Base setup fails (VMB 3500)

[mgbnet]

So, about a month ago a firmware update was pushed out to base stations. I could not get it to install successfully. When trying to update the base station it would fail every time. Powering off and back on the base station would bring it back online but I was unable to view live video from my cameras.

The firmware was eventually pulled down and on May 2nd JamesC said they were trialling a new firmware (https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo/unable-to-connect-to-media-server-and-no-motion-detection/m-p/169...)

Well, today I got a message again that there was a new firmware update available and I am getting the same behavior as a month ago. It fails to install. I have to power off and on the base station to get it back online, and I cannot view live video any more as it says I have to install the new firmware.

Whatever fix they were trialling in the new firmware does not appear to have fixed the issue.....

[michaelkenward]

Have you done a reset on the VMB 3500?

 As a last resort, it might unblock the updates.

[mgbnet]

If you mean a soft reset, then yes. That's how I get it to roll back to the prior firmware (but I still get no live video and the nag message to update the base station).

If you mean a hard reset, then no. First, I wanted to check if others in the community were experiencing this and if there was a simpler workaround. Second, in this day and age expecting to hard reset hardware just because of a firmware update is an unacceptable customer experience. Third, this firmware was borked in April with the same issue, so Netgear need to be aware and provide a proper solution, that does not require hard resetting, rebinding of the cameras and reconfiguring of everything.

[mgbnet]

Oh, and someone else on another thread (https://community.arlo.com/t5/Arlo/Firmware-Update-fail/m-p/1697770#M66929) was advised by an Arlo moderator to hard reset the base station and they still did not get the firmware to update, so I'm not going to waste my time trying that too, until there is an acknowledgement of the issue and more details on the resolution.

[dsiu2902]

First check your firmware version, if already is 1.12.2.1_2798, don't waste your time, I have tried everything you can name it, it doesn't work at all. We are their laboratory mice.

If it is 1.12.0.1_27940, then you can safely perform a hard reset, which can solve your problem.

[mgbnet]

My base station is currently on 1.12.0.1_27940.

It is failing to update to 1.12.2.1_2798.

I don't want the hassle of hard resetting and reconfiguring everything. I want a working firmware update. 

They tried to push this out in April and had to roll it back because of the failure to update.

They push it out again in May with exactly the same result. 

Agreed with the lab rat comment. Out of all the hardware I have at home Arlo and Fitbit are the only two vendors that consistently have firmware update issues... Forcing users to hard reset to fix borked updates is just a cop out.

[dsiu2902]

you are lucky right now.

If you can, don't update to 1.12.2.1_2798, if you recall on May 2, 2019, they were a new firmware and asked volunteers, but no one signed up. So now, they randomly select some people to test to see how many people complaint about it. If there aren't too many people, they will send this scazy (screwed up) firmware to everyone.

Right now, this 1.12.2.1_2798 will cause more problems and reduce video image quality, this has already happended to a few people.

[michaelkenward]

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@mgbnet wrote:

If you mean a soft reset, then yes.

I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by soft and hard resets.

I think of terms of "pin in the back" factory reset, the one described in the manuals, and the more severe version, a recovery reset, but the latter isn't something that I have come across with Arlo base stations.

[artzr]

Same situation... VMB3010r2 base station can't update to 1.12.2.1_2798.  I had this same update problem with another base station about 3 months ago and Arlo eneded up sending a replacement.  Very frustrating that without an option to skip an update, Arlo pretty much kills your device.