magnetic camera mounts seem to have trouble holding the cameras in a fixed position without moving

[Hagasan41]

Sadly my first post here is about the lack of ANY kind of customer service I have received so far from multiple Netgear Specialists.  Long story short, I reached out to customer service regarding the magnetic mounts included with my Arlo Pro 4 pack camera system.  The magnetic camera mounts seem to have trouble holding the cameras in a fixed position without moving.  I was concerned about the possibility of the cameras falling and becoming damaged or becoming useless as a result of the viewing angle changing so I purchased the indoor/outdoor mounts to securly mount the cameras. The mounts seem to be weak and according to some members here unable to support the addiitonal weight of the Pro cameras.  It seems like I was not the only person to complain of the weak magnetic mounts, but I am unwilling to scuff the surface of the mounts or apply rubber strips to address the flaw.  

I first contacted Netgear on 12/10/16 and nearly a month later and several emails back and forth I still have no resolution.   As a note, I purchased a 2nd 4 camera pack system to give to my parents prior to the back and forth with Netgear Customer Service.  I also provided screen shots of my receipts to prove I was truly a loyal customer and simply wanted a working kit without spending more money to make it work.   

To this date they have not provided me with a solution. 

Still waiting Netgear...  

[Hagasan41]

Case #: 28102797

Could I get an update on the above case number and an idea on when I will receive my refund check?  Thanks 

[JamesC]

Hagasan41,

Please refer to your open support case for further updates.

JamesC

[uniquewon]

Wow, I'm in the thinking stages with the purchase of this Arlo Pro system, 4 cameras etc. I thought I'd check in here on these forums and see how things are going and now I'm pretty discouraged with all that I'm reading regarding the support or should I say the lack of support being given. I was looking to purchase the biggest system with the Arlo Pro cameras etc., but now I'm questioning my decision, that maybe I'm wanting something that's got good solid support and quick response to problems with good solutions.  It's sad to me, these are expensive cameras but I can't risk spending close to $700 and then have an issue that takes weeks or months to resolve and requires me to spend EVEN more money.

Color me dissapointed,

Gene

[oillogger]

uniquewon,

I have only used Netgear support for my Arlo Pro once and my issue was resolved that day.  The only other times I have called Netgear support was about my Netgear router and each time the problem was resolved with only one issue taking two calls.

The four camera Arlo Pro system comes with one outdoor mount VMA1000 which does not have any problem at all holding the Arlo Pro cameras in position.  I am currently using two outdoor camera mounts without any issues.  For the other two Arlo Pro cameras one is using the ball mount where the camera rests in the desired position on the ball mount as well as against the house.  The other camera is in a great position just sitting on top of my outdoor smoker in the patio.  You can purchase as many outdoor mounts as needed and there are aftermarket ones available that should also work well.  The charging station is in apparently very limited production as they were recently only available a handful of days before they were sold out.  Extra batteries and chargers are readily available by several vendors.  In the forums here I have read about a solar charger coming out sometime this year which would eliminate having to charge the camera batteries.  Unfortunately for my installation I will only be able to use a solar charging system for sure on one Arlo Pro camera and maybe a second one of my four cameras.  The other two cameras are located too far from daily direct sun.  By the way, the Arlo Pro chargers put out 9 volts so any 9-12 volt solar panel with 1-3 watts of output should keep the battery charged.  I happen to have a solar panel laying around that I will soon test the voltage on to see if I can use it to charge one camera.

In the last couple of years of owning a Arlo Q I have seen Netgear implement several of the users ideas.  The Arlo Pro answered several of the issues customers were having with the Arlo just as the Arlo Q Plus did with the Arlo Q.  One programing feature that was requested added was the geofencing mode.  Netgear's Arlo security systems are obviously an work in progress with a lot of improvements with little if any added negatives.  Where else will you get seven days of free burst recordings?  Most other vendor systems charge monthly cloud storage which quickly becomes more expensive than even the original Arlo where you have to replace batteries every 4-6 months.  

Well, now you know my experiences and thoughts.  In the end you have to decide what is best for you.  Good luck!

[uniquewon]

Thanks for that reply, it does add some comfort as I really would like to have a system myself. I guess, like all of these forums, there are some who are having trouble but they are few in relation to the total of those who don't have trouble. 

Regards