Several ARLO Ulta VMC5040 Cameras

[rdilauro]

I am in the process of taking over the management of all of our ARLO cameras for our Lake Community.   I originally setup 2 ARLO Go 2 LTE to monitor our field where boats are stored.  I have physically taken 6 other VMC5040 Cameras to charge, since none of them were charged.  They were all on Solar chargers, but some of them the cable was unplugged and the other, the charger was facing more for summer sun.

I've put back the cameras and contacted the person who was in charge.  She indicated that some of the cameras (Golf shop) said Not charged and the others by Tennis were offline.

She granted access to my ARLO account for all of those cameras.  When I bring up my ARLO, those cameras are showing as being OFFLINE.  I went to the Golf shop, rebooted the Modem/Router and Base station.   Finally all lights were fine, the base station solid blue.

I can see the image that was last taken by all of those cameras, and was hoping to get into their settings.   SInce they are all offline, there is nothing I can do at this point.

To correct Offline problems, I've followed the Networking steps, etc

Is there anything else I need to do to get these devices back online.   I know that the batteries were charged, since I had each one charging for over 24 hours and anytime I walked into the room, the Blue light started blinking like crazy.

Suggestions?  Is there any additional trouble shooting I can do?  Or ways to gather more information to isolate the problem?

It wouldn't be as simple as since these cameras were just granted access to my ARLO account, is there a time period before I could see everything.

I am in the process of building a total ARLO Security camera for our Lake Club..

- Ballfield

- Golf Shop and Greens

- Driving Range

- Golf sign in sheet

- Tennis Shop and Courts

- Ladies Golf Range

- Club house Office

- Club House 2 Exterior cameras

- Beachfront

- Marina

I understand that the cameras are at least 2 to 3 years old and was wondering what the normal life span is for the camera and battery.  Up until now, no one has really be monitoring the physical part of the cameras, just the videos.  Almost thinking if the Ultras are old, should I do a total upgrade to the ARLO Go 2

[jguerdat]

There's a whole bunnch of things going on here so we may need to tackle them one by one. It would have been useful for the primary user to have been proactive addressing the issues as they popped up so you don't have to fight your way through them now.

Since you were granted access to the cameras you have limited ability to do anything with the setup and configuration. That will require the primary account. 

I'm guessing it's probably a dead battery issue for at least some of these cameras. One thing you might want to consider is the external charging station and 1 or 2 extra batteries so you can quickly swap without needing to pull a camera down to recharge. Dead batteries may need to be "shocked" back into life by plugging them in several times to get enough charge to then fully and properly charge.

Also, the blue LED shouldn't be flashing based on motion detection. That usually means the camera is connected to the hub.

Let us know if any of this helps and what progress you've made, if any.

[rdilauro]

I totally agree.  The person who installed and setup this camera configuration just walked away from everything.  The people watching the images did not know how to monitor the camera itself.

I have come to the conclusion that the batteries are DEAD.   One set of cameras I can see 0% red line.   Those one the batteries that I tried to kick start following some of your suggestions.

Instead of wasting time, I ordered 8 batteries for our Ultras plus the dual charging station.  Once they arrive, I will plug them in and I feel confident things will be better.

In terms of changes that I can make after being granted access.  Its limited, can I change device and video setting?  Or will I need the admin to do that.

You guys are really so helpful

[dcfox1]

Just to add do you still have any contact with the person who has the main account. If so if they remove all from thier account, you can readd them with full rights. But sounds like they were not cooperative in the first place. 

[rdilauro]

I still have contact. But its a privacy concern. She is the admin and employee of the Lake Club. I am a volunteer. But I know I can work with her to make audio or video or device settings. There are a number I want already. But to net it out there cannot be two ids on one ARLO account with the same admin authorizations

[jguerdat]

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@rdilauro wrote:

In terms of changes that I can make after being granted access.  Its limited, can I change device and video setting?  Or will I need the admin to do that.

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An account that was granted access with the additional access rights has maybe 90% of the admin capability so you're going to need the admin's help on occasion unless they're willing to share their login credentials with you. Here's the list:

https://kb.arlo.com/1103229/What-privileges-do-my-friends-have-when-I-grant-them-access-rights-in-my...

[rdilauro]

Thanks, I have already talked to the Admin, she will let me make any changes that are necessary on any of the cameras

[Edinburgh_lad1]

For what you're trying to do, I think you should install a professional system.

Arlo is more appropriate for homes rather than big businesses like what you're describing. 

However, if you're still wanting to do it, you should take into account regular maintenance like charging batteries etc.