Ultra 2 cameras not consistently detecting and recording motion

[Mickey2]

I recently purchased an Arlo Ultra 2 kit with four cameras. When installed, none of the cameras was consistently detecting and recording motion. Often, recording would not begin until the motion was directly in front of the camera or even beyond the camera eye. Usually it did not record at all. After much troubleshooting with the Arlo Support person, it seems my WiFi is not sufficient for the system. I did not realize each camera requires an upload of 3 Mbps, while my WiFi only supports 5 Mbps. Before paying to upgrade my WiFi, I wanted to verify the Arlo system worked.

I proceeded to disconnect all devices that might be competing for bandwidth on my WiFi, except for the Arlo hub and an IPad. I only connected one camera to the system and had a strong 5+ Mbps upload signal. Upon testing the camera, the function was the same, either not recording or not activating until the activity was directly in front of the camera, or beyond.

The settings were checked and smart notifications were activated; obviously because motion was sometimes detected.

Is there something I am missing? It seems to me this should work with a 5 Mbps upload using only one camera and no competing devices on the WiFi.

Is this an issue with just the Ultra 2 system? Would the regular Ultra cameras perform differently?

Thank you.

[Streak2]

Bring the one test camera closer to the base and re-test.

Also see here for some tips

https://kb.arlo.com/000062211/How-do-I-position-my-Arlo-Ultra-camera-to-detect-motion-in-specific-ar...

[Mickey2]

Thanks for your comment Streak2.

The hub was only about 30 feet from the cameras while I was running the tests. The camera was placed outside on my deck elevated approximately 7 feet off the ground. I walked in front of the camera at 10, 20 & 30 feet away. I started and finished outside the camera’s field of view. I could see myself in the live view each time as I walked. I tried to be as consistent as possible.

[Streak2]

Something else that we try in these cases is to restart the base (power it down and then back up again) and also reset the camera by removing and refitting the battery.

Also, if you are able to create a bit more distance between the base and the router it's connected to. Even a foot or 2 can make a difference in case there is some interference. 

Last resort is to remove the camera and then re-install from scratch.

Also, here are the release notes to make sure that you are running the latest firmware on both the base and the camera.

[Mickey2]

Yes, I have been troubleshooting this for a couple of days following recommendations on the Arlo website and related forums, as well as the online support.

I have restarted, rebooted, unplugged and removed/reinstalled the hub/cameras. I even tried removing the camera batteries BEFORE removing the cameras from the system and reinstalling, as one person recommended.

Firmware on hub and cameras is current.

I have approximately 5 feet between the Arlo hub and my router.

I tested only one camera at a time to ensure I had sufficient bandwidth.

I increased the motion sensitivity to 100%.

The cameras still do not regularly detect motion and when they do, often it is not until I am directly in front of the camera or past it.

Since the Ultra 2 system is new…could there be problems with it that haven’t been resolved yet?

I was hoping this Arlo system would work for me. While I will return it, I am hesitant to consider buying a different one if they may all perform similarly.

Thanks again.

[Streak2]

The Ultra 2's are great cameras. I have one and it works very well.

It's something environmental that's causing the issue.

Could be bandwidth, interference etc.

Are you able to move the base even further away using a longer ethernet cable?

Have you tried restarting the router to which the hub is attached?

What wifi channel is your router set to, auto or a fixed channel? Try and change this.

[dcfox1]

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@Streak2 wrote:

Also, here are the release notes to make sure that you are running the latest firmware on both the base and the camera.

Just curious but I didn't see a link for the release notes thanks. 

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[Streak2]

Sorry, here are the release notes

https://community.arlo.com/t5/Firmware-Release-Notes/bd-p/arlo-release-notes

[dcfox1]

Ok thought it may have been that page. Thanks. 

[Mickey2]

I spent a few days trying to troubleshoot this, exploring the likelihood it is a router issue and trying many of your suggestions, but to no avail. I have an Eero Pro mesh Wi-Fi setup. Some folks have reported a conflict with Eero and Arlo systems. I removed the Eero and setup my old Asus router. The Arlo Ultra 2 worked much better with the Asus. Motion was detected in every instance, although it was  still often delayed quite a bit. However once started, it recoded the entire time.

Evidently, at lease in my case, the Arlo product is not compatible with the Eero Wi-Fi.

While I am not technically proficient, I am comfortable trying to troubleshoot issues. I have given up trying to make it work. It shouldn’t be so difficult to set up the Arlo.

Thank you for your assistance.

[franzdom]

I don't understand what wifi has to do with this. Your arlo base is it's wifi and it's connected to your internet with a cable. It has nothing to do with your other router wifi speed.

It may have something to do with the upload speed but really it shouldn't matter.

If you don't have power going to each camera it won't register motion until it happens while if you do have power then it caches and captures the whole motion.

[Mickey2]

Sorry, I should have said Eero router. I was simply referring to my Wi-Fi setup.

All I know is that when I switched routers, under the same conditions, the Arlo system experienced problems with the Eero, but not as much with the Asus router.