Arlo Ultra 2 - very weak signal and do not always respond to a request to play live videos

[BGOSNZ]

Hi, I have bought 4 of these cameras to help me keep an eye on my place. I got a Hub with the first two and find that two of them get a very weak signal and do not always respond to a request to play live videos. The whole property is covered by a Mesh system and several wifi networks in various outbuildings. The Mesh system works well and enables video calls all over the property without interruption. I removed the cameras from devices from my account as instructed, now when I try with the hub off and removed to add a device it always  tells me it cant find a base. How can I get the cameras and base hooked to the mesh system and to all speak to each other?  Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[StephenB]

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@BGOSNZ wrote:

now when I try with the hub off and removed to add a device it always  tells me it cant find a base. 

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The Ultra 2 requires a base, it cannot connect to your wifi mesh. 

If you need that feature, you could exchange the cameras for the Pro 4 - only 2K, but in practice there isn't much dropoff.

The other option is to deploy more bases on the property.  They do need to be connected with ethernet, so that might be difficult if the mesh satellites don't have ethernet out.

[BGOSNZ]

Thanks, I will see if I can get another base station tomorrow and install it close to the weak signal ones.

I have a few spare ethernet cables run from the time of building, there are also ports in the router and the mesh system does have an ethernet out connection.

Hopefully adding another base and its cameras will not be a brain strain  

[StephenB]

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@BGOSNZ wrote:

Hopefully adding another base and its cameras will not be a brain strain  

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It's not difficult.

If you want to shift existing cameras, you'll need to remove them from the account, and then add them back.  Not sure how that relates to the trial subscription, but I think it will remain.  @JamesC can confirm.

[JamesC]

Removing and adding existing cameras should not remove the trial plan.

JamesC

[BGOSNZ]

Hi,

I have already subscribed to the  Elite Subscription so hopefully it will be a smooth transition as the all cameras do not have the same end of trial date because they were put up over  few weeks. 

[Coreymcl]

If you have multi base stations do they create a mesh network?

[StephenB]

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@Coreymcl wrote:

If you have multi base stations do they create a mesh network?

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No.  Each camera is explicitly paired with a specific base.

[Coreymcl]

I'm having the same issue and would be curious to understand if adding another base station solved your problem? I will be adding more camera's but now I'm wondering if I should just add Arlo Pro 4's instead of Ultra 2's with another base station.

[BGOSNZ]

Hi, I moved the base station and it has improved connectivity. 

[M21M21]

   Good afternoon, I have a similar problem but I have my Ultra 2s attached to my house and the base station is equidistant from every camera. When I first installed the units everything was fine but it seems like some days the reception is great and some days I have to uninstall them and reinstall them. I also have some Pro 4s and they seem to respond better than the flagship cameras do. They don't record in 4K and they don't have a 180-degree field of view. Each Ultra 4 camera is less than 75 feet from the base station while the Pro 4s are nearly 100 feet from the closest mesh router. I have a gigabyte network service and don't understand why the flagship camera underperforms. If I would have known this before I purchased them then I could have held out for a Pro 4 (wasn't even on the market when I purchased my Ultra 2s). I would also like to add that the motion-detecting of my camera system isn't what I expected but have seen snappier response times when coupled with the Arlo security light. The lights are big and not as practical as the Ring solar-powered path lights. I wish that Arlo would either come out with a similar product or allow for their cameras to take motion cues from the Ring path lights to help speed up the recording time. 

[StephenB]

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@M21M21 wrote:

I also have some Pro 4s and they seem to respond better than the flagship cameras do.  Each Ultra 4 camera is less than 75 feet from the base station while the Pro 4s are nearly 100 feet from the closest mesh router. I have a gigabyte network service and don't understand why the flagship camera underperforms.

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I think you mean gigabit. Though some services that offer gigabit download don't have much lower upload speeds (and upload speed is more important than download for Arlo systems).

But the key element for live streaming is the wifi signal. There is no Ultra 4 camera - not sure if you mean the Ultra or the Ultra 2.  Either way, the Ultras do need a higher signal strength than the Pro 4s, because their video is using a higher bitrate.

Have you tried moving the ultras closer to the base (as a test)?  Just to sort out the effective range of the base wifi?  Also, some locations might be troublespots - pipes/ductwork or chimneys can block signal if they are on the path between the base and the camera.

Another test you could do is set up the ultras to use 1080p video, and see if the connectivity improves.