SOLVED: Arlo video doorbell won't connect

[bcoccia1]

I have an Arlo wired video doorbell, and it will not connect. I bought it two years+ ago, it worked for a while, then suddenly dropped the connection. It took me numerous attempts of resetting and reconnecting; I finally got it working again. That lasted for around 3 months, then it dropped again, now I cannot get it to reconnect at all. And yes, I have been through all of the listed steps of resetting, removing the device in the app, adding it back, etc. etc., quite a few times, and it refuses to connect. All of my other cameras are working fine, the app is working fine. The video doorbell WILL NOT connect, the app it says "Looking for Arlo Video Doorbell" for several minutes then says "No doorbells were found". It's installed correctly, has power, and rings the doorbell inside the house, the app just can't find it. Again, it was working before then suddenly lost connection, and I can't get it to reconnect. Help please. Or do I need to just throw it away and switch to a different brand?

[jguerdat]

Have you tested the transformer for proper output with a voltmeter?

[bcoccia1]

Transformer? What transformer? As I said, it worked at first for several months, then dropped the connection, took me a while to get it back on, finally came back on, worked for maybe three months, then lost connection again and nothing I have tried works. I even did the same thing I did last time to get it working, try to add it as a device and the app keeps saying "no doorbells were found"

[StephenB]

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@bcoccia1 wrote:

Transformer? What transformer?

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The wired doorbell (AVD1001) is connected to a transformer (16-24 volts), which also powers your traditional chime.  If you don't have a transformer, then you must be using the AVD2001 (wirefree doorbell).

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@bcoccia1 wrote:

I even did the same thing I did last time to get it working, try to add it as a device and the app keeps saying "no doorbells were found"

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Are you getting to the point where QR code is scanned?  If so, is the doorbell chiming at that point?

Also, is the phone connected to your home wifi network?

[bcoccia1]

Thanks for trying to help, but I don't think it's the "transformer", or anything like that. The doorbell is getting power because the lights in the front are on, flash like they're supposed to when the doorbell is reset, still won't connect. The doorbell is wired, so there IS no QR code step.

I have been through all of the trouble shooting steps numerous times, reset the doorbell, removed the device in the app, tried to re-add it, and keep getting "no doorbells were found" over and over. The unit is obviously defective, and I've gotten NO help from the Arlo "customer support" (not, it's just a bot telling me to do the same troubleshooting steps I've already done). 

So I did the only thing left - went out and bought a new one. I'm going to install it today, then I'll know if that was it.

[StephenB]

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@bcoccia1 wrote:

The doorbell is wired, so there IS no QR code step.

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Not true, there is a QR step if you are onboarding it to your home wifi.  That is how the doorbell gets the wifi network name and password.

If you aren't seeing that, then you must be onboarding it to an Arlo base.  

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@bcoccia1 wrote:

Thanks for trying to help, but I don't think it's the "transformer", or anything like that.

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Not sure why you are putting transformer in quotes.  The wired doorbell uses 16-24 volts AC.  That is supplied from your main power using a transformer that steps down the voltage.  That low voltage also goes to traditional chimes (if you have them). Sometimes that transformer is integrated into the chime.  Other times it is installed behind the chime in the wall or ceiling.  In my own setup it is installed in the basement.

Your doorbell is getting power, which is good.  Though sometimes failing transformers can deliver out-of-spec power (low voltage or amperage for example), and that can result in strange behavior from the doorbell.  It is worth checking, as it might be related to the failure of the original doorbell.

[bcoccia1]

Stephen - you were correct, it was the transformer. 

[bcoccia1]

SOLVED: I was finally able to get my video doorbell to connect. The problem was the transformer that feeds power to the doorbell.
After trying everything else, I finally called an electrician friend to come have a look. He figured it out right away. The first thing he asked me was where the transformer was that feeds power to the doorbell. I told him I had no idea. He said in a lot of 70's houses they put the transformer next to the heater "I have no idea why, that's just how they used to do it". He then explained that the Arlo video doorbells need 16 volts to function correctly, and in houses with just a standard doorbell the transformer feeding it power is only 10 volts. He suspected that the Arlo video doorbell had been attempting to draw 16 volts through that transformer and eventually burned it out (that's why it was working at first, then cut out). He's a smart electrician because that's exactly what it was. We went downstairs and there it was attached to a box that feeds power to the gas heater. He pulled the little transformer off, it was a 10-volt transformer, tested it and it was bad. He replaced it with a 16-volt transformer, and the doorbell connected immediately.

It would be nice of Arlo would TELL PEOPLE THIS WHEN THE BUY THAT DOORBELL! Or if it was in the documentation somewhere I missed it. If anyone else it having problems getting a wired video doorbell to connect, THAT is the first thing I would check. You may need to call an electrician for help. I know a guy...

[StephenB]

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@bcoccia1 wrote:

It would be nice of Arlo would TELL PEOPLE THIS WHEN THE BUY THAT DOORBELL! Or if it was in the documentation somewhere I missed it. If anyone else it having problems getting a wired video doorbell to connect, THAT is the first thing I would check. You may need to call an electrician for help. I know a guy...

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16 volt AC transformers are actually fairly typical in the US (and my home had a 24 volt transformer before I installed the doorbell).  But there is no real standard, and other voltages (and also DC power) is definitely out there.

I don't recall what's on the packaging, but the install sheet inside the box, the datasheet, and the Arlo shopping site all list the 16-24 volts AC power requirement:

• https://www.arlo.com/en-us/images/Documents/ArloVideoDoorbell/Arlo_AVD1001_SQSG_US.pdf
• https://www.arlo.com/en-us/images/Documents/VideoDoorbell/Arlo_VideoDoorbell_Family_DS_211119v2.pdf
• https://www.arlo.com/en-us/compare?cgid=doorbell

[bcoccia1]

ok, but my point is the average homeowner is not going to know much about any of that. When you first said transformer, I had no idea what you were talking about and thought it was something inside the doorbell. It would just be nice if ideally in the installation instructions in the app it would tell you this. "This video doorbell requires 16-volts power. Ensure that the transformer supplying power to the doorbell is minimum 16-volts. Request the assistance of an electrician as needed." Something like that. I had no idea any of that was an issue and have been trying repeatedly for months to get this doorbell to connect.

[bcoccia1]

By the way Stephen, out of all of the people who answered my post, you are the only one who brought up the transformer, which shows me that most people don't even know about that issue.