The reboot of the Arlo Ultra....Is it safe to purchase now?

[Frenchyk]

I've been waiting for all the updates and bugs to be worked out before I pulled the trigger on the new Arlo Ultra. I just want to know if it's working as advertised now and if it's safe to purchase?

[ab21au]

It still doesn’t work with the doorbell and chime. JB Hifi state on their website that a firmware update is expected on the 25/3/19 to fix this. 

[Cwmmmm]

@ab21au May you please link where you have read that a firmware update is coming on the date 25/3/19. Please and thank you!

[Cwmmmm]

I did some secharing and found it but it’s odd that they have a time for update while arlo themselves is holding back by saying soon. Lots of miscommunications within arlo that I feel could be fixed.unless that website is wrong but who knows.

[michaelkenward]

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@Cwmmmm wrote:
@ab21au May you please link where you have read that a firmware update is coming on the date 25/3/19. Please and thank you!

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I would not attach much weight to third party websites and what they say about Arlo's firmware.

It would not surprise me if even the Arlo techies aren't certain about the exact timing. All we do know, from sites like Amazon for example, is that the Arlo Ultra is there for "Pre-order. Available March 24, 2019".

BestBuy, which launched the Ultra prematurely a while back, also says "Ships by Release Day Sun, Mar 24".

That date might be an opportune time to put out firmware updates.

[ab21au]

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/arlo/arlo-ultra-4k-uhd-wire-free-security-camera-system-3-cameras-smart-hu...

Due to a delay in firmware upgrade, you will NOT be able to pair the Arlo Doorbell with the Arlo Ultra 4K UHD until 25th March.

[StephenB]

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@michaelkenward wrote:

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@Cwmmmm wrote:
@ab21au May you please link where you have read that a firmware update is coming on the date 25/3/19. Please and thank you!

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I would not attach much weight to third party websites and what they say about Arlo's firmware.

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Me either.  If there's a specific issue that you need to make sure is resolved before purchase, the best strategy is to track it's status here.

FWIW, I've seen a lot of improvement over the past month or so, and personally I'm not experiencing any major issues. But I expect there likely will be some things they'll need to clean up after the relaunch.  

[Frenchyk]

So is the Arlo Ultra a good camera now after all of its firmware updates since the launch? I don't want to give up on Arlo but I will purchase an extended warranty considering how my never dropped before Arlo 2 went crazy after 14 months of ownership.

[jengio77]

Last firmware update of Arlo Ultra was 2019-02-16... right?

Arlo will release new firmware update this week?

If not, ARE NOW ARLO ULTRA READY FOR THE MARKET???

[michaelkenward]

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@jengio77 wrote:
...ARE NOW ARLO ULTRA READY FOR THE MARKET???

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Not sure what you mean by "ready for the market". What do you want the Ultra to do?

Reading the messages around here, it seems that some people who are perfectly happy with the Ultra as it is now.

[Frenchyk]

I simply wanted to know if the Arlo Ultra was working as advertised because when it launched the general consensus was that the Arlo Ultra was not ready for the market due to issues and not working as advertised. That's what I'm referring to.

[michaelkenward]

Like I said, read earlier messages.

[enigmaphoenix]

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@Frenchyk wrote:
I simply wanted to know if the Arlo Ultra was working as advertised because when it launched the general consensus was that the Arlo Ultra was not ready for the market due to issues and not working as advertised. That's what I'm referring to.

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Super not helpfull @michaelkenward .

@Frenchyk I'll give you my opinion and mine alone.  I purchased early and received a couple months ago.  It was bad, I mean, really really bad.  So I returned it.  I decided to pick a 2 cam unit up today and can say that it has come a long way for sure!  If you are ok with some bugs I think you're fine right now.  But things like Geolocate with schedule just don't work well with the new base station.  I have a pro 2 era base station and ultra both set to the same geolocate with schedule, and the ultra base station is spotty at best.  Even worse than a couple years ago imo because it not only doesnt switch modes sometimes, but it incorrectly lists the status it is currently in.

Battery issues, signal issues.  Those seem to be fixed so far.  But I'm only on day 1 with the latest software so take that with a grain of salt.

In a nutshell.  If you are worried at all.  I would wait.  Also if you want to use the old base station with an Ultra camera, that's still not a thing.  At least they finally corrected that in their advertising (for the most part, they just took the fact that it is backwords compatible off.  They don't state that it isnt).  Took a lot of back and forth before they did..

Cheers,

K

[jguerdat]

And if you read earlier messges you'll find a great reduction in issues as opposed to the first messages. It's a real PITA that folks decide to post without regard to what has transpired before. It increases support load while supposedly making you feel better/superior. Most of us here, including superusers, are users like you. The difference is that some of us read messges and pay attention rather than being vocal idiots.

[Frenchyk]

Thank you for the thoughtful explanation. That's exactly what I was looking for. I'm glad to hear that it's coming along and hopefully by the re-release it will be running even better. Thanks for being open and honest about your experience.

[michaelkenward]

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@jguerdat wrote:

And if you read earlier messges you'll find a great reduction in issues as opposed to the first messages.

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Indeed. Had the person who started this discussion read just one other thread they would have learned a lot more:

Update on my experience and decision to keep my Ul... - Arlo Communities

Far more reasoned than anything from someone who jumped the gun and immediately threw their toys out of the pram.

[Frenchyk · Accepted solution]

I preferred to start a fresh post so I could get current answers since the product is still rather new. Thank you all who assisted.