Ridiculous ongoing battery meter fiasco

[Stevewins]

This ridiculous issue is continuing to persist for XL batteries with Arlo solar chargers and Ultra 2 cameras on a VMB5000 base!

C’mon Arlo, this is not one of those bugs that you can delay fixing for 6 months to a year like some of the others. This has been happening off and  on since last summer. This is a critical function that cripples the system and renders it unreliable for its intended purpose. Hire some competent programmers and FIX IT already!!! 

Every time the Arlo brand solar panel charges the XL battery to 100% the power meter in the app gets stuck there and continues to show 100% right up until the battery dies and the camera becomes utterly useless. This renders it unfit for purpose. Going up on ladders and unplugging and replugging the solar panels is the only fix I’ve found so far, and it’s temporary, as soon as we have a string of sunny days and the battery reaches 100% again the problem recurs. 

Don’t  make us publicize this all over the internet and tech publication media ad nauseum in order to get you to do your job right and fix it. 

[Stevewins]

Yep, that looks right. 

On a different note, I got an Apple Watch last week and was very pleasantly surprised by the integration that Arlo has with it 😀

[ShayneS]

Hi,

Just checking up to see how the solar charging is going? If everything is well I can update the team on this test firmware. We will also need to point your cameras to the production version on the next release. 

[Stevewins]

Hi, the solar panels appear to be working normally and not sticking at 100%.  I have noticed my cameras go offline more often than they used to. I’m not sure if it’s related to the test firmware or not. I’ve also noticed that if I log in on another device while still logged in on the first one, it doesn’t just log me out on the first one and give a notification then log in on the second, they appear to both be logged in for a second and then both apps crash and I have to close and relaunch on the second device. 

[Stevewins]

Also, I can no longer tell my Apple TV or Fire TV to show me a camera if I’m logged in on my phone. I have to log out of my phone before those will work. They used to work fine, now they just clock and never succeed connecting. 

I don’t know if any of this is related to the test firmware or if it’s just something new on Arlo’s end. 

[ShayneS]

@Stevewins What is the device and command you are using to try and launch the cameras on the Apple TV?

[Stevewins]

Shayne, on the Fire TV the command is “Alexa, show me the Front Yard”. On Apple TV, the command is “Show me the Front Yard” after pressing the microphone button on the remote. Sorry for the delayed response. 

Regarding the battery meter, the Ultras with solar panels have not gotten stuck on 100% any more. However, the battery meter on the Pro is now screwed up, it now says it has a solar panel, which it’s never ever had, and it shows a 98% charge even though it’s completely dead right now. It’s the one labeled “porch” in the pic below.

[Stevewins]

[ShayneS]

I wasn't able to replicate the Apple TV issue with the latest version of TV OS and iOS on my phone. Do you have any developer or beta OS installed? 

[ShayneS]

Do the same battery icons/percentages appear on the web browser? Does the iPad have the latest app v4.5?

[Stevewins]

Yeah, it’s the same on iPhone and iPad, both on 4.5, and the same in the browser. 

[Stevewins]

I don’t have any beta versions on my Apple products 

[ShayneS]

Have you tried rebooting the Apple TV or manually unplugging. You can tru adjusting some of the native HomeKit/camera settings in the app tv settings to see if that helps. I tried to replicate, but my command for a camera is launching  successfully. 

[ShayneS]

I also provided the info regarding the solar panel and charging indicator to the team. I am waiting for more info to provide you. 

[Edinburgh_lad]

So, a new issue: the battery for my solar powered Ultra (using Arlo's solar panel) showed 100%, but now I removed the plug from the solar panel and re-attached it for the battery now to be showing 84% and charging. What is going on with this system? 

Another issue is that I noticed two or three horizontal cracks on the surface of the solar panel. I don't believe these were caused by anything hitting it (like an unlikely event of a bird dropping something on it), as these would have been star-like cracks. I believe it's the surface of the panel failing (due to the heat, temperature changes etc.)

Overall, I'm getting concerned about the quality of Arlo products. 

[ShayneS]

Hi @Stevewins,

 Your device was updated to a firmware that should help with this issue. Can you monitor your battery percentage and let me know if the issue still occurs. 

Thank you 

[Stevewins]

Still have 3 cameras stuck on 100%. One ultra2 shows solar charging in the middle of the night. One is a Pro3 floodlight, the other is Ultra2. Same exact issue as awhile back that appeared to be fixed and is now back again. Some lazy programmer reused old faulty code I guess. 

[ShayneS]

@Stevewins Thanks for checking, I will let the team know and continue to update you. 

[keislee]

I found another topic has same issue. The battery level shown on app are always 100% once they were fully charged by solar panel. It will resume normal battery level showing after disconnect the solar charge cable. Is there any update from Arlo?

[Dgmi]

my ultra 2s with solar panel attached to them always show 100% once fully charged.

are you implying that even with solar panel attached the battery should exercise thru a battery drain and recharge to 100% periodically?

[ShayneS]

Hi @keislee 

Can you provide more detail regarding this? Is the web portal displaying a different charge level than the app?

[keislee]

I never use the web but only use the app on my iPhone. Both ultra 2 cam with solar panel. It always so full after it has fully charged to 100%. It looks abut weird that both cam always shown 100 % full then I tried to disconnected the cable for solar charging say like 1 min and connect again. It will show the actually battery volume such as 80% or 90% etc

[Edinburgh_lad1]

The way Arlo does things is strange to me. But, I've noticed the following:

- battery will show it's always full

- when you disconnect and reconnect the cable, it'll show 90% or so

- the battery will then start charging in real time 

I believe once the battery reaches 90% when connected to the panel, it automatically resumed charging without letting the user 'see' that. If that's really the case, only Arlo would be able to confirm. Why it doesn't show the percentage of the battery in *real time* is beyond me.

[keislee]

I duno if Arlo team will reply here. I am now testing the cam too. Both shows 100% after charged. I have tried to disconnect one cam’s solar panel for few mins. It showed me that only 8x% whereas it showed me 100% before disconnected. The other cams remain 100% still. I duno if the other cams will still charging of not if it keep showing 100% full. Anyone can share their experience or Arlo team can help here ?

[ShayneS]

Firmware version 1.070.53.2_4_f049237 has been released. This firmware should help with the symptoms you're experiencing. Please let me know if you still experiencing this after your camera has updated.

[keislee]

Thanks a lot and may I know when did it release? Mine seem has been updated before your post. So wonder if everything ok now