Arlo Ultra batteries not charging past a certain point

[Goodoltom]

Ive had the Ultra System since launch and have had an unreasonable amount of issues. To add insult to injury, the battery life is expected to be less, but after it reaches 56% it stops charging.

[jguerdat]

WHat have you tried to get the battery to charge? Have you contacted support?

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/contact.aspx

[JamesC]

Goodoltom,

Does the interface still indicate that the battery is being charged? Have you tried removing and reconnecting the charger?

JamesC

[Goodoltom]

Sorry, my previous post was vague.

Currently the only option to charge the batteries is the camera and the supplied power cable; both the solar and dual ultra charger are on pre-order.

Yes, seems that its a tempature thing. Yesterday I left the camera charged for hours and not only did it stop at 56%, it remained there. I attempted to remove the battery and even tried to use another camera.

However, this evening I plugged the camera back in and weve passed 56%, currently at 63%. Although it seems to be temporarily solved, additional investigation is needed by Arlo..

[jguerdat]

Temps are certainly an issue although only below ~32F. WHat temps were you seeing?

[Goodoltom]

All inside temps, attempting charge all in house.

Now, only 1 camera will charge out of the 4.

[jguerdat]

Make sure the contacts are clean. I'd try a different charger to see what happens (only 5v is needed for the indoors chargers). Just to be clear, you've tried different cameras and swapping batteries around, right?

[Goodoltom]

Based off what I recently read, Arlo rushed the Ultra system knowing that they faces battery issues. Fear of a compressing market and increased competition.

That said, while I appreciate the support from the community, Im forced to return my Ultra system. To be honest, any response from Arlo couldve prevented this. I understand they may not want to solicit false hope as to a solve day, but ownership of the issues wouldve saved me my sanity.

[JamesC]

Goodoltom,

When you say only 1 camera will charge out of the 4, are you seeing any error messages or does it just show the camera is charging but the percentage doesn't go up?

This isn't being reported as a widespread issue and i've not been able to personally replicate any issues with charging Ultra.

JamesC

[justrelax]

I have the original arlo and 2 arlo pro systems. I purchased the ultra system on day 1 it was available. Its a complete mess. It comes with 1 magnetic charger. Its bad enough that I have to move the mag charger every single day to a new camera or 2 to keep them charged, but its so time consuming to get them to charge. 99% of the time I havce to remove the battery, put it in another camera and cross my fingers that it will charge. The one I am trying to charge today had 65% charge. Put the mag charger cable on it and it dropped to 62%. So I tried putting in all the other cameras and at this point it shows its charging but its losing charge. Yes, I know that It may start charging correctly at some point or if I plug it into yet another camera It may decide to charge, but Its rediculous. I regret buying these.

[LandJS]

I'm curious if you turn them off to charge.  I have 5 and waiting for them to start selling them again but all 5 charged right up and I kept one on a magnetic mount to use as a charger in the house during bad weather until the chargers are out.  In good weather I use the indoor charger and extension cord to charge them in place but I always turn the cam off during charging and have not had any issues so I'm curious.  Not many times all cams would have an issue.

[jguerdat]

I've charged the Ultras without turing them off with no problem.

I suspect that the charger the OP has is somehow defective since it happens on all cameras. Open a case with support:

https://www.arlo.com/en-us/support/contact.aspx

[JamesC]

justrelax,

If the charger is plugged in and shows in the mobile app that the charger is connected, you shouldn't be seeing the battery level deplete. It sounds like you're seeing this on multiple cameras? Please let me know if you're still experiencing this behavior and I will help connect you with the support team.

JamesC

[Goodoltom]

No error message.

When I use the provided charger the app showed charging; regardless of how long they plugged in the battery wouldnt go pass 56% and on some batteries/ cameras it would never leave 0.

I wish I could provide additional insight but Ive since returned the cameras and Im waiting for the impending fix.

[HazzMatt]

I bought the 4 camera ultra system two weeks ago They only given one charger, and I can also confirm that I have a bad experiences trying to charge the batteries. They either take over 24 hours to indicate a full charge. Once I take it off the charger, it's immediately only 50-60% charged. A battery that is higher than 60% charged will actually deplete the charge level but will eventually seem to charge to full but again, when taken off the charger it will not be over 60%. I actually also bought a 2 camera ultra system and that charger seems to work. Of course, it irritates me beyond belief how short the cable is. I contacted Arlo via chat about this and they are sending me a new charger and a new battery because no matter what, one battery won't ever charge to full. I love most things about Arlo but the new ultra system does have issues. I was happy with the Arlo chat experience though. I am willing to be patient for a time. Also, a recent firmware app in 3/25/19 did seem to reduce or eliminate my camera time out issues. Good Luck to All.... Matt

[HazzMatt]

My next question is, what is making the Ultra charger faulty, the power plug, the USB to magnetic fitting or something else? Anyone?

[jguerdat]

While I haven't tried it, I would think that any USB charger of ~2 amps would work fine. The issue of the cable is something we can't really test but you can try cleaning the contacts to see if that makes a difference.

[HazzMatt]

Thanks, are you associated with Arlo? Do you think an Arlo Pro charger jack would be ok to try connecting to the ultra cable? It's hard to believe that the ultra cable is dirty, it's brand new but I'll clean it anyway. Are you associated with Arlo? Thanks

[jguerdat]

Just another user like you. I'm retired IT.

Again, I haven't tried it but I would think virtually any recent charger, including the one from a Pro camera, would work. It just needs 5v at ~2 amps. Lower won't hurt, just might take a bit longer to charge.

[dzlhed]

My Arlo Ultra cameras were incapable of charging and operating simultaneously. The App would show the batteries on charge but the battery would continually drain to 1% and then the blue power light would blink repetitively. I tried every combination of Battery camera and supplied power adapter to no avail. I resolved this issue and have had great success now using Apple 10 W power supplies. Coupled with the Arlo charge cable they support camera charging and operation simultaneously. The cameras charge at a reasonable rate and do not overheat well maintaining enough amperage to keep them running near continuously if required. FYI.

[HazzMatt]

I experienced the same things. Here are some things to try. I think it will help or solve, but they are not very popular. 1. Make sure the Arlo battery charger is not plugged into an extension cord. 2. If your charger is plugged directly into an outlet, make sure the charger right side up so "Arlo" is right side up. If these ideas don't work, you may have a defective charger and Arlo should replace it for you at no charge. Hope this helps!! Matt

[dzlhed]

Tried all that. Actually read your post prior to moving to the 10w Apple power supply. In the best case scenario the supplied power adapter is woefully inadequate. I’m so pleased with the 10w Apple supplies and their spectacular performance I bought several more. Netgear should take note.

[HazzMatt]

Sorry to hear that. I finally have my stuff working. What's the Apple product you mentioned

[dzlhed]

Once you experience the faster charge rate you will never go back. Turns a quirky, sometimes difficult system into something spectacular.
Apple 10W USB Power Adapter Wall Charger A1357 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod

[Dz0]

It's widespread, rest assured.  I'm returning my ARlo Ultra for the exact same charging issues.