Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell issues and hello to all!

[FreddieK]

Hi all!  I just wanted to post a few questions about my new Arlo Essential Wireless Video Doorbell.  First off if I may I would like to describe my installation because many times questions come up if it was installed correctly.  I have worked in the past as an Electrician's helper and I am pretty handy with tools etc. so I figured this would be a no-brainer.  I put off buying one of these for many months because I was sure to run into problems and become sad LOL.  I bought one, it doesn't work, I am sad 🙂

1.  I watched the video from start to finish.  Looked easy peasy.  

2. I installed the Arlo app on my phone.  Easy Peasy.  I created an account, easy to do.

3. l located the chime for my door bells.  I have 2.  A front and a back.  After taking off the cover of the chime unit, it DID not look like anything the app showed.  It told me to hire a doorbell professional to help me install it.  Sorry, I cannot do this.  However, the power unit has two wires, one runs to the front door bell terminal screw.  After disconnecting power, I removed the front doorbell terminal screw and pushed the wire under the screw and tightened it no problem.  I do not have a transformer screw.  I have a transformer wire, well two of them.  Green is ground, and the yellow is the ticket.  I have to cut the spade off the other wire on the power unit and I stripped the insulation and winded the wire about the yellow transformer wire that was connected to power and then replaced the wire nut.  Done and dusted yay me!  I put back the chime cover and I am on my way to the front door bell.  Man I so GOT THIS!!!!

4.  I remove my old doorbell and disconnect the wires.  I push the little paperclip thingie in the hole to remove the doorbell bracket and install it with the wires towards the bottom of the cut out.  Next, I loosen the terminal screws on the doorbell unit and place the wires on them and tighten them no problem.  I carefully click the doorbell into place and everything looks good.

5.  I turn on power and the doorbell chime immediately goes off.  Hmm, I don't really notice if this is typical or not because I have not messed with my doorbell in a LONGGGGG time.  Does my chime go off when power is restored?  I search my memory.  It fails me.  Anyways...I don't care yet...

6.  I go to the front door and the doorbell shows that power apparently is on the unit as all those little white dots on the button you push are on and solid..not blinking or anything like that.  Looks like it is performing as advertised.  I push the button just to see if it will operate the doorbell without it being connected to my wireless router.  UH OH....It does not make the doorbell go off.  Did I just pay 140 bucks to break my door bell YAY!

7.  I swallow my paranoia and get back to it.  My front rounter (yes I have one in the back of the house) is 12 ft to 15 ft from the doorbell unit.  It should connect no problem.  I go through the app and it tells me to pick the right wireless channel to use.  This is where crap gets dizzy.  I pick the one that I think is 2.4ghz and then go to the door and let the camera see that weird picture that is flashed up.  I makes a satisfying chime and then my phone searches for devices.  It fails...and fails...and fails...and fails...and fails...pick the other wireless signal from the router.  It fails...and fails...and fails...

I press the door bell button...the lights blink..I show the camera my picture, it chimes as successful and then the ring of lights around the button go red for a minute...

My plan is to reset my router ASAP and see why the camera is not connecting to it.  However, does the doorbell not ring until the wireless is connected on this thing?

I am very sad at the moment but I bought it from the big blue box store so I can take it back if it is a POS.  

[JamesC]

FreddieK,

It sounds like you may be having an issue with the SSID selection during onboarding. The doorbell uses 2.4Ghz so when going through the onboarding steps, you're mobile device must also be connected to the 2.4Ghz band. Check to make sure your mobile device is connected to the appropriate SSID and then go through onboarding again to see if you experience the same behavior.

JamesC

[FreddieK]

Thank you James!  Well, I have connected to the 2.4g net.  I have two signals working on the wireless router.  It is a Asus AC1900 Dual band router and it has been a good one.  It has two wireless signals.

DD-WRT_5g  and,

DD-WRT

I connect to the DD-WRT with my phone.  Then I go through all the steps to where I show the camera the picture on my phone.  It does not connect.

I think it is just not working.  I am going to take it back and pursue other options possibly.

Frankly I am so exasperated with the whole business I may just put the door bell back on and research a better way.  This is not what I signed up for and as it stands I cannot in good faith even use this item from the back of the house because my other router broadcasts signal in the back so my phone won't even connect to the front router anyway.

Thank you for reponding though!

[StephenB]

---

@FreddieK wrote:

my other router broadcasts signal in the back so my phone won't even connect to the front router anyway.

---

Are both routers using the same network name/passphrase?  Also, is one of routers in extender mode?  Or are both acting as routers?

[FreddieK]

My back router is password protected and feeds two computers with wires.  One of the wires feeds an old router in the basement.  The cable plug has swapped wires to make the wired router in the basement a wired extender.  From that wired extender router, it feeds the Asus router that is very close to the doorbell.  

The asus router does not have a password at all.  I go into it in admin mode and did a factory reset.  It shows that the guest 2.4g is disabled but it shows the regular 2.4g is enabled.  

When I turn off the asus wifi on or off button, the signals go away.  

There is no way the signal from the back router can reach the front area where the asus router is.

[FreddieK]

Oh sorry to add this is why I think this product is not for me.  When I sit in my computer room, I want to be able to check the camera in the front where the front door is.

This product forces me to stay wirelessly tethered to my front router, which is inadequate.  

Basically the product is for small houses I guess.

Anyone have an idea of a better product to fit my needs?  I really need security as people have been seen around my house and I really need security fast.

[StephenB]

---

@FreddieK wrote:

The cable plug has swapped wires to make the wired router in the basement a wired extender.  From that wired extender router, it feeds the Asus router that is very close to the doorbell.  

Ok, so the basement router is acting as an extender, not a router.  Though I'm puzzled on the re-wiring of the ethernet connection accomplishes that, since gigabit ethernet auto-negotiates tx/rx (crossover cables are no longer needed).

---

@FreddieK wrote:

The asus router does not have a password at all.  I go into it in admin mode and did a factory reset.  It shows that the guest 2.4g is disabled but it shows the regular 2.4g is enabled.  

---

Is the 2.4g network from the Asus using WPA2 (AES) security? (wasn't sure if "does not have a password" applies to the router web admin page or the wifi network).

Also, is it using the same network name and password as the main router (not saying that's an issue, but it would be useful to know).

---

@FreddieK wrote:

Oh sorry to add this is why I think this product is not for me.  When I sit in my computer room, I want to be able to check the camera in the front where the front door is.

This product forces me to stay wirelessly tethered to my front router, which is inadequate.  

---

No it doesn't (assuming your network is correctly set up).

I have mesh network myself, and don't have your issues.  I can also access the cameras remotely (either connected to mobile, or a laptop).

Are you seeing the back doorbell listed in the attached device list of the front router?  If the Asus is set up as an extender, you should find it (and it's local IP address there).  If you don't, then it is possible that the Asus is actually routing, and not just extending.