayed about 6 months so that ALL accessories were available.

The middle of Winter is not the best time to have issues with the camera.

[JamesC]

I do not have a specific date for release at this time but we hope to have the Arlo Pro charging station available by the end of year.

JamesC

[tomncincy]

Last time I checked it was late December, now it's the first of the year. My email to Netgear as follows.

I would like a etched in stone release date for the Arlo Pro Charging Station. I have 8 cameras & 16 batteries but I can't buy a damn charging station, what gives? If I can't purchase the charging stations I need before the return period is up, Best Buy is going to get all this equipment dumped back in their lap!

I have orders in with 4 different retailers, I even tried the buy now option from the Arlo website. It states that this item is available at 2 retailers but neither Fry's or Insight, who by the way is price gouging have any in stock.

Currently, I only have 5 of the 8 cameras online. I haven't bothered to put camera 6, 7 or  8 up because I can't get the charging stations I've ordered, so for now two of the cameras are being utilized as very expensive battery chargers but not for long because if I don't get the charging stations for them, I will be returning everything to Best Buy.

I've been using Netgear routers and range extenders for years, so I was excited when the Arlo Pro was released however, the continued inability to purchase the necessary chargers has left me seriously rethinking my recent Arlo Pro purchases.

The longer this product remains unavailable will only go to facilitate widespread price gouging because when this item is finaly released the demand will far exceed the availability thus allowing retailers like Insight to demand even higher prices for the charging stations than they are already charging.

I can say with absolute certainty that I’m not the only person that feels this way, this situation is an inexcusable blunder by Netgear management and it needs to be corrected before customers like myself decide to return their Arlo Pro purchases.

Thankfully, retailers like Best Buy offer extended holiday return dates, so I’ll give it until 12/29/16, if I don’t have the charging stations I’ve ordered in my hands by then, I’ll be returning all my Arlo Pro equipment to Best Buy for a refund. 

With that said, I strongly urge Netgear to rectify their mistake of rushing a product to market before they were fully able to support it or risk more disgruntled customers possibly following suit.

Sincerely,

Tom

[DaveWoj]

Hey Tom,

I can't say I disagree with you. It's extremely frustrating.

When Netgear tells us end of the year, I'm not sure if that means 2016 or 2017. LOL.

[Whitakersteve19]

I'm with Tom. Pre-ordered through Amazon. Waiting to test the charging station before buying 2 more 4 camera Arlo Pro systems!!!

[jayeandsandy]

I have called everywhere and no one knows anything. Could someone email me as soon as they hear anything. I have invested over 1500 in this system. I have continously have to recharge batteries. I have to take them completely off the swivel hooks I bought because when you have the camera in the extender bracket you cannot take the plastic projector cover off because it binds with screw in piece. Maybe I should take them back and get my money back. Also I am running super high Internet and it seems like the picture quality is grained and it looks more like 480p not 720.

Jaye and Sandy

Everett, wa

[Cyrano]

Attention Netgear: With me, this issue has already cost you lost revenue and reduced customer loyalty.

• The loss of revenue results from my refusal to buy additional cameras (which I am prepared to do) until and unless charging stations are available. You are also losing revenue because I have stopped recommending this system to friends and neighbors as a result of this issue.
• The reduction in customer loyalty results from my growing concern that Netgear cannot properly manage its manufacturing operations -- which calls into question not only product availability, but product quality and product reliability.

[tomncincy]

Amazon is now reporting the following. "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock." Not very encouraging to those of us waiting on the charging stations. Went from December 23rd to "Usually ships 1 to 2 months" to "We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock". The order I placed with Amazon on 12/12/16 now states "Arriving Feb 6 - Mar 2".

I currently have 10 Arlo Pro cameras with the elite subscription however, I only have 8 of them in service because 2 are being used as rather expensive makeshift charging stations. I have 6 Arlo Q cameras with CRV subscriptions for each. I’ve also purchased spare batteries and skins for all my Arlo Pro cameras. That being said, I feel that given the amount of money I’ve spent on Arlo equipment that I'm entitled to being quite fed up with the run around that I'm getting from Netgear over the charging stations.

In my case purchasing a couple extra Arlo Pro cameras to be used as make shift charging stations isn't a big deal it's more a matter of principal but for others that may not have the ability to do the same, it most definitely is a big deal. As a consumer, I feel that I'm obligated to make sure perspective consumers are fully aware of how Netgear conducts business before spending their hard earned money on Netgear products.

In conclusion, unless Netgear management openly admits their epic blunder with regard to the charging stations and reaches out to their customers to make this right very soon, I will NEVER purchase another Netgear product and I will actively go out of my way to discourage others from purchasing Netgear products not just the Arlo product line.

[manofice]

I don't get what's so hard about a battery charger. I've seen these chargers in videos with netgear or sponsors at events so we know they exsist! Release the hounds already! Lol

[DaveWoj]

The Arlo Go and Arlo Baby are apparently a priority over charging batteries.

It doesn't effect me since I'm fully wired but I do understand the frustration. I experienced the same thing waiting for the skins almost a month after my camera was installed and I needed to take it down from 13 feet up and then re-install it.

If I were you, and you were able to power as many as you could by AC, I would do that. Just buy some extra ac adapters and cables for around $10. (use aftermarket since netgear accessories are way overpriced)

I realize that the point of the Arlo was so that you could use a battery, but after installing all of mine as 100% AC powered, there is no hassle and you will NEVER need to touch them after they are installed.

I would never go back to powering mine by battery if I was able to run a USB cable to it.

Good luck with the charging stations.

[manofice]

I just watched a new video posted on Arlo's facebook feed showing off new accessories. One of them was the dual arlo pro battery charger. It has to be released soon. It also showed off their Solar panel charger.

[tomncincy]

After replying to an ongoing support ticket tonight about this very issue, I took a look at the Arlo products page and noticed all the new "Coming Soon" items. It would seem to me that Netgear should be focusing their efforts on getting product that has already been released, well released in theory anyway, into the hands of retailers first so they can fill customers preorders and backorders. I ask, am I being unreasonable just expecting too much?

[Cyrano]

A response from Netgear would be appropriate.

[tomncincy]

 After countless phone calls and emails dating back to 12/11/16 this is the only response from anyone at Netgear that might shed some light on a possible availability date for the charging stations. Then again they might just be telling me that so that I'll leave them alone.

NETGEAR Support
1/17/2017 10:13 PM

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your response and I am truly sorry for the inconvenience that this has caused you.

As verified, the projected date of the charging station will be this coming March however we do not have the specific date as to when will it be available.

Should you have questions, please do not hesitate to reply to this email for us to further assist you.

To reply to this email, please log into https://my.netgear.com

Thank you for choosing NETGEAR.

Regards,

Brian Paulo
Expert ID: 46378

[DaveWoj]

Hey Tom,

That really shouldn't be of any surprise to anyone here. March will come and they will tell you April etc.

Many of these accessories do not exist anywhere. Netgear did not plan well regarding the roll out of the system.

I waited nearly 2 months until I was able to get skins for mine after they were already installed 13 feet up on a screw mount.

I personally have no use or need for the accessories since I am fully wired (batteries are a big hassle) and I tend to modify everything to make it work since the accessories are way overpriced.

I don't need nor rely on Netgear to solve any issues with my camera, in fact I rely more on experiences and help from posters on this forum.

I feel bad for everyone who is waiting for these chargers and I am sure this is hurting Arlo Pro sales with all the poor reviews.

I'm personally hoping that enough people get fed up with the situation and start dumping them on ebay so I can pick up some extra ones dirt cheap.

Good Luck

[Drake3287]

I'm guessing that as with any product made in Vietnam (Yes, Vietnam) there is a LONG lang time between manufacturing, shipping back to the US and getting it available for sale. I'm also crossing my fingers for March.

[armsil1234]

If this is manufactured abroad, is Netgear/Arlo concerned about a new Trump tax? 

I would pay an extra 10 bucks or so to get this charging station early (as in Dec of last year as originally suggested by the moderator). However I would NOT pay a penny more if it comes out in March. Thats wayyyyy to late!

[Drake3287]

It's to bad they screwed this up. NetGear is even is one of the better known companies too. This solar panel is old technology and shouldn't have been a big deal. Although NetGear is a large technology company, I get the impression that the Arlo division is a much smaller group within NetGear and doesn't have staffing or budget yet to make these products mainstream. 

Funny story though, I was at Best Buy the other day buying a third camera and a customer was talking to the BB rep about Arlo camera's. Because I could tell the BB guy knew almost nothing, I piped in and basically sold the guy on a 4 camera kit, even showing him video's from my phone.

It's owners of new products like us that make or break these new products. I have the same exact problem with my Acurite Weather Station. 

[Schwab1]

I agree. I just got an email from frys today cancelling the order and they stated they cannot get yhis or supply them. What the hell was or is netgear thinking? Do they not care about pissing off customers?

[DaveWoj]

Although the cameras were designed for battery power, my opinion is that the camera is that it is a major inconvenience to use batteries if and only if you are able to run constant AC power to the unit.

Constant AC has NEVER given me a problem.

I would never, and I repeat never, recommend the ARLO camera to someone who is planning on running it by battery.

With that said, the ARLO should be priced about 30% less than what it is right now, considering the hassle with the batteries and not being able to get accessories to make them work properly.

Just my 2 cents

[JamesC]

Arlo Pro Charging station availability update: The target release date for the Arlo Pro Charging Station is March of this year.

JamesC

[Cyrano]

@JamesC:

Thanks for the update.

Given the length of time this issue has persisted, and the significant compromise in system utility this issue has caused, I would ask Netgear to consider doing something to compensate affected users.

[DaveWoj]

I can appreciate the postion you are in James and the information and troubleshooting help that you have given all of us.

However,  that is a "Target" release date and we all know that the Target date has been missed a couple of times already.

If I was to recommend to someone that they should invest in an ARLO system for hundreds of dollars based on the capabilities of the camera and being able to charge batteries without any downtime in the need of an emergency and then they found out that the charging stations were still not available, would Netgear refund their money if they no longer wanted the system based on needed accessories or send them a charging station at no charge when available?

This is why I can no longer recommend the PRO.

As it is, the Pro should have been manufactured with a weatherproof USB connector seal. That is what many of us wanted in the upgrade so that we could power by AC outdoors. I needed to modify my connector so that it was waterproof.

After the fact, netgear has announced a weatherproof AC connector to "FIX" this issue. I could have used one of those from the start.

I would appreciate it if someone from Netgear could send me a complimentary AC adapter when it becomes available. It is the least they could do after the effort I needed to waterproof to make these work outdoors.

You may contact me for my shipping address at wojphoto@hotmail.com

Thanks,

Dave

[Drake3287]

I'd be happy if they just gave us current owners first crack at the supply when they come in.