Arlo Pro-unable to view stream via Google Home

[Goody1926]

My new Arlo Pro is setup (including software/Firmware updates) and working properly for all features and functions except one.  I cannot access the stream via Google home.  Google Home responds "it looks like the stream is currently unavailable from the Arlo."  I have tried other names for the camera but I am just using Arlo as the name right now.  Google Home thinks for a few seconds before giving me the stream not available response.  I have searched and searched and I cannot find any other topics or comments specifically on my issue.  I have reset all of my devices including the router, the camera, the Arlo base station, and the Google Home device.  I have unlinked and relinked the Arlo account a couple times within Google Home.  All the places where you can have names or nicknames for the camera all have the identical name of Arlo.  I do not know what else to do.  Everything else including access from PC, mobile devices all working fine.  That would be enough but the only reason I bought the Arlo was to be able to use with Google Home after confirming that Google Home supported Arlo, Arlo had integrated Google Home, and many community members had successfully viewed their video on their cast device.  Thank you for any feedback.

[Helbert]

I have the same problem. I bought the station and 3 Arlo Pro cameras. I configured it correctly. Cameras are set up on Google Home. No voice commands are accepted by Google Home. I can not arm / disarm the alarm and I can not see the camera on the chromecast.
If I can not, I will return the product and buy Nest.

[daveplotty]

I bought the Chromecast with the hope this feature would work. So far it's driving me mad with it saying unavailable to stream

[Goody1926]

I just setup IFTTT to arm and disarm Arlo using Google Home and it works fine.  I can see the Arlo toggle between the two settings whenever I tell Google Home to arm or disarm.  So Google Home certainly knows Arlo is there and can command it.  So now I know at least that Home is truly partially connected to the Arlo.  It does not change things for me if the unavailable stream bug cannot be corrected somehow.  If there was a way to diagnose the unavailable stream and point to some other interface as the problem such as the router then I could proceed from there.  At least then I would know it was a problem with my system and not Google/Arlo.  It should work out of the box but I understand it is not a perfect world and many things have to work together perfectly.  My equipment and probably the others with this problem is modern and uncustomized off the shelf name brand.  I want to keep the Arlo and use it fully with Google Home as it is marketed to do so.  So I am not giving up just yet.  I chatted with Google and opened a ticket so we will see if that goes anywhere.

[Goody1926]

As a side note I am not that versed in IFTTT so likely being able to arm/disarm the Arlo bypasses any direct connection from Arlo to Google Home and just uses HTTP commands or something through the Arlo account.  It may only prove that the Arlo is accessible via IFTTT using Google Home.

[Goody1926]

Does anyone know if Google Home just connects to the web based stream to show on a Chromecast?  Or does it grab the stream over the LAN?

[greenall]

I have the exact same problem.

I was able to add the arlo account to my google home, but no matter what I do, Google home tells me that the stream from the camera is unavailable.

I really hope they get the kinks ironed out with this feature.  Has anyone gotten it to work?

[greenall]

Just to update I spent about an hour on a chat line with google home trying to get this to work with no success.   The support agent finally had to just open a ticket and escallate the issue internally.

[Helbert]

Thank you, greenall. Hopefully your action will result in updating and solving the problem for all of us. Give us news. Greetings.

[Goody1926]

I tried to start something with Netgear support this evening but I was not successful.  The first agent I talked to did not know what Google Home was so she attempted to transfer me to another area or level.  I was not sure what she called it.  I waited on hold for about 25 minutes then she came back on and said they had too many callers and I would have to get a call back.  I wanted to continue to wait but she said they could not keep the line open and I would be called back.  I asked to be called back with first available slot this evening but no call back.  I will try again tomorrow but not being familiar with Netgear support I'll try to open some type of ticket or something.

[Goody1926]

Well lo and behold something just changed.  I tried one more time this late night to stream and it worked for all of two seconds.  It said HA Cast for a couple seconds in middle of screen then a progress bar at bottom saying Remote casting.  The video stream appeared then a spinning circle bottom left of screen appeard for a few seconds then it went all black.  I stopped casting and tried again.  This time same sequence but the video stream remained active for several seconds then froze on an image of where the camera was pointing.  While frozen Google thinks it is listening to remote casting.  The base station internet indicator is blinking fairly rapidly this whole time while frozen as if data is still being pumped through but Chromecast is not processing a stream.  The TV screen eventually moved off the frozen image to an HA Cast Camera screen and the base station indicator stopped blinking at the same time.  I tried it a few more times and finally it remained a steady steam but with a 12 second delay.  

So I have no idea why all of a sudden it started to work.  For all I know it may stop again later today or it may be fine. 

Prior to it working I had spent several hours changing router settings, unlinking and relinking Arlo to Google Home, changing Wifi networks between 5 and 2.4, changing time zones and other things I do not even remember.  But at each minor change I would try it and get the same result.  In the end all settings were returned to the same value at the start of this journey.  I took about an hour break and tried one last time and then it worked.

It has now worked each time through about 15 cycles albeit with the 12 second from real time stream delay.  I guess my outlook has improved some but reliability is still crucial and can I live with the 12 second delay.  I will keep testing it for the next several days and I will just have to wait and see.

Also I just noticed an email that my call into Netgear support did end up generating a ticket number.

[greenall]

Mine is working now as well.

[Goody1926]

Great to hear greenall!  Do you have any stream delay?

[greenall]

Yep. About a 10-15 second delay.

[Helbert]

Okay. Mine's back up, too. Also it has a delay of 15 seconds. Thanks.

[ralfyguy1]

Not working here. No command works.

[Goody1926]

Same here.  Responds with the looks like stream is unavailable.  Hopefully it is temporary and won't require a ticket or case opened.  You never know or can even figure out who is at fault whether Google or Netgear side.

[ralfyguy1]

Same "Looks like the stream is unavailable" message here. The official instructions from Arlo what to say sounds very simple. As usual from Arlo, it doesn't work like that. I have no idea who does the testing there. They must be constantly drunk.

[Goody1926 · Accepted solution]

Fortunately mine started working again late last night.

[ralfyguy1]

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@Goody1926 wrote:

Fortunately mine started working again late last night.

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UNfortunately mine now says "Unable to process command" on EVERY command I give. This whole thing is just a joke and a useless non functioning gimmick. If one has to waste so much time to figure out how to say it right, might as well just log in and do it manually. Why does stuff never get tested before releasing big promises. DON'T tell me this got tested at all!

[Goody1926]

I got the same unable to process command error too when I first asked Home to show the Arlo last night.  However I told Home to show me the weather on the family room TV and it accepted that command and then subsequently all further commands.  I then tried the Arlo feed again and this time it accepted the command and began streaming.  Go figure.  Sometimes it just does not make sense so I fully expect it to flat out not work at times and the only hope is that it ends up working more often than not.  Hopefully in the long run further progress will be made.