VMB3010 Offline

[VirtualBruce]

I have an old VMB3010 base that I am trying to use again after being in storage for several years. I am able to connect it using both the Android Arlo app and with my.arlo.com through a browser. Using either method I appear to initially get a successful connection. The my.arlo.com connection process even searches for firmware update and says I am up to date. But regardless of which method I use to connect the base immediately appears as offline in the device listing no matter what I do. I have factory reset the device twice now to no avail. Is the VMB3010 simply no longer supported?

[Edinburgh_lad1]

No base station is in the EOL state.

It looks like you have old firmware on your base station and will require an intervention by Arlo staff to push new firmware onto it.

[VirtualBruce]

Hello  Edinburgh_lad1, I did open a support call based on your reply.  Their response was "Thank you for waiting, Bruce. Upon checking here on our system, your base station is no longer supported and reached its end-of-life lifecycle. Our system can no longer run diagnostic tests or pull logs for it."  So apparently there are some base stations at EOL and mine is unfortunately among them.  Ah well.  Thanks for the reply!

[jguerdat]

@JamesC , @ShayneS , @BrookeN is there any truth in this? AFAIK, @Edinburgh_lad1 is correct, that no base is EOL.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Well, having looked at the official Arlo documentation, I can see that it's only cameras that are EOL, unless there have been further changes that I'm not aware of.  Plus, there are also geographical exceptions anyways. 

[StephenB]

---

@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Well, having looked at the official Arlo documentation, I can see that it's only cameras that are EOL, unless there have been further changes that I'm not aware of.  Plus, there are also geographical exceptions anyways. 

---

True.

But it is also the case that all the cameras that are compatible with the VMB3xxx bases are end-of-life (outside of Europe).  So even though the base is not officially EoL, it might as well be.

[VirtualBruce]

I appreciate the information and traffic that has been generated here.  Many years ago I purchased this base and 3 VMC3030 cameras as a set. I took advantage of the limited free online storage that was offered at the time which was more than sufficient for my needs.  It's disappointing that this equipment can no longer be used at all and may as well be scrapped in spite of being in good physical condition.  But it is at least good to have some assurance that this is the case and I thank everyone for their help.

[StephenB]

FWIW, it's also possible that the base has just failed.

One option is to do a risk-buy of a replacement, and see if that installs.  The best option would be a new VMB4540, since used bases sometimes haven't been removed from the original account (and therefore can't be installed).  Of course that is the most expensive path (about $100 US). 

You can find used VMB4500 bases for much less - I'm seeing ~$35 on ebay.

[Edinburgh_lad1]

Or you can think about our beautiful planet, the impact of e-waste on it (if you're from Europe, then you'll have heard a lot about it from the European Commission and their initiatives to reduce e-waste), and also the money you spent on the system at the time, as well as what was offered (free storage vs. subscription if you but newer cameras), and ask Arlo staff on here to push a firmware update to both the base station and the cameras. Your product doesn't have an expiry date. 

Also, if the base station hasn't been used, then the strong likelihood is that it's not failed. Electrical equipment can fail indeed, but at the time, Arlo made quality items that were built to last and sustain a lot. Also, I find that electrical equipment doesn't fail in general as often as one might think (or otherwise hope) it would.

The choice is yours. 

[StephenB]

---

@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

Also, if the base station hasn't been used, then the strong likelihood is that it's not failed.

---

Per the first post, it has been used, but some (unknown) number of years ago.

---

@Edinburgh_lad1 wrote:

 ask Arlo staff on here to push a firmware update to both the base station and the cameras. 

---

They can only do that if the base is on-line.  And per the posts above, the base is not.

That said, it is worth tagging the mods - @BrookeN , @ShayneS , @JamesC - as they might have some suggestions.

[BrookeN]

I do not have any further suggestions. There is no updates that we can push for the VMB3010.