Arlo Pro Hardware - Unreliable?

[V8]

So,

I'm not looking to set the cat amongst the pigeons here, but as a frustrated customer, I'm beginning to get the feeling I've made a bad choice in selecting Netgear as a "newcomer' to the CCTV market and lets be clear here as the sole purpose to offer added protection and security to my home. I bought the two pack camera and base station set with a view to expanding this, funds permitting.

I always try to be at the fore-front of tech, but I'm starting to question my decision, and also I really need Netgear here to openly start to admit their product flaws (just like most major accountable and responsible manufacturers do) and formally state what they are going to do about it, because frankly they are shipping and selling defective products. Having argued through seven levels of un-informed support channels for me to finally get so someone that recognises one problem, then the hope for the rest of the people and their issues is bewildering.

I am a long-time user of Netgear products (having come from an IT background), so i already have familiarity with them as a company, and in fact my router is a Nighthawk R8500.

I have an existing support ticket open with both of the 'new cameras' which I only purchased at the end of August (yes only 4 weeks or so ago) as a result of a constant 'ticking' effect on recording/playback in which I've arrived at a decision point with the support team to essentially wait until HW9 is available (as the 'ticking' is apparently a known issue with HW8 and the updated hardware is pending release), I've since encountered while waiting multiple other issues on the same cameras which is astounding:

- Random pink hue effect and pixelation on one camera (i just love pink grass)

- Both cameras randomly going offline and only being brought back online by getting up ladders and pulling the battery?

- One camera giving me notifications that I am not using a 'genuine arlo power adapter' when I am using the genuine Netgear outdoor power adapters on both cameras?

- Both cameras giving a notification that there is 'motion' with no associated recording taking place?

- Both cameras simply stopping recording or detecting motion at all and having to re-boot the base station several times.

Ok, so I haven't raised other tickets for the rest of these issues and for most the answer seems to be one of remove the battery, re-sync to the basestation, reboot the basestation, disconnect and reconnect the cable, etc and my hope is centred around the HW9 replacements (when released) being much better, but I seem to be spending more time fixing issues than actually using them for what they should be used for; 'to assist in protecting and securing my home'. What is also not appreciated here that me as with others probably have these things stuck somewhere up the side of an outside wall, which isn't always easy to get to.

So (given the extensive cost of these and all the add-ons) does someone from Netgear care to explain what is going wrong, because these are not simply user issues and they are far to widespread to simply be 'one-offs'? 

- What are formally the recognised issues/problems which need to be rectified?

- Which are being addressed through a firmware update?

- Which are being addressed through a hardware update? (HW8>HW9)

I would also like someone from Netgear to provide a definitive date for the HW9 release? 

Thanks

[DoriJC]

It's been my experience that we are being treated like beta testers.

[V8]

How ironic....no sooner do I post this, but at 13:37 today the front camera monitoring my driveway went offline and there are no further recordings after this point and I've been unable to bring it online from work all afternoon.

Just arrived home, pitch black outside, raining and I had to get ladders out of the shed again, unscrew and disconnect the camera, open and remove and replace the battery...and hey presto camera back again.

Ridiculous.

I think I as do others deserve some answers?

[g3niu5]

Recently upgraded my reg arlos to pros. Hate to say I haven't had the issues you have. I assume you have the router and base setup ideally. When I first set my arlos up I had my base at the other side of the house causing all kinds of issues including cameras going offline and not.coming back on. As soon as I centered it to the house with a powerline 0 issues.
Hope you get it figured out.
Also where did you hear about a hw9 update?

[V8]

I do seem to be jinxed with these, but I put it down to poor quality/manufacturing.

I appreciate the suggestion in respect to that one issue, but I have already moved my base for this reason, but to be fair it's pretty central anyway to both cameras and I get the 'offline' issue on the one closest (I say closest the difference is about 5ft). Base station is in my living room at the rear of the room, camera is above the front living room window, rear camera is outside in the rear garden, similar distance but essentiall 'in line'

I also have my house mostly flood wired with Cat5e, so its pretty easy to move things around and my core switch, router etc are on the first floor.

The main point here is these camera's are dogged with problems and no-one (in Netgear) publicly is willing to admit a problem, yet there are hints of it when you actually open tickets (which leads me to believe they are producing and selling defective products). 

The HW9 discussion came about as part of my support ticket for the 'ticking' issue; When I finally got to someone that made sense rather than making stupid 'crib sheet' suggestions (and trust me some of them are laughable i.e how is the speed of my broadband connection even remotely related to a evident fault on the camera itself); anyway I digress.

He acknowledged the hardware issue and asked if I he could add me to a list of other customers to await the next hardware release for RMA (I naturally assumed HW9 given HW8 is the latest).

"You're case has been escalated to me. First I would like to apologize for all the inconvenience this issue has caused you. Yes, our engineers are aware of the said issue. Based on there last provided information. Arlo Pro will be having a new revised hardware version, currently this is in process but we have not been provided any ETA of the release of the revised hardware version. The current hardware version as said previously is H8. 

As of the moment this is the only information that we currently have but if you wish me to initiate a replacement for your camera I will be glad to do so but it will be the same current hardware version. I will add your case to our list of customer's affected and also provide you with an update as soon as we have an update from our engineering team."

[JPC]

It's been almost 90days now before going back to Costco and have it exchange again. I really thought this was my last return and maybe a keeper. I guess not. I have the 3-cam Pro kit. One is having an offline issue and the other is having a wifi signal deterioration issue. It has been a perfect system since then until now. Maybe it is indeed an unreliable Hardware? or there's an incompetent Employee(s) aka "Software Engineers" behind this whole operation that's making all our system strangely deteriorating? Oh well.. Sad indeed. I still do like the system though and I will go ahead and return/exchange it. 

[GearNetRouter]

I have the 3 cam kit from Costco as well. Added a NG outdoor AC adapter only. I do get the ticking noise (loud) when the outdoor charger is in use but it stops when the cam is 100% charged. After reading many threads I also notice a less audible not still noticeable ticking sound on live view and on the motion recordings. Other than, I have not had any disconnect issues. The library view is slow to load and I'm not sure if its due to my broadband but its not a deal breaker IMO. Also IFTT was flaky taking several days for rules to kick in, worked very well, then flaked out and doesn't work at all. Other than the factors I pointed out I have no other complaints. I don't understand the disconnects you folks are getting. My home is huge and my broadband is ordinary DSL and I have no problems with any cams disconnecting requiring battery pulls etc. Sometimes you may get one but just close the app and reopen. It's not a problem IMO.

[GearNetRouter]

I have the 3 cam kit from Costco as well. Added a NG outdoor AC adapter only. I do get the ticking noise (loud) when the outdoor charger is in use but it stops when the cam is 100% charged. After reading many threads I also notice a less audible but still noticeable ticking sound on live view and on the motion recordings. Other than, I have not had any disconnect issues. The library view is slow to load and I'm not sure if its due to my broadband but its not a deal breaker IMO. Also IFTT was flaky taking several days for rules to kick in, worked very well, then flaked out and doesn't work at all. Other than the factors I pointed out I have no other complaints. I don't understand the disconnects you folks are getting. My home is huge and my broadband is ordinary DSL and I have no problems with any cams disconnecting requiring battery pulls etc. Sometimes you may get one but just close the app and reopen. It's not a problem IMO.

[V8]

See I find that strange. You have a clear hardware fault, which is by all accounts a manufacturing defect. I'm not sure why anyone would accept a £500+ system with a defect and then just carry on using it?

The disconnects I can appreciate may well be a few things as the cause; consistent interference from other channels, camera not sync'd correctly to the base or as the case may be another hardware or software problem, but If it was only as simply as closing and re-opening the app though, Ive been through every possibility and again I'm going to have to remove the camera, and probably reset the system and re-attach the devices because In my experience so far its more than that and to be frank I'll be fecked if I have to spend another weekend having to start to climb ladders up the side of my house for a problem that shouldn't be there in the first place.

What happens if I'm away on holiday for a week, two weeks? Is this also acceptable if it 'just goes offline'

For the last three days I've been without a camera covering my drive because it went offline yet again, why you ask? because a) it's been heavy rain, b) because I work until post 7pm and c) the last thing I want to be doing is frigging around and getting stressed with cameras when I should be relaxing.

Just to also put this into context, I live in a highly desirable area for car theft and break-ins (which as of late has been rampant). I'm taking every measure possible, flood lights, house alarm, securing my doors with extra latches but equally CCTV. Could I honestly recommend this to people, do I feel I could rely on this in the unfortunate event it ocurrs or is attempted? right now, the very short, abrupt and resounding answer is no and I only when hell freezes over in respect to the recommendation.

[GearNetRouter]

Have you guys considered a better router? I just dont experience the connectivity issues you folks cite. Perhaps your router can't handle the video? If you are using a $50 router or the one that your broadband provider gave you on a $500 plus system its not gonna work. 

[DoriJC]

This is my router....it's not the problem

https://www.linksys.com/us/p/P-EA9300/

[V8]

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GearNetRouter wrote:

Have you guys considered a better router? I just dont experience the connectivity issues you folks cite. Perhaps your router can't handle the video? If you are using a $50 router or the one that your broadband provider gave you on a $500 plus system its not gonna work. 

---

Lol, I have a £300 Netgear AC5300 R8500 Nighthawk X8 Tri-Band WiFi Router and 250MB broadband. I'm running Cat5e throughout my house and have a Layer 3 Switch (not a hub) which my Arlo basestation is connected to. My throughput wired averages 215Mbps....for the few devices I do have using WiFi, most also operate on the 5Ghz channel so the chance of interference from these is low and even so I get anywhere between 50Mbps (2.4Ghz) and 160Mbps (5Ghz) throughput.

The router IS NOT the problem. Neither does the router have anything to do with most if not all of the issues in my post (and this is singularly one of my pet peeves with the 1st line people in Netgear when trying to isolate a problem in that most of them haven't a scooby doo what that are talking about)

The issue comes about with Netgear is when they run into someone that actually knows what they are talking about and sees through their BS.

[GearNetRouter]

I have NG router too. A good one but not a Ferrari like yours. lol

I just don't get any problems like the ones you have. Something flaky about your setup IMO.

[g3niu5]

Can you elaborate on the ticking issue I will try to replicate. I haven't noticed a tick on my pro's but it could be because I haven't paid close attention

[JPC]

On my Pro cams, the fast ticking/Jackhammer noise happens when powered & connected thru USB cable/Power Adapter with battery is half full or somewhat in charging mode while on "Live View" from App/Web. Just make sure your sound/volume is up.  Noise will dissipate but not totally when battery is fully charged. 

[V8]

There are very few platforms for customers to express their displeasure, so  would have expected at least by now, someone like @JamesC would have taken these questions and many of the others though the community manager route and start to make noise internally about the extent of these issues.

Definitely feels to me that there is a silo mentality going on in the business and the root causes and problems are not getting to the people that matter in order to expedite fixes i.e. the senior managment team or even the UK/US CEO.

It shows like of commitment and customer focus.

Next step is potentially CEO myself, or someone like BBC Watchdog 😛

[V8]

I'm UK, so I don't know what effect that would actually have, but thanks for the suggestion. I don't want to go to extremes I just want Netgear to recognise and acknowledge that other than a small percentage being resolvable for customers, that this is a widespread issue and clearly hardware defects or poor software development.

So I spent another morning of one of my weekends yesterday because I'm still getting 'not charging' and 'offline' issues taking both camers down, resetting the basestation, removing and re-adding the cameras and letting them discharge for a while.

One of the cameras has actually started to crack it appears around the thread because of the constant screw/unscrew in order to pull the battery (and no I am not miss-handling them, especially given the damn cost). The front camera appears to be working for the moment and I'm not getting the offline issue (it has only been a day though), but the rear garden camera is at 75% and will not charge, and I've tried changing the cable again; simply stating I need to use a genuine charging source (which as I've said above, I am)

This is disgusting quality for a £500+ system. I will be updating my already open ticket for the 'ticking' issue for an update to the HW9 RMA.

[GearNetRouter]

That's a terrible crack. I think the sun weakens the plastic over time and the dismount/ remount doens't help. From an enginnering standpoint, anytime you mate metal with plastic the weaker material will crack. They should have made the casing from carbon fiber or metal IMO and could have plasti dipped (or equivalent) IMO. 

I know what you mean, when touching the cams seems like you have to handle it like an egg. Also IP65 is not IP67. NG says waterproof but it is not IP67. http://www.budind.com/blog/2014/02/the-mysteries-of-ip-rated-enclosures-explained/ IMO, rainfall is closer to ingress of water and using IP65 casing is a defect in design warranting a recall and or refund for affected customers. Either that or don't stretch use of "waterproof" in marketing materials. Based on reading of the threads it seems most failures are from customers in heavy rainfall regions, and especially when the cam is not protected by any overhang.

[GearNetRouter]

The other problem is the so called protective silicone cover, especially a black one, heats up the fragile plastic casing. Black attracts heat as well. Another defect in design.

[V8]

I am astounded at this organisation and it's arrogance and lack of support.

@JamesC, I would appreciate it if you can please take some ownership and accountability here and pick this issue up as the only Netgear representative on the forum; I am tired of trying to get updates from the support team, and yet today Netgear have the audacity to release the Arlo Pro 2, when they can't even get the problems in the Arlo Pro resolved.

My last ticket update on 03/10 also heralds a really unbelievable response, in that the L2 support team have simply come back saying they are equally frustrated in getting an update from the engineering team. What I can't understand is why they lack the ability to speak to a manager!

I wrote to both Patrick Lo and Michael Falcon a few days back and I am yet to receive a reply (which doesn't surprise me), but safe to say I dont' expect one (just as an aside I actually recently had a personal reply from the CEO of Audi due to an ongoing problem with a new car I purchased, so it's it is not beyond people to show a little decency)

I actually feel like I have been cheated after today's announcement.

[JamesC]

I've escalated and requested an update on your case. Please refer to your open support case for more details.

JamesC

[V8]

@JamesC 

Thankyou.

I am unsure if your escalation has had anything to do with it, but the L2 team have finally escalated my case to a supervisor. Unfortunately, this is ~10 days after I actually asked initially within the ticket, so lets see what the outcome is.

N.B. Much to my delight I've just removed one of the cameras again due to non-charging and being as low as 7% battery; I've pulled the battery out, attached the camera to the indoor charger and it immediately shows as 29% battery? That is not normal.

[V8]

---

BensonBakes wrote:
Arlo is the WORST!!! I just purchased 8 Arlo cameras, and they are constantly having issues over the course of the 2 weeks that I've owned them. They're extremely unreliable, and it's very frustrating. They're either offline, not detecting motion, not recording, won't play live (I press "Live", the loading pinwheel shows up, and then the "Live" button just appears again), or displaying a pink hue. Worst pieces of crap ever!!!

---

I feel sorry for you, such an expense on an 8 camera system, but it doesn't stop there...

- Mounts

- Silicone Covers

- Genuine Indoor/Outdoor Power Adapters/Solar Panel (if it is in an incovenient spot)

You have to take it all into consideration, and these things are not cheap either in comparison to other products in the market. I can buy a hybrid wired/wifi CCTV 1080P system for sub £500/$670 and 4-5 cameras. Even if you go to Nest/Ubiquiti these are also cheaper (granted Nest has a subscription cost), but you have to weigh up the pros/cons. Personally I liked 'the idea' of Arlo, just the execution and my experience has been rather poor. When it works, it works well, but if like me you are placing some sort of reliance on them being up and available all the time, then this is what lets them down. It is further compounded by the difficult support process.

Lets just hope the Arlo Pro 2 has more sucess.

[V8]

Netgear have finally agreed to refund me the full cost + accessories, but can take up to 8 weeks to process apparently. Not that this helps me with having a working camera system; but ces't la vie.

For people that want to know, the next Arlo Pro (Gen1) release which fixes the ticking issue amongst other things is currently still in testing and there is no view as to when this will be available.

The Arlo Pro 2 for the UK market does not have a release date as yet (you can see the other thread on here under the Arlo 2 in respect to that), but is likely to be next year.

As a parting shot from this decision, it's nice to see my cameras have not let me down again.......

The camera below was at 29% battery this morning, has the outdoor charger plugged in, but still says' its not genuine. Logged on just now, showed as having 69% battery, still showed the charger wasn't genuine, came to look at the live view and hey presto...

[V8]

Follow on from yesterday; pulled the battery, no joy camera didn't come back online. Decided to take it down thinking the battery therefore may be flat (even though it as a charger plugged in permanently). Plugged it into the indoor charger:

It just defies belief. It is clearly being charged (sometimes) but reporting it's not using a genuine adapter, but how can it show less than 30% yesterday, 69% in the evening, then me plugging it in litterally 30s after taking it from the mount and it coming back online after plugging in the indoor charger with 60%. I really can't just explain how ...well...

EDIT:  I've just put the camera online, only moments after posting the above, 74%.....what...the...hell.