Doorbell camera audio issue

[Dkelle7]

Recently purchase the Arlo Doorbell camera. Not quite a full day after the install the microphone on the doorbell is picking up some odd “heartbeat” type noise. I’ve still yet to figure this out whether something is wrong with the device itself or some interference. Appreciate help in advance!

[harleyman1450]

To all:  Arlo support being useless I took matters into my own hands and as suspected from my diagnostics it was a hardware issue. I returned the doorbell and reinstalled the new one...... zero noise. So to all who are having this issue, I hope you can return it to the place of purchase for a new unit. Arlo's support is useless and did not want to own up to a hardware issue. So much for their warranty. So I created my own RMA and exchanged the video doorbell for another. 

[rmcomer]

I also had the audio crackling/thumping issue and returned my defective  video doorbell to Amazon after I ordered and received a unit that works with no audio problems. Issue solved.

[harleyman1450]

I can pretty much mark this issue solved to all in this thread noise =  return and replace looks like Arlo has a bad batch in their supply chain    (If you want to save yourself loss time and a headache just pack the doorbell up and return it for a new one do not bother with Arlo support they are clueless .......   Stay, safe people 

[CosmicRichy]

I could of sworn that this same problem was on the Ultra cameras that was fixed in a firmware update? Again.. I could be wrong.

So like everyone else here I have this issue as well, the microphone starts crackling after 2 seconds or so during a live feed.

As someone said above this unit was an absolute pain to have installed and I’d rather not remove it at all unless this is confirmed to be a hardware defect.

For reference I currently have my video doorbell connected to the Arlo Pro 3 SmartHub and I’m using the Arlo Chime (no wired chime installed).

[JP_13]

A short time after I posted to this forum I was contacted by Arlo support. They requested that I send them an example video clip demonstrating this audio behavior. I promptly emailed an example. Unfortunately, I never heard anything back from Arlo. Soon thereafter I see replies from other customers who changed out their hardware and fixed the issue. With Arlo being silent, I decided to run an experiment and return my doorbell to Amazon for a replacement. When the replacement arrived (the next day) I simply exchanged the doorbell unit itself, everything else stayed the same. Guess what? About 80-90% of the annoying popping and cracking sound is gone! There is still some of the sound remaining (could be wind in the mic) but it is now MUCH better and the best part is that it isn’t pulsing like a heartbeat. I saw this improvement immediately but I waited a week to confirm before replying to this post with the results. Initially I was happy to see how fast Arlo support reached out, but disappointed in their lack of response/communication. I can confirm that in my particular situation this issue did appear to be a hardware problem. Therefore, if you are having this same problem and not getting support from Arlo, I would recommend trying to swop out your video doorbell while you’re still in the exchange period.

[harleyman1450]

It's unfortunate that the end consumer has to figure this out. I wonder if Arlo even monitors these forums  They have to be aware of issues with certain lots of video doorbells that have this type of hardware issue. I understand they might be short-handed due to the circumstances but at a minimum post something.   I guess its more cost-effective for the end-user to just return the unit for a new one.    ( Lesson learned     Any  Arlo product purchased not working  properly just return it and do not waste your time with the support   you will never get that time back in your life  )

[WTFH]

Just noticed ours doing it tonight.

Unfortunately for me, I bought mine in the US in February - I live in the UK, so returning it to Best Buy in Memphis isn’t that straightforward.

Any thoughts on what I could do?

[MONRY]

Yes, I am having the same static-y thumping audio troubles as everyone else in this thread. It started from the first day of instillation. At first, I thought it was the wind blowing against my video doorbell camera that was causing it to make all of the noises. I soon realized it was not wind, but the video doorbell itself. I hear it through the Arlo app when watching the live feed and the recordings. I only had the video doorbell for less than a month but a few days ago I took it back to Home Depot where I purchased it, got a refund, and got another Arlo video doorbell. This new video doorbell has the same noise problems as the last one. In fact, this one is actually worse than the first one! Which is why I came to the community to see if anyone else was having the same issues. Glad to know I’m not alone. 😔

[harleyman1450]

exchange it again apparently Arlo has a bad batch floating around i was lucky and had it working with the second unit.   Also, try this ....order it from home depot online instead of picking it up at the store. most likely they have a fresh supply ... You can always return it to the store if the second one does not work  

[MONRY]

Okay, thank you, I will do that. Although I’m going to feel a little embarrassed returning it again to the same store being that I just bought this one a couple of days ago after returning the first one that had the same audio problem. Maybe I need to look for an Arlo video doorbell somewhere other than the Home Depot I got it from. I’ll try online and see what happens.

[harleyman1450]

FYI     LOL    current associate in the electrical department at the Home Depot they could give a do not feel embarrassed they will not say or do nothing they will get in serious trouble customer will always be correct in the refund, Just make sure you have your receipt or cc you paid with .......  If you feel otherwise just go to another store and return it 

[harleyman1450]

Just remember if you go online they might not be as good in their return policy   food for thought 

[harleyman1450]

And yes order it online the Arlos in the stores are a bit stale   the major sellers are the rings and the nest 

[harleyman1450]

online       being hd.com this way you can keep return it to the store until you get the issue corrected   if Arlo does not want to help then you create your own RMA        home depot does not take a loss they return it back to Arlo 

[MONRY]

Okay, thank you I will return it to Home Depot and look for another.

[SaintHope]

Have the same issue and Arlo wants 17 dollars to send a new one or send back old then the will send a new on leave me without a door bell? Post will not accept MP4

[MONRY]

I’m sorry to hear that. 😞 I guess I’ll give you guys an update on my situation. I sent my 2nd one back to Home Depot and ordered a new one (3rd one) from Best Buy. Received it and have had no audio troubles from the new one so that’s good. 🙂 However, the visual for when someone rings the doorbell is practically useless because it either freezes up or doesn’t show up at all. Which kind of defeats the purpose of having the camera. So I guess I gotta take the good with the bad. 😕 I’m tired of switching. But yeah keep trying until you get a good one. One thing I’ve noticed about all 3 of the cameras I’ve had is that even though they’re all the same product from the same company, they all react differently to things. For example this new camera I have doesn’t send me notifications every single time someone drives past my house or is near my house whereas the last camera notified me every time someone was in close proximity which I enjoyed. Mind you, I’ve had the same exact settings on all 3 cameras. Little things like that. I guess you just have to keep searching until you find one that works to its fullest capabilities or switch to a different brand. Good luck everyone!

[MDAWG92]

Hello. So I recently purchased an arlo video doorbell because I heard great reviews and better camera quality than ring. However I found myself hearing a weird sound that wasn’t wind related. Pulsating/static etc. Went on this page to see possible solutions and most people are saying firmware related. However upon reading further into it they said arlo had a bad batch of mics in the cameras. So I simply returned the one at bestbuy and ordered from amazon. Plugged it in and BOOM audio is crystal clear. No static. I can hear the birds chirping. So if you’re able to see video I’m uploading this is what I was experiencing. Now my issue is resolved. New Camera. Hope this helps.

[MDAWG92]

Hello. So I recently purchased an arlo video doorbell because I heard great reviews and better camera quality than ring. However I found myself hearing a weird sound that wasn’t wind related. Pulsating/static etc. Went on this page to see possible solutions and most people are saying firmware related. However upon reading further into it they said arlo had a bad batch of mics in the cameras. So I simply returned the one at bestbuy and ordered from amazon. Plugged it in and BOOM audio is crystal clear. No static. I can hear the birds chirping. Now my issue is resolved. New Camera. Hope this helps.

[debare]

I don't have any of your electrician's qualifications so did a simpler experiment. Having three doorbells now in my possession due to this ridiculous audio issue, I unhooked the first one I bought (Best Buy Canada in-store) and simply let it run live without being attached to any power except its own battery. The exact same audio problem continued which tells me it's the Arlo hardware/firmware ... and has nothing to do with any external electrical setup.

Then I attached the second one (Arlo RMA) - of course, it had the same audio issues.

Now I need to add the third one (Best Buy Canada online) to see if it works better than the first two.

So essentially I have three identical cameras from three (3) different sources. I'll know more tomorrow when I install the new third doorbell and see if it works any better than the first two. 

My wife has summed it up perfectly: "Shouldn't this be easier to set up?" And she's 100% correct. I truly want to be a happy Arlo customer - having invested upwards of $2k in Pro 3 cameras, a security floodlight and a series of non-working video doorbells. But Arlo is not making it easy to be a happy customer at this point. 

[debare]

Amazingly it was third time a charm. The new Arlo Video Doorbell from Best Buy Canada online finally worked as expected without any of the 'static' that I was getting from the first purchase and subsequent Arlo RMA. So while it wasn't easy, it was successful in the end. I don't know what to tell the Arlo community other than that it appears - based on my anecdotal experience - to be strictly a device hardware issue. I know many others, like myself, tried a variety of solutions for naught. So just keep bugging Arlo for a replacement video doorbell until you get one that finally works. 

BTW on the RMA I pushed hard to get them to ship it to me free without any exchange - which they did. So Arlo will 'bend' the rules and send a replacement without their customers paying for this 'service.' I'm now shipping the RMA unit back to them via Fedex at their expense. 

[debare]

Just keep taking them back ... or buy one from a different store until you get one that works properly. It took three (3) doorbells before I got one that functions perfectly. Cheers. 

[CosmicRichy]

Hey everyone,

This is a follow up since I’ve got some great news, It seems like the most recent firmware update that was pushed out about a week or two ago for the wired doorbells has fixed my problem of the “heartbeat” sound I had since day one.

Can anyone else who decided to keep their doorbell instead of returning it confirm this?

[WTFH]

Just checked - my wireless video doorbell (AVD1001Ar1.2) is running firmware 1.14.0.0_809_9259536_c33dc90 and I can still hear a heartbeat. 😞