Arlo Pro camera issues: camera offline, field of view to name a few

[MCADVENTURES]

This topic seems to run deep - I haven't had my setup for very long so learning as I go along here.  I finally found were you can adjust the length of recordings...whew - took a lot of googling after I exhausted just looking for it in the app/web page.

Okay - first off, I have one of my cameras screw mounted up high above my front door.  I can see my yard, sidewalk, and a small portion of the street (enough to be able to identify a car if neeeded).  The base is sitting inside about 20 feet (or less) away, and I keep getting "camera off-line" on that particular camera.  The other camera has this periodically, and I have to take the battery out and hit the SYNC button.  This seemed to start when I added a USB drive in the back of the base.  

It is frustrating as this camera is the most important one, and it's unrealistic to carry a ladder around, climb up, open the door and pull the battery out to SYNC it every couple of days.  I had to update the firmware out of the box - so I know the firmware on all cameras is up to date.  

I am so frustrated and disappointed in having to reset and SYNC the cameras so often.

Also - on another thread, I read that having too big/wide of an area "field of view" will burn up the sensors, can anyone elaborate on this?  I'm wondering if the field of view is set too wide for this front view camera.  I set it this way because of the lag discussed in other areas, hoping that widening the field of view would capture someone BEFORE the leave the field of view. 

And lastly, again I read that not using an Arlo accessory (screw mount) can destroy your camera, can anyone elaborate on this?  I have several mounts from the cameras that I replaced with the Arlo (ZMODO) which appear to screw into the Arlo Pro just fine - wondering if the magnet aspect of the camera has something to do with this.

I had planned to increase the number of cameras, but so far I am not impressed with the ones I have.

Thanks in advance for your comments/advice.

[jguerdat]

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MCADVENTURES wrote:

Okay - first off, I have one of my cameras screw mounted up high above my front door.  I can see my yard, sidewalk, and a small portion of the street (enough to be able to identify a car if neeeded).  The base is sitting inside about 20 feet (or less) away, and I keep getting "camera off-line" on that particular camera.  The other camera has this periodically, and I have to take the battery out and hit the SYNC button.  This seemed to start when I added a USB drive in the back of the base.  

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It may be an interference/blockage issue.  Some house construction (stucco springs to mind) uses materials and/or structures such as a wire mesh that will block the WiFi signal between the base and camera.  2.4GHz wireless (not necessarily WiFi) interference can also be an issue. Try swapping cameras around to see if the issue follows the camera or the location.

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 Also - on another thread, I read that having too big/wide of an area "field of view" will burn up the sensors, can anyone elaborate on this?  I'm wondering if the field of view is set too wide for this front view camera.  I set it this way because of the lag discussed in other areas, hoping that widening the field of view would capture someone BEFORE the leave the field of view. 

No, the sensor isn't going to burn up. My original and Pro cameras have been running continuously for a couple of years with no problem.

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And lastly, again I read that not using an Arlo accessory (screw mount) can destroy your camera, can anyone elaborate on this?  I have several mounts from the cameras that I replaced with the Arlo (ZMODO) which appear to screw into the Arlo Pro just fine - wondering if the magnet aspect of the camera has something to do with this.

You can use virtually any mount with a 1/4"-20 thread with no issue. The only thing to take note of is the length of the threaded socket in the camera and not to try screwing it in too far - just until it bottoms out. The magnet has nothing to do with this.

Sounds like you've keyed in on some bogus information, whether from competitors or disgruntled users.

[MCADVENTURES]

I believe the info on nonArlo /Netgear accessories/parts is just fear marketing.

The camera that is mounted remains off-line.  Will switch out with another camera this evening.  May even relocate it while I'm up on the ladder.  It is drilled into some cheap faux wood siding, to the best of my knowledge, not special building materials involved.  It works fine for a couple days but when it goes offline, it goes offline until I climb up and reset it/switch out the battery.

Also noticing battery life is extremly short.  Based on my week (a little over) ownership, I've recharged the batteries twice. There is NO way these batteries hold a charge for six months or a year.  I have the sensitivity set to 100% because of the lag time to capture someone walking across my front lawn, but it also captures cars driving by.  My neighbors have asked me if it captures this kind of data, which in the event of a situation, could help somebody....however, I need to stay focused on helping "me"...and not capture every car that goes by.

Anyway - the other camera is just sitting inside the house capturing the silly antics of my pets....and that battery is going down FAST - for obvious reasons.

I don't know.  This seems to be more of an indoor setup than an outdoor setup.  Not sure what happened to my old  wired zmodo camera system but it sure was nice to be able to turn on the TV and tune in and see what was going on without the headache or worry that my camera went offline.

Thank you for the suggestions, will try the suggested remedies and see what happens.  I am also going to reboot my router just for the heck of it.