Arlo Pro cameras goes offline all the time: issues with Wi-Fi modem going idle?

[Smrobot]

I have the 3 cameras arlo pro system. The cameras all go offline after a period of time on the app. I can still see the base station status and send a signal to reboot it. I am wondering if the modem Wi-Fi settings are dropping the connection to the cameras? Has anyone tested with their modems2om their Wi-Fi idle sleep settings?

[jguerdat]

While it's possible the base is faulty, there's also a possibility there's some 2.4GHz interference near the base that's causing this. Some folks have moved their base further away from the router with some success - have you tried this?

[Smrobot]

This is worth a try. the base station is next to the modem at the moment. I'll try varying the distance and report back.

[Delboyii]

i see a lot of references to 'WiFi Interference' in the forum and do not understand why this is considered to be a problem? I fully understand Radio Frequency management and WiFi techology and the suggestion that issues arise due to interference between WiFi devices does not make sense, unless the devices are extremely close together.

The 802.xx standard is by design very fault and interference tolerant, with the volume of traffic being generated by the Arlo cameras during standby, it is highly unlikely that that this is the root cause to a problem, if it is then it would suggest the Netgear implementation of their device communication protocols is seriously flawed, which I doubt given their background in this area.

Whilst I understand the reasons for not providing a web interface into the Arlo base station it would help if Netgear provided at least read only access to the various metrics that must be generated by the system to assist in trouble shooting.  Working with a closed system is fine, providing it really is fault tolerant but to market a solution that is effectively a black box and built to a price would seem to be a compromise that is not working.

I am currently trying to solve a problem that arose following no chanegs being made to the system where all four of my Arlo Pro cameras intermittently drop offline and are draining the batteries at an unusual rate. What is annoying is the cameras still trigger and record alerts, show full strength WiFi (I have them around and RV so no hard obstructions anywhere) yet appear offline for a few inutes or hours and not all at the same time.

[jguerdat]

The interference issue is not only from WiFi but other devices that use the 2.4GHz band. If the signal is strong enough to cause a device to have to struggle to maintain a useful connection, all bets are off.  A simple issue I have is with my Soundcast Outcast portable speaker which uses a 2.4GHz transmitter connected to the stereo system AUX outputs to wirelessly connect to the speaker. If a phone is using the 2.4GHz WiFi band nearby the sound will be interrupted. My solution is to try to move as many phones as possible to the 5GHz band when using the speaker.

[Delboyii]

Understood and accept that any streaming protocol would be sensitive to very significant RF interference but the data we are talking about is minuscule and should not be particularly sensitive to drop outs.

The number of references in the forum to interference are unwarranted, if WiFi was this sensitive to interference it would never have become as prevalent as it has.

[Treyaxx]

Was there any resolution to this? I have been experiencing the same issue for months now and calling Netgear has not resolved anything (other than being able to memorize their over the phone troubleshooting steps).

[jguerdat]

What exactly have you tried? How/where are the various components of the system installed? What 2.4GHz devices are in use in your environment?

[Treyaxx]

I currently have a two camera Arlo Pro set up. Cam #1 is about 20 feet from base station and Cam # 2 is about 15 feet away. The cameras themselves are approximately 15 feet apart from each other.
The only 2.4Ghz devices running are the Arlo cameras and my modem/router.
All my phone calls are the same steps. Remove battery and sync. Put camera next to base station and sync. Reset base station and sync. Eventually, one of these steps work and they act as if the problem is permanently resolved, until a camera randomly goes offline for no reason.
My cameras were fine for their first 8 months, but since then, they randomly go on and offline (for 6 months now)

[jguerdat]

Don't forget that other non-WiFi devices also use the 2.4GHz spectrum. Those can be  problem. It's also possible that you have a hardware problem that can only be solved by opening a case with support here.

[Treyaxx]

I have several cases that have been closed simply because the camera has not gone offline before the case was automatically closed. Apparently Netgear doesn't see the trend.
At any rate, switching cam1 with cam2 worked this time, however that makes sense. Both have been online with no issue since.

[Treyaxx]

I have several cases that have been closed simply because the camera has not gone offline before the case was automatically closed. Apparently Netgear doesn't see the trend.
At any rate, switching cam1 with cam2 worked this time, however that makes sense. Both have been online with no issue since.

[Treyaxx]

I spoke too soon....offline 17 minutes ago. I guess I'm calling again when I get home.

[jguerdat]

You can keep the case open by simply replying to it every few days. That way it doesn't get automatically closed due to lack of interaction.