Arlo pro 3 camera won't connect to base at all

[wanttofish]

Followed direction exactly. Level 1 & 2 couldn't figure it out. Exchanged system for another 3 camera pro and still won't sync. Cameras won't connect to base at all with 2 systems. HELP???

[Streak2]

Make sure that the device runing the app. eg. your phone or web browser using https://arlo.netgear.com/ is on the same network as the base.

click new system setup on the app.. then follow directions.

Press sync. button on the base for about 2 seconds, sync status led will blink green

then press the sync button on the camera for about 2 seconds.

AFter first a slow blink of the blue led and then a rapid blink, the camera will be sync'd.

Amber led means you were not successful and must try again.

Repeat for the next camera.

[wanttofish]

I did that but all 3 cameras won't sync. Base station right green light just blinks slowly until it stops and camera blue lights eventually flash fast yellow. App installed on Android phone. Level 1 & 2 could figure this out either.

[Streak2]

Try and redo this using the browser URL. As mentioned important that the base and the device handling the installation are on the same network.

[wanttofish]

What do you mean "do it with the url"? Also smart phone with arlo app installed and base unit are on the same home WiFi network.

[Streak2]

Open a browser eg. Chrome, Firefox etc. on a computer attached to the same network as the base (wifi or ethernet)

enter https://arlo.netgear.com/ and then continue the setup there. Trying eliminate an Android app, issue on your phone by installing not using the app.

[jguerdat]

Make sure you're pressing the base sync button briefly - don't hold it.  Also, what LEDs are lit on the base and what color?

[wanttofish]

Thanks. I only press the sync buttons very briefly. Just press and release. The left and center lights on the base unit are steady green. The right is off on base unit. The right base unit light flashes green after pressing sync button. Both right light on base unit and camera sync lights just flash until they stop. (camera sync light flashing blue to very fast yellow then stops)

[jguerdat]

Try resetting the base by removing it from Settings, My Devices and start fresh. Any luck?

[wanttofish]

I did that a few times with no luck.    I took the 3 camera arlo pro system to another home. I was able to connect the base and sync all 3 cameras and see the video on my smartphone. The 3 cameras did a firmware update while connected to the other home network. This other home network uses the same internet service provider and cable modem. When I got home, I tried to connect it to my network that I'm having the problems with and it didn't work again. Someone on these message board suggested to someone else to disconnect all other wireless connected divices to my wifi router and try it that way. I think thats rediculous to have to do. So if that worked and Cameras had to be resynced, I'll have to do that every time? takes too much time. I have 10-11 devices connected to my home network using a brand new Netgear wifi router (nighthawk x4s  ac2600) . This router should be able to handle this amount of devices. This is the 2nd system I'm about to return because of the cameras not syncing to the base. I give up....... Any last suggestions???

[jguerdat]

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wanttofish wrote:

I did that a few times with no luck.    I took the 3 camera arlo pro system to another home. I was able to connect the base and sync all 3 cameras and see the video on my smartphone. The 3 cameras did a firmware update while connected to the other home network. This other home network uses the same internet service provider and cable modem. When I got home, I tried to connect it to my network that I'm having the problems with and it didn't work again. Someone on these message board suggested to someone else to disconnect all other wireless connected divices to my wifi router and try it that way. I think thats rediculous to have to do. So if that worked and Cameras had to be resynced, I'll have to do that every time? takes too much time. I have 10-11 devices connected to my home network using a brand new Netgear wifi router (nighthawk x4s  ac2600) . This router should be able to handle this amount of devices. This is the 2nd system I'm about to return because of the cameras not syncing to the base. I give up....... Any last suggestions???

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That would be ridiculous but it's a troubleshooting step to see what, if anything, is causing the issue.  Until you nail that down, it's all guesswork.  Since it worked fine in a different home, it's something about your environment, whether due to WiFi interference, faulty networking gear (including the modem), etc., etc.  One thing you didn't mention was your upload speed as measured at speedtest.net.

[wanttofish]

Speedtest numbers are

56 down

20-30 up.

[jguerdat]

That's more than fine.  The residual issue is likely interference.  If this is happening to most/all of the cameras, it would seem that the location of the base is the pertinent issue.  Check for other wireless devices near the base to see if their signals could be interfering.  Try moving the base to the end of the cable length or even using a long cable temporarily to see if that fixes the issue.  If so, you can use a WiFi extender with an Ethernet port to connect the base in a different location or run that long cable so it's out of the way.

[wanttofish]

I tried moving the base station to the end of the ethernet cable to get the base as far as I could away from where it was and no luck. All 3 cameras still wouldnt connect. How much is a wifi extender?

[Streak2]

Have you run wifi analyzer (Android) or similar to get a picture of what wireless signals are running on what channels in your general area?

As an experiment disconnect some or all of the other wifi devices in your home and see if you are then able to get things working. If success then, reconnect one at a time until you have failure.

When you connect the base to your router if you go into the web interface of the router can you see the base as a connected device?

Is your nighthawk x4s  ac2600 connected to another ISP supplied router? If so try and connect the base directly to that router instead of to the nighthawk.

[wanttofish]

Thank you. I'm grateful for your help but some of this is beyong my technical expertice. Wifi analyzer? not sure what that is. Netgear wifi router is plugged into the isp modem. no other wifi router. I disconnected devices down to 5-6 from 11 and cameras still wouldnt sync to base. Some devices I'm not disconnecting from my router because its a pain. I don't want to return the 2nd Arlo system but it's looking like I'm going to have to. I'm giving Negear's level 2 tech support another try but if they can't fix this, the system is going back. What a shame.

[wanttofish]

WHen the base was connected to my wifi router, i did see it connected to my router via my smart phone in settings under wifi.

[Streak2]

OK, don't worry about the wifi analyzer.

Is your ISP box purley a modem or is it a router as well? What's the model number?

How many etherent ports does it have?

What I want to try is connecting the base directly to the ISP modem if that is possible.

It could be possible that nighthawk is doing some blocking. Do you have any other old router that you could use in place of the nighthawk just to test?

[wanttofish]

My modem is an "Arris" and it has only 1 ethernet port. I would be able to connect the base unit directly to it. As far as trying another router, the Netgear Nighthawk router that I have now which is brand-new, I bought as a new router because when I first got the Arlo Pro 3 camera system I was using my old router which I got five or six years ago. That first router I was using with the Arlo system is a Belkin N600 wifi router and the system didn't work with that either. I thought something might be wrong with my old Belkin router (being 5+years old) so I bought the new Netgear router thinking since Arlo is a Netgear product, I should buy a Netgear router but obviously that thinking didn't work. Netgear Arlo technical support level 1 and level 2, tried to troubleshoot this problem of the camera's not connecting to the base unit using my old Belkin N600 router. After they couldn't get that to work I bought the new Wi-Fi router which I needed anyway, hoping it would fix the connectivity issue which it did not. That's why I'm hoping when I speak to Netgear technical support level 2, using a Netgear brand new router, they might be able to figure this out.

[Streak2]

OK. Very well done for persevering!

So now that two routers have been tried, the only common denominator is the Arris modem. As a long shot, have you tried doing a power cycle of the Arris?

I have my doubts that there is a wifi interference problem. There are certain ports that need to be open for Arlo to work, these are usually open by default but it could just be that that's what's wrong. When you do speak to support, also them if that could be the issue.

[wanttofish]

I'm trying, I'm trying. Lol. I've rebooted the Arris modem a few times along with each of the 2 WiFi routers I've used and no luck. I called my isp to see if they have a modem with 2 or more either net posts. They don't. Someone suggested to run 2 WiFi routers keeping the Arlo system solo on one of them. Since the modem only has 1 either net port, I can't even try that unless there is a eithernet port splitter that would work without causing further problems. Don't know bout this idea. Just repeating it.

Now for the certain ports that need to be open. I think (?) Arlo support tried that but I'm not sure. I remember reading on another post that posts 443 (?) and 80 have to be open? If a port has to be open, why would it be closed? Are these ports on the WiFi router? I hope I'm making sense because I'm starting to confuse myself. Lol.

[wanttofish]

The ports that should be open, are they on the Internet modem? Is that something I can call my internet service provider and have them open a specific port or ports? If you know, opening up a port or ports that are closed, is that going to expose me to any type of hacking or spam or malware or viruses? When I brought my Arlo 3 camera system to another person's house to try it there , they had the same Arris modem and internet service provider that I use now. Thinking that the same ports would be open or closed on their Arris modem and mine since it's the same modem, same ISP, why would it have worked at the other person's house and not mine? I really appreciate your help because this is all new to me

[Streak2]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Yes, you can contact your ISP to make sure that those ports are open. 

No, the ports that Arlo require are very standard and don't leave you open to hacking.

This may not be the problem in your case but having tried virtually everything else it's all that I can think of.

See this post here

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo/Arlo-Base-Station-VMB3010-not-connecting-to-web/td-p/984369

[wanttofish]

No worries. I'm grateful for your help. I want to confirm which modem ports have to be open for Arlo to work. What are they?

[Streak2]

All the ports Arlo uses, 80, 123 and 443, are outgoing ports.  The system makes a request and gets a response due to the open session.  Some setups block those outgoing ports and that's what can cause problems.