Very slow notifications?

[bubdog]

I just got my Arlo system and after upgrading to Smart Elite my notifications are extremely slow. It can take 30s to 1min30sec for a notification to happen after there is some motion or a person on my cameras. This obviously makes features like live view, 2 way audio, e911, and alarm pretty useless as I don't know something is happening until it is way too late for any of those things to be useful.

I know the issue is not with my internet service, I have 150mbit up and down fiber. The cameras were alerting almost instantly before I upgraded to Smart Elite.

Is there an issue with the Arlo service at the moment? When will this be resolved? Are other people experiencing this?

[pcuser12345]

push notifications doesn't work very well 1minute to 30 minute. work around using email notifications after video done upload it push email faster than push notifications. it used to push instantly one it's trigger. now it's bricked

[leiffarum]

I have same issue with delayed notifications on the camera, where I have armed push notification and no video recording

[illuminous]

I've been having the same issue with delayed Arlo Smart notifications. It is fine for some things, but when our idiot delivery person leaves a package in the middle of our driveway, it takes about a minute for the notfication to arrive and the two-way audio to connect, and he is long gone by then.

Unfortunately the time for a video to upload to Arlo's servers, be processed and a notification returned to the device will NEVER be able to compete with local processing. So after reading about Homekit Secure Video in a bit more detail I've decided to hold off upgrading to Arlo Ultra and instead look to others that have indicated they will support this (e.g. Logitech). Homekit Secure Video allows secruity camera systems to use Apple hubs (Homepod, Apple TV etc.) for local processing of video before secure upload to the cloud. Person detection etc will now be able to be done locally. 

I believe the way things are heading with respect to Homekit are at odds with Arlo's Smart subscription model, which is why I believe long term, those planning on using Arlo with Apple should look elsewhere. 

[speakinechos]

I seem to be having the same problems though I haven't confirmed that it is because of the Arlo Smart services having to decide if it's a person, vehicle, animal or other.  My neighbor has the same system and doesn't have the $10 per month subscription, he says it's fast and he never has problems so I suspect reading these other responses that I am running into the same problems.  Today I had notifiations pop up on my phone 45 min after the actual event occured...very annoying.  Other times though it is nearly instantanious.  I have noticed that if I have my phone out and I am actively using it the notifications tend to be much faster (nearly instantanious).  Arlo, if you're listening, any idea when this will be resolved?

[Daximus]

To my knowledge, Arlo hasn't even recognized this as a problem and there has been no overt effort to resolve the issue. I have been having the problem consistently over the past 7 months and am just about done paying for a service I don't need... because it doesn't work. Based on the random delay times between ~1 minute and ~45 minutes, there is no consistency to the notifications and thus no value for me. Furthering that, I know a number of others that don't pay for the service and they love the INSTANT notifications. Kinda sad to say that it seems like it may be time to cancel the paid service. Curious if Arlo is refusing to publicly recognize the problem so they don't have to take responsibility for a product that doesn't function as advertised. Anyone else smell a lawsuit from an attorney with too much time on their hands?

[Hxw3101]

Hello,

On my Arlo Pro 2 I switched from the free basic plan to the premier plan. Since the change I noticed that I dont get the notifcations like I should. Sometimes I dont get them at all. My activity zones, motion detection, and notifications are on. Any Advice?

Thanks

[grover5177]

I cancelled my subscription a couple of months ago and my notifications went back to arriving within seconds of a triggering event, both with email and app push notifications.  I would rather have quick notifications than specific ones.  At this point, I have absolutely no confidence that this issue will ever get resolved.  They have been told more than once where the issue lies, yet nothing but silence and inaction on their end.  Can no one there figure out how to patch the software or are they using some 3rd party software where they have no control over it at all?

So to at least restore the basic functionality I had before this mess, I cancelled my smart subscription, setup a separate gmail account to use for my Arlo email alerts and send that thru Outlook for Android on my smart phone so I can at least still get the thumbnail pictures to show up for my triggering events.  It's the only way I have been able to get things to work like they used to.

I for one will not be purchasing any upgraded equipment or re-subscribing whatsoever.  I don't care what new features or hardware they want to roll out.  This kind of support from a company is unacceptable and I will just use what I can while it still works and when it doesn't I will move on.   Other than leaving bad reviews in numerous places and discouraging friends and family from making the same mistakes we did, the only other tool we have to fight back is with our pocketbooks and mine no longer is open to "Arlo" anything.  Stick a fork in me, I am done.    

[AngryArloCustmr]

Just submitted my ticket for the same issue. They ran down the usual troubleshooting tips, nothing worked. I removed all cameras from Smart and it did seem to speed up a bit, but definitely not instantaneous. Ranges from 6 to 10 seconds. By then whatever triggered the camera is long gone.

Side note, still am not getting the so called 3 second look back with cameras plugged in.

[illuminous]

Can anyone out there confirm if they are NOT having a significant delay with notifications when turning on Arlo Smart. Every single person I know that has Arlo has the same issue.

[leiffarum]

sometime fast, somtetime very slow.

But, I use the camera as a door bell without any video recording, and I have no subscription.

Following are the specs for motion detection

• Passive infrared technology

• Adjustable up to 23 feet

I think I get a fast response back but sometimes I first get/hear the notification, when I open my Samsung S9 phone (equipped with a led cover)

And it is my feeling that the response from my Ipad is fast/faster

So I wonder if some of the problems with slow notifications are related to the phone

[speakinechos]

It's interesting that you say that about your phone potentially part of the problem leiffarum as I am using a Samsung Galaxy S8 and have the exact same problem where I have to open the phone for notifications to pop up sometimes.  My wife and I both have this issue with apps and not just Arlo's.  I have turned off the battery optomization functions in Android which has helped to an extent but I do still have the problem.  Is there a setting in Android somewhere maybe that we can change to get notifications to instantly pop, at least for the Arlo app, instead of waiting until I look at my phone?  For a security system this kind of defeats the purpose.

[leiffarum]

I get immediately response on my Ipad. Nothing happens on my Samsung S9. while waiting I get a notification on messenger on my Samsung. Still no response on the arlo notification until I open the LED cover

[Mmercu]

Lately I am getting delayed notifications from my Arlo Pro about 5-8 minutes later. I do pay for the Premier membership. I have read that some others seem to have had the same issue who pay for the extra service. What do I need to do to fix this issue?

[speakinechos]

I'm not sure if Arlo did a server side update but it seems like notifications are coming through much faster now...though occationally it takes a whlile to recieve some.

[leiffarum]

Can somebody verify that this problem doesn't occure on Ipad and Iphone, but only on Samsung (android) ?

Btw, it seems that the appearance change a little, if You create and select your own custom mode.

And to me it just now also looks like that the problem with slow notifications is connected to the custom mode. 

[Daximus]

This problem exists outside of viewing device brand or notification option. For push notifications and the "alert" emails, the notifications are VERY TYPICALLY delayed, anywhere from 1 minute to 20 minutes after the event occurs. Interestingly, after paying for the service for about 6 months, with the hopes Arlo would resolve this problem, I finally canceled all services and continue to use the free service until I upgrade to another system. The result is that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING changed respective of the notification delay, with the timing of alert emails ranging anywhere from 1 minute to 20 minutes.

[ShayneS]

Have you tried contacting customer support regarding this issue? I have attached the link here for you - Arlo Tech Support

[Gravitar]

If you read through the 92 previous messages you will see this issue has been reported with no results.

[speakinechos]

Personally I have not. At the same time I was having other issues with my doorbell not working that I was dealing with support on. In the mean time I see that this is a problem that a lot of people have and there is nothing being done about it from Arlo even though it has been reported multiple times. I have noticed that sometimes there is no deal and others there is a delay. Mostly it seems to revolve around if I am currently using my device.

If I am using my device the notification is usually instant...if I'm not using my device the notification can take 30-60 min to pop up. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S8 and I have turned off all battery optimizations, which helped but has not eliminated the problem.

[Nonissan]

I have tried everything, and I'm still unable to get consistent Android notifications in a timely manner. I have the same issue on Pixel 3 and Samung S8+. A lot of the notifications are quick, but a lot of them are delayed by a minute or more. 

There are no such delays on either of our Apple devices. 

I know there are a lot of other people having this issue.

My question is: Is there anybody successfully receiving SMART alerts on their ANDROID device? If so, what device and did you do anything special to get it working? Or is this issue affecting 100% of Android owners here (with Smart plan)?

[leiffarum]

What I am trying to say is

1. I only have problem with the slow notification on my Samsung S9 - not on my Ipad

2. It looks like I only have problem with the slow notification is I use a Cutom created alarm mode. Not when using the build alarm mode, never the less on this I have turned sound detection off

3. there is a little difference in the layout of the notification depending on if You are using the build in alarm mode or a custom creteated mode. I don't know if this is causimg the problems

[Michelle77]

100% getting rid of Arlo. By the time by camera notifies me and the time it takes to see the video, I could have already been robbed or murdered. Would only help after the fact. Not a good security system.