Power Outage - Arlo Fails to Restart

[Tiz2]

I upgrade my EOL Hub VMB4000 to Hub VMB5000r6 in January 2023, so new at time of posting. I have had 2 power outages the last 2 weeks, and both time Arlo flashes Orange for days. Cord and power system are fine. No issue there. But Arlo has a hard time recovering. Anyone else having this issue, and what is the resolution. Customer Service suggested a more consistent power supply. I live in California; I get what I get.

[DannyBearAgain]

I have seen this plenty of times where the router modem equipment takes longer than the hub/base to boot after a power cycle. The expensive workaround is to install a UPS on the equipment.

next expensive approach is to put a smart plug on the base to power cycle it again.

[StephenB]

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@Tiz2 wrote:

I upgrade my EOL Hub VMB4000 to Hub VMB5000r6 in January 2023,

Just want to clarify - no Hubs are on the EoL list.

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@Tiz2 wrote:

I have had 2 power outages the last 2 weeks, and both time Arlo flashes Orange for days. 

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I agree with @DannyBearAgain that a UPS for your base (and router+modem) is a good solution.  In my experience, my internet stays up even when my power fails.  Which means that I am still getting notifications and cloud storage during the power failure (and also can stay on-line).

Power use in routers/modems varies, but a UPS with a 750 VA rating should handle a power failure of about 2 hours (protecting the router+modem and the smarthub).  You can find them for about $100 USD.  1500 VA units cost about twice that.

The smartplug would let you reboot the base remotely, so it would be useful if the outage happens while you are away. 

[Tiz2]

I have everything on a UPS that lasts for over an hour. Problem is, outages last longer. When I had a power outage with my 4000, it came back online when the power was restored. This is not the case for the 5000.

[DannyBearAgain]

How big is the SD card? Could be taking some time to do a check scan.

Is the issue able to be duplicated without the ups installed on the equipment? Looking for clues here.

There may be isp terminal equipment in the street that is impacted by the power outage and taking it’s own time to reboot.

A further suggestion is to set the IP address of the arlo hub MAC address to a set value in the router settings to bypass the DHCP negotiations.

Stabbing in the dark here.

[Tiz2]

I have a 32 Gig SD card. I have tried both ways, using the UPS and directly into the wall. It seems to require me to log into the app using my PC to turn blue.

[DannyBearAgain]

While the hub is in the flashing amber state after a power outage, do you still receive motion notifications and get recordings?

You mention using the pc web browser to login to restore the led, does using the arlo mobile app give you the same outcome? 

Since the hub hub uses the local network to provide access from the hub storage to the app this might be the “other connection issue” that arlo identifies to cause the flashing amber indicator. The other cause is a camera connection issue. 

[StephenB]

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@Tiz2 wrote:

I have everything on a UPS that lasts for over an hour. Problem is, outages last longer. When I had a power outage with my 4000, it came back online when the power was restored. This is not the case for the 5000.

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Of course it should be coming on line with the 5000 also. It might be good to create a support case if you have a subscription.

I am wondering if this is related to timing - in particular if the VMB5000 comes up before the router completes its boot sequence.

You could try a couple of tests - powering down both the router (or switch) and the base, and then powering them up in a couple of different orders.

[Tiz2]

Even if true, if I am out of town and the power goes out, I will have no control of what cames back on line and when. Did not have this issue with the 4000 hub.

[DannyBearAgain]

The 4000 Base station does not have the direct storage access feature that the hubs have. Could be something arlo could look into, might be why the direct access stops working for hub users.

installing a wifi controlled smart plug is a way to power cycle the hub remotely when needed.