O rings for Ultra 2 (VMS5440-2CCNAS) cameras?

[bigjeepman]

My model number is VMS5440-2CCNAS for the 4 camera package I bought at Costco. I am in need of replacement o rings as one has broken and I guess I lost one from taking the camera down to charge inside the house. Can anyone help where I might get replacement o rings? Maybe Amazon?

I contacted Support here at Arlo.com but they said they do not have replacements for sell but the nice lady said she would try to find out and contact me later by email. I really need them as soon as possible as 2 out of my 4 cameras are down.

I would really appreciate some help. Thank you in advance.

Robert

[SinisterStairs]

I can't picture the O-ring you're referring to, but have you thought of just going to a hardware store?  Bring one of the O-rings with you and someone can likely help you match it, and you can have your cameras up & running the same day.

[bigjeepman]

Yes ... I was going to use your suggestion as a last resort because I have several projects I am trying to complete this week here at home (retired.) I appreciate your response.

[SinisterStairs]

If you prefer finding a replacement online, you could also measure the inner and outer diameters of the O-ring.  I'm not somewhere I can look at my own cameras, but I presume the O-ring is one that seals the housing and the camera?  In which case you'd want to measure with a piece of string or something similarly flexible, since it's oblong instead of circular.

Arlo Support would be your best bet if you want an official part -- hopefully they get back to you with positive information.

[HazzMatt]

Arlo's official solution to this problem is to replace the camera. Not kidding, as many of us have asked this question of Arlo. BTW, it's the same camera housing for the Ultra, Ultra 2 a d Pro3, Pro4 and Essential. Good Luck

[bigjeepman]

I appreciate your response. I didn't know all camera's housings were the same size.

I will not buy another camera ... that I know for sure. The very least Arlo should do is to provide a source to buy additional o-rings or the size of them so customers can find replacements. If I knew the size/number of the o-ring, I am sure I could find them online. I am still waiting for the promised email for my case number. 

[SinisterStairs]

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@SinisterStairs wrote:

I presume the O-ring is one that seals the housing and the camera?  In which case you'd want to measure with a piece of string or something similarly flexible, since it's oblong instead of circular.

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What I meant was:  Measure the circumference of the [oblong] ring with string, then calculate what [circular] diameter O-ring that would be equivalent to.  i.e. O-ring diameter = oblong length / 3.1415, if my rusty math is correct.

Again, I'm assuming it's an oblong O-ring and Arlo still hasn't gotten back to you.  A sufficiently stretchy silicone ring should be shapable to match the Arlo gasket's shape, so it's just a matter of getting the same circumference.

[bigjeepman]

Thank you for your reply. You are correct, Arlo support has not responded so I contacted them again this morning. I specifically asked for the size/number of said o ring as that is the very least they can do. I have been to three local places that sells o rings but no luck yet. I am heading out to 4-5 more places now and if I find one that works, I will post info here.

Arlo support (second lady) said she will follow this through but I doubt it. I think the company chooses to ignore the obvious and that is o rings that small in diameter are future problems needing replacement. All they have to do is to provide a source to purchase more or sell them themselves. Seems like it would make "good business" with unhappy customers.

[SinisterStairs]

I got my ladder out and took my camera down, and it's still not clear to me which O-ring you're looking to replace:

1. The exterior ring around the camera lens?  (Circular)
2. The exterior ring around the side of the camera face, that would seal the camera from the housing?  (Oblong, at least when attached/stretched)
3. The interior ring at the back of the housing, where a mount bolt would screw in (on the other side)?

I'll assume #2...  Either way, I don't see why someone couldn't measure the diameter (or circumference and convert it to diameter (see above), if it's #2), then buy the appropriate sized ring off Amazon.  My search there shows rings as small as 1 mm ID; I didn't bother looking further to see if they go even smaller.

(I'm not endorsing Amazon and their mistreatment of workers; I just searched there because it's a global e-tailer.  Support your local family-owned hardware stores!  They'll likely let you try the ring on for fit before you buy.)  

[SinisterStairs]

While examining the camera & housing for more o-rings, I slightly dislodged the one that seals between them; so I'll presume that's the one.  Although the camera case is oblong, the ring itself is circular.

I don't have string or a caliper here at the moment, so I used a tape measure to roughly come up with 15 cm circumference (47-48 mm diameter) w/ 1 mm thickness.  I'm not at all confident about that circumference measurement, I wasn't being diligent (and no good reason why I didn't measure diameter directly; I wasn't thinking); but measuring inaccuracies aside, the diameter is still likely another mm smaller, to account for material stretching over time.  The main thing would be finding a ring w/ where the difference between the OD and ID (i.e. thickness) is ~1 mm; might be able to go a little bigger, hoping it'd squish beneath the housing rather than roll out.

[bigjeepman]

That is the one and the only o ring I see in my units. I never heard of an oblong o ring but maybe they do exist. It is a round o ring like you said. I just got back from my 2nd o ring excursion and have come close with one. I knew the OD was too small but the thickness looked close. I bought several but the width (1/16") is too big ... I need smaller. The o ring for the camera/housing is 2" and the ones I bought are 1 3/4" but they stretched on for a tight fit. So the ones I bought at my 8th stop were at a ranch store and measure ID 1 5/8" ... OD 1 3/4" ... width 1/16" and says "Industry #030."

I knew they were a smaller OD but I had taken a camera with me and I could position it in place with a little effort. When I tried to slide the camera into the housing when I returned home, it was too tight but not by much. I will continue to search with help only from this forum.

Thank you all and when I find the right one, I will post here for all to benefit.

[SinisterStairs]

Yeah, I only wondered if it was an oblong ring because being a proprietary ring was the only reason I could think of for why an O-ring couldn't be sourced [online].

If the ID is 2", that would correspond to a #033 (1.989" ID); but it could be worth trying a #032 for a little more stretch/tightness.

[bigjeepman]

Arlo customer support has just responded in a promised email. They kindly asked for picture of the o ring and some additional information on my case. I will update as soon as I have more info.

[bigjeepman]

It has now been almost three weeks since I got an Arlo Support email asking for more information including a picture of the O ring I reported. They also wanted my address but I have never heard from them again.

Today was my deadline for Arlo so I will now report Arlo's non-existent customer service directly to Costco. I am also going to give very poor reviews on all sites that I can find to help alert possible new customers to Arlo's substandard response to a known issue with these units that could be remedied by simple good business practices and an o ring costing less than $1.00. By not even offering customers an option to buy these o rings, is negligent and profoundly dumb.

I am sorry for not being part of a solution for this issue. 

[bigjeepman]

This reply is in response to a Fed Ex package left at my door yesterday. In it were the o rings that I needed. Am I satisfied ... hardly. This unnecessary battle to get an o ring for what I consider to be an expensive camera line was ridiculous. To Arlo's CS ... yes they did what was needed but responded about as fast as water flows uphill ... but they did what I had originally asked. I like the camera's, the hub, and the simple use of the Arlo app but how can I ever recommend Arlo based on this experience? Is it possible no one really cares anymore? The last CS rep I talked with sure seemed to care but I believe her hands were "tied" by company policies.

I will mark this reply as a Solution To Be ... all Arlo has to do is offer these very important o rings as a "replacement accessory" for $ ????. The o rings I received were unmarked so I still do not know "exactly" what size they are ... possibly a #33 or #34 ... I am not sure. If they do not want to offer these through Arlo, then let customers know they can order a size ?? online or that they need to look for a size ?? locally. It is not a difficult solution and helps keep your Customer Service reputation where it needs to be.

[MisterBee]

I've encountered the same lacking response from Arlo's Customer Service Chat. It seems that they ought to carry replacements in the on line accessory catalog, or list the dimensions of the appropriate o-ring in order to assist their customers needs.  I have been considering to expand my camera survailance network, but am rather disappointed that Netgear would permit such inadequate support for their very popular Arlo products.  

[StephenB]

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@MisterBee wrote:

 but am rather disappointed that Netgear would permit   

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FYI, Netgear divested Arlo back in 2018.