Arlo Q CVR plan cause buffering problem

[albepharmer]

I subscribed to the CVR plan for one of my Arlo Q cameras. Ever since then, the video buffers for a extremely long time to a point where I don't even know if the camera is working. Before subscribing to the CVR plan, I had no problem viewing my camera with little to almost no buffering time. I've verified that my upload and download speeds are ~100MBps.  What can I do to fix this problem?

I was also wondering, the CVR doesn't seem to be continuous in my opinion. Because it seems like when there is no motion or sound, the camera stop recording. I thought it was 1 continuous stream that is recorded.

Thanks

[jguerdat]

I've had issues that were resolved with a power cycle of the camera. Give it a try and let us know if it helps.

[albepharmer]

So I tried it out.  Looks like it worked however as time goes by (ie 10 hours later),  the buffering problem comes back.

Baffling

[TomMac]

Open a case with Netgear Support... they may have a better answer

[ArashGee]

I am having this exact same issue. Ever since subscribing to CVR the camera doesn't show live stream. Other cameras without CVR work fine. How can I fix this?

[jguerdat]

I can do both.  I'd reset the camera using the reset button until the LED flashes amber and resync.

[JamesC]

ArashGee,

What is preventing you from live streaming? Do you get an error message? If so, what is the error?

JamesC

[MountainMadness]

We have the exact same issue with our two Arlo Q cameras.  The Live view works fine for about 1/2 day then stops.  The video window in the app or on the web site will show as black indefinetely.  A remote restart of the camera always temporarily fixes the problem.  But, this problem always happens when it's important when trying to do a Live view and it takes 5 minutes for it to come back to life and start streaming again.

I contacted Netgear product support and they had me remove the cameras from the account then re-add them.  Live view worked great for several days, until I realized that the CVR was no longer enabled on those cameras.  I added CVR back which essentially was like adding CVR all over again with a credit applied from our previous CVR plan.  So, be forewarned, if you remove your cameras from your account per Netgear's recommendation, you MUST add CVR back to them!

Now that we CVR re-enabled, we are having the exact same problem so it looks to be an issue with how Netgear is sending the live stream from the CVR recording.

[JamesC]

MountainMadness,

Was the case you already had closed? Please let me know the case number and I will reopen your case and add this information to it.

JamesC

[MountainMadness]

Hi James,

It is Case#28322348.

Thank you.

[thespecialist]

I am having the exact same issues.  Severe ghosting, buffering hangs even after giving it 40 minutes, seems like it stops recording, and live video is just bad.  Save your money and DO NOT SUBSCRIBE TO CVR.  I am seriously considering returning my security camera...especially after reading all these issues with CVR since over a year ago.

[JamesC]

thespecialist,

Please contact the Arlo Support Team to further investigate this issue. You will find several options for contacting support in the provided link.

JamesC

[MountainMadness]

For those watching this thread, here is an update.  This is what I just sent to Netgear product support:

I am still seeing the same problem with my Arlo Q's with CVR even after buying and installing a new Netgear Nighthawk router. Please see the attached screenshot for an example of what happens. I can restart the cameras through the app and then the Live view works fine for awhile.

I am currently trying to access the Live view both through the web site and iPHone and see the same problem (on the iPhone, it's just an infinite status wheel). I am currently on the same WiFi network as the cameras. I just ran a speed test and the results are: Ping: 31 ms, download speed: 33 Mbps, upload speed: 5.41 Mbps. The cameras are located about 50 feet from the router and there are no walls in the way. The signal is very strong. One of the cameras is currently on the 2.4 GHz frequency and the other on the 5 GHz frequency and they are both exhibiting this problem.

[bcleaver]

hi @MountainMadness, I'm definitely curious to see what ends up happening here so feel free to keep us updated 🙂

[thespecialist]

I will be returning my Arlo Q tomorrow as this seems to be a common and longstanding problem that I do not want to continue being a part of.  Sorry Netgear.

[ArashGee]

I have been having this issue for the longest time. Purchasing the Arlo has been one of the worst decisions of my life, let alone the CVR subscription. I will be letting all friends and family know of this problem and will post reviews elsewhere. 

Stay away from Arlo. 

[JamesC]

ArashGee,

Please contact the Arlo Support Team to further investigate this issue. You will find several options for contacting support in the provided link. If you need assistance opening a case, please let me know, I would be happy to help.

JamesC

[MountainMadness]

It's been a week since I sent this new information to Netgear support and I have not heard anything from them.  I'm still seeing the same problem and am getting tired of having to restart the cameras at least daily in order to get the Live view to work again.

I suspect the issue has something to do with the video stream from the Amazon servers (I've seen some error messages that indicate that the CVR data is stored on Amazon Web Services servers).  My theory (it's just a theory) is that the CVR video buffer gets too large over time which causes an issue when the application needs to open that buffer and read the end of it to display the "Live" view.  After restarting the cameras, the buffer also restarts so Live view is responsive until it hits the tipping point again.

[islandboylp]

@JamesC is Netgear looking into this problem at all?  This caused me to refund my CVR plan and use the camers on motion alone; until it's resolved I won't go back to CVR.

[JamesC]

islandboylp,

Yes. Engineering is currently investigating issues with CVR. I encourage you to open a case with the Arlo Support Team if you continue experiencing CVR issues.

JamesC

[islandboylp]

Thank you @JamesC ! Great to know that Netgear is looking into the issue with CVR.  I did open a ticket a while ago, but it was the standard troubleshooting steps which then resulted in me returning my Q to the store.  So until there's any new action taken to correct the issue, contcting suppot doesn't seem like a good option as they'll just tell me to return my now Q+.

[Patk81]

Hi, I'm bringing this thread back because I recently subscribed to CVR for my 2 Arlo Q cams and am having this exact problem. Has there been any resolution over the past few months? My current setup is: Giga speed fiber optics......ATT default router......Google Wifi mesh router......Arlo Q cams. No problems existed until I activated CVR.

It seems to be ghosting, buffering issues, motion not activating, and randomly logging off.

Would incorporating the hub base help? I've been considering adding more cams but will hold off until there is resolution.

I'm guessing the next best step would be to reach out to customer support to open a ticket. However, since this is a known issue, I thought I'd ask here first.

Last, are refunds provided since I subscribed annually and having second thoughts due to the service not working properly?

[islandboylp]

@JamesC Any updates on this issue?

@Patk81 I successfully refunded my CVR plan after I gave it a shot and had all the problems. It's a prorated refund; basically just go through the same steps that you did to subscribe but hit "no thank you" and follow the instructions.

[Patk81]

Excellent. Thank you much for responding promptly! I'll unsubscribe until we hear the good news.

[jguerdat]

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Patk81 wrote:
Would incorporating the hub base help? I've been considering adding more cams but will hold off until there is resolution.

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No, adding a base won't help since there's no connection.  Opening a case would be your best option.