Arlo Ultra 2 VMC5040 Firmware issues

[BradSP65]

Hi I have a VMC5040 Ultra 2 camera that was updated to firmware 1.070.52.1_35_1bdb65f and every since it gets hot and kills the battery in a single 12hr period. Before the upgrade it worked fine for almost 18 months. Is there a way to rest the camera, restore old firmware? The camera still works and does what it is suppose to but kills the battery. I've tried different batteries and it does the same to those. I can not see how to go backwards in firmware to get my camera to work again and don;t feel i should need to purchase a new one simply because of firmware and the fact that it may end up with the same issue if it updates. Any advice appreciated. thanks.

Been searching and appears that this is more than likely due to the 9-15 firmware update as it only started around that time. I've tried the reset described here https://kb.arlo.com/000063208/How-to-troubleshoot-issues-with-Arlo-Ultra-Firmware-Update-September-1... to try and fix the camera but it is still just getting hot.

Arlo support....how do I get rid of this bad firmware please?

[BradSP65]

I gather there is no support here and that its not possible to remove bad firmware? It feels like the camera is stuck on and running all the time and the unit is getting hot because of it and draining the entire battery in 10hrs. Other than that it works fine. Surely there is some way to undo a bad firmware update that broke the device???If not who will pay for a replacement camera for the bad update?

[jguerdat]

There have been cases where faulty firmware was back-dated but that was due to massive issues. Yours seems to be a one-off so not likely a firmware issue. 

Support is available using the app - go to Settings, Support to select the camera model. Scroll down to Contacts to talk to official support. This requires any subscription.

The last update for the Ultras was Sept. 7 (https://community.arlo.com/t5/Firmware-Release-Notes/Arlo-Firmware-Release-Table/m-p/1920885#M791) - has the issue been around for a month? Have you reinserted the battery to get to a known state? It's possible that a removal from your account followed by a reset (https://kb.arlo.com/000062438/How-do-I-factory-reset-and-re-sync-my-Arlo-camera) may help. What have you tried and what do you see?

[BradSP65]

Yes this one camera never recovered from early in mid september. I know Arlo are slow n correcting these style of things so i left it for quite some time. Then, while the other 3 camera i have eventually were ok this one camera decided it would go flat. I recharged it and remounted it. The next day it was flat. Suspecting the battery I tried swapping the battery to see if the issue followed the battery. It did not. Ive since tried the instructions regarding the firmware fix which appears to be rest the camera as linked. Then recharged the battery again (the different battery) and tried again. Flat within 10hrs. I've reset the camera many times via the documented process and it has not made a difference. Then camera still works without any issues but now runs hot and drains the battery in less than a day. This only occurred after the update. Prior to that it ran flawlessly. Now its just broken as a result of the update. Charging it 2x per day is not a way to work. I just want to roll back to the earlier firmware because there is obviously some thing wrong here and maybe the firmware loaded was corrupt or some thing but seems to be no way to even force a reload.

I'll try the app to see if i can lodge a fault.

[jguerdat]

Rolling back firmware for one camera when your other Ultras are working fine wouldn't solve anything. It would seem you just have a faulty camera so the support ticket is needed.

[BradSP65]

Well logged a ticket and support keep telling me that the wireless is on the wrong channel. I've confirmed twice that it is the correct channel and just about to send a screen shot of it. I've asked for visibility of what they are trying to do and how so I can troubleshoot there issues in supporting my issues.

[StephenB]

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@BradSP65 wrote:

Well logged a ticket and support keep telling me that the wireless is on the wrong channel. I've confirmed twice that it is the correct channel and just about to send a screen shot of it. 

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That seems like an odd diagnosis. The Ultra cameras can only connect to the base, and you have no control over over the base wifi.

I'm tagging the mods ( @JamesC , @ShayneS, @BrookeN ) , in hopes they will follow up.  They might need your case number.

[ShayneS]

Hi @BradSP65 

Does the same issue occur if you bring the camera closer to your base station?