Arlo pro camera going offline, suspect battery

[262Jane]

We have two original Arlo cameras and one Pro. We left the originals on their base station and the Pro has its own. When I tried to pair the camera, it appeared that there was no battery power so I charged it, synced it, and out it went. The next morning, it was offline.

As I tried to troubleshoot, it appeared there was no battery power. I charged it but there was no response. I took the battery out, put it back in, and the camera went back online. I left it charging and went to bed. When I woke up, the camera was offline.

It has battery power IF the battery is good. Both inside and out, it is very close to the base station. The base station has connectivity and is online. When I charge the camera, the blue light blinks quickly then goes out. I understand there is supposed to be a solid blue light when it is charged but I have never seen that. When it was online and off the charger, it showed as having a full battery, if that is accurate.

I'm going through the questions here and it seems like I'm not the only one. Does anyone have any ideas as to what else I can do? I'm wondering if it's the battery but has anyone solved this? I'm really perplexed! I get it working then gremlins take it offline in the middle of the night 🙂

[Tdgolf]

I am having similar issues.  I have 2 new pros and if I put one outside it loses connection fairly quickly. I switch batteries and it's always the one battery Works just fine inside. 

[262Jane]

So it's always the same battery? Meaning if you put the "good" battery outside, it works? This is kind of depressing, I guess I should have waited before purchasing. The one I have was inside last night on the charger and still lost connectivity - it's about 6'-7' from the base station. I haven't heard back from tech support yet but hopefully whatever is going on is fixable.

[TomMac]

You could pull out the battery and leave it plugged in to see if the camera drops out on AC power only... you may have two issues at same time.

[262Jane]

That is an excellent idea! I will try it tonight. Am still hoping this gets resolved though I know it's under warranty so it will be resolved one way or another. I love having the 3rd camera though and want it operational!

[tcdesignsit]

I have the same issue. My outside camera works for a couple of days and then just randomly goes offline. I have a range extender very close by but it still keeps shutting off. 😞

[jguerdat]

The range/WiFi extender has no bearing unless it could be interfering with the connection between the camera and base. The WiFi connection for Arlo is not extendable.

[262Jane]

So that is another theory maybe. Our other base station is connected to an extender (Netgear) and operates off of that one. The pro base is connected to the router itself however there is an extender between the base station and the backdoor where the camera is. We don't need that extender, I will see if it works without it and maybe that is part of the problem. The actual distance from the camera to the router is 10' or less, with just a back door in between. The distance between the non-pro base and non-pro cameras is FAR greater and I'm surprised they have the range that they do.

My other option was to plug the base into the extender that is closest to the door but I'll see what happens if I remove the extender entirely.

[262Jane]

And.....nope! But now it doesn't want to sync or stay online with power alone. To get it to sync, I have to do this sync dance ritual (open case, close case, open case, remove battery, put battery back in, cross fingers) to get any kind of reaction so maybe it's the camera. Also, a full battery was 1/2 drained after a day of inactivity. I've tested two different batteries, removed the network extender, and tried to connect it to a different base.

So we will see! I know this works for other people.

Jane

[JamesC]

262Jane,

I have reviewed your case and it appears an RMA has been issued. Please let us know if this resolves the issue.

JamesC

[262Jane · Accepted solution]

JamesC, I think it is fixed! I was coming here to put that very info in here and to advise anyone iwth problems to contact support. It took a while of troubleshooting but we got the new camera last night. It arrived fully charged! The old one took over a day to charge then the battery was immediately drained despite the fact it was offline. It sync'd perfectly, no messing around with it. It has been online for over 12 hours and has been outside. This is behavior like my non-pro cameras, which was drama free 🙂 I am thrilled and thank you.

I updated the case with some RMA questions. I haven't heard back yet but want to get returns to you ASAP. Since I think you have the case #, can you make sure someone sees it? I was told on the phone what to send back however I want to make sure I get everything back to you that is required.

For everyone else, I think the problem is solved! After trying to narrow down what it could be, a new camera was finally shipped out. And the new one works! So it wasn't the range extender, the battery, the location to the base, etc. Just something to think about.

[dgian]

I have the same issue - and I have a extra battery - it seems when one replaces the battery it wants the "one it was powered on with" vs a "spare" - I have gone through 1.5 cycles, as in the first battery it was operating with is back in the charger 2nd time within 8 hr period to charge .. and it recharged within minutes - will advise shortly - if there is an easier solution vs going up on ladder few dozen times - please do post - as in should we remove the camera and readd it ?

(I enabled motion detetion-TEST, so the blue light goes on - but the camera won't ... and tried Position-Mode, comes back with orange alert ... )

[262Jane]

I would try tech support and keep at it until your case is escalated. I tried everything with mine - battery changing, base station changing, keeping the camera next to the base station, etc. I finally received a new camera and my problem was solved. No more trying to figure anything out, it worked the first time and has given me no problems since.

[jguerdat]

You can try the camera plugged in using the USB charger but that will likely only tell you which part is bad - the battery or the camera.