Arlo solar panel not charging. Shows Charging Fault error.

[wujo]

I've had an Arlo Solar Panel hooked up to my Arlo Pro camera for at least two months and everything was working fine.  It would charge up when the sun was out and surprisingly even when it was cloudy.  A few weeks ago we had some snow and the Camera showed a message saying that it couldn't charge because it was too cold.  Made sense to me.  After the snow cleared and back to the mid 40s temperature wise, it seems like the Solar Panel just stopped working.  Camera's battery doesn't charge when it normally would and when I take a look at the camera through the web, I get the following message - "A charging fault has been detected on <camera>.  Unplug and reconnect the charger from the camera side of the plug.  If this error message persists, see KB article for Charging Faults."

So I disconnected the camera from the Panel and tried troubleshooting it.  Unplugged and replugged into the Solar Panel and still get the same message.  Tried plugging the camera to the Arlo wall charger... camera charges up just fine.

Now I'm ripping my hair out trying to figure out what's going on and how to fix this.  Anyone have thoughts on what I can do to try and fix it?  Haven't had much luck with Arlo chat support.  They keep directing me to pages about charging that I've gone over at least 15 times.

[JPC]

Do a Reset/Update App/Web Login password Account.. Worth a try.. 

[konacam1]

looks like it's a hardware issue with either the camera or the panel... it's all netgear product so there shouldn't be any conflict with each other... sorry c ant be of any additional help.

[tomlin]

I had three Arlo Pro 2 and three solar panel sourced from three differenct distributor. Unfortunately they all had charging faulty problems no matter how many times I disconnect and mix them up. There was one time I happend to put a brand new micro-usb to micro-usb cables into the cameras and magic happened. The recharging resumed so I decided to purchase more cables to run a test. I bought CableCreation? from Amazon to replace Arlo original cables. Now they are perfectly working with solar panels and haven't showed any more faulty message so far. I believe the cables is the key and Netgear's original cables are faulty or not durable somehow.

[Redmoonstar]

Can you tell me the name of the cables you bought and are they outdoor ones that are suitable for rain? I had a problem with my solar panel giving me the fault after 3 days of rain. I took the panel down and bought it inside over night, plugged it into a different camera and it charged so I repositioned it back to the original camera and it has been working for the last 2 weeks.I would like to get some spare cables and I know netgear don't supply them. I live in Australia. Thanks for the help.

                                                            Monica

[sonnyr0]

I have this problem too, always happens after it rains.

im going to try another cable 1st to see if that works.

[tomlin]

It's CableCreation Micro USB to Micro USB cable, coiled MicroUSB OTG cable with GOld plated connector. You can find it on Amazon.

 

[jguerdat]

The catch is that they're not weather-sealed.

[sonnyr0]

So looks like there might be a small amount of water getting into the camera side. Let's see if some duck tape will sort it. Will report back after the next rain shower

[5g]

Thanks James!

Removing batteries, waiting 30 seconds to allow everything to discharge and reinserting batteries cleared the charging error.

The error may have been generated when I plugged the camera into the solar panel while the panel was in full sun.

I have the Arlo Go and the Netgear solar panel.

For those having connection issues due to rain or humidity, I would recommend Dow Corning 4 Electrical compound.  It is a grease that protects the electrical contacts from moisture and oxidation.  It is recommended for all electrical connections.

I filled both cable ends, solar panel, and camera connectors with the grease.

Joel

[Damien1526]

I have only had my solar panel for 2 weeks, and already having this problem. How can the cable go bad so fast?

[jguerdat]

It's not necessarily the cable going bad. An important step is to ensure that the cable is properly and fully inserted on both ends to prevent moisture from entering. It can be a real pain to ensure the connection is watertight so take the time to check it out. If the issue is still happening, you may need to remove the cable to let things dry out and then reconnect.

[drjohns2000]

I have the same problem off and on with my Arlo Solar panels.  On cloudy days they say Charging Fault.. They won't reset with power cycles unless it's a very sunny day again.  This needs to be fixed!  Maybe as easy as the software at least trying to reset the error every hour or so.  It's rediculuous to have your customers have to reset batteries and cables when there's a cloudy day.  We should be able to stick this product on top of a 100 foot pole and not touch it!  So far, all 4 of my panels have recovered from this error, but it's VERY annoying to have to keep climbing up a ladder to unplug the cameras and plug them back in while pulling the battery out.  

[5g]

My arlo go locked up after 3 days.  After I disconnected from the solar panel and brought inside, the unit powered on normally and within a minute or so, new firmware was downloaded to the arlo.

My unit is mounted on an antenna mast and the charging signal is susceptible to stray rf, induced voltage surges, and galactic cosmic rays which are on the increase.

I added two ferrite torroids to the charging cable to reduce charging spikes.  Voltage spikes on the charging cable will cause sensitive electronics to "lock-up".  The torroids should be as close to the arlo as possible and have as many turns as possible.

Also, while I had the unit down, I applied a light coating of Dow Corning 4 to the battery contacts.  Also reapplied 4 to both ends of charging cable.

Joel

[sonnyr0]

Update from me. Seems like water was the problem. Duct tape is working so far. We had some heavy rain and the unit is managing to charge in between the rain. Looks like the cable is not as water tight as it should be.

[dsfenton]

Bought 2 panels yesterday.  Charged fine at first.  This morning one was throwing the incompatible charger error.  Got the ladder, put it up and took down the camera and panel.  Unplugged both ends of the cord, blew them out (though I know there was no moisture as it's summer in Oregon) and reseated the plugs HARD.  Layed the setup on the hood of my truck and checked the website.  Panel is charging again.  From all the posts with problems with these panels I can, from experience almost guarantee 100% that it's the connectors/plugs that are the problem.  I'll followup in another 24 hours.

[Jeffwin1668]

Hello,

I have the same issue. I bought the Arlo Pro 2 cameras with the Solar Panel package recently and at first the solar panel was charging fine.  After a rainy day, it had the charging error message and it was charging on and off and now it does not charge at all. 

I have already unplug and cleaned and plug it back serveral times but it still does not charge.  Not sure if it is the solar panel or just the cable itself.  Can I get a replacement cable anywhere to try or do I need to buy directly from Net gear.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks...

[JamesC]

Jeffwin1668,

If unplugging the connection and reinserting did not resolve the issue. I encourage you to contact the Arlo Support team to further investigation the issue.

JamesC

[chap1]

so basically if there is bad weather the cable that charging the arlo camera from the solar panel breaks down for it self/stop chargeing the camera. so where do you get the cable to buy

[dsfenton]

Solar panel solar charging followup:

Over a month now and still working.  I'm certain that if you don't REALLY push the connectors into the panel and camera you are going to have problems.  I'm not looking forward to our rain beginning this fall but I'm curious to see what happens then.  Should a problem arise, I'll followup.  I would mention that these panels need pretty direct sunlight to function.  I've noticed even with the sun out if they are not in direct sunlight they aren't charging.  Probably worthless here in Oregon during the winter.

[jguerdat]

I've had panels work fine in open shade - don't charge much but they indicate a connection with minimal charging.

I agree 100% with the connector seating observation. It's easy to not seat them properly - use moderate force. I've had problems with water infiltration due to bad seals and/or improper seating (sometimes it's hard to tell). When properly seated/sealed, I've had no issues with even heavy rain.

[Debjp]

We also have this problem. The camera and solar panel are only a few months old.

[JamesC]

Debjp,

Consider the following:

-disconnect the power cable from the camera and the solar panel

-open the battery compartment door and remove the battery

-replace the battery and close the battery compartment door, be sure the door is closed tightly

-reconnect the charging cable to the camera and the solar panel, make sure the connecting is tight and secure

-check your mobile app to see if you experience the same error message.

JamesC

[BLangcell]

Hi, what competitor solar panel did you find that worked with the arlo pro ?

[trofeo1959]

Same problem as everyone else. I guess they have issues with the Solar Panel or cameras. I have 4 panels and 3 of them are not working and giving charging errors. I will start sending things back as well. Defective.

[ShayneS]

trofeo1959,

Have you tried contacting customer support? I have attached the link for you here - Arlo Tech Support