In Spite of "Fixes" My Base Station (VMB4000r3) Still Shows Offline

[MtnDog69]

I've tried everything.  

Rebooted multiple times.

Powered off multiple times.

Factory reset multiple times.  

Left LED solid green.  Center LED flashing intermittently.  Right LED off (because I am unable to add cameras).

Any suggestions?

[DannyBearAgain]

Had you confirmed that the base station was factory resetting, flashing amber LEDs?

After the factory reset did you remove the Base station from the account my devices list in the app settings?

[MtnDog69]

Yes to both.

[MtnDog69]

I should also add that it fails when the base station attempts to search for a firmware update.

[DannyBearAgain]

When you get to update the firmware request, try not updating and see if the base will get added anyway.

[MtnDog69]

First off, thanks for your assistance.  

I have selected "try again later" after I get the "checking for firmware update failed."

My base station shows in the Arlo app and online, but the screen displays, "Your Arlo device appears offline," and that's where I'm stuck.

[DannyBearAgain]

So if the base station is showing in the app as online you should be able to access the info menu to see what firmware version is displayed. You also have the option to force it to update.

Check against the latest release information thread below.

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Firmware-Release-Notes/bd-p/arlo-release-notes 

If the camera’s are showing they are offline you will likely need to resync them using the base and camera sync buttons, pressing base sync for 2sec then camera for same or remove the cameras from your account and add them back.

[MtnDog69]

Thank you for your response.  

The only thing that I can view in the app is the serial number of the base station.  No option to see the firmware release number, or to update it.  

I know this odd behavior, but I have tried everything I can think of.    

I synced three cameras to the base station, but they don't show in the app or on the website.    

Now the left LED is solid green, middle LED flashes intermittently, and the right LED is solid green. 

I restarted the base station for the heck of it, and it didn't do anything.   

Strange stuff indeed.  

[DannyBearAgain]

It does suggest that your arlo account has lost connection to the base station somehow.

The green camera led showing suggests that the cameras have synced to the base ok. I wonder if you can get notifications from the camera now?

May this point you could wait a day or two for the arlo server to catch-up with the changes and push a firmware update during the next schedule.

You may need to seek arlo customer support to trigger the base firmware update manually.

Sounds like to me a good little money earner.

[MtnDog69]

I concur with your assessment.  

It looks like my base station is communicating to the Arlo servers, but I can't see the base station or the cameras on the app or online.  

I don't get any notifications from the cameras.  

I tend to agree with you that I will probably have to pay for Arlo Secure so I can communicate with a person from Arlo support, which is extremely frustrating.  

[Arlodl]

Sigh...I'm having the same problem. Which, btw, started right after I updated my arlo app. Coincidence?

[MtnDog69]

I suspect you experienced the same issues that I have over the past several months.  

It seemed like each time there was a firmware upgrade or some other modification to the Arlo environment, my cameras would go offline for several days and then start working again.  

I am willing to tolerate the cameras going offline from time to time, but not for extended periods of time.

The sad part is there is no way for me to communicate this to Arlo because I don't pay for a subscription.  I did direct message one of the Arlo personnel that I have seen on some of the forums, but he has not replied.

I hate to admit this, but I have ordered a refurbished VMB4540 from Arlo that I can return for free.  I am going to install it and see if this resolves the problem, and I will provide an update. 

I shouldn't have to pay $70 to fix what was a functional system, but I am willing to do this to see if whatever Arlo did to our base stations is what is causing this.  It seems like Arlo was able to resolve the issues with the newer base stations.  

[JamesC]

MtnDog69,

Take a look here for LED behavior definitions: https://kb.arlo.com/000039100/What-do-the-LEDs-on-my-Arlo-SmartHub-or-Base-Station-mean

It seems this could be a hardware related failure. Have you tried swapping out the ethernet cable and/or connecting the ethernet cable to a different port on your router?

JamesC

[MtnDog69]

JamesC, 

Thanks for your response.  

I have reviewed the LED behavior definitions many times, and I truly believe my base station is communicating with Arlo somehow, but I can't get a response back.

I find it curious that the base station worked nearly flawlessly prior to the recent firmware and app updates.  I suspect these changes have created the issue myself and others are experiencing.  

Per your suggestion, I changed the Ethernet cable and port that the base station was connected to.  I also did a hard reset to see if that helped. 

After making the changes and doing the reset, my base station is still exhibiting the same behavior that I previously mentioned. 

Any other suggestions.? 

[JamesC]

MtnDog69,

After factory resetting, are you also removing the base station from your account and then adding it as if it were new?

Full instructions here: https://kb.arlo.com/1057976/How-can-I-reset-my-Arlo-SmartHub-or-base-station-to-the-default-values

JamesC

[MtnDog69]

That's correct.

[MtnDog69 · Accepted solution]

Bottom line up front:  apparently the update Arlo pushed to the VMB4000r3 "broke" my base station, and the replacement base station that I purchased has solved my problem. 

The refurbished Arlo VMB4500-100NAR arrived today.

I installed it via the app and during the setup it downloaded and installed the latest firmware.

After that I was able to pair all of my cameras to the base station, and everything is back to normal. 

Super frustrating that I had to pay $70 for a refurbished base station to replace the VMB4000r3 that I am fairly confident Arlo "broke" via a flawed firmware update.