Arlo pro 2 base station alarm problem

[trebor711]

You guys did it again.  On the last update the alarm was very low when initiated via the mobile app.  Now, on this latest app, there is NO ALARM when initiated thru the mobile app or the web.  You guys really screwed up this time!!  Please fix this ASAP.  And please, in the future, test your updates before you released them to the public.

[malalford]

The alarm only makes 1 beep when triggered (manually or motion/audio detected).
When I stop it (swipe) & try again, it makes NO sound, but the button comes up to deactivate it as if it worked.
Anyone else seen this problem? I wanna wake my family up at 3am for fun.

[TomMac]

have you checked the volume level?

[mikepwagner]

What the heck is going on?

I successfully update my base station to 1.12.2.2_2745, and I posted the instructions in another thread. 

I tested my rules, and my siren worked - for one day.

Now we are back where we were before Arlo sent me a replacement base station and I upgraded the the firmware. The camera accurately detect motion, we get a notifcation, and the app says the the siren is activated - but the siren is not activated.

I wonder if anyone from Arlo reads these forums?

This is very frustrating - I really like the cameras, but the software seems fundamentally broken, and I don’t have any sense of urgency from Arlo about fixing the issue.

Does anyone have a clue as to how to proceed? I feel pretty certain that if I call customer suppport, they will tell me to reset again and I have danced that dance one to me.

Mike

[mikepwagner]

One thing thing that I noticed is that when the base station gets into this mode, using the restart option of the app does nothing - when you press that button does absolutely nothing. The base station does not reboot.

I power cycled the base station, and the siren worked correctly again. And using the reboot button in the app works correctly.

That suggests to me that when the base station gets into this mode where the siren is not working correctly, the issue is that some network connection has been dropped, and the base station has failed to re-establish the connection.

I suspect that when you use the app to manually set off the siren, the app does not wait fir an ACK (acknowledgement) from the base station, it just waits on an ACK from the server. Once the app gets the ACK from the server, it says that the siren is activated, so if the server can’t talk to the base station, it looks like the siren is active when it is not active.

If the issue is a dropped connection between the server and the base station, that might also explain why motion is detected and recorded, but the siren does not sound.

It would also explain why the restart button on the app does nothing - the app on the phone talks to the server, not to the base station.

[Dannybear]

The behaviour you described is the same for my base station.
I have a slightly different slant to the cause of the offline issues.
For certain is that the siren not working, as described, is down to the base station firmware and occurs after the base station goes offline. To restore the siren operation a power cycle of the base is required.
I have read here other users also experience unexpected behaviour with loss of functionality, cameras disappearing and corrupted settings. While functionality can be restored after a power cycle, corrupted settings are not and have to be relearned.
The cause of the offline issues i believe is more related to the base performing a higher priority task that requires no interference from the arlo server and hence the apps loose communication and no recordings to cloud occur from the base.
The fact that functionality and settings are lost when the base restores points to this and a power cycle is hence required.

[mikepwagner]

I have never lost any settings, and even when the siren does not function properly, the camera motion detection and video capture still work correctly.

I think that means that interrupts for packets from the server are not being serviced correctly. A select() or it equivalent appear to be hanging or ignored.

[sanjosearlouser]

When the system in armed and I use the app to check out a video the siren turns on automatically just by going in app.

[Dannybear]

I note, along with other users comments that when the offline issue appears it normally lasts between 30 to 90 minutes.
If I power cycle the base after it goes offline the base restores to normal operation.
What I need is something that can detect when the base internet LED drops for 30sec and forces the base to power cycle.
I wonder if Arlo has a product that can help?

[trebor711]

**UPDATE**

so it seems that doing a hard reboot (unplugging the unit and powering it back up) does reset the base to allow a manual trigger alarm.  However, after only a short while, maybe a few hours or a day, the unit malfunctions again and fails to allow a manual trigger of the alarm.  Even though the app says the alarm is active, there is NO SOUND.  This is a HUGE problem for security purposes.  I have done a hard reboot at least 5 times already all resulting in the same outcome.

[malalford]

There doesny seem to any volume control for the Base station ALARM.

It just says that its gonna be LOUD when I try to test it manually.

Then It just gives 1 LOUD pip, then nothing.

Am I missing something?

[Dannybear]

Will the siren function correctly after the base station has been power cycled? If so does it stop working again later that day?
I only ask since mine behaves similarly without the initial pip.

[trebor711]

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@Dannybear wrote:
Will the siren function correctly after the base station has been power cycled? If so does it stop working again later that day?
I only ask since mine behaves similarly without the initial pip.

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For me, all my cameras (4) function properly.  They record when motion is detected and send me the appropiate notification.  I do not have any alarms triggered by my camera becuase I get many false notifications due to other triggers...such as wind.  But that is just the way I have my cameras set up.  So I have not idea if the alarm is misbehaving via the cameras.  However, the base station is another story and I'm still waiting for ARLO to get back to me regarding this issue.

[CLangley]

The siren problem seems to now be fixed with firmware update 1.12.2.3_2762. I am now able to activate the alarm manually. This suggests it was a software / firmware issue, as I have done nothing else, as I am not currently at the property.

Let's hope they have not broken anything else with the update!

[trebor711]

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@CLangley wrote:

The siren problem seems to now be fixed with firmware update 1.12.2.3_2762. I am now able to activate the alarm manually. This suggests it was a software / firmware issue, as I have done nothing else, as I am not currently at the property.

Let's hope they have not broken anything else with the update!

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When was this latest update rolled out?

[trebor711]

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@trebor711 wrote:

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@CLangley wrote:

The siren problem seems to now be fixed with firmware update 1.12.2.3_2762. I am now able to activate the alarm manually. This suggests it was a software / firmware issue, as I have done nothing else, as I am not currently at the property.

Let's hope they have not broken anything else with the update!

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When was this latest update rolled out?

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@CLangley  I just checked my firmware version and it says it is running 1.12.2.3_2762.  I'm not sure when this latest update got installed, but I will have to check if I am experiencing the same problem. Hopefully this firmware update took care of the problem and that it will PERMANENTLY stay fixed. 

[trebor711]

Ok, here is the latest update. The damn thing stopped working again. This latest firmware update worked for only a day and a half and now the base station does not sound an alarm when manually triggered via web or mobile app! This is so damn frustrating!! Not to say dangerous if I ever need to sound an alarm.

[Dannybear]

I have to power cycle my base before I use the siren.
The firmware updates causes my base station to go offline up to three times a day.
When it returns online, the siren stops working as well as the siren setting in my rules are changed, although it says it is still enabled.
Power cycling the base is the only way to recover from the offline issue but you have to be watching for when it happens.
This is why I need to power cycle the base before the siren is required at night. Unfortunately it will not work if you’re away when the base goes offline.
Hope this helps.

[trebor711]

@Dannybear
I too, have to power cycle my base to get to the alarm to start working again, but that fix is short-lived. The base will malfunction within a couple of hours or last a day if I'm lucky. I was on the phone with technical support yesterday for about 30 minutes and all they were able to tell me was I have to wait for the next firmware update. They did not have a clue as to when the next firmware update will be sent out. So Arlo's answer is...yes we know about the problem, we can't fix it, you will just have to wait until the next firmware update which we have no clue when it is coming out.... but it will soon.

[CLangley]

Over a couple of days I tested the siren by manually activating it a couple of times and it seemed to work. (With firmware version 1.12.2.3_2762). This was without a power cycle as I am away from the property. However, I have just tried it again today and it is again not triggering the siren, despite saying it is on. So as @Dannybear says, the problem persists.

Let's hope Arlo get this sorted out ASAP without breaking something else.

Unfortunately Arlo's Release Notes they issue about the firmware updates don't tell one anything of use as to what has been addressed in the update.

[trebor711]

Got a new firmware update this morning. As I write this I am updating my Arlo base. I will let everyone know if this was the update that fixes everything.

[trebor711]

Bravo Arlo!! You truly * things up with this latest firmware update. Not only am I unable to install the update, I am unable to use my entire system! Without getting the update installed, my cameras are offline and I am unable access them. The firmware update will not install and I have tried a dozen times already. I am SO tired of this BS. I am wondering if anyone even reads these boards anymore.
 

[CLangley]

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@trebor711 wrote:
Bravo Arlo!! You truly f*cked things up with this latest firmware update. Not only am I unable to install the update, I am unable to use my entire system! Without getting the update installed, my cameras are offline and I am unable access them. The firmware update will not install and I have tried a dozen times already. I am SO tired of this BS. I am wondering if anyone even reads these boards anymore.

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@trebor711, you are making me nervous! (and burgulars relaxed!). What version of firmaware have you just attempted to updated to, which caused you the latest problem? I am still on version 1.12.2.3_2762 - dated 17th June 2019 as per the release notes on the following link. There are no newer versions listed for VMB4000, although I think they can be a little late in posting the notification on this website. See:

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

Arlo are appearing to get worse & worse since separating from Netgear as a standalone company. They are breaking everything that once worked!

[trebor711]

@CLangley. The firmware version 2772 (last 4 digits) was released 6/19 or that's at least what it says. But I cannot get the damn thing to install and cannot use my system unless I update. Can you say catch 22?? I am so pissed at Arlo right now. The only thing I can think of is when I get home tonight, I will do a hard reboot and see if that helps. Otherwise, I see a long phone call to tech support.

[jguerdat]

In the recent past some folks have resorted to power cycling to get firmware to update. No idea if it will help this time.

[trebor711]

Hi @jguerdat. Yes, that is what I meant as a hard reboot. I will try that tonight when I get home. Hopefully that will do the trick.