Ultra and 2 not recording at night

[swnkp000]

I have both an Ultra and Ultra 2 and for some reason for the past month to month and a half it is not recording at night and the video is extremely dark, when a month ago it was able to record at night and see at night.  I did not change anything.  Any updates from Arlo did something to the video quality and functions.

I even climbed up the ladder several times  to get the cameras to resync it. Still video quality is dark.  I've adjusted the brightness, adjusted the angle to be more away from a wall (don't want ot move it too much otherwise I would see mostly the neighbor's house) and still it is dark. 

Also it is not recording movement at night.  I would walk right in front of it and the camera did not capture me.  This is a HUGE security risk since I bought the cameras to catch people trying to steal stuff around my house, especially at night.  Someone stole my car right in front of my house and line of sight with the camera and Arlo did not catch them in the act, and the Activity Zone covers the whole video area and still it did not catch them. 

I know all Arlo would do is direct you to their "support" page and I've already done all that has been suggested.  Something happened with their updates that caused the issues.  

[StephenB]

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@swnkp000 wrote:

the video is extremely dark

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Is this also happening when you livestream the cameras after dark?  Test with the spotlight on and with it off.

[swnkp000]

Yes, it's also happens when I live stream, and I have tried it with the spotlight on and off.  I've even adjusted the spotlight brightness and video brightness.  

[StephenB]

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@swnkp000 wrote:

Yes, it's also happens when I live stream, and I have tried it with the spotlight on and off.  I've even adjusted the spotlight brightness and video brightness.  

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Does this also happen when you move the camera to a different location?

Also, is the dark video a problem with both cameras?

[swnkp000]

The cameras are in two different locations.  One is open with no obstructions or any items to reflect off of.   The other is next to a wall, which in previous did not have this issue.  If I move the camera it will get the neighbor's yard and if I move it to a location where there is not a reflection it is too far from where I need it, which means it will not capture motion; and if it did the I would not be able to see any person well enough.

As mentioned before, I did not have this issue a couple months ago (not recording at night and video being dark if it did record at night).   One of the updates did "broke" something to the video quality and ability. 

[StephenB]

I wasn't meaning to suggest that you should permanently relocate the cameras.  Still, I think moving the cameras would be a useful diagnostic on the dark video complaint.  

Have you checked the HDR setting?  Try toggling it, and see if it makes any difference.

It would also be useful to try the motion detection test, to confirm the threshold.  If you have local storage installed, you can compare the local storage with the cloud storage.  That can also be useful.  Try playing back any nighttime local recordings, and make sure there are no visual artifacts or issues.

[cking1418]

My cameras have suddenly developed this same issue, they are not recording at night. This has never been an issue in the past. I am also wanting the security cameras for use mostly at night and that's when they have stopped working! They weren't recording at night, then started recording for a couple of days, and have now quit recording at night again. I discover the failure to record videos at night when I check the library each morning. I have heard outside noise during the night and have logged in to view the cameras live. There is activity the cameras should be recording, but they are not. I have been rebooting the hub (base) trying for a clean connection. In the morning after I reboot the hub the cameras, they will start recording immediately, but I MUST have the cameras functioning  during the night. There is no problem with the position of the cameras, no obstructions and they are fully charged. I have found the time frame when the cameras fail occurs approx. around 9:00-10:00 pm. The cameras stay in a state of failure to record until I reboot the hub in the morning after I have discovered the failure...again.

[ShayneS]

@cking1418 

Have you tried removing one of cameras and reinstall it and test again?