Arlo Ultra not recording

[Say_no_to_2FA]

My Arlo Ultra camera is not recording consistently. It misses 90% of activities and then randomly records one out of the blue. I’ve removed the battery, verified there are no activity zones,  confirmed the camera is armed and tried a new custom mode. My other Pro 2 / Pro 3 cameras on the same base station work fine.

My base station is a VMB4540R2 on firmware 1.17.0.0_1050_441916B

I’ve read the archived thread at https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo-Ultra/ARLO-ULTRA-MOTION-RECORDING-quot-GOES-TO-SLEEP-quot/td-p/17... which has apparently been fixed by a firmware update but mine is still problematic.

[StephenB]

Have you tried swapping the Ultra with the Pro 3, and confirm that the issue follows the camera?

[Say_no_to_2FA]

I have Pro 2 and Pro 3 cameras working fine on the same base station.

[StephenB]

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@Say_no_to_2FA wrote:

I have Pro 2 and Pro 3 cameras working fine on the same base station.

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I know.  I suggest swapping the Pro 3 with the Ultra, because it's possible that the camera placement is the issue (too far from the motion, or some similar problem).  If that's the situation, the problem will remain with the location - if not it will move with the camera.

[Say_no_to_2FA]

I had a Pro 2 then a Pro 3 on the same location. (on the same mount even) for a couple of years without issue.

[StephenB]

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@Say_no_to_2FA wrote:

I had a Pro 2 then a Pro 3 on the same location. (on the same mount even) for a couple of years without issue.

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It's up to you, but I'd still suggest the swap.  It's easy to try.

What base are you using?

[Say_no_to_2FA]

My base station is a VMB4540R2 on firmware 1.17.0.0_1050_441916B.

Is there a reason why a Pro 2 and Pro 3 would work in a given location that an Ultra wouldn’t?

[StephenB]

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@Say_no_to_2FA wrote:

Is there a reason why a Pro 2 and Pro 3 would work in a given location that an Ultra wouldn’t?

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If they do, then the Ultra would have a problem. 

After confirming that, I'd suggest doing a factory reset of the Ultra and see if that makes any difference. But re-onboarding can be a pain, so I don't like to suggest that step too early. https://kb.arlo.com/000062438/How-do-I-factory-reset-my-Arlo-wire-free-camera

You could also try the motion detection test.  https://kb.arlo.com/41/How-do-I-change-the-motion-sensitivity-on-my-Arlo-camera

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@Say_no_to_2FA wrote:

My base station is a VMB4540R2

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Thanks.  With the VMB5000, the Ultra might choose 5 ghz - and if the range is marginal that could give some connnection drops.  But the VMB4540 is 2.4 ghz only, so that possibility is off the table.
  

[Say_no_to_2FA]

So the threat of a factory reset seems to have scared the camera into recording again with no further action on my part. I’ll monitor it over the next couple of days and report back. Thank you for the support!