VMB3000 Base station, with 4 H7 cameras now producing blurry images, worse when zooming in.

[mgbnet]

Looks like JamesC posted on the big thread about the firmware issues, saying there was a new update and then locked the thread from further replies.

I have two questions:

1 - Why don't I see this update? I still only see 1.12.2.1_2798 from April as the available update for my base station. See attached image.

2 - The relase notes for the new firmware (1.3.319 - weird numbering, looks like a step backwards number-wise) say that it fixes the pixelation issue, but nothing that says it fixes the failure to update firmware issue that many of us are seeing with the 1.12.2.1_2798 firmware update.

[dsiu2902]

As I writing this, my data rate and  total bitrate start to return to normal, 455 kbps, then 660 kbps.

But still nowher close to this morning.

Arlo, what is going on? is it your compression software or internal problem with Arlo?

or are we just another labortory mice in your company?

This maybe the solution:

Arlo, fix your software to stabilize the data rate and total bitrate within 24 hours and also increase the data rate and total bitrate, so that we can have sharper images/videos to solve many of the videos issue that people encounter.   

[parsrgood]

@mamarcac  I agree. I know some contributors on these threads are trying to be helpful but at some point they have to understand that their input gets old and we don't need to be told the same thing over and over again as if we are morons. With that said, I recieved a update to my base sometime overnight. Went from 1.12.2.1_2798 to 1.12.2.2_2754. Another failed attempt from Arlo engineers. Overall quality is worse than it was yesterday. You're going the wrong way Arlo. Why can't you just suck it up and roll everything back to how you hade it before 5/22/19?

[MikeBravo]

Things have gone suddenly quiet these past few days, but the problems persist.

Arlo, have you really marked this whole mess solved? 

Well, its not and each day we at least are stuck with recordings and live views that are not as good as they were when bought all this equipment. In fact, in many cases the views are so poor as to be useless.

Are you ever going to address this or should be just dump all our stuff on eBay?

[mamarcac]

Silence from Arlo does not inspire confidence. All they have to do is type one sentence to let us know they're doing something. One sentence...

[parsrgood]

@MikeBravo  As mentioned in my previous response. My cameras and base are far from the quality they were prior to 5/22/2019. Blurred video accompanied by some jerky motion. Better than they were on the 23rd but only 75% of what they once were. At this point it's obvious Arlo could care less. I have let many friends know of the problems I am having. I have left negative reviews on Amazon, Bestbuy etc., filed a complaint and I am currently researching other options because I'm tired of this BS with Arlo. 

[GaryBoisseau]

Another strange issue.  Yesterday, my cameras stopped recording on motion for a few hours.  The 1st recording after this period took a 30 second clip and played it in a couple of seconds.  It was like watching super fast motion.  Whatever they are doing is really screwing up my system - poor resolution and inconsistant motion recording (or storage of my recordings).  Please fix! 

[parsrgood]

Arlo updated the firmware on my base station for the second time now since their crippling  1.12.2.1_2798 update. The new firmware update 1.12.2.3_2762 is another failed attempt from Arlo. Picture quality has decreased a bit more since their update 1.12.2.2_2754 on 6/13/2019. I'm guessing others got the same update. Are we giving up on this? Am I the only one left with inferior product? Or are we just giving up?

[GaryBoisseau]

Mine is now at 1.12.2.2_2756. Same issues. Missed motion recordings, one played back at at least 10X speed. Getting very upset.

[timts]

I am so upset regarding this issue that I'm looking into getting a different security camera system all together.  I can't beleive that they will not resolve this!  

[parsrgood]

Arlo obviously could give a rip. They have deemed this issue as resolved even though it is not. There's probably a new thread started on this issue but like you I'll probably look around for a product that works. Thanks Arlo. I will be spreading the news about how your engineers destroyed what was once a good product.

[mamarcac]

@parsrgood That's the most frustrating part, the system once worked pretty dang well. Then Arlo lost focus (or were directed to focus on new products/subscriptions) and the current lineup of programmers literally cannot seem to get anything right. It's pretty shocking honestly. I think even college students could do better than this.

[MikeBravo]

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@mamarcac wrote:

@parsrgood That's the most frustrating part, the system once worked pretty dang well. Then Arlo lost focus (or were directed to focus on new products/subscriptions) and the current lineup of programmers literally cannot seem to get anything right. It's pretty shocking honestly. I think even college students could do better than this.

What's even more ominous is the other issues that are cropping up that we now can't be sure aren't part of the problem. 

For example, one of my Arlo Pros missed a recording that it should have made, had made in the past, involving a delivery to our front door. While it recorded me coming out of the front door to retrieve it, it DID NOT record the delivery which was of a longer duration and with its much more activity should have triggered the recording, but it DID NOT.

The fact that some of our cameras received a new firmware update the other day as I posted previously, but not the rest is even more worrisome.

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[dsiu2902]

Check your base firmware again, new firmware just came out last night, 1.12.2.4_2772 for VMB4000, it may apply the same for VMB3000 and VMB 3500.  

[GaryBoisseau]

My VMB3500r4 is still at 1.12.2.2_2756

[parsrgood]

@dsiu2902 

@GaryBoisseau 

I recieved the 1.12.2.4.2772 overnight. This is the 4th update to my VMB3000 base since their crippling update on 5/22. every attempt they make results in more severe blurring and jerky motion. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Arlo's engineers cannot get this fixed. Good thing they aren't working for The NSA (National Security Agency)

[GaryBoisseau]

And I used to many years ago. I'm now a fire alarm and security system designer using high end POE IP cameras. Their issues are mind boggling. If I was a customer of me, I would fire myself.

[ThuyNgo]

I also recently purchased an Arlo Pro 2 with 4 camera. Setting up was fairly easy, I also purchase extra 2 power adapters for 2 outdoor cameras. The biggest disappointment is video quality. They advertised as HD quality but my records are very pixelated. I tried to find to improve the quality of the records but it seems you do not have an option.  

[jgatto]

I’m not gonna bore anyone with a long drawn out speech. All I’m going to say is my original GoPro I bought in 2014 kills the video clarity of these Pro 2’s so stick that in your compression rate wide lens blah blah whatever pipe and smoke it! 1080 clarity, ha, I don’t even know if my mailman has a face or if he leaves it in the truck when he drops off my mail.

[MikeBravo]

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@jgatto wrote:
I’m not gonna bore anyone with a long drawn out speech. All I’m going to say is my original GoPro I bought in 2014 kills the video clarity of these Pro 2’s so stick that in your compression rate wide lens blah blah whatever pipe and smoke it! 1080 clarity, ha, I don’t even know if my mailman has a face or if he leaves it in the truck when he drops off my mail.

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Apparently this breakdown in quality is more widespread than they are willing to admit seeing as it affects the basic Arlos, the Pros we have, and now you say the Pro 2's are affected.

Even the latest firmware (1.092.0.23_32920) has not do much if anything to get the video quality back to what it was. 

Why some of our cameras have updated to the latest, but not all is another mystery that continues to undermine whatever remaining confidence we have in Arlo to resolve these issues.

[Retired_Member]

Myself and 3 other friends that have Arlo Pro 2's all noticed that our video quality in the past month or 2 has gone way down. So I know it's not an isolated issue. The video is very pixelated. What happened? Is this known and being worked on? Or is this a way to get users to forcibly upgrade to Arlo Ultra's?

[Retired_Member]

Same issue here as well as 3 of my friends! This is a Firmware issue that needs to be addressed.

[Retired_Member]

Issue is with firmware that was release in the past month or so. Myself and 3 of my friends all have this issue. Please escalate.

[Retired_Member]

Myself and 3 of my friends all have this issue as well. And we're all looking for other solutions (NEST). This is ridiculus. 

[Hula_Rock]

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@Retired_Member wrote:

Myself and 3 other friends that have Arlo Pro 2's all noticed that our video quality in the past month or 2 has gone way down. So I know it's not an isolated issue. The video is very pixelated. What happened? Is this known and being worked on? Or is this a way to get users to forcibly upgrade to Arlo Ultra's?

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I have 4 of them online,  Checked live video and captured videos in the library on all 4 cameras.   I dont see anything out of the ordinary.  I still se very heavy pixelation on my Arlo Baby's when going live.   I wish the would address that sooner than later

[sfdfg]

I have to say, looking at my cameras today the picture seems to have deteriorated AGAIN in the last few days. The resolution is awful and after a few seconds it's all pixelating and blurring again. A few months back we had some artificial grass laid in the garden and I remember showing my dad on one of our cameras that you could just see the join between two sections of grass if you looked carefully. Looking at the picture from that camera now, the best you can hope to see is that there's something green there!

This is pathetic and now very much beyond a joke. I did initially have some sympathy for Arlo on this as they had clearly messed things up. I try not to judge a company for their mistakes so much as I judge them on how they deal with those mistakes. They've now failed on both counts.