Pixelated video Arlo Pro

[jjs4653]

Has anyone experienced pixelating video in the first 2-3 seconds of the recorded video.  It happens every time for me.  It has great reception  full Wifi bars... and does not happen with my original Arlo camera.. just with the new Pro.

[Hagasan41]

Good call returning it to Bestbuy and getting a refund.  I have a feeling consumers will be speaking up louder as Netgear support and customer service is lacking.  Not only do they fail to address the issue, but they are slow in responding outside of lip service and genric appologies.  They never address the issue and seek apporpriate help from upper managemnt to apply a remedy. 

[Hagasan41]

Manofice,

Thank you for the feedback.  I'm not sure it's safe to assume it's a firmware issue otherwise it would be an issue from day one.  Eitherway, Netgear needs to accept responsibility.  It's not right that consumers are being forced to spend additional money or come uo with excuses for a system that should work right out of the box.   Since this is the second generation we SHOULD expect Netgear to properly test the system and work out issues before releasing it for purchase... 

[AlmightyJon]

I agree Hagasan, and sorry if I did sound salty - but as a product with "Pro" in its name, being a second generation, etc - it is not wrong for consumers to expect better from an otherwise very reputable company in Netgear. 

Even though I have returned the product, I really like the concept and hope the platform, hardware, firmware, AWS hosting (which I know can scale to meet the needs of the most demanding hosted data clients IF the product is programmed in a manner conducive to AWS platforms) improves where I can possibly pick up something more reliable, again not something that feels like a beta/trial phase product.

[mykalikai]

Same issue here. I bought the first gen base station with 4 of the H7 cameras last year. All have been working great. Decided to buy a Pro camera for the audio. I replaced the one at the front door with the Pro, and I've had video / audio issues ever since. Definitely something wrong with the H8 cameras. Here are some examples I put on YouTube :

  H7 camera in same place:                                                           

[JamesC]

For those participating in this thread that have ruled out WiFi interference as the potential cause for this issue, a new feature has been implemented (currently via web client, coming very soon for mobile app) to allow users to submit video clips for research and development.

This can be done by selecting a video clip within the library and clicking "Donate", the clip will then be submitted to the development team for review.

JamesC

[pcuser12345]

so far i havent seen netgear hasnt put alot effort fixing the firmware of the basestation so its totaly Bricked.

[pcuser12345]

all camera has full bar wifi and upload speed 5-6mps and i also disable 2.4ghz router still pixel ghost, skiping frame slow framerate

[Carrie269]

I purchased 4 cameras with base station and I have a number of issues with the cameras that are outside.  I like how the cameras work inside.  (And, yes, I have moved these cameras around to rule out that the problem is a specific camera.  Once I move them outside they don't work well).  I have pixilation with the camera out front that overlooks my driveway, entrance to the front door sidewalk and a little bit of the road.  Download speed is 58.91 and upload speed is 5.55.  IF the camera picks up movement, there is often a pause and then pixilation of the image.  I have watched women with baby strollers walking across the frame on the sidewalk and even with the sensitivity at 90 Arlo doesn't pick them up (or it picks them up when they have walked across 9/10ths of the frame).  When I come back from walking the dogs and walk up the sidewalk, up the driveway to the front door, Arlo doesn't pick me up until I'm 3/4ths up the driveway and nearly 4/5th through the frame.  If I set the sensitivity to 100, I get 100's of notifications that don't include any movement I can see.  For $650, I really feel scammed.  I would buy a different Arlo system if there were reviews that they worked well, or I would purchase a more powerful router if that would help, or I would purchase the first gen H7 cameras if they worked well.  I just want something to work well.   (And, btw, how do you know if a camera is an H7 or H8?  I don't see that anywhere in the tech specs).

[jguerdat]

Since the cameras seem to have an issue only when outdoors, it's likely that something about the WiFi connection between the cameras and base is the issue.  That can be due to distance, the number of walls and ceilings the signals pass through, any blockage cause by house construction, wiring, ductwork, etc., and/or interference from other wireless (not necessarily WiFi) devices nearby that use the 2.4GHz band. You can try moving the base to be closer and/or more centrally located. That's not a design flaw, it's just part of the installation process that you have to figure out.

The detection part may well be an issue partly due to the connection issue but also due to camera positioning relative to the motion.  It's best detected by motion across the FOV, not at the camera, as is true of virtually any PIR motion detection device.  Post screenshots to get specific suggestions.

The hardware version generally doesn't truly matter but you can see it in Settings, My Devices, your camera, Device Info.  I have H7 cameras which work fine.  What the difference is that caused a version change is unknown to us mere mortals.

[Johnny290]

That is not correct it happens inside outside weather the camera is close or far away same problem my internet connection is 50 up-50 down I have very good Wi-Fi in the house and it happens weather around the house or 20 miles away from the house.

[mykalikai]

^Carrie269 H7 cameras are the first gens that use CR123 batteries. H8 are the Pro cameras with rechargeable batteries.

[pcuser12345]

still basestation has camera green light, i didnt see amber so it still camera still strong wifi also i check the each camera they all still got strong wifi full bar, might be firmware has a bug on it in it or its Bricked

[pcuser12345]

still firmware date back last year i havent seen any progress any firmware update on baseatation

[manofice]

Mykalikai, that's incorrect. The H7, and H8 are Pros. I have the Pro system and have all H7's.

[pcuser12345]

still its has full bar mean full bandwith, mean it should not have any pixel also i have disable 2.4 ghz on router i didnt see any low bar on each camera so firmware is Bricked.

[jguerdat]

Fwiw, I also have H7 original wireless cameras. The designation is not unique to the Pros.

Pcuser, you've given absolutely no information as to what you've tried and why you even suggest that "the firmware is bricked". What are your speeds as shown by speedtest.net?

[pcuser12345]

5-6 Mps upload speed, camera has full bar full strengh, still pixel ghost recording time 10 sec it randomly 8 to 4 sec. Firmware still buggy still bricked

[jguerdat]

You do understand the term "bricked", right? That means totally nonfunctional, nothing works, you might as well have a brick. Why do you actually sy something useful, such as what the actual problem is as well as everything you've done, with details? Spouting silliness get you no place.

[pcuser12345]

....

[mykalikai]

My mistake guys, I didn't know that the Pro cameras could also be H7. So are the H8 Pro cameras the only ones that are having issues correct? Any H7 doing the same thing?

[markbmoore]

I have 2 Arlo (not PRO) cameras (HW Version="H7" / Firmware 1.2.10342) and they do NOT have a problem with pixelated video.

I have 3 Arlo PRO cameras (HW Version="H7" / Firmware 1.090.0.0_9945): Two are fine and one has a frequent problem with pixelated video. 

The one camera that has pixelated video problems frequently is the farthest away from the base station, but shows 'full' signal strength.  This camera has pixelated video frequently whether connected to my Pro and non-Pro base station (I have both base stations). None of my other cameras has a problem with pixelated video so I assume my internet/ISP connection is fine.  Either it is the camera itself or it is a weak signal from the camera to the base (even though it shows it has a strong signal).

[Carrie269]

Thanks for the comments regarding my issues! I agree that since the cameras work well indoors (and even work well on the back door outside) the issues relate to the 2 cameras out front.  One on the garage overlooking the driveway, sidewalk, a bit of the road and front door entrance, and the other that overlooks the front door primarily.  The front of my house is slate so that may be contributing to the issue.  The difficulty is that my base station is in my living room, which is where my internet comes into my house and I can't run cables to the front half of the house because of the way the house is built (which is why I chose this product).  I'd like to post videos to show examples but I don't see where I can do that on this page.  

[jguerdat]

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mykalikai wrote:
My mistake guys, I didn't know that the Pro cameras could also be H7. So are the H8 Pro cameras the only ones that are having issues correct? Any H7 doing the same thing?

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No, the issue seems spread amongst hardware versions. Note, though, that it may not be a hardware/firmware problem since there are other variables that can cause this issue.

[jguerdat]

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markbmoore wrote:

The one camera that has pixelated video problems frequently is the farthest away from the base station, but shows 'full' signal strength.  This camera has pixelated video frequently whether connected to my Pro and non-Pro base station (I have both base stations). None of my other cameras has a problem with pixelated video so I assume my internet/ISP connection is fine.  Either it is the camera itself or it is a weak signal from the camera to the base (even though it shows it has a strong signal).

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There's another possibility but first swap cameras around to see if the issue follows the caamera or stays with the position.

The other possibility is 2.4GHz interference from some external device such as cordless phones, microwave ovens, etc.  It doesn't have to be WiFi interference (although that's a possibility).

[jguerdat]

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Carrie269 wrote:

Thanks for the comments regarding my issues! I agree that since the cameras work well indoors (and even work well on the back door outside) the issues relate to the 2 cameras out front.  One on the garage overlooking the driveway, sidewalk, a bit of the road and front door entrance, and the other that overlooks the front door primarily.  The front of my house is slate so that may be contributing to the issue.  The difficulty is that my base station is in my living room, which is where my internet comes into my house and I can't run cables to the front half of the house because of the way the house is built (which is why I chose this product).  I'd like to post videos to show examples but I don't see where I can do that on this page.  

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You can relatively easily move the base by using a WiFi extender with an Ethernet port.  That can help by allowing the base-camera connection to be maximized.

Videos/snapshots/screenshots can be inserted when using the desktop message reply by using the icons just above the text box.  The icon with a mountain and sun is for images and the one that looks like a piece of film is for videos.  Alternatively, if you're hosting the files, just post links.  Note that images inserted into a post have to be approved and don't show up immediately for anyone but you.